edHelper.com

Casey and Marie Share a Room

Casey and Marie Share a Room
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   3.84

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    clutter, parental, phenomenon, communication, rivalry, competitive, sibling, compromise, solution, matching, jobs, however, actually, addition, additional, fact
     content words:    If Grandma

Print Casey and Marie Share a Room
edHelper.com subscriber options:
     Print Casey and Marie Share a Room  (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)
     Quickly print reading comprehension
     Print a proofreading activity

Feedback on Casey and Marie Share a Room
     Leave your feedback on Casey and Marie Share a Room  (use this link if you found an error in the story)

Casey and Marie Share a Room
By Jennifer Kenny 		  
1     Casey and Marie were sisters. They each had enjoyed their own bedrooms in their home until now. Over the weekend, though, all of Marie's belongings were moved into Casey's room. That was quite a project. They were not happy about it. There was no choice, though, because their grandmother had to move in with their family. She had gotten too old to live by herself anymore.
 
2     When Grandma moved in, they got used to her living with them. In fact, they enjoyed it. She was good company and they had fun helping her. However, what wasn't fun was sharing a room. In fact, an incredible case of sibling rivalry developed. Siblings are brothers and sisters. Rivalry means competition. Casey and Marie just didn't get along anymore.
 
3     Weeks went by. Casey and Marie's parents knew that siblings fought all the time all around the world. This wasn't a new phenomenon. They remembered growing up themselves. That was normal. However, too much sibling rivalry in this home meant everyone was now miserable.
 
4     Both Marie and Casey wanted their parents' attention. They were competitive, but no longer in a good way. The girls used to compete over how many shots they could get in the basketball hoops. They would compete over who cooked the best ziti. Now they competed over grades, TV time, and parental conversations...and not in a good way. They became jealous of one another, instead of rooting for each other.
 
5     One day Casey and Marie were fighting about the window in their room. Casey wanted the window open. Marie wanted it closed. With all of the opening and closing of the window, the girls managed to actually break the window. Mom and Dad decided to intervene.
 
6     "Girls," Dad said, "that window needs to be fixed and paid for. I can tell you both that your allowances will take care of that the next few months. I can also tell you there won't be any TV for the next two weeks."
 
7     "We know, Dad," Marie said.
 
8     "We're sorry," Casey added.
 
9     "Girls," Mom began. "I'm concerned about the larger picture. You girls used to get along. Now everything's changed. What's the problem? Are you frustrated with each other or the situation? You are both great, but together you've been awful."
 
10     "I still love Casey," Marie said. "I just can't stand all her stuff."

Paragraphs 11 to 27:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
Copyright © 2008 edHelper