The fourth-grade field trip to the aquarium was today. Meli loved to study sea life and already knew she wanted to be a marine biologist when she grew up.
As the fourth graders entered the building, Meli saw large crowds of students. The ceilings were tall and the massive room was dark. There were sea creatures all around her in lit-up tanks. Meli gasped when she saw the silver Australian barramundi fish in a tank to her left.
“Stay in your groups,” Mr. Silva warned. But Meli was distracted by the amazing assortment of sea creatures. Immediately enthralled by the 500-pound sea turtle with the spotted shell, Meli soon forgot about everything else. Ten minutes later when she turned to find her group, they were gone.
Meli was a little scared. This place was so big! She watched big classes of students walk by, not one of them her own. Then she took a deep breath and tried to remember what Mr. Silva had said to do if this happened. Yes—she knew what to do. She walked in the direction of the booth with the word Information above it in big letters.
“I’m lost,” Meli said to the woman behind the desk. “Can you help me?”
“Why, of course,” the woman said kindly, inspecting Meli’s name tag and calling someone on her cell phone.
A few minutes later Mr. Silva came jogging along.
“So glad you went to the information desk,” Mr. Silva said to Meli. “Excellent job listening today!”
Meli smiled as she walked back to the giant turtle with her teacher. This was going to be a great field trip.
What does Meli do when she reaches her main conflict in the story?
She calls out for Mr. Silva.
She explores all the exhibits on her own.
She goes to the information desk.
She looks for her classmates in the next exhibit.