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Editor
Erica N. Russikoff, M.A.
TCR 5032

Editor in Chief
Karen J. Goldfluss, M.S. Ed.

Cover Artist
Tony Carrillo
Brenda DiAntonis

Imaging
James Edward Grace

Publisher
Mary D. Smith, M.S. Ed.

Author
Ruth Foster, M. Ed.

The classroom teacher may

reproduce copies of the
materials in this book for use in
a single classroom only. The
reproduction of any part of the
book for other classrooms or
ISBN: 978-1-4206-5032-7
for an entire school or school © 2011 Teacher Created Resources
system is strictly prohibited. No Made in U.S.A.
part of this publication may be
transmitted, stored, or recorded
in any form without written
permission from the publisher.
 Table of Contents
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fake Eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Standards and Benchmarks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Koalas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Jupiter Fun Facts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Interesting Places and Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Big and Small of Fox Ears. . . . . . . . . . . . 50
The Big Wave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
A Plant Like Flypaper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
A Very Strange Meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Flying with Hands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
The Biggest Country. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
A Lucky Accident. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
From Not Real to Real . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
All About the Growl. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Four Corners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
You Had to Look Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Raining Frogs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
First in Space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Wide and Narrow Streets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
A Giant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
A Foot in Each Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
A Message You Won’t Hear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
A Question About Roofs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Squirting Blood. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
School of the Air. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Vulture Fun Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
The Smallest and the Largest . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Drinking Boiling Water. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
The Middle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 A Pretzel Bone Knot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Can Climb, Can’t Climb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 The Largest Land Animal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Hot-Water Monkeys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Icebergs with Stripes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Emergency Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Breaking the Sound Barrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
A Hole First. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Skin-Deep Stripes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Why Long and Dark?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Tricky Shampoo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
The Biggest Coins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Walking on Eggs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
The World’s Smallest Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 The Caterpillar Has More. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
How Cattle Know Where to Go . . . . . . . . . . . 28 No Nest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Floating Islands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
From the Past . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
A Long Walk on a Long Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
A House Key You Couldn’t Lose. . . . . . . . . . 73
Four, Five, or Seven Seasons?. . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
What Was Wanted. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
The Falls Few People See. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
The Teddy Bear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
A Hotel That Melts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
An Old Food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Riddles from the Philippines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
How a Pot Kept Trials Short. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Into the Death Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Salt and Pay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Underground Cities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Sliced Bread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Okay Spitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
What the Plow Hit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Under-the-Water Mail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
The Trick Vase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Scientifically Speaking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Mice and Muscles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
No Teeth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 The Captain Who Waited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Where a Day Is Not Twenty-Four Hours . . . . 42 Singing Sands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
The Smaller Lung. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Signaling Towers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
All Because of Melted Chocolate. . . . . . . . . . 44 Water Warning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
Caribou Fog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 White House Firsts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
All About Giraffes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Poison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 2 ©Teacher Created Resources

 Table of Contents (cont.)

Why the Player Climbed a Ladder. . . . . . . . . 89 A New X-Sport. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Why the Horse Couldn’t Graze. . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Wolf Facts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Cobwebs and Soldiers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 A Race That Melts Shoes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
One-Room Schools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Why Water Stays Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Cheering Up Archie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Fascinating People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Did Hancock Invent a Pickle?. . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Climbing Blind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
The Army Under the Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Trapped. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
The Rule About Red. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
What the Cat Led To. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
A Living Fossil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Ride on a Whale Shark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Rich on Water. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Free in Space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
No Elbows!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Into a Cave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Traveling in Colonial America. . . . . . . . . . . 100
How the Band-Aid® Came About. . . . . . . . . 143
The Elephant on the Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Favorite Field Camp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Poodle Haircut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
The Dog and Shoes That Didn’t Slip . . . . . . 145
Did You Know?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 A Horse for Legs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
A Googol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Forest Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Funny Laws. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 The Crow and the Raccoon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
A Boat That Is Alive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Youngest to the Pole. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Eating Skin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
The Night the House Burned . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Avalanche Dog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Kicking a Sock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
The Bone That Stands Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Was She Crazy? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Guard Llamas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Where Did Farini Go?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
UFO Sighting!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
A Tiny Jumper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
The Bull Sees Red. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
The Horse with Brushed Teeth. . . . . . . . . . . 155
Submarine Sleep. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Shark Attack! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Who Is Fighting?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
The First Birthday. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 A True Tall Tale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
How the Moose Crossed the Road. . . . . . . . 117 Spelling with Fingers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
An Apple Catch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Egg Danger! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 The Right Place. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
A Great Lakes Memory Trick. . . . . . . . . . . . 120 More Than Twenty Million Steps. . . . . . . . . 161
All About Flags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 What the Scale Said . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Forwards and Backwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Across Antarctica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
A Cupboard That Is Alive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 The Lady Who Watched. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Quicksand! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 A Sled to Laugh At. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Cowboy Boots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 A Clown in Danger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
A Pan and an Invention. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
When Seconds Count. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Leveling Chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
A Spider You Can Hear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Tracking Sheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
A Famous April Fool’s Joke. . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
A Bank with No Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Award Certificate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

©Teacher Created Resources 3 #5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading

 Introduction
The primary goal of any reading task is comprehension. Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading
uses high-interest, grade-level appropriate nonfiction passages followed by assessment practice to
help develop confident readers who can demonstrate their skills on standardized tests. Each passage
is a high-interest nonfiction text that fits one of the five topic areas: Interesting Places and Events,
Scientifically Speaking, From the Past, Did You Know?, and Fascinating People. Each of these five
topic areas has 30 passages, for a total of 150 passages. Each passage, as well as its corresponding
multiple-choice assessment questions, is provided on one page.
Comprehension Questions
The questions in Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading assess all levels of comprehension, from basic
recall to critical thinking. The questions are based on fundamental reading skills found in scope-and-
sequence charts across the nation:
• recall information • sequence in chronological order
• use prior knowledge • identify synonyms and antonyms
• visualize • know grade-level vocabulary
• recognize the main idea • use context clues to understand new words
• identify supporting details • make inferences
• understand cause and effect • draw conclusions

Readability
The texts have a 2.0–3.0 grade level based on the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Leveling Chart

Formula. This formula, built into Microsoft Word®, determines readability by

Page # Flesch-Kincaid Page # Flesch-Kincaid Page # Flesch-Kincaid
Grade Level Grade Level Grade Level
Interesting Places and Events Scientifically Speaking (cont.) Did You Know? (cont.)
9 2.0 62 2.0 116 2.3
10 2.4 63 2.8 117 2.3
11 2.3 64 2.5 118 2.2

calculating the number of words, syllables, and sentences. Multisyllabic

12 2.8 65 2.0 119 2.8
13 2.0 66 2.1 120 2.4
14 2.6 67 2.7 121 2.7
15 2.8 68 2.5 122 2.5
16 2.6 69 2.7 123 2.1
17 2.1 70 2.4 124 2.1

words tend to skew the grade level, making it appear higher than it actually is.
18 2.1 From the Past 125 2.3
19 2.8 73 2.9 126 2.7
20 2.5 74 2.9 127 3.4*
21 2.0 75 2.3 128 2.5
22 2.9 76 2.1 129 2.8
23 2.4 77 2.1 130 2.1
24 2.2 78 2.6 131 2.3

Refer to the Leveling Chart on page 174 for the approximate grade level of
25 2.4 79 2.6 132 2.1
26 2.1 80 2.9 133 2.4
27 2.8 81 2.1 134 2.5
28 2.1 82 2.0 Fascinating People
29 2.2 83 2.2 137 2.1
30 2.0 84 2.5 138 2.7

each passage.
31 2.3 85 2.8 139 2.5
32 2.8 86 2.8 140 2.1
33 2.7 87 2.9 141 2.4
34 2.0 88 2.9 142 2.1
35 2.8 89 2.6 143 2.7
36 2.7 90 2.7 144 2.9
37 2.1 91 2.8 145 2.5
38 2.8 92 2.0 146 2.4
Scientifically Speaking 93 2.9 147 2.8

In some cases, there are words necessary to a passage that increase its grade
41 2.3 94 2.9 148 2.0
42 2.2 95 2.8 149 2.0
43 2.5 96 2.1 150 2.7
44 2.9 97 2.1 151 2.2
45 2.8 98 2.4 152 2.7
46 2.9 99 2.1 153 2.6

level. In those cases, the passage’s grade level is followed by an asterisk in

47 2.8 100 2.4 154 2.6
48 2.4 101 2.2 155 2.1
49 2.7 102 2.3 156 2.1
50 2.0 Did You Know? 157 2.9
51 2.9 105 2.6 158 2.3
52 2.2 106 2.1 159 2.1

the chart. This means that in determining the grade level, the difficult words
53 2.8 107 2.4 160 2.9
54 2.4 108 2.2 161 2.5
55 2.7 109 2.5 162 2.9
56 2.0 110 2.2 163 2.1
57 2.3 111 2.6 164 2.0
58 2.8 112 3.0 165 2.2
59 2.3 113 2.1 166 2.8

were factored in, resulting in the increased level shown before the asterisk.
60 2.8 114 2.3
61 2.7 115 2.1

#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 174 ©Teacher Created Resources

Upon the removal of these words, the passage received a grade level within
the appropriate range. For example, in the passage, “When Seconds Count,” the grade level is 3.4. This
is because the word “firefighters” is repeated several times. Once this word is removed, the grade level
is within range.
Including Standards and Benchmarks
The passages and comprehension questions throughout this book correlate with McREL (Mid-Continent
Research for Education and Learning) Standards. Known as a “Compendium of Standards and
Benchmarks,” this resource is well researched. It includes standards and benchmarks that represent a
consolidation of national and state standards in several content areas for grades K–12. (See page 6 for
the specific McREL Standards and Benchmarks that correspond with this book.) These standards can be
aligned to the Common Core Standards. To do so, please visit www.mcrel.org.

#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 4 ©Teacher Created Resources

 Introduction (cont.)

Practice First to Build Familiarity

Initial group practice is essential. Read aloud the first passage in each of the five topic areas and do its
related questions with the whole class. Depending upon the needs of your class, you may choose to
do the first three passages in each topic area as a whole class. Some teachers like to use five days in a
row to model the reading and question-answering process at the start of the year. Model pre-reading
the questions, reading the text, highlighting information that refers to the comprehension questions, and
eliminating answers that are obviously incorrect. You may also want to model referring back to the text
to ensure the answers selected are the best ones.
Student Practice Ideas
With Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading you can choose to do whole-class or independent practice.
For example, you can use the passages and questions for the following:

group
ups
warm-sons cent whole- tice
ers prac
for les
homewor
k individual k end-of-class
or
student w activities

Whichever method you choose for using the book, it’s a good idea to practice as a class how to read
a passage and respond to the comprehension questions. In this way, you can demonstrate your own
thought processes by “thinking aloud” to figure out an answer. Essentially, this means that you tell your
students your thoughts as they come to you.
Record Keeping
In the sun image at the bottom, right-hand corner of each warm-up page, there is a place for you (or
for students) to write the number of questions answered correctly. This will give consistency to scored
pages. Use the Tracking Sheet on page 175 to record which warm-up exercises you have given to your
students. Or distribute copies of the sheet for students to keep their own records. Use the certificate on
page 176 as you see fit; for example, you can use the certificate as a reward for students who complete a
certain amount of warm-up exercises.
How to Make the Most of This Book
/ Read each lesson ahead of time before you use it with the class so that you are familiar with it.
This will make it easier to answer students’ questions.
/ Set aside ten to twelve minutes at a specific time daily to incorporate Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction
Reading into your routine.
/ Make sure the time you spend working on the materials is positive and constructive. This should
be a time of practicing for success and recognizing it as it is achieved.
The passages and comprehension questions in Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading are time-efficient,
allowing your students to practice these skills often. The more your students practice reading and
responding to content-area comprehension questions, the more confident and competent they will
become.
©Teacher Created Resources 5 #5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading
 Standards and Benchmarks
Each passage in Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading meets at least one of the following standards and
benchmarks, which are used with permission from McREL. Copyright 2010 McREL. Mid-continent
Research for Education and Learning. 4601 DTC Boulevard, Suite 500, Denver, CO 80237. Telephone:
303-337-0990. Web site: www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks. To align McREL Standards to the
Common Core Standards, go to www.mcrel.org.
Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process
• Uses mental images based on pictures and print to aid in comprehension of text
• Uses meaning clues to aid comprehension and make predictions about content
• Uses basic elements of phonetic analysis to decode unknown words
• Uses basic elements of structural analysis to decode unknown words
• Understands level-appropriate sight words and vocabulary
• Uses self-correction strategies
Uses skills and strategies to read a variety of informational texts
• Reads a variety of informational texts
• Understands the main idea and supporting details of simple expository information
• Relates new information to prior knowledge and experience

Uses mental images

based on pictures
and print to aid in War m-
Up Nam
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#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 6 ©Teacher Created Resources

©Teacher Created Resources 7 #5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading
#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 8 ©Teacher Created Resources
 Interesting Places and Events

Name_ ______________________________________________
Warm-Up

1 The Big Wave

The Amazon is a huge river. It is in Some people try to surf on the wave. It
South America. Sometimes, there are is very hard. The wave is big, fast, and
big waves in the Amazon. The tides powerful. The surfers are in danger.
cause the waves. The tides push ocean They have to watch for what is in the
water into the river. The ocean water water. Big trees are in the water.
crashes into the river water. A big wave Snakes are in the water.
is made.
The big wave races back to the ocean.
It makes a loud sound. People can hear
the wave from far away. They can hear
it long before they can see it.

Find the Answers

1. The big wave is made when

a. snakes crash into river water. c. big trees crash into river water.
b. surfers crash into river water. d. ocean water crashes into river water.

2. Where is the Amazon River?

a. Asia c. South America
b. Antarctica d. North America

3. From the story, you can tell that some surfers

a. think the wave is small and weak. c. catch the snakes.
b. ride the big wave. d. collect the wood.

/3
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2 A Very Strange Meeting

A very strange meeting took place. a thing. They did not really believe there
The meeting took place in Manchester, was a snake slithering down sewage pipes.
England. It took place in 2005. It took
place in the middle of the night. A man But there was a snake! It was a boa
went to his bathroom. He met something. constrictor. Boas live in South America,
What did he meet? He met a ten-foot but this one had been a pet. It was named
snake! Keith. It had been on the loose for several
months. It slithered down sewage pipes. It
There had been other snake sightings in went from home to home. It was living on
the area. Firefighters had checked pipes. rats. Keith was finally trapped when he
They had used hi-tech equipment. Despite was coaxed into a bucket.
the hi-tech equipment, they had not found

Find the Answers

1. Most likely, you were not told right away who met what because the writer wanted
you to be
a. mad. c. sleepy.
b. sad. d. surprised.

2. Snake is to slither as
a. cow is to moo. c. dog is to bark.
b. bird is to fly. d. cat is to purr.

3. What answer is true?

a. Boa constrictors eat rats.
b. Keith had been loose for several years.
c. Boa constrictors come from North America.
d. Keith was trapped using hi-tech equipment.
/3
#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 10 ©Teacher Created Resources
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3 The Biggest Country

There are a lot of countries in the world. Russia is bigger. Almost two Chinas
There are almost two hundred. Some could fit in Russia. Why don’t more
countries are big. Others are small. people live in Russia? Not all land is
Some countries have a lot of people. good to live on. Many parts of Russia
Others have only a few people. are very cold. People need to live where
they can get enough food. They need to
What is the biggest country? The find work. They need to be able to make
biggest country is Russia. No other a living.
country in the world is as big as Russia.
What country has the most people?
China has the most people.

