Sophia’s Big AuditionBy Natalie Abdulkarim

Sophia took a deep breath and tried to relax.

Tomorrow was audition day for the annual

school musical and Sophia had been preparing

her audition for weeks. Now all she needed to

do was get a good night’s sleep so she would be

well rested for her performance, but she couldn’t

stop pacing her bedroom floor and reciting her

lines over and over again!

When Sophia’s mom walked in the room to say

goodnight, she could definitely feel the tension.

“Whoa,” she uttered, “the mood in here is

definitely an anxious one! How are you feeling?”

Based on the context, what do you think mood is? What clues made Sophia’s mom

sense an anxious mood in Sophia’s room?

Sophia let out a big sigh and replied, “I’m

nervous! I can’t seem to calm myself down.”

Sophia’s mom sat down on the bed and patted

the mattress next to her signaling for Sophia to

sit down beside her. “Sweetheart, you have

worked very hard on your audition. You will be

great! There is nothing to worry about,” she

reassured her daughter.

“That’s what you think, but you haven’t heard

Jessica’s audition,” Sophia snapped. “It’s not like

she even cared about this musical until she heard I

was auditioning. Now her show-off self is going to

ruin everything!”

Sophia’s mom’s eyes widened, “I don’t really like the

tone of your voice, young lady. What is going on?”

What do you think tone means? How would you identify Sophia’s tone?

How might changing Sophia’s word choices change her tone? Try adjusting her

statement to give her a different tone of voice.

Tears welled up in Sophia’s eyes as she took a deep

breath and tried to calm down. “Three weeks ago,”

she began, “when Mrs. Piccot announced the date for

auditions, Jessica said she was not interested in

trying out. She said that all the rehearsals and

commitments that come along with the musical would

be too much for her this year. Then, like a fool, I

mentioned to someone that I was secretly happy

because it meant I had a better chance at getting the

part I wanted. I didn’t realize that Jessica was right

behind me and heard what I had said.

“The next day, I saw that she had signed up to

audition for the same part I had signed up for!

When someone asked her about it, she said she

had just changed her mind because she thought

the musical was too important to miss out on. I

find it a bit ironic that she changed her mind so

suddenly and without good reason and that she

specifically chose to audition for the same part

as me. She did it just to upset me.”

Use the context clues in the story to see if you can define irony. If you are still

having trouble, discuss it with your shoulder partner. Now, with your shoulder

partner, see if you can find an example of something that is ironic.

Sophia’s mom thought for a moment.

“Sweetheart, it sounds to me as though you

might have upset Jessica. Did you apologize to

her for what you said that day?”

Sophia’s eyes dropped, “No.”

“Well then it also sounds to me as though you are

not really anxious about your audition tomorrow, but

about facing Jessica at the audition,” Sophia’s mom

suggested. “Perhaps the only thing that will make

you feel better is apologizing to Jessica.”

Sophia thought about it and suddenly she felt a lot

better. She knew just what she needed to do. “Thank

you, mom,” she said, and finally laid down in bed to

get her good night’s sleep.

“Well then it also sounds to me as though you

are not really anxious about your audition

tomorrow, but about facing Jessica at the

audition,” Sophia’s mom suggested. “Perhaps

the only thing that will make you feel better is

apologizing to Jessica.”

Sophia thought about it and suddenly she felt a

lot better. She knew just what she needed to do.

“Thank you, mom,” she said, and finally laid

down in bed to get her good night’s sleep.