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    • Asking Questions
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  • 6Cs Articles
    • 1. Axe Body Spray (Critical Thinking)
    • 2. Utility Bills (Citizenship)
    • 3. Pork Roast (Creativity)
    • 4. Airplane Wheel (Character)
    • 5. Rosa Parks (Communication)
    • 6. Building Bridges (Citizenship)
    • 7. California Surfer (Character)
    • 8. Green Leader (Collaboration)
    • 9. Service Dog (Critical Thinking)
    • 10. Devious Sips (Citizenship)
    • 11. Online Shopping / Fraud (Critical Thinking)
  • SEL Stories
    • 1. US fighter pilot terrified of flying
    • 2. Change The Game – Earn Your Leisure
    • 3. This App Can Close The Gap
    • 4. Ballet, Beauty, and Being Girly
    • 5. Born Here. Failed Six Years!
    • 6. Dwayne Johnson – Hardest Worker
    • 7. What if I took it off for you?
  • SHOP

SEL Story 001

This US fighter pilot is terrified of flying…

This differentiated non-fiction reading comprehension article is for Grades 4, 6, 8, and 10. This number one US fighter pilot is terrified of flying but wanted to fly an F-16!

Have your students read this article to find out what happens next!

Psst. Tell your students that’s the same plane you see in Top Gun: Maverick…

I really like this reading comprehension article. It goes well with the Making Connections reading strategy.

Reading Comprehension Article

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Table of Contents
  • Read the Non-Fiction Article:Keeping A Level Head When Anxiety Is Sky-High
  • OVERCOMING FEAR From An SEOT Perspective
    • Strategy #1: Smart Strategizing
    • Strategy #2: Focus On The Immediate Task At Hand
SEL Story 001 - This Pilot is Afraid of Flying - Making Connections Reading Strategy
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Read the Non-Fiction Article:
Keeping A Level Head When Anxiety Is Sky-High

Lt. Col. Rob ‘Waldo’ Waldman has dedicated his life to flying. He is a highly-decorated fighter pilot with over 65 combat missions. He’s also the author of the New York Best Seller Never Fly Solo. Oh, and did I say he’s also an ex-aerophobe? “What’s that?” I hear you ask. You’ll hardly believe it, but it’s someone who fears flying.

Seems pretty unbelievable, right? But trust me, it’s a real-life journey worth strapping in for. The story begins with Waldman as a young boy looking up to his father. His dad was part of the naval airforce and worked as a mechanic at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Waldman would go with his father to work, taking in the surroundings with awe. He remembers his dad coming home after 16-hour shifts. His dad would have cuts on his hands and smelled like jet oil.

“I loved that smell,” he says. He was fascinated on his first airport trip with his father. The rumble of the engines and birds flying above captivated him. His dad sat him in the cockpit of one of the jets. At that moment, the dream was decided. He would grow up to fly planes.

There was only one issue! Waldman was afraid of heights.

But still, firmly, he decided his passion was more significant than his fear. So, in his first year of college, he applied to the Air Force Academy. And thus came his first run-in with anxiety over his long career. A 33-feet high diving board stood in the way of Waldman and graduation. Either he jumped, or he failed. One by one, Waldman watched his classmates leap from the board, 35lbs pack in tow, into the waters below. He was afraid, but there was no way a 33-foot board would stop him from achieving his dreams. So he leaped last, but he jumped, and that’s all that matters.

Due to his bravery, Waldman gained access to pilot training. But unfortunately, there were only a few slots. He missed out on the chance to be a fighter pilot. So, not one to be deterred, Waldman made the wise choice to become an instructor pilot. Still, in the back of his mind, he would always hope that he’d get to fly his beloved F-16 one day.

So far, so good. Waldman had conquered his fear of heights and would spend his days teaching pilots. But the next challenge was around the corner. Tragedy struck when Waldman went scuba diving with his friends. Fresh into the water, Waldman already felt out of his depth. He lost control of the situation. He began to flail. Next, he recalls his mask separating from his face. Waldman breathed in a lungful of burning salt water. Panic set in.

He would later note, “No combat mission could come close to that day.” Even though he swam to the top and was physically fine, the mental scars had been etched.

The next time Waldman took to the air, it was a bleak day. He began to panic as he flew. Even though he was thousands of feet in the air, he felt the same way as when he was hundreds of feet underwater. And it was then that he realized he had claustrophobia. However, this fear wouldn’t be overcome by a leap. Instead, it grew.

He would say, “Words can’t describe the passion I had for flying jets, living my dream, but words also can’t describe some of the fears and doubts I faced every time I strapped into that jet to fly.” As his fear grew bigger than his passion, Waldman knew the answer: keep flying and focus on others. So instead of looking inward, he turned his focus outward. His secret weapon was to become focused on his students. He would help them spread their wings and become the best pilots they could be.

With the wind in his wings, Waldman kept flying. And, despite struggling with occasional claustrophobia, he was ranked number one pilot. Finally, he could choose the jet of his dreams. And, in his own words, “He didn’t want to take the easy way out.” He proudly picked the plane of his dreams. He advised everyone to “choose your F-16 every day; that’s what’s going to get you your wings.”

These days, Waldman works as a public speaker. He shares his inspiration with others. His story has inspired hundreds to take control of their fear and reach their potential.