Find the Answers

1. What answer might be the number of countries in the world?

a. 95 c. 295
b. 195 d. 395

2. What answer is true?

a. More people live in China than Russia.
b. More people live in Russia than China.
c. There is less land in Russia than China.
d. There is more land in China than Russia.

3. From the story, you can tell that people must

a. be warm. c. not live where it is cold.
b. have lots of land. d. be able to get enough food.

/3
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4 From Not Real to Real

Every year, there is a contest. It is a How did people come

jumping contest. It is not for people. up with such a strange
It is for frogs! The contest is held in contest? It came from
California. It is held in Calaveras a short story! The
County. story was written by
Mark Twain. Twain
People bring frogs from all over. wrote the story in 1865. It is fiction.
Bullfrogs are the frog of choice. Frogs It is a tall tale about life in a gold rush
have to jump far to win. How far do town. He called it “The Celebrated
they have to jump? One frog was named Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.”
Rosie. Rosie jumped over twenty-one The story was fiction, but today the
feet! contest is real!

Find the Answers

1. A tall tale is
a. real. c. a contest.
b. fiction. d. not for people.

2. What statement is true?

a. The story was written in 1860.
b. The story was written about Nevada.
c. The story was written by Rosie Twain.
d. The story was written about a gold rush town.

3. Another title for this story might be

a. “Jumping Contest.” c. “The Farthest Jump.”
b. “All About Frogs.” d. “Tall Tales from the Gold Rush.”

/3
#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 12 ©Teacher Created Resources
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5 Four Corners

Go to Hawaii. You can only stand in There is only one place where you can
Hawaii. You cannot stand in another stand in four states.
state at the same time. Go to Maine.
You can stand on one or two states. What four states can a person stand
You can stand on two states if you stand in at the same time? What four states
on Maine’s border. You can stand in have borders that touch? The states are
Maine and New Hampshire. Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and
Utah. The corners of these four states
There are many places where you can all meet at one point in the Southwest.
stand in two states. There are places,
too, where you can stand in three states.

Find the Answers

1. Where is Arizona located?

a. the Southeast c. the Northwest
b. the Northeast d. the Southwest

2. Most likely, Hawaii is bordered by

a. water. c. five other states.
b. Colorado. d. land.

3. What answer lists four states that you can stand on at the same time?
a. New Mexico, Maine, Colorado, Utah
b. Arizona, Utah, New Jersey, Colorado
c. Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona
d. Colorado, New Mexico, Hawaii, Arizona

/3
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6 Raining Frogs

Something strange happened. It was spinning winds. It is like a tornado over

in Odzaci. Odzaci is a small town in water. Entire ponds have been sucked
Serbia. The year was 2005. What up in waterspouts. Fish and frogs in the
happened? It rained frogs! The frogs pond get sucked up, too.
were tiny. They were not hurt when they
landed. They began to hop everywhere! After the frogs were
The frogs were not the same kind as the picked up, they were
ones in Odzaci. They were a different carried in the air. They
kind. were blown over Odzaci.
When the winds were
The frogs had been picked up in a not as strong, the frogs fell from the sky.
waterspout. A waterspout is caused by They rained down and hopped away!

Find the Answers

1. Most likely, when it rained frogs, people were

a. sleepy. c. swimming.
b. sledding. d. surprised.

2. Where and when did it rain frogs?

a. Odzaci, Serbia, in 2004 c. Odzaci, Scotland, in 2004
b. Odzaci, Serbia, in 2005 d. Odessa, Scotland, in 2005

3. The frogs were

a. tiny. c. strong.
b. hurt. d. the same kind as the ones in Odzaci.

/3
#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 14 ©Teacher Created Resources
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7 Wide and Narrow Streets

Look at your street. Is it wide? Is it Germany. It is in the city of Reutlingen.

narrow? Read about other streets. It is called Spreuerhof Street. It was
Then see if your answer is the same. built in 1727. A car can’t go down
it. A bike can’t go down it. Two people
One street is very wide. It is in can’t go down it at the same time. Some
Argentina. It is the main street of people have to turn sideways. Its widest
Buenos Aires. It is called 9 de Julio part is twenty inches. Its narrowest part
Avenue. (Argentina’s birthday is on is just twelve inches.
July 9, 1816.) How wide is this
street? It has twelve lanes! It is over
360 feet wide!
One street is very narrow. It is in

Find the Answers

1. If two people were walking toward each other on Spreuerhof Street,

a. one of them would have to go back.
b. they would have to watch out for cars.
c. they would be in Reutlingen, Argentina.
d. they could pass each other on the street.

2. How many cars can be side-by-side next to each other on 9 de Julio Avenue?
a. zero c. nine
b. six d. twelve

3. Wide is to narrow as
a. look is to see. c. over is to under.
b. cry is to weep. d. street is to avenue.

/3
©Teacher Created Resources 15 #5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading
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8 A Foot in Each Country

England is part of the United Kingdom, This is because it is on the grounds of the
or the U.K. The United States, or the embassy for the U.K. An embassy is
U.S., is not close to the U.K. considered to be part of its own country.
There is a statue. The statue is in two The statue is of an Englishman. His
countries. It is on land that belongs to name is Churchill. Churchill has one
the U.K. It is also on land that belongs foot on U.K. Embassy grounds. He has
to the U.S. How can the same statue be the other foot in the U.S. The statue
on the land of two countries at the same shows how Churchill helped the U.K. and
time? the U.S. be friends.
The statue is in Washington, D.C. It is
in the U.S., but it is on British soil, too.

Find the Answers

1. If someone steps onto the grounds of the Mexico Embassy in Washington, D.C.,
one would be on
a. U.S. soil. c. Mexican soil.
b. British soil. d. English soil.

2. If someone steps onto the grounds of the U.S. Embassy in Canada, one would be on
a. U.S. soil. c. Canadian soil.
b. U.K. soil. d. Australian soil.

3. Another word for land is

a. foot. c. statue.
b. soil. d. friends.

/3
#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 16 ©Teacher Created Resources
 Interesting Places and Events

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9 A Question About Roofs

The Alps are high mountains in Europe. are some steeply sloped while others are
Many of the houses in the Alps have painted white?
steep, sloping roofs. The roofs are
not flat at all. Greece is a country inIt snows a lot in the high mountains.
Europe. Houses on the Greek coast do Snow is very heavy. The roofs are
sloped, so the snow slides off. This keeps
not have roofs like the ones in the high
mountains. The roofs are not as steeplythe roofs from caving in. It is very hot
sloped, and many of them are painted in Greece along the coast. It does not
white. snow like it does in the high mountains.
The white paint reflects the sun’s rays. It
Why do the houses in the mountains and keeps the houses cool.
on the coast have different roofs? Why

Find the Answers

1. Cool is to hot as
a. flat is to roof. c. flat is to coast.
b. flat is to steep. d. flat is to heavy.

2. A house has a flat roof. Most likely, you are not where it
a. gets hot. c. snows a lot.
b. gets cold. d. is very dry.

3. Why might you be cooler if you wore light-colored clothes in the summer?
a. The clothes would reflect the sun’s rays.
b. The clothes would soak up the sun’s rays.
c. The clothes would likely turn to snow.
d. The clothes would be heavier than dark clothes.

/3
©Teacher Created Resources 17 #5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading
 Interesting Places and Events

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10 School of the Air

Kate and Mark get up and go to school. Mark can’t go there, so they attend
They listen to their teacher. They talk School of the Air.
with their classmates. Kate and Mark
are far away from their teacher. Their In School of the Air, students talk on the
classmates are far away, too. How can radio. The school is for students who
Kate and Mark be attending school? live far away from towns. The students
attend classes at home. They meet on
Kate and Mark live in Australia. They the air at a certain time. They listen to
live in the outback on a sheep station. their teacher on the radio. They talk to
The sheep station is very large. The their classmates on the radio, too.
nearest town is far away. It would take
hours and hours to get there. Kate and

Find the Answers

1. When you attend something, you

a. go to it. c. talk on the radio.
b. are far away. d. live on a sheep station.

2. Most likely, students of School of the Air

a. do not learn to write.
b. go to class anytime they want.
c. see all of their classmates at recess.
d. are sent lessons and books by mail.

3. A sheep station must be like a

a. sheep train. c. sheep plane.
b. sheep ranch. d. sheep school.

/3
#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 18 ©Teacher Created Resources
 Interesting Places and Events

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11 The Smallest and the Largest

The U.S.A. is big. It has fifty states. Coast. It is not close to the other states.
The smallest state is Rhode Island. It is apart. It has many islands. It is
Rhode Island was the thirteenth state. not easy to get to its capital. You cannot
It became a state in 1790. It is on drive to it. You can fly to it. You can
the East Coast. Thirty-six islands are sail to it.
part of the state. It is easy to get to its
capital. You can drive to it. You can fly Alaska is very big. How many Rhode
to it. Islands can fit inside Alaska? Almost
five hundred Rhode Islands can fit inside
The largest state is Alaska. Alaska Alaska!
was the forty-ninth state. It became a
state in 1959. Alaska is on the West

Find the Answers

1. What answer is true about Rhode Island?

a. It was the forty-ninth state. c. It is the largest state.
b. It is on the West Coast. d. It became a state in 1790.

2. From the story, you can tell that Alaska’s capital

a. is not by the water. c. must have an airport.
b. is not on the coast. d. must be the biggest capital.

3. About how many Rhode Islands can fit inside Alaska?

a. 50 c. 550
b. 500 d. 5,000

/3
©Teacher Created Resources 19 #5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading
 Interesting Places and Events

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12 The Middle

Think about the United States. Now got bigger. It got bigger in 1959. It
think about its middle. Its middle is the got two new states. One state was
center. Where do you think its middle Alaska. The other state was Hawaii.
is? The middle of the United States The new states shifted where the center
moved. It used to be in Kansas. It was was. The new middle is now in South
near the town of Lebanon. The center Dakota. It is near the town of Belle
is no longer in Kansas. It is in South Fourche.
Dakota. How can the middle of a
country change?
A country may grow. It may get bigger.
Its center will shift. The United States

Find the Answers

1. From the story, you can tell that if the United States gets bigger,
a. its center may shift.
b. it will no longer have a center.
c. its center will move back to Kansas.
d. its center will still be in South Dakota.

2. When something shifts, it

a. grows. c. is new.
b. moves. d. gets bigger.

3. What year did Alaska and Hawaii become states?

a. 1859 c. 1959
b. 1895 d. 1995

/3
#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 20 ©Teacher Created Resources
 Interesting Places and Events

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13 Can Climb, Can’t Climb

You can climb to the top of a rock that The tides at the Bay of Fundy are some
is fifty feet high. You can’t climb to the of the highest on the planet. Think of all
top of the same rock later. You can’t the freshwater rivers in the world. Every
even see the rock! It’s gone! What is tide, more water than the combined flow
going on? of the world’s freshwater rivers flows into
the bay!
The rock is in the Bay of Fundy. The
Bay of Fundy is in Canada. It is on the
East Coast. The time between a high
tide and a low tide is about six hours.
During high tide, water flows in. When
it is low tide, water flows out.

Find the Answers

1. The Bay of Fundy is on what part of Canada?

a. west c. north
b. east d. south

2. When you can’t climb the rock, it is

a. low tide and on dry land.
b. high tide and on dry land.
c. low tide and under the water.
d. high tide and under the water.

3. From the story, you can tell that from low to high tide, the water can rise
a. over 50 feet. c. over 150 feet.
b. over 100 feet. d. over 200 feet.

/3
©Teacher Created Resources 21 #5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading
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14 Hot-Water Monkeys

Snow covers the ground. It is very cold, warmed by heat venting up from inside
but some monkeys are bathing. They Earth.
are sitting quietly in the water. Snow
covers their heads. Other monkeys are The little monkeys began to get in the hot
walking on the bottom of the bathing water first. This was about fifty years
pool! They are looking for food. Can ago. Then the big monkeys got in, too.
this really be happening? Now the monkeys are famous. They are
famous because they love hot water.
Yes, it is really happening! The monkeys
are in Japan. The monkeys live where
there are hot springs. The hot springs
form pools of water. The water is

Find the Answers

1. If something is famous, it is
a. cold. c. well known.
b. not cold. d. not well known.

2. From the story, you can tell that someone was looking at the monkeys
a. 50 years ago. c. 100 years ago.
b. 75 years ago. d. 150 years ago.

3. The monkeys are famous because they

a. sit quietly. c. look for food.
b. live in Japan. d. love hot water.

/3
#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 22 ©Teacher Created Resources
 Interesting Places and Events

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15 Emergency Number

You are in France. You see a car an emergency. Do you call 911? No,
crash. A boy needs help. It is an you do not.
emergency. You need to call for help.
Do you call 911? No, you do not. Yes, you need to call for help, but not
all countries have the same emergency
You are in New Zealand. You see a number. In France, the emergency
house that is on fire. A girl needs help. number is 112. In New Zealand, it is
It is an emergency. Do you call 911? 111. In Australia, it is 000. What is
No, you do not. the emergency number in your country?
You are in Australia. You see a
robbery. A man needs help. It is

Find the Answers

1. From the story, what can you tell has to be true?

a. Not all emergency numbers are the same.
b. Most countries use 911 as the emergency number.
c. More people use 111 as an emergency number than 112.
d. More people use 000 as an emergency number than 911.

2. An emergency is only when

a. a house is on fire. c. there is a car crash.
b. help is needed fast. d. a man is being robbed.

3. If Italy and Poland have the same emergency number as France, their number
must be
a. 000. c. 112.
b. 111. d. 911.
/3
©Teacher Created Resources 23 #5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading
 Interesting Places and Events

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Warm-Up

16 A Hole First

You want to build a house in Bermuda, Where does the water for the tanks
but first you have to do something. come from? It is rainwater. Houses are
What do you have to do first? You built with terraced roofs. The terraces
have to dig a hole. The hole is not for a look like little steps. The water runs
basement. What is the hole for? down the terraced steps. It flows into a
pipe and down into the storage tank.
Bermuda is an island in the Atlantic
Ocean. There are no lakes or rivers
on the island. Water is stored in tanks
under the ground. The holes under the
house are dug for storage tanks.

Find the Answers

1. Bermuda is an island in what ocean?

a. Indian Ocean c. Pacific Ocean
b. Arctic Ocean d. Atlantic Ocean

2. If a hill was terraced, it would look like

a. a pipe. c. steps were cut into it.
b. it was full of holes. d. underground storage tanks.

3. When you store something, you

a. use something immediately. c. want to buy something.
b. put something away to use later. d. don’t want to buy something.

/3
#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 24 ©Teacher Created Resources
 Interesting Places and Events

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Warm-Up

17 Why Long and Dark?

Syria is a country. It is in Asia. It is is long and dark. Why is the entrance

in the part of the world that we call the passage long and dark?
Middle East. There is a castle in Syria
that is very old and famous. The castle It is very light in the courtyard. It is
is about 1,000 years old. bright and sunny. Attackers would have
to go through the entrance passage.
The castle is huge. It sits on a hill. It Their eyes would get used to the dark.
has an outer wall. It has an inner wall. They would not be able to see well when
It has a courtyard inside the walls. The they got to the courtyard. Their eyes
entrance passage of the castle leads to would not be ready for the bright light.
the courtyard. The entrance passage

Find the Answers

1. Go in is to go out as
a. old is to famous. c. shower is to dry.
b. famous is to old. d. entrance is to exit.

2. What is not true about the castle?

a. It is in Syria. c. It is in the Middle West.
b. It has an inner wall. d. It is about 1,000 years old.

