The Group Project
Listen To The Following Reading
Ava and Dylan were paired for a college presentation. They divided the work evenly—Ava would handle the visuals, and Dylan would prepare the speech. On the day of the presentation, Dylan forgot his notes and stumbled through his part, leaving Ava embarrassed in front of the class. Later, they both avoided each other, unsure what to say next.
That evening, Ava told her roommate,
“I worked so hard on that project, and he just froze. I had to pick up the slack to save our grade. I didn’t want to call him out in front of everyone, but I felt humiliated. He always puts things off until the last minute, and I end up cleaning up the mess. I’m tired of being the one who holds everything together.”
Meanwhile, Dylan sat in the library, replaying his mistake. He muttered,
“I really let her down today. I tried to make up for it, but once I lost my place, my mind went blank. I could see how frustrated she was. I don’t blame her—it’s just that I’ve been juggling too much lately. I never meant to leave her hanging like that.”
Discussion Prompts
Explain what Ava was feeling after the presentation.
What did Ava mean when she said:
pick up the slack
call him out
puts things off
cleaning up the mess
Explain what Dylan was feeling after realizing his mistake.
What did Dylan mean when he said:
let her down
make up for it
juggling too much
leave her hanging
What do their words reveal about how people handle accountability and teamwork differently under pressure?
