89. Puberty and the Voice Crack

Alan is 13 years old. He is going through puberty. Puberty is when kids start to become mature and experience many physical and emotional changes. Alan already hit his growth spurt. He was very tall. Now, he was just waiting for his voice to deepen. Before the voice deepens, it will crack. His voice will sound high-pitched.

In Alan's English class, his teacher would have students do "Popcorn Reading." Popcorn Reading is when one student reads and then calls on another student to continue reading. Alan was eventually called on. He started to read the sentence. 

He noticed that his voice came out all high-pitched. It sounded like he had a sore throat. His classmates started laughing at him. "What happened to your voice?" they joked. Alan was so embarrassed. He sunk into his chair and put his jacket hood over his head.

After class, the teacher went to Alan to talk to him. The teacher said Alan should not feel embarrassed. Voice cracking happens to everyone. Alan still felt pretty bad about it. For the next few days, word got around about Alan's voice. 

People kept asking him to talk, but Alan wouldn't. He just stayed quiet. Even when teachers called on him to read or asked him a question, he just wrote it down.

Vocabulary

1. Puberty – the time when a child’s body begins to change and become more like an adult
   Alan is going through puberty.

2. Mature – fully grown or developed
   Puberty helps kids become mature.

3. Physical – related to the body
   Puberty causes many physical changes.

4. Emotional – related to feelings
   Kids also go through emotional changes during puberty.

5. Growth spurt – a quick increase in height
   Alan already hit his growth spurt.

6. Deepen – to become lower or fuller in sound
   Alan was waiting for his voice to deepen.

7. Crack – to break or change suddenly, like a shaky voice
   His voice began to crack during class.

8. High-pitched – a very high or squeaky sound
   Alan’s voice sounded high-pitched.

9. Popcorn Reading – when students take turns reading by calling on each other
   Alan was called on during Popcorn Reading.

10. Sore throat – a pain in the throat
    His voice sounded like he had a sore throat.

11. Joked – made fun of or teased
    His classmates joked about his voice.

12. Embarrassed – feeling shy or ashamed
    Alan was very embarrassed.

13. Sunk – dropped down lower
    He sunk into his chair.

14. Jacket hood – the part of a jacket that covers the head
    He put his jacket hood over his head.

15. Talked to – spoke with someone privately
    The teacher talked to Alan after class.

16. Happens – takes place or occurs
    Voice cracking happens to everyone.

17. Word got around – many people found out
    Word got around about Alan’s voice.

18. Quiet – not talking
    Alan stayed quiet for the next few days.

19. Called on – chosen by a teacher to speak
    Teachers called on Alan, but he didn’t answer out loud.

20. Wrote down – put something in writing
    Alan wrote down his answers instead of speaking.