KIDS...THE REAL HEROES - Nonfiction Reading Comprehension & Comparative Performance Task - It Took Courage & A Little Hairy...

Aug 24, 2026

Nonfiction reading comprehension and comparative performance task centered on two newspaper excerpts published by The Boston Globe on September 13, 1974. The first passage describes Black students entering and leaving South Boston High School on the first day of court-ordered school integration, emphasizing fear, safety concerns, and disciplined behavior amid harassment. The second passage follows a reassigned white student’s long commute and the choices surrounding a class boycott, focusing on how reassignment affects daily life and schooling experience.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Nonfiction Reading Comprehension & Comparative Performance Task

Title 1: ‘It Took Courage’

Title 2: ‘A Little Hairy...’

‘KIDS...THE REAL HEROES’ Nonfiction Reading Comprehension & Comparative Performance Task Title 1 : ‘It Took Courage’ By Benjamin Taylor, Globe Staff Reading Level: Common Core Band: 6-8 Word Count: 808 The Boston Globe, page 1 South Boston, Mass. September 13, 1974 For many of the 56 black students who attended classes in previously all-white South Boston High School, yesterday was a day of apprehension and concern for their safety. But several of the blacks said in interviews they would do it again, expressing a basic belief that what they were participating in would eventually be beneficial for themselves, the black community and the city of Boston. One English teacher who asked that her name not be used said: “Whether you’re talking about the black kids or the kids from the community, it took a lot of courage to come to school today.” The most frightening part of the day for the black students was entering and leaving the school, located on G Street in the heart of South Boston, a predominantly white working class neighborhood. After boarding buses in Roxbury, the South End and black sections of Dorchester, the small group of black students braved taunts, stones and debris from an angry crowd of several hundred whites while entering the building under the protection of a police cordon. And when the buses left the high school, stones were thrown again, frightening some of the students to the point of tears. But while they were inside the 73-year-old building, the mood was dramatically different--one of calm and business-as-usual during the first day of court-ordered school integration in Boston. One 15-year-old black student from the South End paused at a window on the second floor of the building, and looking down at the crowd around the front of the building, said: “I feel safe here, but all this makes you feel like a prisoner--all these cops and everybody.” She added that she was going to continue to come to the high school for one reason: “I was assigned here and I want to get a good education.” Her friend, who was also watching the crowd below, concurred: “I thought about not coming today, but I really don’t have any choice. South Boston High School is now the only school I got.” The sense of calm inside the building was undoubtedly aided by the fact that most of the 1,300 students who were scheduled to attend--including more than 500 blacks--stayed home. Teachers often found themselves teaching only one or two students instead of the usual 20 or 25, and school officials said fewer than 150 students were inside the building all day. In fact, because of the meager attendance and the attitudes of students who did show up, the orderliness inside the building did not surprise school officials. Frank DiMaggio, an administrative assistant to headmaster W.J. Reid, said: “The few white and black kids we have in here now are not the belligerent ones. Those kids are outside. The make-it-or-breakit point will come when the other kids decide to come back to school.” And even calm inside could not mask the disruption outside the building as occasional racist chants or the sound of bottles breaking were heard in the classrooms. In the cafeteria during the lunch break, most of the blacks and whites sat at separate tables, generally sticking with friends from years past. While eating lunch, one 16-year-old black youth who last year went to the previously all-black Jeremiah E. Burke High School, talked about the day’s events. “A lot of the black kids on the buses and even in here are acting funny and fooling around a lot,” he said.“But they’re just doing that to break the tension. We’re pretty scared.” The 16-year-old student said he “really wanted” to go to South Boston High School both because he felt he would get a better education there, and because of the school’s football team. “I like to play middle linebacker, and the Burke school didn’t have a football team last year,” he

FAQs

What historical event is described in the excerpt titled ‘It Took Courage’?

It describes the first day of court-ordered school integration in Boston and the apprehension faced by Black students attending a previously all-white high school.

How do students in ‘It Took Courage’ describe their decision to attend school?

They attribute their actions to fear and note that they had no special training, while still believing attendance would ultimately benefit themselves and their community.

What situation is shown in the excerpt titled ‘A Little Hairy...’?

It focuses on a reassigned white student’s route to Roxbury High School and highlights the impact of the racial balance plan and an ignored boycott on attendance.

Aug 24, 2026

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