The River Race

1. NarratorEvery June, Mr Okafor's class held a boat race on the school stream. Each pair built one boat from paper and tape.
2. Mr OkaforRemember, the boat must float, and it must be your own work. You have twenty minutes.
3. NarratorAva and Kofi began to fold. Ava wanted a wide boat with high sides. Kofi wanted a long, thin boat with a sharp point.
4. AvaA wide boat will not tip over.
5. KofiA thin boat will go faster in the water.
6. NarratorThey argued until the bell. In the end, each made a boat of their own.
7. Mr OkaforThat is all right. You will race against each other.
8. NarratorThe class stood along the bank. Mr Okafor held up a whistle.
9. Mr OkaforReady, steady, go!
10. NarratorBoth boats landed on the water. Kofi's boat shot ahead, its sharp point cutting through the ripples. Ava's boat bobbed more slowly, but it stayed upright.
11. KofiYes! Mine is winning!
12. NarratorThen the stream bent round a rock. A small whirl of water spun Kofi's boat sideways. It tipped, and slowly, it began to sink.
13. KofiOh no!
14. NarratorAva's boat came round the same rock. It rocked a little, but it did not turn over. It floated on, past the sinking boat.
15. AvaYour boat is nearly flat!
16. KofiQuick, hold it up!
17. NarratorAva reached down with a long stick and lifted Kofi's boat from the water. It was soaked, and the paper was soft.
18. Mr OkaforAva's boat finished first. But I think Kofi's idea was good, too.
19. KofiMaybe a long boat needs high sides, like Ava's.
20. AvaAnd maybe a wide boat could use a point, like yours.
21. NarratorThey went back to the table. This time they built one boat together, long and wide, with high sides and a sharp point.
22. NarratorThey tested it in the sink, then at the stream. It floated all the way to the end.
23. Mr OkaforThis is not a race any more. This is engineering.

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