a boy holding a loaded hot dog in front of pictures of other hot dogs
Virginie Drujon-Kippelen/Scholastic, Inc. via AP Images
You Write It Interview,

Mason’s Super Idea

Mason Wright, 15, of Stonecrest, Georgia, is the owner of Mason’s Super Dogs. He hopes to inspire other teens to become entrepreneurs.

By Adee Braun
From the May 2021 Issue
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    R.1, W.5, L.3
  • Grade 6
    RI.6.1, W.6.5, L.6.3
  • Grade 7
    RI.7.1, W.7.5, L.7.3
  • Grade 8
    RI.8.1, W.8.5 , L.8.3
TEKS Standards
  • Grades 6, 7, 8
    10b, 10c, 10d

Presentation View
See Student View

Directions

1. Read the interview. 

2. Choose a central idea for your article. 

3. Write a three-paragraph article about Mason in your own words. Use quotes from our interview.

Virginie Drujon-Kippelen/Scholastic, Inc. via AP Images

Mason prepares a hot dog for a customer.

Adee Braun: How did you come up with the idea for Mason’s Super Dogs?

Mason Wright: I had jobs like walking dogs, washing cars, and mowing lawns. But those jobs just weren’t for me. I told myself I could be my own businessman. Then when I was 10, I was on a trip to New York City with my older sister, and we bought a hot dog from a street vendor. It wasn’t very good, and I knew I could do better. So I decided to take that business concept back home.

AB: How did you get your business off the ground?

MW: I got my first little red hot dog cart using my savings and some help from my grandpa. My idea was to sell hot dogs in the Atlanta area and to call the business Mason’s Super Dogs. I started out by catering events for summer camps and birthday parties. And then I auditioned to be on Shark Tank.

AB: What was trying out for Shark Tank like?

MW: It was very fun. I was extremely nervous, and I kept stumbling over my words. I didn’t make it on the show, but that’s OK because something else happened that day. After the audition, which was held at Morehouse College near my home, I was with my sister and we ran into the president of the college, Dr. David A. Thomas. I gave him a business pitch for selling hot dogs on the college campus. He told me I could do it as long as I got all A’s in school. So for the next two years, I sold Mason’s Super Dogs out of my cart at Morehouse College.

AB: How is your business doing these days?

MW: When Covid-19 hit, I had to pivot because not a lot of people were going out. So I opened a walk-up restaurant. You get your food and you head right back to your car. It’s not always easy running a restaurant, but I get a lot of help from my mom, my auntie, and my friends. And the community really comes out and supports the restaurant. People tell me: “Wow, these hot dogs are really good. I’m going to come back here every day!

AB: How do you come up with your recipes?

MW: I start with my favorite foods and then see if they go well on a hot dog. One day I was eating Buffalo wings and I thought they might taste good on a hot dog. That’s how I came up with the Fire Storm Dog: a beef hot dog topped with chopped chicken and buffalo sauce. It’s also a lot of trial and error. My family are my test subjects, and after a while they are like, “No more hot dogs!”

AB: What’s your favorite Super Dog?

MW: The Incredible Dog. It’s like a Philly cheesesteak but with a beef hot dog and jalapeño peppers. I put extra jalapeños on mine.

AB: Do you have future plans for Mason’s Super Dogs?

MW: I want to have Mason’s Super Dogs all over Georgia and in all the airports because when people travel, they need delicious food.

AB: What advice would you give to kids who want to become entrepreneurs?

MW: Why wait until you’re older? Just do it now. You just have to roll with the punches and take a day off if it feels like it’s too overwhelming. And then get right back to it.

This article was originally published in the May 2021 issue.

video (1)
Activities (5)
Reference
Skills Activities
Writing Support
Answer Key (1)
video (1)
Activities (5)
Reference
Skills Activities
Writing Support
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

1. READING THE INTERVIEW

  • Give students a minute to preview the You Write It: Interview. Prompt students to use the headline, subhead, and central image to identify the topic of the interview.
  • Break students into groups to read each section of the interview and discuss what they find interesting, surprising, or convincing.
  • Reconvene as a class and ask volunteers to summarize the central idea and supporting details from the interview. Have a volunteer read aloud the writing prompt at the top of the page in the printed magazine or at the top of the digital story page. Brainstorm examples of central ideas (or central claims) that could be used.

2. MODELING THE TEXT

If your students need additional support, project the Annotated Model Text or the Non-Annotated Model Text and review together first.

3. WRITING

  • Distribute the guided-writing activity (available in your Resources tab). This activity guides students to choose a central idea for their articles, paraphrase each question-and-answer pair from the interview, and choose sentences from the interview that they will use as quotations in their articles.
  • Using their responses from the guided-writing activity, have students write a three-paragraph article about the inspiring student using these guidelines:
    •    Opening Paragraph:
      • Your first sentence should be a hook—that is, it should grab the reader’s attention. One option is to state something that is surprising, interesting, or moving. What detail from the interview did you find most interesting?
      • Let readers know what the article is going to be about. In other words, state the central idea of the article.
    •  Body Paragraph:
      • Explain to your readers what the inspiring student’s experience was like, using information from the question-and-answer pairs you summarized.
      • Summarize the most important ideas presented in the interview. Each idea you include should support the central idea that you wrote.
      • Don’t forget to include the direct quotes you chose.
    • Conclusion:
      • Wrap it all up. End your article with a strong sentence that will give your readers something to think about. One option is to end with a quote. Another is to refer to your hook from the opening paragraph.
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