3. From the story, you can tell that the courtyard

a. has a roof. c. is bigger than Asia.
b. doesn’t have a roof. d. is bigger than Syria.

/3
©Teacher Created Resources 25 #5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading
 Interesting Places and Events

Name_ ______________________________________________
Warm-Up

18 The Biggest Coins

You can carry money in your pocket The coins were real money. They were
because coins are small and light. There round and carved out of stone. Some of
are some coins you cannot carry in the coins were twelve feet tall. The coins
your pocket. The coins are too big and had a hole carved out of the middle.
heavy. They are so heavy that you The hole was so the coins could be put on
cannot even lift them up! It takes more a strong stick and
than one man to carry just one single carried by several
coin! Where are these coins? Are they men. The coins
real money? that were largest
and most difficult to
The coins were Yap coins. Yap is an move were the most
island in the western Pacific Ocean. valuable.

Find the Answers

1. A Yap coin
a. could not be real. c. had to be smaller than you are.
b. could be taller than you are. d. could not be heavier than you are.

2. Where is Yap Island?

a. the western Pacific Ocean c. the northern Pacific Ocean
b. the eastern Pacific Ocean d. the southern Pacific Ocean

3. When something is valuable, it is

a. real. c. worth a lot.
b. round. d. carved out of stone.

/3
#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 26 ©Teacher Created Resources
 Interesting Places and Events

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19 The World’s Smallest Park

Oregon is a state. It is in the Northwest. The world’s smallest park is in Portland.

There are two very small parks in Portland is Oregon’s biggest city. The
Oregon. One park is in Salem. Salem park is called Mill Ends Park. Mill Ends
is the capital of Oregon. The park is Park is a small circle in the middle of a
called Waldo Park. street. The circle is only two feet wide.
At one time, the park had a swimming
How big is Waldo Park? It is smaller pool for butterflies. The swimming pool
than your classroom! It is only twelve by even had a diving board!
twenty feet. There is only one thing in
this park. It is a redwood tree. The tree
was planted in 1872. Redwood trees
are the biggest trees in the world.

Find the Answers

1. What answer is false?

a. Oregon is in the Northwest.
b. The capital of Oregon is Salem.
c. The world’s smallest park is in Portland.
d. The world’s smallest park is called Waldo Park.

2. When was the redwood tree planted?

a. 1871 c. 1971
b. 1872 d. 1972

3. A better title for this story might be

a. “Two Small Parks.” c. “Parks for Butterflies.”
b. “All About Oregon.” d. “The World’s Biggest Trees.”

/3
©Teacher Created Resources 27 #5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading
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20 How Cattle Know Where to Go

Sudan is a big country in east Africa. Children will beat a drum. Each child
The Dinka people live in the southern beats the drum a different way. Each
part of Sudan. The Dinka raise cattle. child beats the drum with a different
In the dry season, the Dinka move to rhythm. The cows have been trained.
camps by a river. They have learned what drumbeat they
should follow. The cows only go where
During the day, the cows are out. At they hear the rhythm used by their
night, they are called in. Each family owner.
has a special place to keep their cattle in
the camp at night. There are so many
cows! They belong to so many people!
How do the cows know where to go?

Find the Answers

1. What part of Sudan do the Dinka people live in?

a. eastern c. southern
b. western d. northern

2. From the story, you can tell that

a. cattle can be trained. c. there are many rivers in Africa.
b. Sudan is the biggest country. d. the Dinka people stay in one place.

3. For drumbeats to be in a rhythm, they must be played

a. loudly. c. very fast.
b. softly. d. in a pattern.

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21 Floating Islands

There is a place where people live on islands. They live on the islands. They
islands. The ground on the islands is make their houses on the islands out of
soft and spongy. Sometimes the people reeds, too. They also use the reeds to
take a step. Their feet go through the make boats.
island and into water! This is because
the islands float! They are floating in the Over time, the reeds begin to rot. A
middle of a lake. How can this be? person might step in a rotten patch.
What do the Uros do? They just add
The lake is in Peru. The islands are another layer of reeds to their island!
made by the Uros people. The Uros
people cut reeds that grow in the lake.
They tie the reeds together to make

Find the Answers

1. In the story, you are not told that the Uros people use reeds for
a. boats. c. clothes.
b. houses. d. islands.

2. Most likely, what do the Uros people eat a lot of?

a. corn c. beans
b. fish d. apples

3. Soft is to hard as
a. float is to sink. c. lake is to water.
b. reed is to plant. d. rotten is to spongy.

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22 A Long Walk on a Long Wall

The Great Wall of China is wide enough never stopping? You would have to walk
to walk on. It is about twelve feet wide. for more than seven weeks!
As you walk, you can look down over the
sides at the ground. The wall is about The Great Wall of China was built
twenty-five feet high, so the ground is hundreds of years ago. Guards stood
far below. on the wall. They stood in watchtowers
on the wall. The guards tried to keep
Do you think you could walk from one China safe.
end of the wall to the other? You would
have to walk a long time. What if you
walked two and a half miles an hour?
What if you walked all day and night,

Find the Answers

1. What is not true about the Great Wall of China?

a. It has watchtowers. c. It is wide enough to walk on.
b. It was built in seven weeks. d. It is about twenty-five feet high.

2. Another title for this story might be

a. “All About China.” c. “The Great Wall of China.”
b. “Hundreds of Guards.” d. “Staying Safe in China Today.”

3. Most likely, if you walked from one end of the wall to the other, it would take you
a. less than seven weeks because you would run.
b. more than seven weeks because you would run.
c. less than seven weeks because you would never stop.
d. more than seven weeks because you would need to stop.

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23 Four, Five, or Seven Seasons?

We have four seasons. We have Earth is tilted the most toward the sun.
winter, spring, summer, and fall. The The days are long.
Chukchi people do not have four seasons.
They have more. The Chukchi people The Chukchi have five seasons. How
live in Siberia. Siberia is part of Russia. do they set their seasons? They use the
The word “Chukchi” means “rich in rising and setting of the sun. They use
reindeer.” the number of mosquitoes. They use the
state of the snow. Some say the Chukchi
We set our four seasons by Earth’s tilt have seven seasons. This is because they
to the sun. When it is winter, Earth is break down winter. Winter is broken
tilted the most away from the sun. The into three seasons.
days are short. When it is summer,

Find the Answers

1. Siberia is part of what country?

a. Mexico c. Brazil
b. Russia d. Tahiti

2. Most likely, in Siberia there are

a. never any mosquitoes. c. times when there are lots of mosquitoes.
b. always lots of mosquitoes. d. the same number of mosquitoes at all
times.

3. From the story, you can tell that in Siberia

a. it snows. c. the seasons never change.
b. there are no reindeer. d. Earth’s tilt does not change.

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24 The Falls Few People See

Think about how long a football field is. the falls. People may want to see the
Now put eleven football fields in a row. falls, but it isn’t easy.
That’s how far the water drops at Angel
Falls! Angel Falls is the world’s tallest Why is it so hard to see the falls? The
waterfall. The water falls 3,212 feet falls are deep in the jungle. They are in
down! South America. They are in Venezuela.
The easiest way to see the falls is from
People go to see big lakes. They go the air. Outsiders first found out about
to see big rivers. They go to see big the falls in 1935. That was when a
mountains. Angel Falls is big. You pilot flying over the jungle spotted it.
would think lots of people would go to see

Find the Answers

1. From the story, you can tell that

a. Angel Falls is by a big city.
b. there are not many roads near Angel Falls.
c. people play football close to Angel Falls.
d. the top of Angel Falls is easy to walk to.
2. Venezuela is a country in
a. Asia. c. South America.
b. Africa. d. North America.
3. The writer talked about football fields to
a. make you want to play football.
b. see if you knew how many eleven is.
c. get you to think about falling down.
d. help you picture how tall the falls is. /3
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25 A Hotel That Melts

You can stay in a hotel above the Artic How do people stay warm? Beds and
Circle. The hotel is in Sweden. You chairs are covered with reindeer skin
cannot go back to the same hotel the blankets. People are given jumpsuits.
next year. You can’t because the hotel They are also given body bags. The
will have melted. How can this be? body bags were developed for astronauts
walking on the moon.
A new hotel is made every year. The
hotel is carved out of ice. The hotel has
about sixty rooms. All the rooms and
hallways are ice. Beds and chairs are
carved out of ice. People are served
drinks in glasses carved from ice.

Find the Answers

1. Stay is to go as
a. above is to below. c. above is to carved.
b. above is to served. d. above is to developed.

2. What is not true about the ice hotel?

a. It is in Sweden. c. It has about sixty rooms.
b. It melts every year. d. It is below the Arctic Circle.

3. You can only get a room in the ice hotel in

a. fall. c. winter.
b. summer. d. spring.

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26 Riddles from the Philippines

The Philippines is a country in Southeast 2. If you want me to last longer, I must

Asia. It is made up of islands and can die.
be found in the Pacific Ocean. 3. When it was young, it had a tail.
When it grew up, it had knees.
People tell riddles all over the world.
Now you can check if you have the right
Can you answer these riddles from the
answers. The first answer is a star.
Philippines? Each one of these words will
The second answer is a candle. The
be an answer: frog, candle, star.
third answer is a frog.
1. I can’t see it in the light, but I can
see it in the dark.

Find the Answers

1. You can tell that, most likely, in the Philippines,

a. people like riddles. c. there are not any frogs.
b. people don’t like riddles. d. children have tails.

2. What ocean are the islands of the Philippines in?

a. Arctic c. Pacific
b. Indian d. Atlantic

3. Read this riddle: I ate one and threw away two. Most likely, the answer to this
riddle from the Philippines is
a. a rock. c. a strawberry.
b. a cookie. d. an oyster.

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27 Into the Death Zone

Mount Everest is tall. It is the tallest climbed the mountain. They all used
mountain in the world. It is over masks, too. People thought you had to
29,000 feet high. The top part is in carry oxygen.
the “death zone.” The death zone is a
phrase. It is used by climbers. It is a In 1978, a man named Messner
zone where people cannot live. If they climbed Everest. He made it to the
stay too long, they will die. The air is too top without extra oxygen. He had to be
thin. There is not enough oxygen. skilled and strong. He had to go fast,
so he did not stay in the death zone too
Everest was first climbed in 1953. long.
Two men climbed it. They wore masks.
They used bottled oxygen. Other people

Find the Answers

1. What would have happened if Messner had stayed in the death zone too long?
a. He would have died. c. He would have had enough oxygen.
b. He would have been strong. d. He would have made it to the top.

2. What year was Everest first climbed?

a. 1935 c. 1978
b. 1953 d. 1987

3. What statement is true?

a. No climbers need extra oxygen. c. Some climbers need extra oxygen.
b. All climbers need extra oxygen. d. The fastest climbers need extra oxygen.

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28 Underground Cities

There are some old cities in Turkey. than one hundred feet under the ground.
Some of the cities are over 2,000 years They kept fresh air flowing through the
old. No one lives in these cities today, rooms.
but people still visit them. Why do people
want to see them? The cities are under The cities had locking stones. The stones
the ground. could only be opened or closed from the
inside. The locking stones were used to
The cities had kitchens. They had keep the people safe inside the cities.
meeting rooms. They had places to store
cereal. They had stables. They even
had air vents or chimneys. The air vents
made it so it was safe to breathe more

Find the Answers

1. A vent is
a. a chimney that is only used for smoke.
b. a chimney that does not allow air to pass.
c. an opening or way of letting something out.
d. an opening or meeting room under the ground.

2. Where are the underground cities?

a. Turkey c. Tanzania
b. Thailand d. Turkmenistan

3. Locking stones might have been used when people needed

a. air. c. to visit.
b. to hide. d. to grow cereal.

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29 Okay Spitting

Most times spitting is not okay. It is was set in 1989. How far was the
rude. It is dirty. There is one time world-record watermelon-seed spit? It
when spitting is okay. It is in Luling, was just over sixty-eight feet and nine
Texas. It is at the Great Watermelon inches!
Thump. The Thump takes place once a
year. People see who grew the largest You get to spit two times. Each time you
watermelon. They also see who can can spit one seed. Anyone who spits at
spit the seeds the the crowd loses. One champion says,
farthest. “Roll your tongue. Put the seed in the
middle. Blow as hard as you can.”
The farthest spit is
a world record. It

Find the Answers

1. This story does not tell you

a. where spitting is okay. c. how big the biggest watermelon was.
b. how many times you can spit. d. how often the Great Watermelon Thump
takes place.

2. What is the second thing that the champion says to do?

a. “Roll your tongue.” c. “Don’t spit at the crowd.”
b. “Blow as hard as you can.” d. “Put the seed in the middle.”

3. In what state does the Great Watermelon Thump take place?

a. Texas c. Tennessee
b. Louisiana d. North Dakota

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30 Under-the-Water Mail

A mailman puts on his suit. What kind buy special postcards. The cards are
of suit? A scuba-diving suit! Then he waterproof. People can swim out to the
puts on his oxygen tank. He puts on post office. They can mail their cards
his mask and flippers. What type of under the water.
mailman is a scuba diver? One that
works in a post office under the water! The mailmen like their jobs. They take
care of all the cards. They use a special
Vanuatu is an island nation. It is in the press to cancel the cards. They make
South Pacific. It opened a post office in sure the cards are delivered. They like
2003. The office is under the water. helping people send cards from their
It is 164 feet out from shore. It is island nation.
ten feet under the water. People can

Find the Answers

1. Where is Vanuatu?
a. North Pacific c. North Atlantic
b. South Pacific d. South Atlantic

2. Why might Vanuatu have built the post office under the water?
a. It makes people want to visit. c. It makes the mailmen wear a suit.
b. It makes it easier to send mail. d. It makes more room on the island.

3. When you deliver something, you

a. open and close something. c. buy and eat something.
b. wash and fold something. d. bring and hand over something.

/3
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#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 40 ©Teacher Created Resources
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1 No Teeth

A mammal is a kind of animal. A tongue. One

mammal is warm-blooded and has hair. anteater has a
Mammal babies drink milk. You are a tongue two feet
mammal. long! When the
anteater puts out
Most mammals have teeth. There is one its tongue, ants stick to it. The anteater
mammal that does not have teeth. It puts its tongue back in its mouth. It
doesn’t have baby teeth. It doesn’t have flexes its jaw to scrape the ants off its
adult teeth. What kind of animal is it? tongue. Then it swallows the ants whole.
How can the animal eat? Anteaters may eat 30,000 ants in
It is an anteater. An anteater doesn’t one day!
have teeth, but it does have a long, sticky

Find the Answers

1. What is not true about mammals?

a. All mammals have baby teeth.
b. All mammals are warm-blooded.
c. All mammal babies drink milk.
d. All mammals are a kind of animal.

2. Most likely, anteaters swallow ants whole because they need

a. milk to drink. c. to flex their jaws.
b. teeth to chew. d. to scrape their tongues.

3. An anteater may eat how many ants in one day?

a. 300 c. 30,000
b. 3,000 d. 300,000

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2 Where a Day Is Not Twenty-Four Hours

Go to the North Pole. A day is The sun is not solid like Earth. The sun
twenty-four hours long. Go to the is made up of gases. The length of a
South Pole. A day is twenty-four hours day on the sun depends on where you
long. Go to the equator. A day is are. Different parts rotate at different
twenty-four hours long. Go anywhere speeds.
on Earth, and the length of a day
is exactly the same. It always takes The sun spins faster at the equator than
twenty-four hours for Earth to rotate or at its poles. A day is about thirty-one
spin completely around on its axis. Earth days long at its poles. A day is
about twenty-seven Earth days long at
Go to the sun. Go to its poles and its its equator.
equator. The day length is not the same!

