Ms. Cross’s fifth-grade class was planning a bake sale to make money for new equipment for the school grounds. Maia said, “Let’s
all bring some cookies to sell.”
Jared put up his hand, “What if we sold bread? It is something almost everyone likes and we could make a variety of kinds.”
Josie added, “Why don’t we bring different breads that our families enjoy?”
Ms. Cross said, “What a great idea! You could each choose bread you would like to make. Some of you may want to work in pairs or teams along with an adult to help with the baking. Wash all the equipment you use so it will be sanitary.”
Sophia said, “This is an important project, and our project has a better chance to succeed if we choose a good location.”
Juan suggested setting up a table in front of the big grocery store near the school. The class started making plans. Because there would be customers, everyone could work a one-hour shift as a salesperson.
Ms. Cross reminded students that they would have to set a price for their breads and mark the prices on them, so Maddie suggested that a committee go to grocery stores to take notes about the cost of bread. Another committee could find a long table, and other students were needed to get cards and markers to use for labeling.
Jake said, “Are we sure we want all this work?”
Tim said, “Of course we do! We need new soccer balls and other things too, and this is the only way we’ll get them. The exertion will make us tired, but it will be worth it.”
So they all agreed to help. Everyone got busy checking recipes for what they needed for ingredients. Since they would need advice on some things, they had to enlist relatives to help them.
Liane loved the mantou, or steamed buns, that her grandmother learned to make in China before coming to America. Her grandmother offered to help her make a batch early Saturday morning so they would be fresh. When Liane got to her grandmother’s house, the dough of water, a little sugar, yeast, and flour was mixed and rising. The yeast in the dough would make it rise. Grandmother told her to punch the dough down. Then they covered it and let it rise again. After about 20 minutes, Grandmother showed Liane how to knead the dough and shape it into rolls. They boiled water and placed the rolls in the steamer. In 10 minutes, the first batch of buns was cooked. They looked perfect, and Liane was proud of them.
When Liane got to the bake sale, several classmates were already there. Mauricio showed her the Cuban bread his grandfather had helped him make. He had started it with yeast, warm water, and flour like the steamed buns. The dough had to rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours. On Saturday morning, they added other ingredients to the “starter.” They kneaded it, let it rise, and formed the dough into loaves. The loaves were baked, not steamed.
Carissa showed the Italian focaccia bread she made with her grandmother’s help. It had similar ingredients to the other breads but more spices, including garlic and basil and some cheese. Erik brought crusty rye sourdough bread. His mother helped him make it the way her mother from Germany had taught her. Wendy made scones with her mother, whose family came from England in the seventeenth century. Scones are rich biscuits made without yeast.
Jay brought some chapati, a flatbread he learned about in India last summer. Patrick brought his mother’s Irish soda bread with caraway seeds. David and Sarah brought challah, a bread traditionally served on Jewish holidays. With help from Sarah’s mom, David and Sarah rolled the dough into “snakes” and braided them. Jake participated by bringing a loaf of whole wheat bread his father had helped him make and several dozen homemade rolls.
The bake sale was a huge success! The breads sold quickly, and the class made $370 for new equipment. Ms. Cross observed that bread is an important part of cultures around the world.
This question has two parts. First, answer part A. Then, answer part B.
Part A
Which statement best summarizes the theme of the text?
A.
Most bread contains flour and water.
B.
A successful project needs help from parents.
C.
A bake sale featuring bread will always be a success.
D.
People from different countries have things in common.
Part B
Which sentence from the text best supports your answer in part A?
A.
"Ms. Cross’s fifth-grade class was planning a bake sale to make money for new equipment for the school grounds.”
B.
“Another committee could find a long table, and other students were needed to get cards and markers to use for labeling.”
C.
“With help from Sarah’s mom, David and Sarah rolled the dough into ‘snakes’ and braided them.”
D.
“Ms. Cross observed that bread is an important part of cultures around the world.”
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