The Word Up Project: Level Red

Unit 5 Were Going to Ride

active
coast

device
drift

gradual
marsh

nation
rate

schedule
swift

5A Introduction
This song tells the true story of four guys who decided to do something crazy: ride their skateboards
across America. They started on the West Coast and traveled by skateboard all the way to the East
Coast. They were skating both to see the country, and to raise money to fight disease. They also had
a lot of fun.

5B Song Lyrics
You know what I like? I like to skate,
I dont mean on ice skates or Rollerblades.
I mean a skateboard, its a nice device,
Its a cool invention; its nice and light.
As I got older, I thought itd be amazing
To skate across the whole country, the nation.
So, me and my amigos packed up some Cheetos,
Got on our skateboards, figured wed be heroes.
We lived in Oregon, so thats where we would begin,
We had a schedule, so our time was planned.
We would kick, push and coast from coast to coast,
And we knew where we were supposed to go.
The going was slow, and at this rate,
At this speed, it would take us more than 20 days.
But thats cool, we didnt care, cause the feeling of
The wind in our hair was fresh like mountain air.
Were going to ride
Everybody take a ride with me.
We saw a cactus in the desert where its extra dry,
The skating kept us active, cause its exercise.
But slowly, over time, gradually,
Id get so weak that I could barely keep going.
At the top of the mountains, it was snowing,
Frozen flakes fell, the wind was blowing.
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active / coast / device / drift / gradual / marsh / nation / rate / schedule / swift

Unit 5

Imagine flying down a mountain on a skateboard,

I nearly hit a tree, I moved so swiftly and quickly.
Sometimes the wind would push my board,
Back and forth, and I would drift.
And one time, I even saw a wild horse
Run alongside my board, and it was hip.
We traveled east through wet swamps and marshes,
People in town would say, Oh my lord its
Four guys skating so far, I cant believe it,
Well, this land is beautiful. Yall should step outside and see it!
Were going to ride
Everybody take a ride with me.

5C Words Defined
active
(adj) . Doing something, or being busy; full of action. Kayla is always running around; shes the
most active person I know.
coast
(verb) . To move smoothly with little effort. Biking down hills is easy because you dont have to
pedal; you can just coast.
(noun) . The land next to the sea. I grew up in Boston, but moved to the West Coast.
device
(noun) . An invention that does a particular thing. Ariel created a device that did all his
homework for him.
drift
(verb) . To be moved this way and that, usually by wind or water. The little boat lost its sail and
drifted out to sea.
gradual
(adj) . Something that happens slowly over time. The changing
colors of leaves is a good way to notice the gradual shift from
summer to fall.
marsh
(noun) . A swamp or wetland. Outside my town there is a huge
marsh that goes all the way to the mountains.

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The Word Up Project: Level Red

nation
(noun) . A country, or the group of people who live in a country. The President gave a big speech to
the entire nation.
rate
(verb) . To rank; to place things at a certain level. Sulla got paid to play video games and then rate
them on a scale of 1 to 10.
(noun) . A measurement of something, usually growth or speed. Our school has been growing at an

amazing rate.
schedule
(noun) . A plan that says when different things will happen. To
be fair, Cory and his sister made a schedule for when they
would each clean the playroom.
swift
(adj) . Quick; fast. No animal is as swift as the cheetah.
5D Synonyms
Circle the word on the right that matches the meaning of the word or phrase on the left.
1. land near water
2. slow
3. swamp
4. quick
5. grade

drift
gradual
coast
active
rate

coast
active
drift
gradual
coast

rate
swift
marsh
swift
drift

5E Fill in the Blank

Write the word in the blank so that the sentence makes sense.
1. The banker uses a special __________________________________ to count all the money that comes in each day.

coast

drift

device

2. We lay on our backs and watched as the clouds __________________________________ by.

drifted
scheduled
rated
3. Treys doctor said that he has to stay __________________________________ if he wants to be healthy.

gradual

swift

active

4. Before this country became one __________________________________ it was 13 separate states.

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coast

nation

marsh

active / coast / device / drift / gradual / marsh / nation / rate / schedule / swift

Unit 5

5. My mom has such a busy __________________________________ she hardly has time to eat lunch!

rate

nation

schedule

5F Connections

Each sentence has a strong connection with one of the words from the unit. Write the correct
word on the line below.
1. While on vacation, the Rivera family made a plan for each day.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Lily pads sat on top of the muddy water.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. The judges gave a score to the gymnast.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. The little boat was pushed by the wind out to sea.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Tor plays soccer every day after school.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5G Applying Meanings

Circle the letter that makes sense or answers the question.