OVERCOMING FEAR From An SEOT Perspective

Now we’ll take a moment to break down Waldman’s incredible story of conquering his fears to achieve his goals. We’ll also look at how we can follow his example by adopting a growth mindset.

Waldman knew what he wanted from the start. Still, he didn’t quite understand how to get there. Nonetheless, as hurdles arose along the way, Waldman faced them down.

There are two life lessons we can learn from this story. One strategy to overcome obstacles is to see if the pros outweigh the cons. This works great when you’re calm, and you can think things through. Another plan to get you out of panic mode is to focus on the task at hand.

Strategy #1: Smart Strategizing

Waldman analyzed his situation, allowing him to solve problems with ease. In the end, instead of listening to his fears, he used them to his advantage. And his secret was simple: smart strategizing.

When he needed to overcome his fear of heights to graduate, he took a step back. He thought about what he had to gain and lose from this one action. And, he decided his future mattered more than the present moment. His on-the-spot strategizing helped him to realize that fear could be beaten. Instead of letting a moment of panic win, he proved to himself that he was capable of great bravery. This moment of bravery saw him through the rest of his career. It allowed him to take to the skies daily and teach new pilots.

Strategy #2: Focus On The Immediate Task At Hand

To fight his claustrophobia, Waldman focused on the task at hand. Only focusing on one thing helped push out the fear and let him get through the tough times. Instead of letting his fear take control, Waldman ignored his fear and focused on what he could. He then his thoughts into action. This strategy slows racing thoughts as actions take center stage in your mind.

Sometimes, if we can reason with our fears, we can create a strategy to beat them. This approach can help us to change over time.

Other times, if we’re panicking, focusing on the immediate task can help us focus.

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Filed Under: Reading Comprehension SEL Story Series Tagged With: SEL Story 001

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Different Reading Strategies List (PDF)

Evaluating Reading Strategy: Lesson, video, handouts (that work with any text)

Evaluating Reading Strategy Lesson Plan

How to Infer – 4 PRO TIPS: 1. Figure out what the text is really saying even though it doesn’t say it like this. (Evidence from the text + your thinking = an inference) 2. Your inference cannot be directly in the text. It has to be something new that you figured out based on the text. 3. Use Somebody Wanted But So to think about the text and make inferences. 4. Use It says, I say, And so to explain your inference.

Inferring Reading Strategy Lesson Plan (Inferencing)

How to Make (Deeper) Connections - 4 PRO TIPS: 1. Connect with things you’ve read (text to text), things you’ve experienced (text to self), or things people know (text to world) 2. Avoid simple connections. Find things that are same-same but different. 3. Use one of these thought patterns: "This is like that, but… so…" or "A is like B, and B is _ so A is probably _" 4. Stop after every heading or paragraph and make a connection

Making Connections Reading Strategy Lesson Plan: How to make deeper Text-to-Self, Text-to-Text, and Text-to-World connections

4 PRO TIPS to the Repairing Comprehension Reading Strategy 1. Read a paragraph and SAY SOMETHING: Ask a question, Make a connection, Make an inference, Form an opinion 2. Does your SAY SOMETHING make sense with stuff you know about the world? If not, re-read the paragraph. Use PEEP to clarify your thinking. 3. Does your SAY SOMETHING make sense with stuff you already read in this text? If not, re-read the paragraph. Re-read the other stuff you already read.Use PEEP to figure out why it doesn’t make sense. 4. PEEP: Point, Evidence, Explanation, Point

Repairing Comprehension Reading Strategy Lesson Plan

Asking Questions Reading Comprehension Strategy - 4 PRO TIPS 1. Don't ask a question you already know the answer to. 2. Try to answer your own question. Use evidence from the text. 3. Ask lots of questions. Include higher-order thinking questions (why or how / would or might) 4. Stop after every heading or paragraph and ask a question.

Asking Questions Reading Strategy

FIND THE MAIN IDEA 4 PRO TIPS: 1. Focus on the BIG PICTURE (the entire article). Summarize the entire article in a word or phrase. What general point is the author trying to make? 2. Look for clues in key spots. (How is the text organized?) 3. Think about each paragraph. What is this paragraph about? (Where is the main idea in the paragraph? Beginning? Middle? End?) What role does this paragraph play?  4. Find the “best” main idea. The main idea is NOT always directly stated. The best idea has strong support from the beginning, middle, and end of the entire article.

Finding the Main Idea – Reading Comprehension Strategy Lesson Plan

Active Reading Strategies Lesson and Handouts: Works with any text!

Active Reading Strategies Lesson – Power Up Tool Kit

6Cs Reading Comprehension Articles

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  • Airplane wheel falls off during takeoff in Canada
  • Rosa Parks: Quiet Courage in Communication
  • Building Bridges between Police and Youth
  • California Surfer Breaks Stereotypes – Character Education
  • Green Leader Says It Shouldn’t Have Taken This Long – Collaboration
  • Service Dog – Is this Discrimination? (Critical Thinking)
  • Devious Sips, TikTok trends, and Active Citizenship
  • Online Shopping and Fraud – Critical Thinking – Article 011

SEL Reading Comprehension Articles

  • This US fighter pilot is terrified of flying…
  • Change The Game And Earn Your Leisure
  • This App Can Help Close The Gap
  • Ballet, Beauty, and Being Girly
  • Born Here. Failed Six Years!
  • Dwayne Johnson The Rock
  • What if I took it off for you? Reading Response Passage

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