Abruptly
Abruptly means suddenly
There was abruptly a change in plan when Elaine decided to adopt Michaela and the other girl. Originally, Michaela thought she would be left behind, but the woman suddenly changed her mind when she learned that Michaela would probably not get adopted by anyone else.
Challenge
(or challenging, either one)
Synonyms might be...
Struggle, conflict, adversity, difficulty, troubling
Antonyms might be...
Easy, simple, effortless, opportunity, privilege
Where was Michaela DePrince born / what country is she from?
Sierra Leone
Significant
Significant means important or meaningful
A significant moment in Michaela's life was when her dance teacher encouraged her about her skills-- the teacher cared about Michaela's dancing ability, and did not judge her skin color.
Distraught
Synonyms might be...
Upset, heartbroken, distressed
Antonyms might be...
Calm, comforted, reassured
What did Michaela want to be when she grew up?
What did she do to achieve her dream?
She wanted to be a ballerina.
She watched other dancers performing, went to a dance school, worked hard at learning ballet and improving. She faced a lot of challenges in her life, but she was driven and did not give up.
Conscious
Conscious means aware
(Being aware of something, like your own thoughts and experiences, or things happening around you)
Michaela was very self-conscious about her skin.
Antagonism
Synonyms might be...
Hostility, conflict, hate
Antonyms might be...
Friendship, peace, unity
Who are some of the people she knew in the orphanage?
How did they treat her?
The women in charge of running the orphanage (the "aunties"), who treated Michaela terribly.
Her close friend Mabinty, another child in the orphanage, who was very kind to her.
TEACHER'S CHOICE MWHAHAHA >:)
Nice job :-)
TEACHER'S CHOICE MWHAHAHA >:)
Yippee :D
Why did Michaela feel self-conscious when she went to the dance school?
She was very shy, and she was worried that she would be judged because of her skin color / her skin condition (vitiligo).