The Team That Almost Gave Up
by Namu Marupudi
Ethan and his friends Mia, Leo, Sara and Jay have one week to build a model of their town — but everyone wants to be the leader, and the project quickly turns into a noisy mess.
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About this story
Ethan loves school, and he has four wonderful friends who make every day special: Mia, Leo, Sara, and Jay — the very best team anyone could ask for. Then one Monday, Ms. Reed announces an exciting special project: build a model of your town, in one week, working together. But the friends' first attempt falls apart almost immediately: everyone wants to be the leader — 'I should design it!' says Leo; 'No, I will!' says Sara — Jay wants to paint right away, Mia wants to cut paper first, nobody is listening to anybody, and the table becomes noisy and messy while nothing gets done. Ethan feels the worry in his chest, takes a deep breath, and stands up tall: 'We are wasting our time. Let's make a plan together instead. That's what real teams do!' One sorry, one smile, and one big sheet of paper later, the team writes down everyone's jobs — and the town starts to rise. A warm classroom story about the project that almost defeated five friends, and the plan that saved it.
- Project — a big job you build over time
- Model — a small version of something real, like a town
- Leader — the one guiding the team
- Argue — to disagree loudly, instead of listening
- Waste — to spend time on nothing
- Plan — deciding who does what, before you start
- Team — everyone, working as one
- Finish — completing what you promised, together
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