1. If you lived right on the coast, what would you see every day?
(A) parks with lots of trees
(B) the ocean
(C) skyscrapers
(D) forests with lots of birds
2. How would someone gradually add water to a bowl?
(A) They would pour it while its very hot.
(B) They would dump it in very quickly.
(C) They would add the water last.
(D) They would pour it in a little at a time.
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The Word Up Project: Level Red

3. Who celebrates a national holiday?
(A) everyone in the country
(B) only kids
(C) people living in the north
(D) people who live on farms
4. Which device would you use to clean your carpets?
(A) a towel
(B) soap
(C) a vacuum cleaner
(D) dirty sneakers

5. Which of the following moves most swiftly?
(A) a car
(B) a bouncing ball
(C) a snail
(D) a clown

5H Reading

Read the passage below and then answer the questions that follow.

Hurricane Katrina

In August of 2005, weather people, or meteorologists,
started to notice a huge storm in the ocean off the coast of
Florida. This storm turned into a hurricane right before it
passed over Florida. Then, once it hit the Gulf of Mexico, it
became even stronger. Meteorologists rated it a Category
5 hurricane. That meant that it was one of the strongest
hurricanes they had ever seen. They warned people all over the
Gulf Coast to leave their homes and go someplace safer.

The city of New Orleans was especially in danger. The
city was like a giant bowl with water all around it. On the north
side of the city was Lake Pontchartrain. On the south side was
the Mississippi River. If a hurricane did hit, the waters around
the city would flood into the bowl with no way of getting out.
There were giant walls, called levees, that had been built to
keep the water out. But meteorologists thought that the water
would rise so much that it would go over the walls!

On August 28, the mayor of New Orleans sent out an
order that all people must leave. People with cars and places
to stay swiftly left the city. But people who didnt have cars or places to go stayed in New Orleans.
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active / coast / device / drift / gradual / marsh / nation / rate / schedule / swift

Unit 5

Some people went to the citys football stadium, where the government had set up a shelter.

The hurricanes winds and rain destroyed a lot of the city. It knocked down electric
wires and ripped roofs right off of the houses. It also caused the levees to break in 53 different
places. Gradually, the waters of the river and lake flooded into the city. Thousands of people
were trapped in their homes as the water covered the streets and many houses.

News cameras and reporters got to the city right away. They showed how the people of
New Orleans needed help getting out of the city. The United States Coast Guard was also there
to help. Many helicopter pilots worked for days and days to rescue people who were trapped in
their homes.

After the hurricane, the whole nation wanted to help the people of New Orleans. Many
people gave money, clothes, canned food, and even furniture. Only half of the citizens of New
Orleans went back after the storm to fix up their houses and start a new life there.

1. Where did Hurricane Katrina start?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Why was New Orleans especially in danger?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Why couldnt some people leave the city?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What are levees?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What are two things people gave to the people of New Orleans?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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The Word Up Project: Level Red

Bonus: Crossword Puzzle

Solve this crossword puzzle.

1
2

ACROSS
6 The small boat slowly
____________ out to sea.
8 During the snowstorm, none of
the planes were taking off on
______________.
9 When it was time for recess, the
kids cleaned up ___________.
10 We're going too slow; at this
__________ we'll never make it
in time.

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10

DOWN
1 You don't even have to pedal
down this hill. You can just
___________.
2 You can only see alligators in the
_________ of Florida.
3 Thad watched as the snow fell
and __________ covered the
streets and cars.
4 On July 4th, the whole
___________ watches fireworks.
5 Although she's 83 years old, my
grandma is still ____________.
7 Before there were calculators,
people used a _________ called
an abacus.