Wally worked on his house last weekend. He needed to replace an old deck that hung over the back of the house. The wood on the deck was beginning to rot. When wood begins to rot, it’s time to replace it. Wally figured it was a two-man job, so he called his brother, Steve, and asked him to lend a hand.

Wally has almost all of the tools necessary for a project like this one. He owns hand tools and power tools. A good hammer and a cordless drill are especially helpful to have. He used the hammer to pound in nails and the cordless drill was used for the screws. Steve brought over his circular saw because Wally had only a hand saw to cut the pieces of lumber.

With Steve’s help, they got the job done quickly. They removed the old pieces of wood that were rotting and replaced them with new lumber. They also sealed the wood to prevent it from rotting in the first place. Afterwards, they tested the deck by sitting on it to make sure it was strong enough to hold a group of people. They also double-checked all the work they did before calling a building inspector. The inspector’s job is to make sure that construction work is properly done.

Next week, Wally will go over to Steve’s house to help him pour concrete for a patio and a walkway. They enjoy working together. Not only does it make a job go faster, they learn from each other, and they enjoy each other’s company.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Now you try it. Read the paragraph above. If you have a microphone, you can record your voice.

How much do you remember from the reading? Fill in the blanks.  

in your notebook!

• 1A: What did Wally need to replace?
• 1B: He needed to replace his ________.
• 2A: What was the problem?
• 2B: The wood was beginning to ________.
• 3A: What did Steve bring over?
• 3B: Steve brought over his ________ ________.
• 4A: Where is Wally going to go next weekend?
• 4B: He’s going to go over to _________ house.

(ANSWERS: 1. deck;  2. rot;  3. table saw; 4. Steve’s)

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