Literacy Short Story for kids
Betty and Dale are brother and sister. They are also twins . They look alike. They have eyes, noses, and lips that are similar. The twins are also different in other ways. It is OK to be different. Betty was born with only a left arm and a left hand. She loves being left handed and she writes well. Betty loves science and mixing things in beakers. She also likes to bake brownies.
Betty wears a brown bow on her wrist because she loves the color brown. She blinks her brown eyes a lot when she is excited. Betty talks about her goal to be a biology teacher often. Betty just happens to look like the small letter "b". Betty's other hobbies include bowling, rooting for the Bobcats, blowing bubbles, and listening to big band music.
Dale is the twin brother who shares the same face and smile as his sister Betty. They have the same voice and cheerful mannerisms. Dale was born with just a right arm and he is deaf in one ear. He is very good at art. He loves to draw his favorite players on the Dodgers team. He smiles a lot and Dales dimples dance on his cheeks when he has a good laugh.
Dale is right handed and is a great dreamer and visionary. He designs drawbridges with toy blocks. He wears his dad's old watch on his right wrist because it is his favorite thing. Dale also looks like the small letter "d". His dream is to be an architect or building designer. His favorite Doo Wop music will play in every elevator in buildings he designs. The twins Betty and Dale look different from others. They do things in a different way. Yet they feel things and do some things like others do them. If you ever see them try not to mix them up.
Poppie and Quincy are another set of twins. They are best friends with Betty and Dale. They look like each other a lot but are not the same. Poppie has only her left leg because she was born this way. It is OK and she is still a fun friend to have. Poppie loves the color pink. She wears pink pants and a pink pointed shoe. Poppie is a poetry lover. She reads lots of poems and other books. She watches professional pool as it is a game she wants to learn. Because she loves parties and pop music, Poppie plans to have people patronize her fun parties. She happens to look like the small letter "p". Poppie says she wants to be a wedding planner someday.
Quincy is Poppie's twin and he looks like the small letter "q". Quincy, born with only his right leg, is a wonderful quoter. If anyone says or does something, Quincy will remember it. He knows all his favorite classical and jazz quartet songs. He is great in history class because he knows quotes, dates, and spellings of words. Quincy is quiet, except for when he is in history class. His favorite sneaker lights up on his right foot. Quincy wants to qualify for the special Olympics. He wants to be a quarterback and use his wonderful motor wheelchair!
When students do work in writing class they may look at the four twins. Some kids say nice things and can tell which twin is which. Other kids would be mean to the four twins that look different. The mean kids did not treat the twins well. They did not understand why the twins look so much alike but were not the same. They did not show good manners and were mean to the twins. The meanest kids would tease the twins because they were differently abled. Do you know what that means? It means that because Poppie and Quincy have only one leg, they walk kind of hop differently. They may use a cane or walking stick sometimes. Because Betty and Dale have only one arm, they use wheelchairs to get around instead of legs. But the twins were all happy to be themselves and friends with each other.
One day there was a spelling contest in writing class. The teacher chose the two oldest children to be team captain's, and to pick team members. No one chose the four twins so they made their own team together. That disappointed them but they did not give up. They competed in the spelling contest! They chose themselves and each twin brother sister group formed a fabulous team. They beat all the class kids even the oldest ones. They qualified for a state Spelling Bee contest! They studied every day together and even alone to prepare for it.
Betty, Dale,Poppie, and Quincy win the Spelling Bee! They earn awards, win prizes, and get their picture in the paper and we're on TV. The twins feel really good about this accomplishment. The only persons more proud of the twins are their parents, teachers and best friends. Everyone is very happy and proud.
The kids who had been mean to the twins were still jealous but not as mean. The twins did not pay attention to them because now the twins were popular and well respected. But more so they had learned to believe in themselves even if no one else does. They also learned to be kind even if others are not. Now that they are popular the twins are still not mean. They remember how it was to be unpopular and treated poorly. They also are especially inclusive to other kids who are different.
From that day forward people knew which twin was which twin. People saw them differently now and in a good positive way. It is not about what they can NOT do, but about what they CAN do. They are smart spelling twins who won the spelling bee with honors. They learned how to work together despite dilemma and overcome challenges. Even if no one else believes in their abilities, it is the fact that the twins tried and believed in themselves that made all the difference. Betty, Dale, Poppie and Quincy are great examples of courage. Here are favorites quotes they enjoy! "The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you can not do." --Walter Bagehot "If you put a really small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price." --Anonymous
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