Find the Answers

1. What thing could not rotate?

a. a wheel on a bike c. a wheel on a train
b. a wheel on a skate d. a wheel in a picture

2. Parts of the sun rotate at different speeds because the sun

a. is solid. c. does not have poles.
b. is made up of gases. d. does not spin completely around.

3. You are in South America. A day is

a. the same as a day in Asia. c. longer than a day in Europe.
b. longer than a day in Africa. d. shorter than a day in North America.

/3
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3 The Smaller Lung

Everyone has two lungs. One of your Your heart is a powerful pumping organ.
lungs is smaller than the other lung. It is about the size of your fist. When it
What lung is smaller? Why is one lung beats, it pumps blood. It pumps blood
smaller than the other? around your body through blood vessels.
Your heart beats around sixty to eighty
Your left lung is smaller than your right times a minute. If you run fast, it may
lung. This is so that there is room for beat two hundred times a minute!
your heart. Your heart occupies more of
the left side of your body than your right
side. (For a few people, the opposite is
true.)

Find the Answers

1. If your heart is beating sixty times a minute, most likely, you are
a. walking slowly. c. jumping up and down.
b. swimming in a race. d. running as fast as you can.

2. A better title for this story might be

a. “One Lung.” c. “Your Lungs and Heart.”
b. “How Many Beats?” d. “When the Opposite Is True.”

3. Your heart is about the size of your

a. toe. c. hand.
b. fist. d. foot.

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4 All Because of Melted Chocolate

Percy Spencer was working. He was chocolate bar had melted.

in a lab. It was 1946. Percy had
a chocolate bar. It was in his pocket. What did Percy do? He invented an
Percy stood in front of a device. The oven. What kind of oven was it? It was
device was on. Then Percy noticed the microwave! Percy’s microwave oven
something. His chocolate bar had was big. It was bigger than the ones we
melted. use today. It was the size of a closet. It
was heavier. It was as heavy as a pile
Percy didn’t get mad. He didn’t get of bricks. Today, microwaves are much
upset. He began to think. Then he smaller. They are much lighter. They
did something with the device. It was can still melt chocolate!
something new. He did it because his

Find the Answers

1. Something made or invented for a special use is a

a. brick. c. closet.
b. device. d. chocolate bar.

2. Most likely, what did Percy think when his chocolate bar melted?
a. “This device makes me mad.” c. “This device must stay in the lab.”
b. “This device is too big and heavy.” d. “This device might work for cooking.”

3. From the story, you can tell that, at first, Percy

a. was upset that his chocolate bar had melted.
b. knew what would happen to his chocolate bar.
c. did not plan on inventing the microwave oven.
d. knew from the start what he was going to invent.

/3
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5 Caribou Fog

There is a large herd of caribou. They water droplets. The water droplets form
are on the Arctic tundra. The herd is tiny clouds.
surrounded by fog. It hovers around
them. Why is the herd in a blanket of There are a lot of caribou. They sweat.
fog? Why isn’t the rest of the tundra They breathe. Their sweat and breath
covered by a blanket of fog? add enough water to the air that they
form their own blanket of fog!
It is cold in the tundra. Caribou have
warm, moist breath. Usually, their
breath is invisible. When it is very cold
and the air is filled with water, their
breath condenses. It condenses into

Find the Answers

1. From the story, you can tell that clouds are made up of
a. sweat. c. blankets.
b. caribou. d. water droplets.

2. Caribou create their own blanket of fog when their breath is

a. invisible. c. warmer than the air.
b. not moist. d. colder than the air.

3. Where do caribou live?

a. in the swamp c. in the forest
b. on the tundra d. on the prairie

/3
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6 All About Giraffes

A giraffe is very twenty inches long. The end of its tongue

tall. It can easily look is dark. It is blue-black. Some scientists
into a second-story think the color protects the giraffe. It
window. It has a long protects it from getting sunburned!
neck. How many neck
bones or vertebrae are The giraffe has a long tail. It is the
in its neck? There is longest tail of any land mammal. Its tail
the same number as in your neck! You can be eight feet long! The tail has a
both have seven vertebrae. The giraffe’s tassel at the end. The hairs on the tassel
are just much bigger! are ten to twenty times thicker than your
hair. Giraffes use the tassel to swish
A giraffe’s tongue is very long. It can be away pesky bugs.

Find the Answers

1. How many vertebrae are in a giraffe’s neck?

a. seven c. ten
b. eight d. twenty

2. Most likely, a giraffe’s tail is

a. shorter than its tongue. c. shorter than you are tall.
b. longer than you are tall. d. longer than the giraffe is tall.

3. What might make you think the giraffe lives where it is hot?
a. its neck c. its tongue color
b. its long tail d. its thick tassel hairs

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7 Fake Eyes

One butterfly has four eyes. Two eyes them. Owls eat small animals. Owls eat
are small. They are real. Two eyes are animals that prey on butterflies.
not real. They are fake. The fake eyes
are on the butterfly’s wings. The eyes What if a butterfly
are big. They are brown and yellow. is being hunted? It
They mimic another animal’s eyes. They flashes its fake eyes.
look like an owl’s eyes! The animal hunting
it thinks it is an owl.
Why would a butterfly mimic an owl’s The animal is afraid. It flees. It takes
eyes? The fake eyes are for safety. off fast. The animal wanted a meal. It
They help protect the butterfly. Small did not want to be a meal!
animals eat butterflies. They prey on

Find the Answers

1. Most likely, an owl’s eyes are

a. yellow and black. c. yellow and brown.
b. yellow and green. d. yellow and white.

2. If something looks or acts like something else, it is

a. hunting it. c. flashing it.
b. fleeing it. d. mimicking it.

3. Real is to fake as
a. look is to see. c. fast is to quick.
b. flee is to stay. d. small is to tiny.

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8 Koalas

Pick up a nickel. You are holding months. It drinks milk when it is in the
something that is bigger than a baby pouch.
koala! Koalas are very little when they
are born. They are blind. They can’t Koalas live in Australia. They have two
hear. thumbs on each hand.
This helps them climb
The back legs of the koala are just trees. They can grab
beginning to take shape, but its front legs branches and hang on
are stronger. This is because within five tight.
minutes of being born, the baby koala
crawls into its mother’s pouch. It stays
in its mother’s pouch for the next six

Find the Answers

1. A baby koala is in its mother’s pouch within how many minutes after being born?
a. five c. fifteen
b. ten d. twenty

2. A nickel is part of this story so you

a. can see what a koala costs. c. won’t know what the story is about.
b. will think about five cents. d. can picture how small a baby koala is.

3. A strong wind comes. A koala does not fall out of the tree. One reason might be
that it
a. drinks milk. c. has two thumbs on each hand.
b. is born blind. d. lives in Australia.

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9 Jupiter Fun Facts

A fact is not made up. A fact is really moon is bigger than a planet! What
true. There are lots of fun facts about planet is the moon bigger than? It is
Jupiter. One fun fact is that Jupiter bigger than Mercury.
is very big. It is a large planet. It is
the largest planet in our solar system. Jupiter has a red spot. The red spot is
Jupiter is so big that more than one big. The red spot is a storm. The storm
Earth could fit inside it. How many has been going on for over three hundred
Earths could fit inside? 1,300 Earths years.
could fit inside Jupiter!
Jupiter has many moons. It has the
biggest moon in our solar system. The

Find the Answers

1. What is not a fact but, instead, something you might think?

a. A banana is yellow. c. A banana is a fruit.
b. An orange is a fruit. d. An orange is the best fruit.

2. From the story, you can tell that

a. Mercury has more moons than Earth.
b. Mercury is smaller than at least one moon.
c. Earth is smaller than Jupiter’s biggest moon.
d. Earth has storms that last for over three hundred years.

3. How many Earths could fit inside Jupiter?

a. 13 c. 1,300
b. 130 d. 13,000

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10 The Big and Small of Fox Ears

The Arctic fox has very small ears. The expose a lot of surface to the cold air.
fennec fox is smaller than the Arctic fox. Small ears do not lose much heat.
The fennec fox is the smallest wild dog in
the world. The fennec fox is small, but The fennec fox lives in the Sahara
its ears are big! They are huge! Why Desert. It is very hot. The fennec fox
are the smallest fox’s ears so big? needs to stay cool to survive. Big ears
help the fennec fox survive. Big ears
The Arctic fox lives in the Arctic. It is have a large, flat surface. The fox stays
very cold. The Arctic fox needs to stay cool because heat quickly escapes from
warm to survive. Small ears help the the exposed surface.
Arctic fox survive. Small ears do not

Find the Answers

1. When something is exposed, it is

a. eaten. c. not eaten.
b. hidden. d. not hidden.

2. An elephant has huge ears. They have a large, flat surface. Most likely, elephants
a. do not live where it is hot. c. have ears that help them stay cool.
b. have smaller ears than foxes. d. have ears that do not help them survive.

3. From the story, you can tell that all foxes

a. are wild dogs. c. live in the desert.
b. have big ears. d. live where it is cold.

/3
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11 A Plant Like Flypaper

Flypaper is sticky. It smells good to flies. Sundew plants live in soil that is missing
Flies land on it. They stick to the paper. important minerals. Other plants could
The sundew plant is like flypaper. It not survive there. They cannot grow
smells good to insects. Insects fly to the without the needed minerals. How does
plant and land on it. They stick to the a sundew plant survive? How does it get
plant. the important minerals it needs? It gets
its minerals from the insects it eats!
What happens when the insects get
stuck? The plant eats them! The plant
is carnivorous. When something is
carnivorous, it eats meat.

Find the Answers

1. What animal is carnivorous?

a. cow c. deer
b. lion d. horse

2. The plant is like flypaper because they are both

a. traps. c. teeth.
b. brown. d. brave.

3. Where do most other plants get important minerals?

a. from meat c. from insects
b. from flies d. from the soil

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12 Flying with Hands

There is only strong. The skin stretches out between

one mammal the bat’s long fingers.
that can fly.
How does Some bats eat fruit while other bats
the mammal fly? It flies with its hands! eat fish or insects. Some very small
The mammal is a bat. The bones in a bats, called vampire bats, drink blood.
bat’s wings are like the bones in your arm Vampire bats land by a sleeping animal.
and hand. The big difference is that the Then they hop over to the animal. Using
finger bones of a bat are much longer. their sharp teeth, they make a small cut
in the animal’s skin. Next, they lap up
A bat’s wing is made of two layers some blood. Most times, the sleeping
of skin. The skin is thin, but it is very animal never wakes up!

Find the Answers

1. How many kinds of mammals can fly?

a. one c. ten
b. five d. fifteen

2. Another title for this story might be

a. “How Bats Fly.” c. “All About Bats.”
b. “What Bats Eat.” d. “A Drink of Blood.”

3. Vampire bats drink

a. soda. c. fruit juice.
b. blood. d. water.

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13 A Lucky Accident

It was 1903. Edouard Benedictus at it. It was empty. Then Edouard

had an accident. A glass was on his remembered something. He had been
workbench. He knocked it over. It fell to working with some chemicals. The
the floor. His accident was lucky. How chemicals had left a light coating on the
come? glass. The coating had kept the glass from
breaking.
The glass did not break. It did not break
into sharp pieces. Edouard was surprised. What did Edouard’s lucky accident lead
Why didn’t the glass break? Why wasn’t to? It led to safety glass! A coating is put
there a mess? Why weren’t there sharp on windows. It is put on car glass. The
pieces of glass all over the floor? coating keeps the windows from breaking
into sharp pieces.
Edouard picked up the glass. He looked

Find the Answers

1. Safety glass makes it

a. more likely someone will get cut.
b. less likely someone will get cut.
c. more likely someone will knock over a glass.
d. less likely someone will knock over a glass.

2. Why was Edouard’s accident lucky?

a. It was in 1903. c. It surprised Edouard.
b. It coated the glass. d. It led to something new.

3. Where was the glass before it got knocked over?

a. on the floor c. on his workbench
b. on the chemicals d. on his car window

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14 All About the Growl

You hear a growl. Where is it coming Your stomach does what the brain tells
from? It is coming from your stomach! it to. It starts digestion. Muscles start
Why is your stomach growling? working. They start mixing. Normally,
they start mixing stomach acids with
Stomach growling may happen at any food. With an empty stomach, there is
time. You are just more likely to hear no food to mix. The muscles mix up only
it when two things happen. One, your the acids. This makes more noise than
stomach is empty. Two, you are hungry. if food was being mixed with the acids.
If you are hungry, your brain sends a The noise sounds like growling.
message to your stomach. The message
is to begin digestion.

Find the Answers

1. Most likely, if your stomach is growling very loudly, you

a. are not hungry. c. just ate a lot of food.
b. have a full stomach. d. have not eaten for a long time.

2. What sends the message to begin digestion?

a. the brain c. muscles
b. acids d. the stomach

3. What answer has to be false?

a. Stomach acids are made every day.
b. Stomach acids are a kind of muscle.
c. Stomach acids help break down food.
d. Stomach acids are made in the stomach.

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15 You Had to Look Up

Scientists look for new kinds of animals. creeps along branches that are more
Most new animal finds are very small. than sixty-six feet high. The lizard lives
They are hard to see. Scientists just on fruit.
found a new kind of lizard. They found
it in the Philippines in 2009. Is this How did scientists know to look for this
lizard small? No, it is enormous! It is huge lizard? They saw a photograph
longer than a tall man! taken in 2001. In the picture, local
people were eating the lizard.
Do you know why this lizard took so long
for scientists to find? You can’t look
down. You have to look up high. The
lizard spends all its time in trees. It

Find the Answers

1. Scientists know most of the big kinds of animals because they

a. live up high. c. are hard to see.
b. live on fruit. d. are easy to see.

2. From the story, you can tell that a local person is

a. a scientist. c. someone who lives there.
b. someone who visits. d. a new kind of animal.

3. When something is enormous, it is

a. huge. c. hard.
b. high. d. held.

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16 First in Space

What was first in space? It was not a What was first in orbit? What was first
person. It was a fly. It was a tiny fruit to circle Earth? It was not a person. It
fly! Fruit flies were blasted into space was a dog. The dog’s name was Laika.
in July 1946. They were sent on a Laika orbited Earth in 1957.
V2 rocket. They were sent with some
corn seeds. Moss was sent next. Then What was first to circle the moon? It
monkeys were sent. The first monkey was not a person. It was a tortoise!
was named Albert II. Albert II went The tortoise circled the moon in 1968.
into space in 1949. All these animals When did a person go up in space? The
went up. Then they came down. first person went up in space in 1961.

Find the Answers

1. The first person in space went

a. before the monkey. c. before the corn seeds.
b. before the tortoise. d. before the fruit flies.

2. If you go into orbit, you

a. go up. c. go around.
b. go down. d. go sideways.

3. Most likely, animals were sent into space first

a. to have fun.
b. to find food.
c. to take a walk.
d. to make sure it was safe.

