edHelper.com
The Great Depression
(1929-1945)

Seabiscuit I - The Biscuit Becomes a Winner

Seabiscuit I - The Biscuit Becomes a Winner
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   3.77

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    beater, choppy, fretted, furlong, hard-luck, Jo-Jo, oddball, scrubby, scruffy, underloved, years-more, ragged, entire, spite, fans, fortune
     content words:    Not Seabiscuit, Charles Howard, Tom Smith, But Smith, Red Pollard, Santa Anita Handicap, Santa Anita, In Depression, War Admiral

Print Seabiscuit I - The Biscuit Becomes a Winner
edHelper.com subscriber options:
     Print Seabiscuit I - The Biscuit Becomes a Winner  (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)
     Quickly print reading comprehension
     Print a proofreading activity

Feedback on Seabiscuit I - The Biscuit Becomes a Winner
     Leave your feedback on Seabiscuit I - The Biscuit Becomes a Winner  (use this link if you found an error in the story)

Seabiscuit I - The Biscuit Becomes a Winner
By Toni Lee Robinson 		  
1     He didn't seem like a guy that would draw crowds. He was chunky where others were lean. He ran with all the grace of an egg beater. He could be cranky and stubborn. Instead of a long, graceful swish of tail, he had a stubby little bristle. He was Seabiscuit, the race horse from the wrong side of the tracks.
 
2     The oddball horse had ruined some big plans. He was the grandson of Man O' War, the greatest race horse ever. All the great horses loved to run. They thrilled at the sights and sounds of the race. The other horses pounded away beside them. The crowd roared. The jockeys on their backs urged them on. And the great ones stretched and strained and ran their hearts out.
 
3     They gave everything they had to be the first at the "wire," or finish line. Not Seabiscuit. "What's the big deal?" was the little horse's attitude. "I can take or leave this racing stuff." Seabiscuit seemed to have none of the "heart" of his famous grandfather.
 
4     "He's just lazy," declared his first trainer. But it could have been that his "heart" was overworked and underloved. As a young horse, Seabiscuit was run ragged. He ran forty-three races in three years—more than many horses run in an entire career.
 
5     His frustrated handlers were sure he could do more. Didn't he come from Man O' War? They were determined to bring out the speed that must be there. Seabiscuit felt the whip often. The little horse became tense and very, very tired.

Paragraphs 6 to 13:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
Copyright © 2008 edHelper