Standards Correlations

R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.7, W.1, SL.1, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will read and summarize a text about high school students who are professional athletes.

Key Skills

summarizing, text features, vocabulary, compare and contrast, key details, inference, critical thinking, argument writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The article presents pros and cons of joining a professional sports league while in high school. 

 

Structure: The text includes cause-and-effect and compare-and-contrast structures. 

 

Language: The language is conversational.

 

Knowledge Demands: The article mentions the NBA draft.

Levels

Lexile: 700L-800L 

Guided Reading Level: T 

DRA Level: 50

SEL connection

This article and lesson plan promote social awareness and responsible decision-making skills.

Lesson Plan: Is 16 Too Young to Go Pro?

Essential Questions

  • What are typical high school experiences?
  • When is a sacrifice worth making?  

Literature Connection

  • Novel: The Prodigy by John Feinstein

1. Preparing to Read 

Build Background Knowledge (5 minutes)

Have students take our entertaining, interactive prereading quiz “Test Your Sports Knowledge.”  The quiz will prepare students to read the article by activating their prior knowledge, as well as providing new facts about youth, college, and pro sports.

Preview Text Features (15 minutes)

Guide students to locate the article. Then preview the text features by asking the following questions:

  • Read the article’s title and subtitle (the text below the title). What do you think it means to “go pro”? Based on the subtitle, you can tell that to go pro means to become a professional—in this case, to become an athlete who is paid to play basketball.
  • Look at the photos of Bryson that are included in the story and read their captions. What do they tell you about him? The photos and captions tell you that Bryson used to play basketball on his high school team; that he takes classes these days; that he’s learning to design sneakers; and that he plays in a fancy arena.
  • What’s the purpose of the infographic “More Young Pros”? The infographic’s purpose is to give information about three other athletes (besides Bryson) who became professionals at a young age.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (drafted, endorsement, afford, intense, guarantee) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading 

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

  • Set a purpose for reading by explaining to students that the article “Is 16 Too Young to Go Pro?” will tell them about the pros and cons of becoming a professional athlete while still in high school.  
  • Point out the Pause and Think boxes. Tell students they can check their understanding of what they’ve read by answering these questions.
  • Point out the activity at the end of the article, and tell students they will complete it after reading. Encourage them to briefly scan the questions and to keep them in mind as they read.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

Guide students to read the article. Once they understand it well, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

  • What’s one big difference between the way college athletes and pro athletes can earn money? (compare and contrast) Pro athletes are paid to play, and college athletes are not.
  • What are some things Bryson gave up when he joined OTE? (key details) When he joined OTE, Bryson gave up living in Arkansas among friends and family, as well as typical high school experiences like prom and school trips.
  • What does Bryson hope to do after OTE? (inference) Bryson hopes to join the NBA after OTE.

Critical-Thinking Question (5 minutes)

  • Imagine that you’re a student athlete and you have the chance to join OTE. What are three questions you should ask yourself before deciding whether to join? (critical thinking) Answers will vary. Sample answer: Before deciding whether to join OTE, I would ask myself: Do I need to earn money now, or can it wait? Am I willing to leave home for the second half of high school? Am I willing to give up experiences like going to school dances? 

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Have students work in pairs to complete the Spotlight Skill activity at the end of the article.
  • Go further: Assign students to work independently on our Summarizing Skill Builder, available in higher- and lower-level versions. (Click here to view all your Skill Builders for this article.)
  • Writing prompt: In a well-organized paragraph, answer the question in the article’s title: Is 16 too young to go pro? Start with a sentence that states your opinion. Add a few sentences that support your opinion with details from the article. Finish with a sentence that restates your view in different words.

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Research a career path.

The article describes two possible paths to a career in the NBA: college or OTE. Now think of a type of work that interests you (such as teaching, training animals, or designing clothes) and learn what it takes to have a career in that field. If you know someone who does this type of work, ask them about their career path. If not, ask a librarian or use the internet to find information. Write a paragraph that answers these questions:

  • What types of education, training, or experience do you need to work in this field?
  • What personality traits (such as patience, curiosity, or bravery) are likely to help you in this type of work?
  • How much money does the average person earn each year doing this type of work?

Share what you’ve learned with your class! You might end up introducing a classmate to their dream job.

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