The High Bar

Walt: look for the hidden meaning in the text

The High Bar
Responding to the text

Use the text to figure out whether the Author would agree or disagree with the statements below.

Statement	Agree/ Disagree	Page	Explanation and Evidence
Hayley has only recently started to like Gymnastics.	Disagree	17	“Hayley has always loved gymnastics. She started when she was only 4 years old.”
The Elite Development squad have to train often.	Agree	17	The squad members train hard, getting up at 5.30 a.m. on Mondays to be at the gym for fitness and endurance training before school, then after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and back again for another three hours on Saturday morning.
The Gloves that Hayley wear help her to hang onto the bar.	Disagree	17	She pulls the glove on. Without the gloves, the high bar will rip her hands to shreds. But the gloves are smooth and slippery, making it harder to hang on.
The straps that the coach gives Hayley are to stop them falling if they lose their grip.	Agree	17	Without them, if they lost their grip, they would fall.
Hayley doesn’t like dogs..	Agree	18	“It's like a dog” Said Hayley accusingly. Then suddenly, she’s quiet. “I’m scared of dogs”.
Last year Hayley had a great time at the Junior National Championship	Disagree	19	Hayley remembers last years humiliation on the high bar at the Junior national championship.

Questions	Answer here. Use evidence from the text.
Why does thinking about the high bar as a dog help Hayley’s confidence?	She thinks to herself, “but only when I don’t know them. If I just relax and let them lick me and sniff me, then, after a while, they like me, and i’m not scared of them any more”.
Why do you think Hayley finds the High bar scary?	Because last time she did the junior national championship, she was embarrassed and got hurt allot.
Did the coach believe in Hayley? Why/ why not	“Come on, Hayley!” The coach is tired of this strategy. Also, hayley failed last time at the junior national championship so maybe he doesn't trust that she will succeed.

Reflect
What do you think the message of this story is? Explain	Even if your scared, face your fears.