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17 A Giant

The blue whale is a giant. It is the The blue whale

biggest animal on Earth. Everything has the loudest
about it is big, big, big. Its heart is voice. It is louder
enormous. How big is it? It is the size than a jet engine. Its voice
of a small car! can carry great distances
through the water. How far
Blood vessels are tubes that run through can it travel? Its voice can travel
the body. Blood flows through the tubes. five hundred miles!
Some blood vessels of the blue whale are
gigantic. How wide is the largest blood
vessel? It is wide enough for a small
person to crawl inside!

Find the Answers

1. Blood vessels are

a. the size of a small car. c. tubes blood flows through.
b. louder than a jet engine. d. wider than five hundred miles.

2. Big is to gigantic as
a. voice is to loud. c. small is to person.
b. blood is to vessel. d. large is to enormous.

3. Most likely, a blue whale lives in

a. an ocean. c. a big pond.
b. a puddle. d. a big lake.

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18 A Message You Won’t Hear

You call a friend. He or she is not in Puerto Rico. The message was sent
home. What do you do? You leave a to the M13 star cluster. When will it
message. You wait for a call back. A get there? It will take 25,000 years!
message was once sent. No one is sure
there will be an answer. What if there What if someone calls back? The
is an answer? No one will hear it. Why message will take 25,000 years to get
leave a message if you won’t hear the to Earth. That is why people today will
answer? not hear an answer. The answer won’t
come for 50,000 years!
The message was sent in 1974. It was
sent by a radio telescope. The radio
telescope is the largest in the world. It is

Find the Answers

1. What star cluster was the message sent to?

a. N13 c. N25
b. M13 d. M25

2. The story does not tell you

a. what the message said. c. when the message was sent.
b. how the message was sent. d. where the message was sent.

3. What answer is true?

a. There will be an answer. c. There might be an answer.
b. You will hear an answer. d. You will know if the message gets there.

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19 Squirting Blood

How do lizards stay safe? How do they Some lizards make themselves look bigger
get away from predators? Some lizards than they are. These lizards have a frill
use their tails. The lizard’s tail is made of loose skin around their necks. If a
to break off. If a predator grabs it, the predator comes close, the lizard puffs out
tail breaks off. The lizard can get away its frill. This makes the lizard look much
and grow a new tail. bigger than it really is.
Some lizards squirt blood. These lizards
are called horned lizards. If a predator
comes close, the lizard squirts blood at
it. The blood is shot from the corner of
its eyes.

Find the Answers

1. Another title for this story might be

a. “Predators.” c. “Staying Safe.”
b. “Big Tails.” d. “Puffing Blood.”

2. In the story, you are only told the name of the lizard that
a. squirts blood. c. is grabbed by a predator.
b. makes itself look bigger. d. has a tail that breaks off.

3. The opposite of loose is

a. big. c. close.
b. hard. d. tight.

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20 Vulture Fun Facts

Vultures are birds. They eat dead stay clean. It can tear off bites with its
animals. This may sound gross, but it is sharp beak. It does not have to worry
very important. Vultures help keep the about getting dirty feathers.
world clean. By eating dead animals,
they stop disease from spreading. How do vultures protect themselves?
They vomit! Their vomit smells terrible.
Vultures have bare Animals smell the vomit, and what do
heads. Their heads they do? They stay away! They do
do not have any not want to eat anything that smells so
feathers. This may terrible. They do not even want to be
look ugly, but it is very close to it!
important. When a vulture feeds, it can

Find the Answers

1. If you protect something, you

a. tell it to stay away. c. give it a disease.
b. keep it safe. d. make it smell terrible.

2. Vultures are important because they

a. smell terrible. c. vomit to protect themselves.
b. have bare heads. d. stop disease from spreading.

3. What is true about vultures?

a. They eat dead animals.
b. They have vomit that smells nice.
c. They have feathers on their heads.
d. They protect themselves with their beaks.

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21 Drinking Boiling Water

You are at sea level. You can’t drink There is less air. It is easier for water
boiling water. It is too hot. What is the to boil because there is less air pressure.
temperature at which water boils? At At sea level, there is more air. The
sea level, water boils at 212°F. air pressure is greater. Water has to
be hotter to boil when there is more air
What if you went to the top of Mount pressure.
Everest? You could drink boiling water!
How can this be? Water boils at a
lower temperature on the top of Mount
Everest. It boils at 156°F.
Why isn’t the boiling temperature the
same? Mount Everest is very high.

Find the Answers

1. Where would it take a hard-boiled egg the longest to cook?

a. at sea level c. the bottom of Mount Everest
b. the top of Mount Everest d. the middle of Mount Everest

2. The story does not tell you

a. the air temperature at sea level.
b. where the air pressure is greater.
c. the temperature water boils at sea level.
d. the temperature water boils at the top of Mount Everest.

3. Sea level is to low as

a. mountaintop is to hot. c. mountaintop is to same.
b. mountaintop is to boil. d. mountaintop is to high.

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22 A Pretzel Bone Knot

Your bones are hard. They do not to soak the bone in the vinegar for about
bend. If you bend them, they will break. a week. The vinegar will dissolve the
Calcium is a mineral. The calcium in calcium. When you take the bone out,
your bones is what makes them strong, the bone will be rubbery. You will be
hard, and unbendable. able to tie a knot in it like a pretzel.
Someone says to you, “I can bend bones.
I can tie a knot in a bone like a pretzel,
and I won’t break it.” Can this be true?
Yes, you can tie a knot in a bone and
not break it. Take an old chicken bone
and cover it with vinegar. You will have

Find the Answers

1. What makes your bones strong, hard, and unbendable?

a. rubber c. calcium
b. vinegar d. pretzel

2. It might be possible to tie a knot in a bone if

a. the bone is cooked.
b. you cover the bone with pretzels.
c. you put a little vinegar on the bone.
d. the minerals in the bone are dissolved.

3. From the story, you can tell that when something is rubbery, it is
a. bendable. c. breakable.
b. likeable. d. drinkable.

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23 The Largest Land Animal

The largest land animal has a long An elephant can pick a flower. It can
nose. It has the longest nose of any pick up a large log. It can pick up small
living animal. What is the largest land and big things with its trunk. How can it
animal? What has the longest nose of do this? Its trunk has lots of muscles and
any living animal? It is the elephant. tendons. How
many muscles and
An elephant’s nose is called a trunk. tendons does it
An elephant can walk in deep water. It have? It has over
can swim, too. How does the elephant 40,000 muscles
breathe? It holds up its trunk! It holds it and tendons!
up out of the water! It uses its trunk like
a snorkel!

Find the Answers

1. A whale might be bigger than an elephant, but a whale

a. does not live on land.
b. can swim in deep water.
c. has lots of muscles and tendons.
d. has the longest nose of any animal.

2. About how many muscles and tendons does an elephant have?

a. 400 c. 40,000
b. 4,000 d. 400,000

3. Trunk is to nose as
a. paw is to fur. c. paw is to tail.
b. paw is to foot. d. paw is to teeth.

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24 Icebergs with Stripes

Someone says, “I saw an iceberg. It was below water. You would see one-tenth
white. It had green stripes.” Could this of the iceberg.
be true?
Sometimes a layer of seawater will
Icebergs are blocks of ice. They float. freeze on an iceberg. What if the sea
Most are frozen fresh water. They water is rich in algae? The algae will
have broken off a glacier. They have do something. It will make the frozen
fallen into the sea. You only see a small seawater look green. It will make a
part of an iceberg. What if you cut an green stripe on the iceberg.
iceberg into ten parts? You would only
see one of the ten parts. One part would
be above water. Nine parts would be

Find the Answers

1. What makes an iceberg green?

a. ice c. fresh water
b. algae d. glacier ice

2. One reason a ship might hit an iceberg is because

a. it has green stripes.
b. it is part of a glacier.
c. the ship’s crew can see most of the iceberg.
d. the ship’s crew can’t see most of the iceberg.

3. When one is rich in something, one has

a. a lot of it. c. a layer of seawater.
b. very little of it. d. a part you can’t see.

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25 Breaking the Sound Barrier

Sound travels fast. How fast does bullet? Most people think it was a plane,
sound travel through air? It goes about rocket, or bullet. They are all wrong.
seven hundred miles per hour. What It was not one of those things. It was a
if something goes faster than sound? whip!
We say that it broke the sound barrier.
When something breaks the sound The tip of a whip can travel faster than
barrier, we hear something. We hear a the speed of sound. The crack of a whip
sonic boom. is actually the sound of a sonic boom!

What was the first man-made thing

that broke the sound barrier? Was it
a plane? Was it a rocket? Was it a

Find the Answers

1. A barrier is something that

a. guides you. c. blocks airplanes.
b. travels quickly. d. blocks the way.

2. What part of the whip can travel faster than sound?

a. the tip c. the handle
b. the middle d. the whole whip

3. How fast does sound travel?

a. seventy miles per hour c. nine hundred miles per hour
b. seven hundred miles per hour d. ninety miles per hour

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26 Skin-Deep Stripes

Tigers have orange, black, and white its own stripe pattern. No other tiger
stripes. The stripes camouflage the tiger. has the same pattern. You have your
They camouflage the tiger by breaking own set of fingerprints. No one else has
up its outline. This way the tiger can the same pattern.
hide in tall grass. It can hide in the
patchy shadows of the jungle. It can A tiger’s stripes are on its skin. Shave
wait for its prey without being seen. off a tiger’s hair, and what do you see?
You see the same stripe pattern on its
A tiger’s stripes skin!
are like your
fingerprints.
Each tiger has

Find the Answers

1. Why are a tiger’s stripes like your fingerprints?

a. They both help you hide.
b. No one else has the same pattern.
c. You have the same pattern on your bones.
d. They make it so you can wait without being seen.

2. If something is made to look like something else so it is hidden, it is

a. carved. c. crafted.
b. colored. d. camouflaged.

3. Another title for this story might be

a. “All About Cats.” c. “All About a Tiger’s Stripes.”
b. “All About Skin.” d. “All About Waiting for Prey.”

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27 Tricky Shampoo

Your eyes know the makeup of your “Make tears! Wash that strange stuff
own tears. What if shampoo gets into out!”
your eyes? Your eyes sense that it is
something strange. They know it is Why do some shampoos make you
different from your tears. cry more than others? The “tearless”
shampoos are made to trick your eyes.
Messages are sent. First, your eyes send They are made to be more like the water
a message to your brain. The message in your tears. It is harder for your eyes
is that a strange, stinging thing is in your to know that it is shampoo and not your
eyes. Your brain then sends a message natural tears.
to your eyes. The brain’s message says,

Find the Answers

1. A shampoo that makes you cry a lot is

a. most like your tears. c. least like your tears.
b. most like your brain. d. least like your brain.

2. When something is strange, it is

a. tricky. c. stinging.
b. shampoo. d. different.

3. What part of your body sends the first message?

a. your head c. your brain
b. your eyes d. your tears

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28 Walking on Eggs

Scientists were in Argentina. They were rocks were about the size of grapefruits.
in a remote area. It was far away from Then the scientists looked closer. The
cities and towns. It was 1997. The rocks they were walking on were not
scientists were looking for early birds. rocks. They were dinosaur eggs!
They found something else. They did not
expect to find it. What did they find? The scientists were very happy with the
They found eggs! They found thousands fossil eggs. They found fossilized baby
of dinosaur eggs! dinosaurs in the eggs. They found
fossilized skin, too.
The scientists walked out on a plain. The
plain was dry and barren. Not much
grew there. They saw lots of rocks. The

Find the Answers

1. When were the dinosaur eggs found?

a. 1997 c. 2007
b. 1999 d. 2009

2. How do you think the scientists felt when they found the eggs?
a. foolish c. surprised
b. unhappy d. fossilized

3. If something is barren, it
a. cannot be walked on. c. has lots of plants growing on it.
b. is covered with fossils. d. has very few plants growing on it.

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29 The Caterpillar Has More

You are bigger than a caterpillar. Yet A caterpillar is small, but it has more. It
there is something a caterpillar has more has more than 4,000 muscles!
of than you. It has a lot more. What
can it be? Your smallest muscle is in your ear.
Your largest muscle is in your buttocks.
Your muscles help you move. They make Take a simple step forward. How many
your heart pump blood. They push food muscles did you use? You used just over
down your body. Some of your muscles fifty muscles!
are big. Others are small. All your
muscles make up about half of your body
weight. How many muscles do you have?
You have more than six hundred muscles.

Find the Answers

1. You have about

a. 50 muscles. c. 4,000 muscles.
b. 600 muscles. d. 6,000 muscles.

2. What statement do you know has to be true about your smallest muscle?
a. It helps you eat. c. It is in your ear.
b. It helps you walk. d. It makes your heart pump.

3. Most likely, a caterpillar has more muscles because

a. of its weight. c. it has bigger ears.
b. it is smaller. d. of the way it moves.

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30 No Nest

Most birds make nests for their eggs. warm. He balances it on his feet. He
Most birds lay on their eggs to keep them has a flap of skin that covers the egg.
warm. Emperor penguins don’t make He keeps the egg warm. He never stops
nests. These penguins live in Antarctica. balancing it for six long weeks.
In Antarctica, the temperature often
falls far below freezing. How can the When the egg hatches, the mother
penguins take care of their eggs? How and father take turns. They take turns
can they keep them warm? carrying the baby penguin on their feet.
The chick stays warm under their flaps
The female Emperor penguin lays one of skin.
egg. She lays it in the coldest winter
months. The male penguin keeps the egg

Find the Answers

1. Male is to father as
a. female is to egg. c. female is to nest.
b. female is to girl. d. female is to mother.

2. What statement is true?

a. All birds lay eggs. c. All birds balance eggs.
b. All birds make nests. d. All birds live in Antarctica.

3. How long does the male balance the egg on its feet?
a. one week c. one month
b. six weeks d. six months

/3
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 From the Past

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1 A House Key You Couldn’t Lose

The Pilgrims sailed in 1620. They How did Pilgrims open their doors?
came to what is now the United States. They pulled on a wooden peg. The peg
The Pilgrims had to worry about many was attached to a string that pulled the
things. They had to worry about staying latch to open the door.
warm. They had to worry about food.
They had to worry about not getting sick.
There was one thing the Pilgrims did not
have to worry about. They did not have
to worry about losing their house keys.
Why didn’t they have to worry? They
didn’t have any house keys!

Find the Answers

1. The main idea of this story is

a. where the Pilgrims went. c. how the Pilgrims grew their food.
b. when the Pilgrims sailed. d. what the Pilgrims had to worry about.

2. What is the opposite of losing?

a. finding c. pulling
b. opening d. sailing

3. Why can people lose house keys today?

a. House doors have latches.
b. Houses no longer have doors.
c. House keys are not attached to the door.
d. Some house doors are made without locks.

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2 What Was Wanted

“Wanted. Young, skinny, wiry fellows. mail all the way to California. The Pony
Not over eighteen years old. Must be Express ran until late October 1861.
expert riders. Willing to risk death daily.”
Most riders were about twenty years old.
These words were on an ad. What was The youngest rider was eleven years old.
the ad for? The ad was for the Pony The riders rode day and night. They rode
Express. The Pony Express started on fast. They rode in the hot sun. They rode
April 3, 1860. That day, a lone rider in rain and snow. They rode across wild
left Missouri. country. They had to watch for robbers.
They had to watch for wild animals. They
The rider carried mail. He stopped at had to keep the mail safe.
stations. He gave the mail to other riders.
The riders took turns. The riders took the

Find the Answers

1. How long did the Pony Express last?

a. between one and two years
b. between three and four years
c. between five and six years
d. between seven and eight years

2. Most likely, the riders were riding

a. whales. c. horses.
b. skates. d. elephants.

