Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Ice Cream and Violins
Rachel was practicing Tchaikovsky's music on her violin again. She worked hard at this on a regular basis. She hoped to get good enough to merit buying a high quality violin that compared to a Stradivarius. Her sister Sara really admired Rachel's efforts. Every day after school, Rachel went straight to her room and worked on her scales, songs, and arpeggio exercises for at least 20 minutes. Sara always got home from her school around the same time, so she saw and heard this routine every day.
Sara's afterschool routine was a little different. When she first arrived home from school, she would usually go to the kitchen for a snack, which often was a small bowl of ice cream. Then she would go to her room and settle in with one of her favorite books for a while. Currently, she was reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. She liked listening to Rachel's classical violin pieces while she ate her ice cream and read in the next room.
This past Tuesday, however, was different. Very different.
Rachel had joined an elite sports team, which meant that on two or three days a week, Rachel would not get home until just before dinner. Some days, Rachel would have games that the family would go to right after dinner. Sara noticed a distinct difference in their afterschool routine as Tuesday was the first day Rachel reported for practice. Sara still got home at her normal time, went to the kitchen, and got a small bowl of gourmet chocolate chip ice cream before going to her room as usual. It was strange to see Rachel's door shut and not hear the usual strains of the violin. Sara tried to read as she normally did, but the atmosphere just didn't feel right. Could it be that she had gotten so used to Rachel's playing that she could not adjust to its absence?
Rachel's sports commitment became more demanding as the season went on. This team required a huge commitment, and Rachel, being a perfectionist, focused almost entirely on playing well. Thus, she practiced her violin less and less - something which made Sara increasingly sad to see. She decided to talk to Rachel about it. On Friday, there didn't happen to be a game or practice. So Rachel got home at the "normal" time, which was actually quite a treat for her. She came into the kitchen.
"Hi, Sara," Rachel said.
"Hi, Rachel," Sara said. "Would you like some ice cream?"
Rachel slid onto the stool by the breakfast bar. "Sure, that sounds good."
Sara spooned out some raspberry ice cream into a yellow porcelain bowl and carried it over to Rachel. "Are you still playing the violin, Rachel?"
