Pumping Pedals Reading Activities

“ Pumping Pedals” by Maggie Lilleby SJ Part 4 Number 3 2004 1. Recall Give a brief summary of the story. It was a Friday evening at the Tahunanui BMX tracks in Nelson. Sally Davies the only girl in the competition against the boys. She use to go and watch the BMX race with her dad and she thought that she would have a try. She says that BMXing appeals to her favourite sport. When she races, she gives it everything that she got. Sometimes she beats the boys. She wanted to see girls on the track, joining in. She wears protective gear like long sleeves, top and bottom, thick gloves and a full face helmet. She really enjoys BMX. 2. Infer What kind of a person is Sally Davies? Tell why you think this. She is a sporty kind of person because, she is into BMX and try out everything. 3. Evaluate Explain why you think the author entitled the story as “Pumping Pedals” I think that the Author titled the story ‘Pumping Pedals’ because BMX, you have to pedal hard and faster. 4. Think about it Why do you think Sally would like to attract more girls to the sport of BMX racing? Because she doesn’t want to be the only girl in the sport and wants more girls to join in. 5. Recall How are the bikes designed and what are they made of? They are designed to have good pedals and strong wheels. They are made of steel, chains and rubber. 6. Think about it. Why did Sally groan as she remembered her first racing bike? She groaned because the bike was a freestyle bike, it was heavy, with huge tyres. 7. Please explain the racing technique called “pumping” and why it might be important? "Pumping Pedals" Pumping is important because we have to pump the pedals to make the bike go. 8. Do you think BMX racing is a dangerous sport. Tell why or why not you think this. It is a dangerous sport and when someone falls in front of some, the person behind might trip over the person in the front, and they will get hurt. 9. Synthesize Please tell what you liked most about the story and why or why not you would like to be a BMX racer. I like the racing bit and I would like to try BMX and because I love biking just like Sally. 10. Design a flyer to attract and introduce new riders to the sport. Be sure to tell when and where it meets and what equipment is required. When you are finished please upload to your blog.