3. From the story, you can tell that

a. no riders fit the ad. c. only lone riders fit the ad.
b. all the riders fit the ad. d. not all the riders fit the ad.

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3 The Teddy Bear

“You can shoot this bear.” That’s bear was “Teddy’s bear.”
what Teddy Roosevelt was told. It was
1902. Teddy was president of the When people saw the
U.S.A. The bear was tied up. Teddy stuffed bear cub, they all
wouldn’t shoot the bear. He said it wanted one. Today, teddy
wasn’t being a good sport. bears are sold all over the
world. The first teddy
A cartoon was made about the president bears looked more like
and the bear. Someone saw the a real bear. Teddy bears today have
cartoon. The cartoon made him think larger eyes. They have smaller noses.
of a new toy. The new toy was a stuffed Some of the bears wear clothes.
bear cub. The new toy inventor said the

Find the Answers

1. Who was president of the U.S.A. in 1902?

a. Barack Obama c. Teddy Roosevelt
b. John F. Kennedy d. George Washington

2. From the story, you can tell that the first teddy bear
a. had larger eyes. c. was made from wood.
b. had a bigger nose. d. was wearing clothes.

3. In this story, a good sport is someone

a. who is fair. c. who draws a cartoon.
b. who plays games. d. who invents a new toy.

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4 An Old Food

Cheese is an old food. One day, the traveler filled his pouch
People have been eating with milk. Then he continued across the
cheese for thousands of hot desert.
years. Who made the
Later, the man went to drink his milk.
first cheese? How did it
start? No one knows for sure, but many He opened his pouch to find that it was
people think it started with a man and ano longer filled with milk. It was filled
pouch. with cheese! The sheep’s stomach had
digestive juices in it. There was rennet in
The man was an Arab traveler. He the digestive juices. The rennet reacted
was traveling across the desert. He had with the milk in the heat and changed it
a pouch made from a sheep’s stomach. to cheese.

Find the Answers

1. What was needed to react with the milk to change it into cheese?
a. juice c. a sheep
b. rennet d. a pouch

2. From the story, you can tell that cheese was invented
a. thousands of years ago. c. ten years ago.
b. one hundred years ago. d. one year ago.

3. Most likely, the first time cheese was made, it was

a. raining. c. not sunny.
b. planned. d. not planned.

/3
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5 How a Pot Kept Trials Short

Today, we have courts of law. We months. Most of them were over in one
have trials. At the trials, a jury decides day. The Greeks used a pot with a hole
if someone is wrong or right. First, the to keep the trials short. How did a pot
jury listens to people who talk about who with a hole keep a trial short?
might be wrong and who might be right.
People can talk and talk. Sometimes, The pot with the hole was a water clock.
the trials can last for weeks or even People could only speak so long. The pot
months. was filled with water. People had to stop
speaking when all the water ran out of
Thousands of years ago, the Greeks in the pot.
Athens had courts. They had trials,
too. Their trials did not last for weeks or

Find the Answers

1. Most likely, the hole in the pot was near the

a. rim. c. middle.
b. top. d. bottom.

2. Most likely, if a trial went on for months,

a. a water clock was used.
b. people did not talk and talk.
c. it did not take place in Athens long ago.
d. a jury did not decide if someone is right or wrong.

3. Where does a trial take place?

a. in a jury c. in a clock
b. in a court d. in a pot with a hole

/3
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6 Salt and Pay

When you work, you get paid. You earn ago, Roman soldiers were sometimes
a salary. Your salary is how much you paid in salt. Other times, they were
are paid. What does your salary have given money to buy salt. When soldiers
to do with salt? Salt is a spice. Long were given money to buy salt, it was
ago, it was very important. It made called a salarium.
food taste good. It was also used to
keep food from rotting. Long ago, it Look at the old word sal. Look at
was hard to keep food from rotting. For the old word salarium. Now look at
this reason, salt was an important trade the word salary. Do you see how alike
good. they are?

The Roman word for salt was sal. Long

Find the Answers

1. How many letters are the same in the words salarium and salary?
a. three c. six
b. five d. eight

2. Why was salt an important trade good?

a. It is a spice. c. It kept food from rotting.
b. It made food taste bad. d. It was given to Roman soldiers.

3. From the story, you can tell that

a. no new words are made from old words.
b. all new words are made from old words.
c. ten new words are made from old words.
d. some new words are made from old words.

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7 Sliced Bread

Buy a loaf of bread. It is sliced. This invention was a bread slicer. It was
Before, if you bought a loaf of bread, it invented in 1928.
was not sliced. When did it change?
What did bakers think? They still did
The electric toaster was not want to sell sliced bread. Why not?
invented in 1905. This The sliced bread would become stale
invention made it easier too quickly. Yet another new invention
to toast bread, but there changed this! What was it? It was a
was a problem. Too type of bag. It was made of cellophane.
thick or unevenly sliced bread burned. The thin, light cellophane kept the sliced
So another new invention was made. bread from going stale.

Find the Answers

1. The electric toaster was invented

a. in 1928. c. before the bread slicer.
b. after the bread slicer. d. before bread became stale.

2. What is the opposite of stale?

a. fresh c. slice
b. light d. bread

3. From the story, you can tell that

a. nothing new needs to be invented.
b. the best inventions were before 1905.
c. all inventions have to do with bread.
d. one invention may lead to another invention.

/3
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8 What the Plow Hit

One day, a farmer was digging a ditch. The farmer sent the metal to a museum.
The farmer was in northern Texas. The people there studied it. They found
The farmer’s plow hit some metal. The out what it was. It was something very
farmer thought it was a wad of chicken old. It was a chain-mail glove. It had
wire. He tossed the chicken wire into the been left by Spanish explorers over four
back of his truck. hundred years before!
It was only later that the farmer noticed
something. The metal was
hand-shaped. It had two missing
fingers. It was not chicken wire. What
could it be?

Find the Answers

1. How many fingers were missing on the chain-mail glove?

a. two c. four
b. three d. five

2. From the story, you can tell that we can learn what people did long ago by
a. digging ditches. c. throwing things in trucks.
b. plowing up chicken wire. d. finding things that were left behind.

3. How do you think the farmer felt about what his plow hit at first and then later?
a. amazed and then unhappy c. worried and then hungry
b. unhappy and then amazed d. hungry and then worried

/3
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9 The Trick Vase

Bernardo and Justine went to a trick. The vase is not as old, or it is not
museum. They saw a vase. The vase from Spain.” Why did Bernardo and
had a picture on it. The picture was of Justine think the vase was a trick vase?
a farmer and his wife. The farmer was
planting peanuts. His wife was eating Peanuts and corn came from the
corn. The sign said the vase was old. Americas. Spain is in Europe. Peanuts
The sign said the vase came from Spain. and corn were not brought to Europe
The sign said the vase was from the until the late 1400s. That was when
early 1100s. explorers from Europe brought the new
foods back with them.
Bernardo and Justine went to the guard.
They said, “The vase is not real. It is a

Find the Answers

1. From the story, you can tell that explorers from Europe first went to the Americas in
the late
a. 1100s. c. 1400s.
b. 1300s. d. 1600s.

2. Early is to late as
a. old is to big. c. old is to trick.
b. old is to new. d. old is to guard.

3. What country is not in the Americas?

a. Spain c. Canada
b. Mexico d. United States

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10 Mice and Muscles

Muscles are tissues that move parts of Long ago, the Romans had the word
the body. You have large and strong musculus. This word means “little
muscles in your back. Your strong back mouse.” What did the Romans think
muscles help you stand. your muscles looked like when they
moved? They thought it looked like little
Mice are little. They mice running under the skin! Who would
are not strong. You think that the word muscle came from a
would think that mice word that meant “little mouse”?
have no connection
with your muscles. Yet they do! How
are mice and muscles connected? They
are connected by their name.

Find the Answers

1. When most people think of muscles, they think of

a. mice. c. being little.
b. being strong. d. words from long ago.

2. How many letters are the same in muscle and musculus?

a. one c. five
b. two d. six

3. From reading the story, what do you know is true about muscles?
a. Your muscles are tissues.
b. Your smallest muscles help you stand.
c. Your largest muscles are in your legs.
d. Your strongest muscles are in your chest.

/3
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11 The Captain Who Waited

On May 11, 1934, a captain waited grass had held down the topsoil. Now,
off the shore of New York. The captain there was nothing to hold down the
waited to come in and dock. Why did topsoil. Great winds blew the topsoil
he wait to dock? He waited because he across the land. The dust blocked out
did not know what was happening. It the sun, dimming its light.
was dim. He could barely see the Statue
of Liberty. Dust was in the air, blocking Those long-ago times are known as
the light. the Dust Bowl years. Today, farmers
do not farm the same way. They take
The dust had come from far away. It care of their topsoil, so it does not blow
came from the Great Plains. Farmers away and block the view of faraway sea
had plowed up the grass. Before, the captains.

Find the Answers

1. The captain could barely see the Statue of Liberty because

a. he was far away at sea.
b. grass was blocking the view.
c. farmers were taking care of their topsoil.
d. topsoil from the Great Plains was in the air.

2. When a ship docks, it

a. puts up a sail. c. comes into shore.
b. goes out to sea. d. sails across the sea.

3. Wait is to go as
a. dim is to far. c. dim is to block.
b. dim is to light. d. dim is to topsoil.

/3
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12 Singing Sands

Marco Polo was an explorer. Over Today, we know how the sounds are
seven hundred years ago, he crossed made. We know that nothing evil is
the Gobi Desert. The Gobi Desert is in making the sounds.
China. When Polo crossed the desert,
he heard strange sounds. He heard low, The noise is made when sand grains
humming sounds. The sounds could be bump each other one after the other.
heard from far away. It seemed as if The grains have a special makeup. They
the sands were singing. are a certain size. They are dry and
round. They move at a certain speed.
Polo did not know what was making the
sand sing. No one knew. People thought
something evil was making the sounds.

Find the Answers

1. What has to happen for sand to make sounds?

a. The sand grains must move.
b. The sand grains must be wet.
c. The sand grains must be square.
d. both b and c

2. From the story, you can tell that sometimes if we do not know how something
happens, we think it is
a. hot. c. funny.
b. evil. d. silly.

3. When did Marco Polo cross the Gobi Desert?

a. over three hundred years ago c. over seven hundred years ago
b. over five hundred years ago d. over nine hundred years ago
/3
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13 Signaling Towers

Long ago, people built towers. The them. A message could be sent from
towers were in the Southwest. They were tower to tower to tower.
in the desert. They were built on mesa
tops. A mesa has high steep sides. It How could the messages be sent? People
has a flat top like a table. The towers could use signal fires. They could use
were built by the Anasazi people. They shiny shells. They could use shiny mica
were built about 1,000 years ago. rocks. They could reflect light off the
shells or rocks.
What were the towers for? People are
not sure. Perhaps the towers were for
signaling. This is because the towers
were built with lines of sight between

Find the Answers

1. When and where were the towers built?

a. about 100 years ago in the Southwest
b. about 100 years ago in the Southeast
c. about 1,000 years ago in the Southwest
d. about 1,000 years ago in the Southeast

2. Most likely, if you were at one tower, you

a. would not be on a mesa. c. would not be in the desert.
b. could not see any other towers. d. could see at least one more tower.

3. From the story, you can tell that mica rocks are not
a. dull. c. shiny.
b. light. d. bright.

/3
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14 Water Warning

Bowls were filled with water. They were to dig a tunnel. The tunnel would go
set on the ground. People kept an eye under the castle walls.
on the water in the bowls. They made
sure it didn’t ripple. Why were the If digging was going on under the
people watching the water? What did it ground, the water in the bowls would
mean if it started to ripple? start to move. It would ripple. The
people in the castle would know that a
The bowls of water were an old warning tunnel was being dug. Sometimes they
sign. This was long ago when people would then dig their own tunnels. They
lived in castles. Sometimes enemies would surprise the enemy in his own
would attack a castle. They would try tunnel!

Find the Answers

1. If you throw a rock in the water, the water

a. ripples. c. attacks.
b. watches. d. surprises.

2. People would set out bowls of water to

a. feed the animals.
b. know when a castle was being attacked.
c. surprise the enemy.
d. welcome visitors.

3. The opposite of an enemy is a

a. cup. c. house.
b. hole. d. friend.

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15 White House Firsts

Do you know your phone number? The the White House in 1891. Benjamin
first phone was put in the White House Harrison was president. He was the
in 1879. Rutherford B. Hayes was twenty-third president. Harrison didn’t
president. Hayes was the nineteenth turn on the electric lights for weeks.
president. It was easy for Hayes to Why didn’t he turn on the lights? He
learn his phone number. Why was it so was afraid of getting shocked!
easy? The number was very short. It
was the number “1”!
Do you know how to turn on a light?
You just flip the switch from “off” to
“on.” The first electric lights were put in

Find the Answers

1. Hayes didn’t get a lot of phone calls. One reason might be that
a. people were afraid of getting shocked.
b. people did not know what switch to flip.
c. phones were so new that not many people had them.
d. the White House phone number was hard to learn.

2. From the story, you can tell that Hayes

a. was president after Harrison. c. had electric lights before Harrison.
b. was president before Harrison. d. called Harrison when he was president.

3. What answer is false?

a. Hayes was the nineteenth president.
b. The White House phone number was “1.”
c. Harrison was president in 1891.
d. Electric lights were in the White House before a phone. /3
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16 Poison

Something is on pizza. Something is in heal. Vitamin A helps you see.

ketchup. Long ago, people thought that
something was poison. They thought that Where did tomatoes come from? They
if you ate it, you would get sick. You would came from South America. People grew
froth at the mouth. You would feel great and ate them long ago. Explorers brought
pain. You might even die. What was it? them back to Europe. People in Italy were
growing them by the late 1500s. People
It was the tomato! in the U.S. did not eat them until much
Tomatoes are good to eat. later. They thought they were poison.
They have lots of vitamin C. Thomas Jefferson grew and ate tomatoes
They have lots of vitamin A. in the late 1700s. He helped people learn
Vitamin C helps your cuts that they were good to eat.

Find the Answers

1. Where were tomatoes first grown and eaten?

a. Italy c. North America
b. Europe d. South America

2. From the story, you can tell that people have

a. always eaten the same foods.
b. eaten new foods as they learn more.
c. never eaten foods from other places.
d. only eaten foods brought back by explorers.

3. Vitamin A
a. helps you see. c. helps you heal your cuts.
b. makes you get sick. d. makes you froth at the mouth.

/3
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17 Why the Player Climbed a Ladder

Two teams are playing basketball. A strength was needed. He wanted a

basket is made. The game stops. A game of skill.
player climbs a ladder. Why is a player
climbing a ladder? The first ball was a soccer ball. What
were the first baskets? They were peach
The game of basketball was invented baskets! If a player made a basket,
in 1891. James Naismith invented someone had to climb a ladder. He had
it. James wanted a game that could be to climb a ladder to get the ball out of
played indoors. He wanted a game that the basket. Then James said, “Let’s cut
could be played in a small space. He the bottoms out of the baskets!”
wanted a game where more than just

Find the Answers

1. Another title for this story might be

a. “Picking Peaches.” c. “Kicking a Soccer Ball.”
b. “All About Inventions.” d. “The Start of Basketball.”

2. When was the game of basketball invented?

a. 1819 c. 1918
b. 1891 d. 1981

3. James may have wanted a game that could be played indoors because he was
working where
a. it was warm all year-round. c. winters were cold and snowy.
b. he had lots of soccer balls. d. there was lots of space outside.

