Ball Game Heroes Packet
Module 1 • Session 6 Adapted Student Packet
Name:
Date:
The Ball Game Between the Birds and Animals
A traditional Native American folktale retold with reading supports
Goal: Summarize & Word Study
DO NOW
How Do They Move Through the Air?
Look at the two special animals
Bats and flying squirrels are small furry animals, but they can both move through the sky! Look at how each one moves.
Animal 1: Little Bat
Has dark wings made of thin skin. It beats its wings up and down quickly.
Animal 2: Flying Squirrel
Has wide flaps of skin between its legs. It leaps from trees and glides smoothly.
Word Bank:
flaps wings glides smoothly soars high
1. The first animal (bat) looks like it can
2. The second animal (flying squirrel) looks like it can
BACKGROUND
Meet the Characters: Land or Sky?
Circle L or S
In this folktale, the land animals play a big ball game against the birds of the sky. Decide where each team member belongs: L for Land or S for Sky.
🐻
Bear
Team Captain
L S
🦅
Eagle
Team Captain
L S
🦊
Fox
Four-legged
L S
🪶
Hawk
Sharp Flyer
L S
🐺
Wolf
Fast Runner
L S
🌸
Hummingbird
Swift & Tiny
L S
Unit 1: Spinning Stories • Folktale Study Page 1
Unlock the Text Flight Vocabulary Boost
Key Action Verbs
Three Ways Animals Move in the Air
Notice how the author uses different action words to show how each creature flies.
1
flapped (verb) up and down
Meaning: Moved wings up and down quickly to stay in flight.
Example: The tiny bat flapped its new wings quickly to lift off the tree branch.
2
glid•ed (verb) smooth & still
Meaning: Moved smoothly through the air without beating wings.
Example: The flying squirrel glided silently from one pine tree to the next.
3
soared (verb) high in the sky
Meaning: Flew high up into the sky with great strength and power.
Example: Eagle soared high above the forest trees to score the first goal.
More Story Words:
boastful: bragging or acting too proud • ancient: a very long time ago
Practice: Complete the Sentences
Choose the best word from the word bank to complete each thought.
flapped glided soared
1. The eagle spread its huge wings and ____________________ high into the clouds.
When it did this, I think it felt:
2. The flying squirrel leaped off the tall tree and ____________________ smoothly to the grass.
As it moved through the air, it was:
3. The little bat needed to fly, so it ____________________ its leather wings up and down.
It worked hard so it could:
Unit 1: Spinning Stories • Folktale Study Page 2
Story Part 1 The Teams and The New Wings
Paragraphs 1–6
Purpose for Reading: Read to find out how the birds help two tiny creatures who want to play in the big ball game.
[1] Long ago in ancient times, the four-legged animals had a very tough ball team. Mountain Lion, Wolf, Fox, Bobcat, and Deer were all on the team. Their captain was Bear. Bear was very boastful (too proud). He bragged, "No team in the forest can beat us!"
[2] The birds of the sky had a great team, too. Their captain was Eagle. Hawk, Falcon, Raven, Crow, and swift little Hummingbird were on Eagle's team. The two teams agreed to play a big game against each other.
[3] The night before the game, the animals held a dance. Two tiny four-legged creatures walked up to Bear. "We want to play ball," they said politely. "May we please join your team?"
[4] Bear laughed out loud. "Look how small you are! How could you ever help us?" The creatures said they would try very hard. But Bear growled, "Go away! We have no room for creatures as small and weak as you!"
[5] The two little creatures felt sad, but they did not give up. They walked over to Eagle's dance. "Can we join your team?" they asked. Eagle smiled kindly and said, "Anyone who wants to play and can fly is welcome on our team." The little creatures said, "But we do not have wings." Eagle replied, "We can help with that!"
[6] Eagle asked Kingfisher to use his sharp beak to cut leather wings from an old drum. They attached the wings to the first creature. The creature jumped from a branch, flapped his new wings, and flew! He was named Bat.
