The Science Fair Surprise

Lexile: 840 | Grade: 7

Passage

Ethan didn’t think he was good at science. Whenever his teacher explained something, he nodded along but never really understood. So when his class was assigned a science fair project, he felt nervous and unprepared.

His best friend, Mia, was excited. She already had an idea for an experiment about how plants grow in different kinds of light. Ethan just stared at his empty notebook, hoping for inspiration.

Later that evening, while helping his younger brother build a paper airplane, Ethan had an idea. What if he tested which design made a paper airplane fly the farthest? It wasn’t as fancy as Mia’s project, but it felt like something he could actually do.

Over the next few days, Ethan built five different plane models. He tested them over and over in the school gym, carefully measuring the distance each one flew. At first, the results were all over the place, but he kept trying, making small changes and recording what happened.

When the science fair finally arrived, Ethan set up his display with pictures, charts, and his planes. He felt proud—more proud than he expected. Students and teachers stopped by, asking questions. One of them was the principal, who smiled and said, 'I love seeing real curiosity at work.'

Ethan didn’t win first prize, but he earned something better—confidence. He realized he didn’t have to be perfect to enjoy learning. All it took was a question, a bit of effort, and the courage to try something new.