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Sailing Into History
A British teen becomes the youngest person to sail solo across
the Atlantic Ocean.
Michael Perham's recent voyage1 across the Atlantic Ocean was full of
surprises. His journey2 included shark sightings, equipment failure
and flying fish that hopped into his boat.
Despite the unexpected events, the teen from Hertfordshire, England,
achieved what he had set out to do. In January 2007, at age 14,
Michael became the youngest person to cross the Atlantic Ocean solo,
or alone, at the time.
"It feels absolutely fantastic being back on dry land," Michael told BBC
News after his journey.
Michael set out on his record-breaking expedition, or trip, in
November [2006]. He began his journey from Gibraltar, on the
southern coast of Spain, aboard his sailboat Cheeky Monkey. With his
dad following in another boat, Michael completed the 3,500-mile
journey, arriving in Antigua, an island in the Caribbean Sea.
During his journey at sea, Michael documented, or recorded, his
voyage on his blog. One evening he watched a school of dolphins leap
through waves. His self-steering gear3 broke once, and on another
morning a flying fish landed in his lap. "It's an amazingly good feeling
when you are on the open sea and [there is] no land in sight," he
wrote as he watched the sun set near the Cape Verde Islands.
When Michael arrived in Antigua, crowds gathered to congratulate him.
"I was surrounded by loads of cameras, microphones, and people
asking me questions, and, wow, it was unbelievable," he wrote.
1
voyage: a trip usually by water from one place or country to another
journey: travel from one place to another
3
gear: a mechanism that performs a specific function in a machine; for example, on a boat, self-steering
gear would allow a person to direct the boat in a certain direction without having to steer himself
or herself
2
1
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© 2012 ReadWorks , Inc. All rights reserved.
Article: Copyright © 2007 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved.
Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.
Used by permission.
Questions: Sailing into History
_____________ Date: _______________________
Name:
1. What is the name of Michaels’ sailboat?
A
B
C
D
Black Cat
Cheeky Monkey
Old Dog
Grizzly Bear
2. How does the last paragraph in the text support the readers understanding of
Michael’s achievement?
A providing both the narrator’s perspective and Michael’s perspective clearly
describes the importance of Michael’s accomplishment
B the quote from Michael communicates the difficulties he had on his voyage
across the Atlantic Ocean
C providing both the narrator’s perspective and Michael’s perspective allows the
reader to understand the role Michael’s father played in his accomplishment
D the quote from Michael communicates his joy in being back on land.
3. Why might the author have started the passage by describing the many surprises
Michael had on his trip?
A
B
C
D
to make
to make
because
because
sailing sound like a bad idea
the reader excited to read more
the surprises are the most important parts of the story
Michael told the author to start the story that way
4. Read the following sentence: “Despite the unexpected events, the teen from
Hertfordshire, England, achieved what he had set out to do.”
In this sentence the word despite means
A
B
C
D
even with
because of
since
during
1
®
© 2012 ReadWorks , Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Sailing into History
5. What is “Sailing Into History” mostly about?
A
B
C
D
Michael wrote a blog to document his trip across the Atlantic Ocean.
Many unexpected things happened to Michael on his trip.
Michael became the youngest person to sail across the Atlantic Ocean alone.
Michael’s father followed him in another boat to help Michael achieve his goal.
6. What was Michael doing as he watched the sun set near the Cape Verde Islands?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
7. After his journey, Michael told BBC News that it felt “absolutely fantastic to be back
on dry land.” Why might someone who loves to sail feel this way about being back on
land?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes
the sentence.
________ his journey at sea, Michael documented, or recorded, his voyage on his blog.
A
B
C
D
Before
After
During
In spite of
2
®
© 2012 ReadWorks , Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Sailing into History
9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below.
In Antigua, crowds gathered to congratulate Michael when he arrived.
Who? crowds
(did) What? ____________________________________________________________
Where? ________________________________________________________________
Why? _________________________________________________________________
10. Vocabulary Word: gear: equipment or special clothes used for a specific activity.
Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: ______________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3
®
© 2012 ReadWorks , Inc. All rights reserved.
Teacher Guide & Answers: Sailing Into History
Teacher Guide and Answers
Passage Reading Level: Lexile 1090
Featured Text Structure: Sequence – the writer explains, defines or illustrates a concept or topic Passage Summary: “Sailing Into History” tells the story of how 14-year-old Michael Perham became the
youngest person to sail across the Atlantic Ocean alone.
1. What is the name of Michaels’ sailboat?
A
B
C
D
Black Cat
Cheeky Monkey
Old Dog
Grizzly Bear
2. How does the last paragraph in the text support the readers understanding of Michael’s achievement?
A
providing both the narrator’s perspective and Michael’s perspective clearly describes
the importance of Michael’s accomplishment
B the quote from Michael communicates the difficulties he had on his voyage across the Atlantic
Ocean
C providing both the narrator’s perspective and Michael’s perspective allows the reader to
understand the role Michael’s father played in his accomplishment
D the quote from Michael communicates his joy in being back on land.
3. Why might the author have started the passage by describing the many surprises Michael had on his
trip?
A
B
C
D
to make sailing sound like a bad idea
to make the reader excited to read more
because the surprises are the most important parts of the story
because Michael told the author to start the story that way
4. Read the following sentence: “Despite the unexpected events, the teen from Hertfordshire, England,
achieved what he had set out to do.”
In this sentence the word despite means
A
B
C
D
even with
because of
since
during
5. What is “Sailing Into History” mostly about?
A
B
C
D
Michael wrote a blog to document his trip across the Atlantic Ocean.
Many unexpected things happened to Michael on his trip.
Michael became the youngest person to sail across the Atlantic Ocean alone.
Michael’s father followed him in another boat to help Michael achieve his goal.
1
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Teacher Guide & Answers: Sailing Into History
6. What was Michael doing as he watched the sun set near the Cape Verde Islands?
Suggested answer: Michael was writing about his voyage on his blog. [paragraph 5]
7. After his journey, Michael told BBC News that it felt “absolutely fantastic to be back on dry land.” Why
might someone who loves to sail feel this way about being back on land?
Suggested answer: Michael spent nearly three months alone in the middle of the ocean. He most likely
missed his loved ones and the comforts of home. Also, he probably felt proud about having achieved his
goal. [paragraph 3]
8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.
________ his journey at sea, Michael documented, or recorded, his voyage on his blog.
A
B
C
D
Before
After
During
In spite of
9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below.
In Antigua, crowds gathered to congratulate Michael when he arrived.
Who? crowds
(did) What? gathered
Where? in Antigua
Why? to congratulate Michael
10. Vocabulary Word: gear: equipment or special clothes used for a specific activity.
Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: answers may vary.
2
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.