There was no leather left for the second creature. So Hawk and Raven gently stretched the skin on his sides. Hawk carried him high into a pine tree. The little creature jumped and glided smoothly through the air! He was named Flying Squirrel.
Stop & Check In
Why did Bear turn the creatures away, but Eagle welcomed them? Complete the frame:
Bear said no because the creatures were .
Eagle said yes because he believed everyone who wants to play should be .
Unit 1: Spinning Stories • Folktale Study Page 3
Story Part 2 The Big Game and The Final Goal
Paragraphs 7–11
Purpose for Reading: Read to see how Bat and Flying Squirrel work together to help the bird team win the game.
[7] The next morning, both teams gathered on the playing field. As soon as the whistle blew, Bear grabbed the ball in his big paws and crashed down the field to score the first goal. "I told you this would be easy!" Bear roared.
[8] Next, Hawk intercepted the ball and threw it high to Eagle. Eagle soared high above Wolf and scored a goal for the birds! Back and forth the teams ran and flew all afternoon. As the sun began to set, the game was completely tied. The team that scored next would win.
[9] Both teams were exhausted. Deer got the ball and sprinted toward the goal. The birds were too tired to catch him. All seemed lost! Suddenly, Flying Squirrel glided down from a tall branch, snatched the ball right out of Deer's antlers, and tossed it to Bat!
[10] Bat was quick and rested. Darting (moving fast) up and down, he dodged past Rabbit, Wolf, and Mountain Lion. Bear tried to block the goal, but Bat zoomed under Bear's arms and scored the winning point! The birds cheered with joy!
[11] Bear learned that small creatures can do great things. To this day, you can still see Bat darting through the twilight sky and Flying Squirrel gliding from tree to tree, happy for their wonderful gifts of flight.
Stop & Discuss: Teamwork
How did Flying Squirrel and Bat work together to win the game?
Step 1: Flying Squirrel glided down and
Step 2: Bat caught the ball, darted past Bear, and
Unit 1: Spinning Stories • Folktale Study Page 4
Reading Strategy Story Summary Map
SWBST Structure
How to Summarize: Somebody • Wanted • But • So • Then
To summarize a story, tell only the most important parts in your own words. Use the word bank below to complete each box.
Summary Word Bank (Choose phrases to finish each box):
Two small furry creatures join the ball game Bear said they were too small and weak Eagle and the birds gave them wings scored the winning goal for the birds
SOMEBODY Who were the main characters?
Paragraph 3
The story is about:
WANTED What did they want to do?
Paragraph 3
They wanted to:
BUT What was the big problem?
Paragraph 4
The problem was that:
SO How was the problem solved?
Paragraphs 5–6
They went to Eagle, and:
THEN How did the story end?
Paragraphs 9–10
During the championship game, they:
Unit 1: Spinning Stories • Folktale Study Page 5
Word Work & Exit Ticket Session 6 Assessment
Score: / 10
How Words Work: Plural Nouns Ending in -y
Grammar Rule
A singular noun names one thing. A plural noun names more than one thing. Look at the letter right before the y:
1 Vowel + y (a, e, i, o, u)
Keep the y and add -s.
day → days • toy → toys
2 Consonant + y
Change y to i and add -es.
sky → skies • story → stories
Write the plural form for each noun:
1. sky (consonant k + y) → skies (example)
2. toy (vowel o + y) →
3. story (consonant r + y) →
4. baby (consonant b + y) →
EXIT TICKET
Write Your Story Summary
Use your SWBST notes
Put your notes together to write a complete summary paragraph. Fill in the blank lines below:
In the folktale, two small creatures wanted to . However, Bear said no because they were . So, they asked Eagle, and the birds helped them by giving them . Then, during the championship game, Bat and Flying Squirrel worked together and !
Self-Check:
Named characters Told problem Told ending
Unit 1: Spinning Stories • Folktale Study Page 6
