Baking Battle Worksheet
High School Reading Workshop
Baking Battle
Name:
Date:
Directions: Read the story about Kirk's baking class. Then, answer the questions about the underlined vocabulary words on this page and the next.
Culinary Arts 101
The Baking Battle
Kirk is in his high school baking class. He wants to be a master baker. Today is his third time making sourdough bread.
He felt a profound fear of failing. He did not know how to mix the dough. A classmate told him that a cold room would constrain the rising yeast, but Kirk did not stop.
He starts to stir and knead the dough. The thick butter begins to churn in the mixer. His partner began to shirk the cleaning chores, but Kirk stayed calm.
Kirk must wait for the wet grain to rise. He does not want to burn the crust. He must strain the hot glaze to find any white powder.
Soon, the sweet smell went out of the hot oven. The bread has a nice gold color. Kirk will not spurn the chef's notes next week. He feels very proud of his work.
1
Vocabulary in Context
In paragraph 2, what does the word profound mean?
A a very deep, great, or intense feeling
B a small and hard to see drawing
C a loud and irritating buzz
D a sweet-tasting and fresh flavor
2
Vocabulary in Context
In paragraph 2, what does the word constrain mean?
A to make a loaf of bread rise very fast
B to limit, restrict, or force something
C to add cold water to hot dough
D to bake a cake in a clay oven
LITERACY WORKSHOP PAGE 1 OF 2
Part 2: Comprehension & Word Study
Baking Battle
3
Vocabulary in Context
In paragraph 3, what does the word shirk mean?
A to help clean the dirty kitchen dishes
B to avoid or neglect a duty or work
C to mix things together very quickly
D to make a loud kitchen noise
4
Vocabulary in Context
In paragraph 5, what does the word spurn mean?
A to reject or refuse something with disdain
B to spread butter smoothly with a knife
C to cook a meal for a very long time
D to measure out baking powder precisely
The Word Pattern Hunt
Find words in the story that match each spelling pattern below. Write them on the lines.
ai
ou
ir
ur
er
Bonus empty
LITERACY WORKSHOP PAGE 2 OF 2
Baking Battle Teacher Guide
Teacher Companion & Answer Key
Baking Battle
Instructional Scaffold
Target: AI, OU, IR, UR, ER
Supporting Older Learners: High schoolers needing decoding support benefit from mature topics (like this cooking showdown). Prompt them to sound out vowel teams (ai, ou) and r-controlled vowels (ir, ur, er) as single units.
Word Study Map
The Baking Battle (Color-Coded Key)
er (master/baker) ir (Kirk/third/shirk) ur (churn/burn/spurn) ai (constrain/grain) ou (profound/sourdough)
Kirk is in his high school baking class. He wants to be a master baker. Today is his third time making sourdough bread.
He felt a profound fear of failing. He did not know how to mix the dough. A classmate told him that a cold room would constrain the rising yeast, but Kirk did not stop.
He starts to stir and knead the dough. The thick butter begins to churn in the mixer. His partner began to shirk the cleaning chores, but Kirk stayed calm.
Kirk must wait for the wet grain to rise. He does not want to burn the crust. He must strain the hot glaze to find any white powder.
Soon, the sweet smell went out of the hot oven. The bread has a nice gold color. Kirk will not spurn the chef's notes next week. He feels very proud of his work.
1
Vocabulary Key
In paragraph 2, what does the word profound mean?
A a very deep, great, or intense feeling
B a small and hard to see drawing
C a loud and irritating buzz
D a sweet-tasting and fresh flavor
2
Vocabulary Key
In paragraph 2, what does the word constrain mean?
A to make a loaf of bread rise very fast
B to limit, restrict, or force something
C to add cold water to hot dough
D to bake a cake in a clay oven
TEACHER SOLUTION GUIDE PAGE 1 OF 2
Part 2: Comprehension Key
Baking Battle Key
3
Vocabulary Key
In paragraph 3, what does the word shirk mean?
A to help clean the dirty kitchen dishes
B to avoid or neglect a duty or work
C to mix things together very quickly
D to make a loud kitchen noise
4
Vocabulary Key
In paragraph 5, what does the word spurn mean?
A to reject or refuse something with disdain
B to spread butter smoothly with a knife
C to cook a meal for a very long time
D to measure out baking powder precisely
