Non-fiction: Shark Tale Shark Tale What's your worst nightmare? Showing up at school in your underwear? Getting beaten up by some bullies? How about being attacked by a shark? That's just what happened to Bethany Hamilton when she was 13 years old. Bethany, now in her twenties, has lived in Hawaii her whole life. The state, in the Pacific Ocean, is famous for its surfing. Bethany started surfing before she could walk. As a child, Bethany spent almost all of her spare time riding the waves. She dreamed of becoming a professional surfer. As a girl, she entered many surfing competitions. She won or placed well in many of the events. Bethany was well on her way to being a champion surfer. Then disaster struck. Shark Attack! On October 31, 2003 Halloween day Bethany woke up early. She left her house before sunrise. The first beach her mom drove her to didn't have big waves. So they drove to another beach. At the second beach, Bethany ran into her friend Alana and Alana's father. The three of them paddled their surfboards out to sea. The best waves for surfing were crashing about a quarter of a mile offshore. Bethany was looking for a wave to ride. She never saw a shark approach her from below. One second Bethany was paddling on her surfboard. The next second she was struggling for her life. The 14-foot tiger shark ripped off her left arm below the shoulder. The shark also left a huge bite mark in Bethany's surfboard. "I felt a pressure and kind of a jiggle-jiggle tug, which I know now was the teeth," Bethany wrote in her book, Soul Surfer. "It's funny you would think having your arm bitten off would really hurt. But there was no pain at the time." Article: Copyright 2005 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Used by permission. 1
Non-fiction: Shark Tale Bloody Mess Bethany was startled, but somehow she did not panic. "It was over in a few seconds," she says. "I remember seeing the water around me turn bright red with my blood." Bethany screamed to Alana and her father, "I just got attacked by a shark!" Using her right arm, Bethany began to paddle toward shore. Alana's father swam to her side and helped her. A helicopter flew Bethany to a hospital. Doctors there stopped the bleeding and treated the shark wound. Bethany spent only a week in the hospital. Even before going home, she began dreaming of getting back on her surfboard. Speedy Recovery On the day before Thanksgiving 2003 less than a month after the shark attack Bethany was back in the ocean. The shark that had taken her arm had been hunted and killed. Bethany knew there were other sharks in the ocean, but she refused to let them scare her. "Then it happened," Bethany remembers. "A wave rolled through. I caught it. Once I was on my feet, everything was easy." Sharks or no sharks, Bethany Hamilton will stop at nothing to realize her dream of becoming a professional surfer. Article: Copyright 2005 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Used by permission. 2
Name: Date: 1. What did Bethany do less than a month after being attacked by a shark? A Bethany drove with her mom to the beach. B Bethany went out to dinner with her friend Alana. C Bethany went to the hospital for treatment. D Bethany got back in the ocean and went surfing. 2. Which of the following does the author describe last in the passage? A Bethany s experience when she was attacked by a shark B Bethany s decision to go surfing after the attack C Bethany s treatment in the hospital D Bethany s dreams of becoming a champion surfer 3. It can be inferred from the passage that A Bethany Hamilton will definitely become a champion surfer B some people who are attacked by sharks never go back in the water C the ocean around Hawaii is filled with vicious tiger sharks D Bethany will probably stop surfing very soon 4. Read the following sentence: Bethany was startled, but somehow she did not panic. In this sentence the word startled means A calm B shocked C angry D excited 5. What would be another good title for this passage? A Bethany Hamilton, Professional Surfer B What to Do if You Are Attacked by a Shark C She Survived a Shark Attack D Hawaii, Land of Sharks 1
6. How was Bethany treated for the shark attack? 7. What word would the author likely use to describe Bethany Hamilton? 8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. Bethany wanted to keep surfing after the shark attack she got back in the water less than a month later. A but B because C so D after 9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below. A shark attacked Bethany Hamilton on October 31, 2003, when Bethany was 13 years old. What? a shark (did) What? When? 2
10. Read the vocabulary word and definition below and complete questions 10a, 10b, and 11. Vocabulary Word: approach (ap proach): to come close to. 10a. Read the sentences below and underline the word approach. 1. As the days approach my birthday, I am getting more and more excited. 2. The tiger trainer warned the visitors to be careful when they approach the tiger in its cage. 3. You should offer your hand for a dog to sniff when you approach. 4. The teacher was so proud that all her students were approaching grade level in their reading. 5. The beekeeper approached the beehive cautiously so he would not get stung. 10b. Which of the following pictures shows a boat approaching the shore? 11. Would it be smart to approach a rattlesnake? Why or why not? 3