Brats

Feb. 25 - Reading -

A few years ago a French toy company had an unusual contest- a "biggest brat" contest. The company had a prize for the child whose behavior was the worst in the world. Over 2,000 parents entered their children in the contest. "Our child is the world's biggest brat!" They wrote. The parents made lists of all the bad things their children had done. Judges read the lists and chose the winner. She was a little girl from the United States. Her name was Lizzie, and she was four years old. Here are a few of the things Lizzie did to win the title "The World's Biggest Brat":

⦁She put a garden hose into the gas tank of her     father's car. Then she turned on the water.

⦁She painted a leather sofa with spray paint.

⦁She threw her mother's wedding ring into the        toilet. Then she flushed the toilet.

⦁She put an ice-cream sandwich in the VCR.

⦁She set the table for dinner Then she glued the     silverware to the table. Imagine her parents'         surprise when they sat down to eat and tried to     pick up their forks!

Lizzie may be the world's biggest brat, but she is certainly not the world's only brat.

Alo is a five-year-old boy from Bangladesh. One afternoon, while his father was asleep on the sofa. Alo cut off his father's mustache. A few days later, he cut off his brother's eyebrows when his brother was sleeping in the bedroom. A few days weeks after that, he cut off most of his mother's hair when she was asleep at night. Alo's family now keeps every pair of scissors under lock and key and always sleeps behind locked doors.

Hiroshi, a young Japanese man, says that he rarely misbehaved when he was a young child but turned into a real brat when he was a young child but turned in to a real brat when he was about thirteen. "My friends and I used to sneak around at night and let the air out of tires. We were terrible," he says.

No mother or father wants to be the parent of a brat. Parents everywhere try to control their children's behavior. Lizzie's parents don't know what to do about Lizzie. Her mother says,"I keep telling myself that Lizzie is going through a stage, but sometimes I don't know....

What does Lizzie think about her behavior? Lizzie doesn't like to talk about it. When a reporter asked if she was "a bad girl," Lizzie kicked his leg. Then she yelled, " I'm not a brat! I'm an angel! Get out of my house!"

Worksheet 1

Understanding The Main Ideas

What information is not in the story? Draw a line through the information

1. The winner of the "biggest brat" contest

a. was named Lizzie.

b. was four years old.

c. was from the United States

d. had blond hair

2. Lizzie

a. filled the gas tank of her father's car with water

b. drew pictures on the living room wall.

c. Painted a leather sofa with spray paint.

d. flushed her mother's wedding ring down the toilet.

3. In the contest, here are some brats:

a. Alo, who cut off his family's hair.

b. Marie, who hits other children.

c. Hiroshi, who used to let air out of tires.

d. Lizzie, who painted the sofa with spray painter.

Understanding Details

Read the following sentences. One word in each sentence is not correct. Find the word and cross it out. Write the correct word.

1. A few years ago a Korean toy company had an unusual contest.

2. The company wanted to find the child whose behavior was the best in the world.

3. Over 200 parents entered their children in the contest.

4. The parents made lists of all the good things their children had done.

5. The winner of the contest was a little boy from the United States.

Now copy three sentence from the story, but change on word in each sentence so that the information is not correct. Give your sentence to a classmate. Your classmate will find the incorrect word in each sentence, cross it out and right the correct word. When your classmate is finished, check the corrections.

6.

7.

8.

Looking at the story

Write the correct word on the line from the words in the box

hose	glued	scissors	leather	silverware
prize	sneak	kicked	misbehave	rarely

1. The French toy company gave Lizzie's family a                    .

2. Lizzie doesn't do what her parents tell her to do. She                    .

3. The sofa that Lizzie painted was very expensive; it was made of                   .

4. People usually use a               to water their gardens, but Lizzie used it to water in the gas tank of      her father's car.

5. When Lizzie's family sat down to eat, they couldn't pick up their knives, forks, and spoons because Lizzie     had                    the                  to the table.

6. Alo used a pair of                  to cut his family's hair while they were sleeping.

7. Did Hiroshi misbehave as a young child? "Not often," he says. "When I was young I

misbehaved."

8. When no one was looking, Hiroshi and his friends used to                around at night and let the air      out of tires.

9. When a reporter asked Lizzie if  she was a "bad girl," Lizzie hit him with her foot.

She                  the reporter.

Looking at a new context

Complete the sentence to show that you understand the meanings of the new words.

1. A child I know who often misbehaves is                                                    .

2. Something I rarely do is                                                                    .

3. The things made of leather are                                                             .

4. I would like to give my                         prize for                                     .