/3
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18 Why the Horse Couldn’t Graze

Zachary Taylor was horse could no longer graze on the lawn.

president from 1849 Why did Whitey have to be put in a
to 1850. He was stable? Why couldn’t the horse graze on
the twelfth president the lawn? The horse was losing his tail!
of the U.S. Taylor
had a horse. The People were going up to Whitey. They
horse’s name was Whitey. Taylor liked were pulling all the hairs out of his tail!
Whitey a lot. He took him with him to The people did not want to hurt Whitey.
the White House. Taylor let Whitey They just wanted a souvenir. They
graze on the White House lawn. thought, “It is just one hair.” Too many
people were taking souvenirs of “just one
Then Whitey was put in a stable. The hair”!

Find the Answers

1. When Whitey was grazing, he was

a. safe. c. in the stable.
b. eating grass. d. hurting the lawn.

2. An object you keep to remind you of something is a

a. lawn. c. stable.
b. tail. d. souvenir.

3. This story is mainly about

a. horses. c. a horse losing its tail.
b. the U.S. presidents. d. living at the White House.

/3
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19 Cobwebs and Soldiers

The Roman Empire The soldiers did not use them to fight.
was long ago. It was They used them when they got hurt!
over 2,000 years ago. They used them when they got a wound.
Roman soldiers had a
hard life then. Most A soldier would take cobwebs. He would
soldiers had to stay in soak them in vinegar. Then he would
the army for twenty-five bandage his wound. The vinegar helped
years. They had to train hard. They the wounds from getting infected.
had to go far away from their homes.
The soldiers did something with cobwebs.
What did they do with the cobwebs?

Find the Answers

1. What is not true about the soldiers of the Roman Empire?

a. They had to train hard.
b. They lived over 2,000 years ago.
c. Most had to stay in the army for 250 years.
d. They had to go far away from their homes.

2. Most likely, the vinegar

a. helped germs grow. c. smelled good to spiders.
b. helped kill germs. d. smelled good to soldiers.

3. Hard is to easy as
a. hurt is to help. c. infect is to wound.
b. take is to soak. d. bandage is to cobweb.

/3
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20 One-Room Schools

Long ago, many schools in the United All the children shared the water and
States had only one room. All the drank from the same cup.
grades were together. Boys sat on one
side, and girls sat on the other side. The There was a stove in the classroom.
smaller children sat in front, and the The stove was fed with coal, wood, or
older children sat in back. corncobs. One child called the stove
“the black monster.” This was because
Some schools were made out of logs. children close to the stove roasted.
Other schools on the prairies were Children far away from the stove froze.
made out of dirt. They were made out
of blocks of sod or dug out of hillsides.
There was a water jug with a tin cup.

Find the Answers

1. Most likely, schools on the prairies were made out of dirt because there
a. were few trees on the prairies. c. were lots of trees on the prairies.
b. was lots of grass on the prairies. d. was not a lot of grass on the prairies.

2. If you were a little girl, you would sit

a. close to the stove. c. on one side and in the front.
b. far away from the stove. d. in the back.

3. All but what might be burned in the stove?

a. wood c. corncobs
b. coal d. sod blocks

/3
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21 Cheering Up Archie

Teddy Roosevelt was president of the They took it into the White House! They
U.S. He was in office from 1901 led it down the halls.
to 1909. He was the twenty-sixth
president. His six children lived in the Archie was on the second floor. How
White House with him. One of his sons could the pony get up to Archie? The
was named Archie. One time, Archie boys led the pony to the elevator. They
got sick. He had to stay in bed. coaxed it in! The
pony rode the elevator
Archie’s brothers wanted to cheer up to Archie. After
Archie up. What did they do? They surprising Archie, the
got Archie’s pony. They led it up to the pony rode the elevator
White House. Then they snuck it in! back down.

Find the Answers

1. Why didn’t the boys ask if they could take the pony to Archie?
a. They knew it was okay.
b. They wanted to ride the elevator.
c. They wanted to surprise the pony.
d. They knew they would be told, “No.”
2. In which of these years was Teddy Roosevelt president?
a. 1900 c. 1910
b. 1905 d. 1915
3. What happened first?
a. Archie got sick.
b. Archie was surprised.
c. Archie’s brothers coaxed the pony into the elevator.
d. Archie’s brothers took the pony into the White House. /3
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22 Did Hancock Invent a Pickle?

Long ago, Thomas Hancock invented Why did he call his invention a pickle?
elastic. The year was 1820. Today, He did not want anyone to know what it
we use elastic to hold up our socks. was for. He didn’t want anyone to steal
Hancock invented it for something else. it. Later, Hancock got a patent. He
What was it for? It was for the tops of got the patent in 1837. Now, no one
pockets. Why was it for pocket tops? could rob him. No one could copy his
Some people think it was to stop robbers! machine.
It made it harder to get a hand inside.
Hancock had a lot of leftover rubber.
He wanted to use the scraps. He made
a machine. He called it a “pickle.”

Find the Answers

1. From the story, you can tell that

a. elastic is made out of rubber.
b. robbers want to steal pickles.
c. pickles are made out of elastic.
d. Hancock’s machine was inside his pocket.

2. If an invention is still under a patent, it most likely means that, by law, you
a. can copy it. c. can make pockets.
b. can’t copy it. d. can’t make pockets.

3. What year did Hancock get his patent for his “pickle”?
a. 1802 c. 1837
b. 1820 d. 1873

/3
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23 The Army Under the Ground

Two farmers were digging. They were bronze. The men were
in China. It was 1974. The farmers made of terra cotta.
were digging a well. They did not find Terra cotta is a type of
water. They found an army! The army baked clay. Each soldier
was big. It took up the space of a small had a different face.
city. It had over 7,500 soldiers. All
the men stood in rows. Why was there an army under the
ground? The army was buried about
There was a general. There were 2,200 years ago. The army was
horsemen. Some men had spears. guarding a tomb. The tomb was where
Some had bows and arrows. All the an emperor had been buried. It was the
weapons were real. They were made of tomb of China’s first emperor.

Find the Answers

1. This story is mainly about

a. digging a well. c. a tomb and its guards.
b. the emperor of China. d. what farmers grew in China.

2. The soldiers’ spears were

a. not real. c. made of baked clay.
b. made of bronze. d. made of terra cotta.

3. Most likely, when the farmers found the first soldier, they were all but what?
a. mad c. excited
b. happy d. surprised

/3
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24 The Rule About Red

What if you were alive long ago? What very fancy and colorful. Some even had
if you were alive in France in the early pictures of battle scenes on them.
1700s? At that time, Louis XIV ruled
France. Louis XIV was known as the The Sun King had rules about heeled
Sun King. Could you have worn heeled shoes. No one could wear higher heels
shoes when the Sun King ruled? than he could. Only the nobility could
wear red heels. It was against the law
The Sun King liked heeled shoes. He for common people to wear red heels.
wore them all the time. People copied
the Sun King. They wanted to be like
him. Some of the Sun King’s heels were
over five inches high! The heels were

Find the Answers

1. Most likely, what person could wear red heels?

a. a queen c. a farmer
b. a baker d. a weaver

2. This story is mainly about

a. wearing heeled shoes today. c. what type of country France was.
b. the common people long ago. d. shoes worn in France in the early 1700s.

3. What is not true about the Sun King’s shoes?

a. They were bright. c. Some had pictures of battle scenes.
b. They were very plain. d. Some had heels that were more than five
inches high.

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25 A Living Fossil

People thought all the dawn redwood thought it was a new kind of tree. Then
trees were gone. They thought they were they found more of the trees. They
extinct. Scientists knew about the trees. found a whole grove. The grove had
They had found fossils. They knew the over 1,000 trees.
trees had lived millions of years ago.
They had lived during the time of the Scientists studied the tree. They said,
dinosaurs. “The dawn redwood is not extinct! This
tree is a living fossil!” Today, people are
No one thought they would see a living trying to plant more dawn redwoods.
dawn redwood. Then in the 1940s, a They are using seeds from the living
man in China found a tree. It was big. fossils.
He did not know what it was. People

Find the Answers

1. The trees were called living fossils because

a. people are planting more. c. scientists studied the trees.
b. it is a new kind of tree. d. scientists thought they were extinct.

2. Cow is to herd as
a. tree is to grove. c. tree is to fossil.
b. tree is to China. d. tree is to dinosaur.

3. Most likely, the dawn redwoods found in China were

a. close to a big city. c. not close to a big city.
b. planted by dinosaurs. d. planted by the scientists.

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26 Rich on Water

In 1848, gold was found. The Gold They sold water to the thirsty miners.
Rush was on! People rushed west to
California. They all wanted to strike it The water had a high
rich. Many miners did not plan well. price. The miners
They only thought about gold at the end had no choice. They
of the trail. They did not think about had to pay. Some
what they needed on the trail. paid over five dollars
for a single glass of
The miners had to cross deserts. Many water! Gold did not
did not bring enough water. Some men make some people
in California got barrels of water. They rich during the Gold Rush. Water did!
went east. They went to the desert.

Find the Answers

1. From the story, you can tell that there are deserts
a. east of California. c. north of California.
b. west of California. d. south of California.

2. People pay more when they

a. need something and there is a lot of it.
b. need something and there is very little of it.
c. don’t need something and there is a lot of it.
d. don’t need something and there is very little of it.

3. What can you learn from the story?

a. Don’t cross a desert. c. It is good to plan ahead.
b. You should pay for water. d. Prices always stay the same.

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27 No Elbows!

Do your elbows or ankles show? Long They wore bright red, blue, and green.
ago, it was not polite for women to have They wore yellow, too.
their elbows or ankles show. This was in
America. This was when the first people Why did people think the colonists liked
came from Europe. soft shades? They looked at old paint.
The paint may have been on walls or
What did the early colonists wear? paintings. They didn’t think about the
People used to think they did not wear paint being old. They didn’t think about
bright colors. They thought they wore it being dulled and faded.
dull colors. They wore soft shades of
red, blue, or green. Now people know
the early colonists liked bright colors.

Find the Answers

1. A colonist was someone who came from

a. Europe to Asia. c. Europe to America.
b. Asia to Europe. d. America to Europe.

2. You see an old colonial painting. The girl in the painting is wearing dark clothes.
Most likely, when the painting was painted, the girl was
a. showing her elbows. c. wearing dark clothes.
b. showing her ankles. d. wearing brighter clothes.

3. Elbow is to arm as
a. knee is to leg. c. ankle is to toe.
b. ankle is to shoe. d. knee is to shoe.

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28 Traveling in Colonial America

It is long ago. You are in Colonial from the same glass. They would pass it
America. This is when people first up and down the table.
came from Europe to America. You
are traveling and need to stay at an inn. You would share your bed. There might
What is it like? be five strangers in one bed! One person
would sleep with his or her head at the
You would eat at the inn, sharing a table top of the bed. The next person would
with all the other travelers. You would sleep with his or her head at the bottom
not have your own plate. Instead, you of the bed. Good thing there were no
might share a trencher with another boots in bed!
person. A trencher is a hollowed-out
block of wood. Everyone would drink

Find the Answers

1. This story is mainly about

a. staying at an inn long ago. c. sleeping with your boots on.
b. what people ate long ago. d. people who traveled to Europe.

2. A trencher is most like a

a. cup. c. fork.
b. bowl. d. napkin.

3. If you stayed at an inn, most likely, you would not have your own
a. plate or bed only. c. plate, glass, table, or bed.
b. plate, bed, or table only. d. plate, table, or glass only.

/3
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29 The Elephant on the Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge is in New York feel safe on the bridge? One man knew
City. The bridge opened in 1883. It what to do. The man’s name was P. T.
is made of steel wires. It is a suspension Barnum. Barnum ran a circus. The
bridge. It was the largest suspension largest elephant in the known world was
bridge in the world. People had never in Barnum’s circus. The elephant’s
seen such a big bridge. Some people name was Jumbo.
said the bridge would break. They said
the bridge was not strong. People were Barnum paraded Jumbo and the rest
afraid the bridge was not safe. of his circus animals across the bridge.
Everyone saw that the bridge was strong.
The bridge was safe. It was very strong. They knew that if it could hold Jumbo, it
What could be done so people would could hold them.

Find the Answers

1. What are the wires on the Brooklyn Bridge made of?

a. rope c. brick
b. wood d. steel

2. From the story, you can tell that sometimes people are afraid of
a. parades. c. new things.
b. elephants. d. old bridges.

3. A new word came from Jumbo’s name. The word is “jumbo.” What do you think
“jumbo” means?
a. very safe c. very strong
b. very large d. very pretty

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30 Poodle Haircut

Poodles are dogs. Poodles water. It would become very heavy. It

often have their hair would be hard for the poodle to swim.
clipped. Why do poodle
owners give their dogs such If clipping the poodle’s hair made it
strange haircuts? easier to swim, why were patches of hair
left? Patches of hair were left around a
The haircuts came from long ago. poodle’s organs and joints. Hearts and
lungs are organs. Elbows and knees are
Poodles were working dogs. They were joints. The hair helped keep important
used to getting ducks or geese from the parts of the poodle warm. It protected
water. Poodles have a lot of hair. If it them from the cold.
was uncut, it would soak up a lot of

Find the Answers

1. The poodle’s hair around its chest does for it what wearing
a. a hat does for you. c. mittens does for you.
b. a vest does for you. d. a pair of pants does for you.

2. What is not an organ?

a. lung c. heart
b. liver d. elbow

3. Most likely, when we say a dog is a “working dog,” we mean that the dog
a. does a job. c. runs after balls.
b. is not tame. d. lives in the house.

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1 A Googol

How do we write “ten”? We write A googol is a 1 followed by 100 zeros!

“10.” It has one zero. How do we
write “one hundred”? We write “100.” How did the name come about? It was
It has two zeros. How do we write “oneinvented by a boy. The boy had an
thousand”? We write “1,000.” It uncle. The uncle studied math. The
has three zeros. How do we write “one uncle asked the boy to think up a name.
million”? We write “1,000,000.” It The small boy thought. He thought
has six zeros. about a big number. He thought about
a 1 followed by 100 zeros. The small
What about a googol? How do we boy came up with a name for the big
write a googol? How many zeros does a number. He came up with “googol.”
googol have? A googol has 100 zeros!

Find the Answers

1. Who asked the boy to come up with a name?

a. his aunt c. his mother
b. his uncle d. his father

2. What number is five million?

a. 500 c. 500,000
b. 5,000 d. 5,000,000

3. Most likely, you would not write out a googol because

a. it would take too long. c. there are more zeros in a million.
b. it is not a very big number. d. no one knows how many zeros a googol
has.

/3
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2 Funny Laws

Laws are passed to keep us safe. you could attend. What if your breath
Sometimes, old laws seem very funny. smelled like wild onions? The law said
They may be out of date. Some laws you could not go to school!
make you wonder why they were passed.
Michigan had a law. It was about
A city in California had a law. The law crocodiles. What if you wanted to
was about cowboy boots. What if you hitch your crocodile to a fire hydrant?
wanted to wear cowboy boots in public? The law said you could not! This law
The law said you had to have at least is funny. Still, it is a good law for
two cows! firefighters!
West Virginia had a law. The law
was about school. It was about when

Find the Answers

1. How many laws did you read about in this story?

a. two c. four
b. three d. five

2. If you wonder about something, you

a. think about it. c. eat it.
b. wash it. d. miss it.

3. Most likely, the law in Michigan was passed because someone once
a. fed wild onions to a cow. c. hitched a cow to a fire hydrant.
b. put cowboy boots on a crocodile. d. hitched a crocodile to a fire hydrant.

