Standards Correlations

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

Learning Objective

Students will identify problem-and-solution relationships in a text.

Key Skills

problem and solution, text features, vocabulary, central idea and details, cause and effect, inference,  critical thinking, informational  writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The article tells the story of a teen who started a business and then used it to give back  to his community.

 

Structure: The text is chronological and is written from the first-person point of view.

 

Language: The language is conversational. 

 

Knowledge Demands: No prior knowledge is required.

Levels

Lexile: 600L-700L 

Guided Reading Level: S 

DRA Level: 40

SEL Connection

This article and lesson promote social awareness and self-management skills.

Lesson Plan: Giving Back With Bikes

Essential Questions:

  • How can personal challenges inspire generous actions?
  • What motivates people to create change in their communities?

Related Texts From the Action Archive:

  • True Teen Story: “He’s Saving Shelter Dogs” (February 2023)
  • Nonfiction Feature: “Chasing the Wind” (May 2025)
  • Paired Texts: “Pedaling to Power” and “Winning the Vote!” (May 2020) 

1. Preparing to Read 

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Guide students to locate the article in their magazines or at Action Online. Then preview the text features by asking the following questions:

  • Read the article’s title, “Giving Back With Bikes” and the subtitle (“Dom Pecora, 16, believes . . .”). How do you think Dom helps people get access to bikes? Make a prediction. Dom might help others get bikes by raising money in his community. Maybe he collects old bikes and makes them new again.
  • Study the photos and read their captions. What do these images tell you about Dom? The photos and captions show that Dom enjoys biking for fun and works on bikes seriously. He seems creative and dedicated to what he does. We can also see that he’s gotten local businesses to help him with his bike business, so he seems to be a trustworthy person.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the terms (encouraged, promote, generous, refurbishing,  nonprofit organization) 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: Tell students that after reading, they’ll analyze problem-and-solution relationships in the story. Point out the activity at the end of the story. 
  • Encourage students to pause at the end of each section so they can monitor their comprehension. Prompt them to take note of sentences they think tell them important ideas in each section, as well as any words or sentences they don’t understand.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

Read the article. (Higher- and lower-Lexile versions are available on the Story page at Action Online. Click Presentation View to access an audio read-aloud.) Then discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

  • What inspired Dom to start fixing bikes? (cause and effect) Dom wanted a mountain bike, which was expensive. He had the idea of fixing other people’s bikes to earn some cash and save up for this big purchase.
  • How did Dom’s community help him, and how did he give back afterward? (cause and effect) People donated money, bike parts, and tools to Dom. Later he used the extra money he had earned to buy and donate new bikes to kids in need for Christmas. He also refurbished old bikes to donate to schools and other groups.
  • Why do you think Dom used a “pay-what-you-want” system in his repair shop? What effect do you think this system had on his business? (inference) Dom likely used a “pay-what-you-want” system so that everyone could afford to get their bikes fixed, even if they didn’t have a lot of money. This probably made his business more popular because people appreciated his generosity and told others about it, which helped him get more customers

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • Why do you think Dom kept his bike shop open even after he bought his dream bike? Dom enjoyed the work and saw the impact he could make. He likely felt a responsibility to continue helping others once he realized how many people needed bikes and bike repairs.
  • Do you find Dom’s story inspiring? What lessons can you take away from it to apply to your own life? Answers will vary. Students may find it inspiring that Dom turned a personal problem into a way to help others. He didn’t give up when he couldn’t get a new bike—he found a solution and kept going. Students may take away the lesson that small actions can grow into something much bigger if you stay committed.

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Assign students to work in small groups to complete the Spotlight Skill Workout: Problem and Solution activity.
  • Go further: Use our Central Idea and Details Skill Builder, available in higher and lower level versions. (Click here to view all your Skill Builders.)
  • Writing prompt: Imagine that you are the host of a podcast about young people who are creating change in their communities, and you’re planning to interview Dom on the podcast. Make a list of 5–10 questions to ask Dom. Your questions can be about biking, bike repair, running a business, or anything else you think might be interesting to discuss with Dom.

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Study the prefix non- to improve students’ comprehension.

After reading the article, direct students’ attention back to the vocabulary box and point out the term nonprofit organization. Break the term down, explaining that an organization is a group that exists for a specific purpose and that nonprofit means the group isn’t meant to make a profit—in other words, it doesn’t aim to collect money beyond its operating costs.

Let students know that the prefix non- means “not” and that this prefix is found in many English words. Then share the list below. Have each student choose a word from the list, look up its definition, and use it in a sentence. Have students take turns sharing their sentences with the class.

  • nondairy
  • nonexistent
  • nonrecyclable
  • nonscientific
  • nonsense
  • nontoxic

Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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