The Longest Minute

5th Grade Common Core RL.5.1 Personal story and fact text 417 words ⏱ 40 minESL B1

A personal story about a lifeguard who saved a boy in the sea, and a fact text with important safety rules for swimming in the sea.

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Name: ______________________ Date: ____________

Text 1: The Longest Minute

Last summer I spent a week at my aunt's house in Santa Cruz. Every morning we went to the beach, and I liked to watch the lifeguard, Jonah, in his tall wooden tower. He looked bored most of the time, and I wondered why anyone paid him just to sit and look at the water.

On Thursday, I found out. A boy of about ten was playing with a ball near the rocks when a wave carried the ball away. He swam after it, and suddenly he was far from the beach. He waved his arms and shouted, but the waves were loud, and nobody near him noticed.

Jonah noticed. In a second he was out of the tower, running across the hot sand with a long orange board. He paddled fast and reached the boy in less than a minute. He told him to hold the board and breathe slowly. Then he brought him back to the beach, where his frightened mother was waiting.

People clapped, but Jonah only smiled. "This is my job," he said. "I'm not sitting here doing nothing. I'm watching every swimmer all the time."

That minute felt like an hour to me. Since that day, I never go into the sea when there is no lifeguard on the beach.

Text 2: Staying Safe at the Sea

Swimming in the sea is fun, but the sea is not a swimming pool. The water moves all the time, and even strong swimmers can get into trouble. Here are some important rules that can keep you safe.

First, swim only at a beach with a lifeguard, and only during the hours when the lifeguard is working. Lifeguards are trained to see danger early and to act quickly.

Second, look at the flag on the lifeguard's tower before you go into the water. On American beaches, a white flag means that swimming is allowed. A red flag means that the sea is dangerous and you must be very careful. A black flag means that swimming is not allowed at all.

Third, learn about rip currents. A rip current is a strong stream of water that pulls swimmers away from the beach. If it pulls you, don't try to swim straight back against it, because you will get tired very fast. Instead, swim along the beach until you are out of the current, and then swim back. You can also float on your back and wave for help.

Finally, never swim alone, and always keep an eye on young children, even in shallow water.

📘 Word bank

lifeguard: a person whose job is to keep swimmers safe
tower: a tall, narrow building or structure
paddled: moved through the water using arms or a paddle
frightened: afraid
trained: taught how to do a job well
current: water that moves in one direction
float: to stay on top of the water without sinking
shallow: not deep

✏️ Questions

Text 1
Inference
At the beginning of the story, what did the writer think about Jonah's job?
Key details
Why did the boy swim far from the beach?
Key details
Why didn't the people near the boy notice him?
Key details
Give TWO things Jonah told the boy to do.
Reference words
What does the word "his" in "where his frightened mother was waiting" (paragraph 3) refer to?
Inference
What does Jonah mean when he says "I'm not sitting here doing nothing"?
Key details
How did the story change the writer?
Text 2
Author’s purpose & structure
The purpose of Text B is to…
Key details
Complete the sentence: According to paragraph 2, lifeguards are trained to ________.
Key details
What does a black flag on a beach mean?
Word meaning
In paragraph 4, a "rip current" is…
Key details
Why shouldn't you swim straight back against a rip current?
Key details
Give TWO things you can do if a rip current pulls you.
Comparing texts
The writer's decision at the end of Text A matches which rule in Text B?

Questions

At the beginning of the story, what did the writer think about Jonah's job?
1. That it was dangerous.
2. That it was not really necessary.
3. That it was very tiring.
4. That she wanted to do it one day.
Why did the boy swim far from the beach?
______________________________________________________________
Why didn't the people near the boy notice him?
1. They were sleeping on the sand.
2. They were looking at the lifeguard.
3. The waves were loud.
4. He did not shout.
Give TWO things Jonah told the boy to do.
______________________________________________________________
What does the word "his" in "where his frightened mother was waiting" (paragraph 3) refer to?
______________________________________________________________
What does Jonah mean when he says "I'm not sitting here doing nothing"?
1. He wants a better tower.
2. He is tired of his job.
3. He wants people to clap for him.
4. Watching the swimmers is real work.
How did the story change the writer?
1. She only swims when there is a lifeguard.
2. She stopped going to the beach.
3. She decided to become a lifeguard.
4. She learned to swim with a board.
The purpose of Text B is to…
1. describe a rescue at the beach.
2. explain how to become a lifeguard.
3. give rules for swimming safely in the sea.
4. compare the sea and swimming pools.
Complete the sentence: According to paragraph 2, lifeguards are trained to ________.
______________________________________________________________
What does a black flag on a beach mean?
1. Swimming is allowed.
2. Swimming is not allowed at all.
3. You must swim near the lifeguard.
4. The water is cold.
In paragraph 4, a "rip current" is…
1. a strong stream that pulls swimmers away from the beach.
2. a big wave that breaks on the rocks.
3. a safe area for swimming near the beach.
4. a kind of flag on the lifeguard's tower.
Why shouldn't you swim straight back against a rip current?
______________________________________________________________
Give TWO things you can do if a rip current pulls you.
______________________________________________________________
The writer's decision at the end of Text A matches which rule in Text B?
1. Look at the flag before you go into the water.
2. Swim along the beach in a rip current.
3. Never swim alone.
4. Swim only at a beach with a lifeguard.

Answer key

b) That it was not really necessary.
He swam after his ball, which a wave carried away.
c) The waves were loud.
To hold the board and to breathe slowly.
The boy's (the boy).
d) Watching the swimmers is real work.
a) She only swims when there is a lifeguard.
c) give rules for swimming safely in the sea.
see danger early and to act quickly.
b) Swimming is not allowed at all.
a) a strong stream that pulls swimmers away from the beach.
Because you will get tired very fast.
Swim along the beach until you are out of the current (then swim back); float on your back and wave for help.
d) Swim only at a beach with a lifeguard.