Standards Correlations

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

Learning Objective

Students will identify cause-and-effect relationships in a text about a teen who is an extreme athlete.

Key Skills

cause and effect, text features, vocabulary, sequence of events, interpreting text, inference, key details, author’s craft, central idea, informational writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The text describes a paralyzed teen’s path to becoming an extreme athlete. 

 

Structure: The story is mainly chronological and is told from the first-person perspective.

 

Language: The language is conversational.
 


Knowledge Demands: BMX biking is mentioned.

Levels

Lexile: 500L-600L 

Guided Reading Level: R 

DRA Level: 40

SEL Connection

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

Lesson Plan: The Unstoppable Kumaka

Essential Questions

  • How can we turn challenging situations into opportunities?
  • What kinds of assumptions do we make about people before we know them? Why do we do this?

Literature Connection

  • Novel: Air by Monica Roe

1. Preparing to Read 

Watch a Video (5 minutes)

As a class, view our inspiring video “My Story: Kumaka Jensen.” The video will introduce students to the teen featured in the article. Encourage students to write down any details they find especially interesting or surprising.

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

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

  • Read the article’s title and subtitle. What do you think the word unstoppable says about Kumaka? The word unstoppable means that nothing keeps Kumaka from reaching his goals.
  • Look at the photos of Kumaka that are included in the article and read their captions. What do they tell you about him? The photos and captions tell you that Kumaka is an extreme athlete, that he has been using a wheelchair since age 2, that he loves surfing, and that he is close with his dad. 

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the terms (develop, paralyzed, extreme athlete, mentor, accessible) 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 cause-and-effect 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

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

Close-Reading Questions (20 minutes)

  • After telling the story of his first backflip, Kumaka says, “Once again, I had proved everyone wrong.” Based on this line, what can you guess about how people sometimes view Kumaka? (interpreting text) The line means that people didn’t expect Kumaka to be able to do a backflip. It suggests that this wasn’t the first time he did something that surprised people. It might mean that people have often had low expectations of him.
  • Based on the article, how did Kumaka feel the first time he used his WCMX chair at a skate park? (inference) You can tell that Kumaka felt happy. He says that he had fun and that the other kids were friendly.  
  • Which details from the article best show that Kumaka has a supportive family? (key details) When Kumaka was a kid, his mom got in touch with Aaron Fotheringham, an extreme athlete with the same condition as Kumaka, and arranged for them to meet. The article also includes a photo of Kumaka surfing with his dad, and we know from the story at the beginning of the article that his family comes to cheer him on at the skate park.
  • Kumaka says, “Sometimes people still tell me they’re sorry that I’m stuck in a wheelchair. Well, I’m not sorry!” What does he mean? (interpreting text) He means that he’s perfectly happy being in a wheelchair. He mentions several positive outcomes of using a wheelchair: getting around by himself, playing sports, and making friends.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • In the section “Walk and Roll,” why do you think Kumaka mentions what his mother’s doctors told her about the kind of life Kumaka would have? (author’s craft) The doctors said that Kumaka wouldn’t have a very good life, that he would never walk, and that everything would be a struggle for him. They were mostly wrong: Kumaka doesn’t walk, but he has a great life and doesn’t seem to be struggling. By mentioning the doctors’ comments, Kumaka is pointing out how people tend to wrongly assume that being physically different always causes problems in a person’s life.
  • What do you think Kumaka wants readers to know about what it’s like to be an athlete in a wheelchair? (central idea) Sample answer: He seems to want readers to know that being an athlete in a wheelchair is fun! It comes with its own set of challenges, but overcoming the challenges is rewarding. Through sports, Kumaka has made friends, enjoyed many different kinds of activities, and proved to himself and to others that he can do anything he sets his mind to. 

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Assign students to work in small groups to complete the Spotlight Skill Workout: Cause and Effect activity.
  • Go further: Use our Sequence of Events Skill Builder, available in higher and lower level versions.  (Click here to view all your Skill Builders.)
  • Writing prompt: At age 5, Kumaka was inspired by Aaron Fotheringham, who invented the sport of WCMX. After meeting Fotheringham, Kumaka also began practicing the sport. Think of someone who has inspired you. Write a paragraph explaining why you admire this person and describing the effect this person has had on your life.

Learn Anywhere Activity

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

Create a Written Self-Portrait

Think about the video you watched before you read the story. At the start of the video, Kumaka tells you how his best friend would describe him. At the end, he gives you a message and some inspiring advice. From just these few words, you can tell a lot about Kumaka.

Now it’s your turn to describe yourself using just a few words. Start by writing your name in the middle of a page. Then, on different parts of the page, briefly answer each of these questions:

  • What are some words your friends would use to describe you? (If you’re not sure, ask them!) 
  • What are some things you love to do?
  • What’s one fact about you that most people don’t know?
  • What’s one important lesson you’ve learned from experience?

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Teach compound words to boost fluency.

After reading the article, note that the word wheelchair is a compound word. Tell students that a compound word is made by combining two or more smaller words to make a new word with its own meaning. Tell them that when they see a word they don’t know, one useful decoding trick is to see if it can be broken into shorter, familiar words.

List these words on the board and ask students to break each one into its parts:

  • cupcake 
  • earring 
  • homework
  • laptop 
  • notebook 
  • ponytail
  • sidewalk 
  • skateboard 
  • toothbrush
  • waterfall 

Invite students to think of more compound words to add to the list. If they need help, give them this hint: The names of many sports (such as basketball, dodgeball, and volleyball) are compound words.

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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