/3
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3 A Boat That Is Alive

The tropics are warm. In some places, are above the water. Sometimes they
it rains a lot. Sometimes, it rains so are below the water.
much that the waters rise quickly. The
land becomes flooded. How do some The ants are able to breathe when they
tropical ants survive the flood? How do are above the water. The ant boat rolls
they keep from drowning? enough that the ants can survive. They
get enough air to keep from drowning.
The ants join together. They form a
ball. They are like a boat that is alive!
As the ant boat floats on the water, it
rolls over and over. Sometimes the ants

Find the Answers

1. This story is mainly about

a. ants. c. floods.
b. boats. d. the tropics.

2. Above is to below as
a. float is to ant. c. float is to sink.
b. float is to warm. d. float is to breathe.

3. What happens before the ants join together?

a. The ant boat rolls over. c. The ants survive the flood.
b. The land becomes flooded. d. The ants keep from drowning.

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4 Eating Skin

A spa is a place where people go for The fish nibble at the people’s feet. They
their health. At some spas, people get remove and eat all the dead skin. The
back rubs. At other spas, people take fish leave healthy skin alone because
mud baths. In some spas, people have without teeth, they cannot bite it off.
their skin eaten. How can it be possible They can nibble at dead skin because it
that someone has his or her skin eaten? flakes off.
The people put their feet in tanks filled
with warm water. The tanks are also
filled with fish. The fish are small,
toothless, and have a very strange diet.
The fish’s diet is made up of dead skin!

Find the Answers

1. What is not true about the fish?

a. They are small. c. They live in warm water.
b. They have teeth. d. They have a strange diet.

2. Off is to on as
a. big is to large. c. strange is to odd.
b. small is to tiny. d. healthy is to sick.

3. When something is removed, it is

a. flaked. c. taken away.
b. filled. d. nibbled.

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5 Avalanche Dog

A huge mass of snow slides down a for avalanches. The dogs have been
mountain. It is an avalanche! As the trained to smell the human scent through
snow roars down the mountain, it buries ice crystals. When the dogs smell the
everything in its way. Sometimes people human scent, they bark. Then they wait
get caught. The snow moves too fast for the command
for them to get away. The people get “Search.” When
trapped under the snow and need to be they hear this
rescued. command, the
avalanche dogs start to dig.
The people must be dug out quickly.
How can they be found? Some search
and rescue dogs have been trained

Find the Answers

1. What command is given to a dog before it starts to dig?

a. “Find.” c. “Search.”
b. “Smell.” d. “Rescue.”

2. Why might an avalanche dog be bigger than a dog that searches for food in
an airport?
a. An avalanche dog needs to dig. c. An avalanche dog needs to smell.
b. An avalanche dog needs to bark. d. An avalanche dog needs to be trained.

3. From the story, you can tell that snow is made up of

a. masses. c. avalanches.
b. slides. d. ice crystals.

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6 The Bone That Stands Alone

There is a song about bones. In the This bone cannot be a part of the song.
song, it says the toe bone is connected Why not? It is the one bone that stands
to the foot bone. The foot bone is alone. It is not connected to any other
connected to the ankle bone. The ankle bones.
bone is connected to the leg bone. The
leg bone is connected to the knee bone. What bone stands alone? The hyoid
The knee bone is connected to the thigh bone supports the weight of your tongue.
bone. It is shaped like a “u.” It is the only bone
that is not connected to other bones. It
The song talks about the arm, head, is held in place by muscles and ligaments.
and back bones all being connected.
The song does not talk about one bone.

Find the Answers

1. What is the one bone that is not connected to other bones?

a. toe bone c. hyoid bone
b. thigh bone d. ankle bone

2. Most likely, the bone that is not connected to other bones is in your
a. arm. c. knee.
b. nose. d. neck.

3. What word means the same as connected?

a. cut c. chilly
b. joined d. friendly

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7 Guard Llamas

Llamas are native to Sheep ranchers had a problem. Sheep

South America. People herds were being attacked. Dogs were
there use llamas as preying on the sheep. Coyotes were
pack animals. Llamas preying on the sheep. Ranchers had
are good pack animals to do something. They tried traps and
poison. Then they tried llamas. The
because they are sure-footed and strong.
llamas were good guards. They did not
Today, llamas are being used in North need training. They went right to work
America. They are not being used as guarding the sheep and keeping them
pack animals. What are they being used safe. They kept the sheep safe from
for? They are being used as guards! dogs and coyotes.

Find the Answers

1. How many uses for the llama are you told about in the story?
a. two c. four
b. three d. five

2. If a llama is being used as a pack animal, most likely, it is in

a. Asia. c. North America.
b. South America. d. Central America.

3. What made the llama a good guard?

a. It preyed on sheep. c. It did not need training.
b. It could not be poisoned. d. It could be used as a pack animal.

/3
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8 UFO Sighting!

What is a UFO? The U stands for Many UFOs are clouds. They are a
unidentified. The F stands for flying. special kind of cloud. They are lenticular
The O stands for object. Many people clouds. This kind of cloud is shaped like
think they have seen UFOs. They think a lens. It is formed by waves of wind
the UFOs are from outer space. that blow around mountaintops. The
blowing winds make each cloud smooth
Scientists have looked into UFO and rounded, just like a flying saucer.
sightings. Most of the time, the UFOs Sometimes UFOs look as if they are
can be identified. Believe it or not, hovering spaceships. They look as if they
UFOs are a very common thing. You are spaceships hovering because they
see them all the time. What can may not move for hours.
they be?

Find the Answers

1. When you hover, you

a. cannot be identified. c. blow around a mountaintop.
b. quickly fly into space. d. stay in one place in the air.

2. Identified is to unidentified as
a. pen is to pencil. c. chill is to freeze.
b. known is to unknown. d. wall is to swim.

3. If you see a UFO, it might be a

a. cloud. c. tiger.
b. whale. d. house.

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9 The Bull Sees Red

Someone waves a red flag or cape at a cape could be any color is because bulls
bull. Watch out! The bull is charging are color-blind. Bulls only see shades of
fast! gray, white, and black.
Most people think the bull is charging Why does the bull
because it hates the color red. They charge, then? The
think the color red makes the bull angry. bull charges because it
This is false. The truth is that bulls is upset and angry. It
cannot see the color red. The cape sees the cape waving
could be green or blue. The cape could back and forth, and
be black or orange. The cape could be the bull goes after what is moving.
yellow or purple. The reason that the

Find the Answers

1. A bull rider falls off. He needs time to get away. How does a rodeo clown get the
bull to chase him instead of the rider?
a. by wearing red c. by jumping all around
b. by staying still d. by walking very slowly

2. If you only read the title of this story, you might think that
a. bulls are color-blind. c. bulls can only see blue and green.
b. bulls are not color-blind. d. bulls can only see gray and black.

3. What color would a bull not be able to see the way you do?
a. pink c. white
b. gray d. black

/3
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10 Submarine Sleep

How do sailors sleep on a submarine? Some sailors have an easier time sleeping
In older and smaller subs, sailors on submarines than sailors do on ships.
used to do something. It was called Why is this? Sailors on subs have less
“hot-bunking.” “Hot-bunking” was seasickness. Under the surface, the
when two sailors shared the same bed. water is calm. The sub does not rock.
One shift, one sailor would sleep. The It does not roll. People can sleep without
other sailor would work. On the second being rocked up and down. They are
shift, the sailors flipped. The one that not tossed out of their bunks in rough
was working took over the bunk. The one seas.
that had been sleeping got up to work.

Find the Answers

1. Most likely, in bigger submarines, sailors

a. get seasick more. c. all work the same shift.
b. have their own bunks. d. feel the rough seas more.

2. Easier is to harder as
a. toss is to bunk. c. calm is to rough.
b. rock is to work. d. shift is to sleep.

3. Why would sailors “hot-bunk”?

a. to stay cool c. to save sleep
b. to stay calm d. to save space

/3
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11 Who Is Fighting?

You go to a movie. In the movie, there What do they do? They hire stunt
might be a sword fight. Someone might people for the dangerous action parts.
be jumping out of a plane or off a cliff.
Who is really doing the fighting, jumping, Stunt people are trained in all different
or diving? It looks like the movie star. things. They can sword fight. They
Is it? can jump out of planes and dive off
cliffs. They play the part of the actors
It takes a long time to teach someone to and actresses. Then the film is cut and
sword fight, jump out of a plane, or dive pasted. It is made to look like the movie
off a cliff. Moviemakers don’t have the stars are doing the dangerous stunts.
time to train their actors and actresses.
They can’t have their stars getting hurt.

Find the Answers

1. You see a movie. Someone jumps off a fast horse. Most likely, who are you seeing
jump off the horse?
a. an actor c. a movie star
b. an actress d. a stunt person

2. Actor is to actress as
a. boy is to son. c. boy is to father.
b. boy is to girl. d. boy is to brother.

3. A stunt person’s work is

a. easy. c. dangerous.
b. boring. d. always the same.

/3
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12 The First Birthday

Twins are born. One is a boy and one is twenty-four times zones. There is one
a girl. The twins are born on the same dateline in the middle of the Pacific
day. They are born on May 5. They Ocean. Places to the west of the
have the same birthday. dateline are one day ahead of places to
the east. China is west of the dateline.
One year, the twins are in different The United States is east of the dateline.
places for their birthdays. The girl is It is morning in China before it is
in China, and the boy is in the United morning in the United States. It is
States. The girl turns ten a day before May 5 in China before it is May 5 in
the boy does! She has her birthday first! the United States.
How can this be?
The world has time zones. There are

Find the Answers

1. According to the story, is it day first east or west of the dateline?

a. It is day first west of the dateline.
b. It is day first east of the dateline.
c. It is day at the same time all over the world.
d. It is night at the same time all over the world.
2. From the story, you can tell that the new year starts
a. in the United States before it starts in China.
b. in China before it starts in the United States.
c. at the same time in China and the United States.
d. east of the dateline before west of the dateline.
3. How many time zones are there?
a. one c. twelve
b. seven d. twenty-four /3
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13 How the Moose Crossed the Road

A moose comes to a Today, when some moose and other

road. It wants to cross, animals cross the road, there is no
but crossing the road is danger. No one can get hurt. How can
dangerous! It puts the this be? People are making tunnels that
moose in danger, and it go under the roads. Special fences are
puts drivers in danger. being put up. The fences keep animals
A driver might not be able to stop in off the road and lead them to the
time. A driver might hit the moose. tunnels. Moose, deer, and even bears
Both the moose and the driver could get safely cross the road by going under it.
hurt.

Find the Answers

1. How does the moose cross the road?

a. by going in it c. by going over it
b. by going on it d. by going under it

2. What animal is not named in the story?

a. deer c. wolf
b. bear d. moose

3. One moose, two moose. What other word fits this pattern?
a. one foot, two feet c. one mouse, two mice
b. one deer, two deer d. one goose, two geese

/3
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14 An Apple Catch

One time, a thief broke something so it would not rot.

into a house. He stole
jewelry and he stole Later, the police caught a suspect. The
money. How was this suspect said he was not the robber. The
thief caught? He was police had the suspect take a bite out of
caught because he took a bite of an an apple. Then they looked at the two
apple! apples. The bites were the same! When
the suspect was shown the apples, he
During the robbery, the thief took a knew he was caught. He admitted he
bite of an apple. He left the apple on was the thief.
the table. When the police came, they
found the apple. The apple was put in

Find the Answers

1. From the story, you can tell that

a. the thief had big teeth.
b. no one’s teeth are the same.
c. the thief won’t eat apples again.
d. everyone has the same kind of bite marks.

2. A suspect is someone
a. whom you like a lot. c. who always eats apples.
b. you think didn’t do something. d. you think did something.

3. The story does not tell you

a. what the robber took. c. what color the apple was.
b. why the apple didn’t rot. d. what the suspect admitted.

/3
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15 Solid Spit

Desi spits. Spit is made up of saliva. land. It is above sea level. It is about
Saliva is wet. It is a liquid. Desi’s spit 6,500 feet above sea level.
hits the ground. It is not a liquid. It is a
solid. How can this be? Desi’s spit freezes in the air because it
is so cold. It changes. It goes from a
Desi is where it is very cold. He is in liquid to a solid. It freezes before it hits
the coldest place in the world. He is in the ground!
Antarctica. Antarctica is colder than
the Arctic. Why is it colder? The
Arctic is at sea level. It is not land. It is
ice. It is frozen ocean. Antarctica is

Find the Answers

1. What is spit made up of?

a. sand c. sugar
b. salt d. saliva

2. Which of these is a liquid?

a. milk c. a tree
b. a bike d. a house

3. The Arctic is warmer than Antarctica because the Arctic is

a. solid. c. at sea level.
b. frozen. d. above sea level.

/3
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16 A Great Lakes Memory Trick

Think of the Great Lakes. The Great between the U.S. and Canada. Lake
Lakes are fresh water. How much Michigan is the only lake that is
water do they hold? Think of all the completely in the U.S.
surface water in the world. Divide it into
How do people remember the names
five equal parts. The Great Lakes holdof the Great Lakes? There is a trick.
one of those five parts. They hold Think of the word HOMES. It is five
one-fifth of the world’s fresh surfaceletters. Each letter stands for one of
water. the lakes. “H” stands for Huron. “O”
The names of the Great Lakes are Lake stands for Ontario. “M” stands for
Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Michigan. “E” stands for Erie. “S”
Lake Erie, and Lake Superior. Four stands for Superior.
of the lakes form part of the border
Find the Answers

1. The “M” in HOMES stands for

a. Lake Huron. c. the lake that forms part of a border.
b. Lake Ontario. d. The lake that is completely in the U.S.

2. Lake Superior is the largest lake. What might be a trick to remember that it is the
largest lake?
a. Lake Superior is super big. c. Lake Superior is super small.
b. Lake Superior is super tiny. d. Lake Superior is super fresh.

3. How much of the world’s fresh surface water do the Great Lakes hold?
a. one-third c. one-tenth
b. one-fifth d. one-fifteenth

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17 All About Flags

Every country has a flag. Libya is a your country’s flag the same?
country. It is in Africa. Libya’s flag has
only one color. It is all green. Libya is Most flags are not perfect squares.
the only country in the world that has a Switzerland is a country. It is in Europe.
flag with a uniform color. How many Switzerland’s flag is a perfect square. Is
colors are on your country’s flag? your country’s shape a perfect square?

Most flags are the same on the front

and the back. Paraguay is a country.
It is in South America. The front and
the back of Paraguay’s flag are not the
same. Are the front and the back of

Find the Answers

1. What country has a flag with a front and a back that are not the same?
a. Libya c. Paraguay
b. Europe d. Switzerland

2. Uni means one. That is why a flag with a uniform color has
a. only one color. c. a shape like a square.
b. more than one color. d. a front and back that are not the same.

3. From the story, you can tell that the flag of India must
a. be a perfect square.
b. have more than one color.
c. be the biggest flag in the world.
d. have a front and back that are not the same.

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18 Forwards and Backwards

Read the word “racecar.” Now read is a palindrome. You can read the
the letters backwards. Backwards, the letters in the sentence forwards or
letters go like this: r a c e c a r. backwards. Look at this sentence:
“Was it a car or a cat I saw?” Why is
Most words do not make sense if it a palindrome?
you read the letters backwards. A
palindrome is a special word or phrase.
Palindromes are words or sentences that
read the same backwards or forwards.
The words “Mom” and “Dad” are
palindromes. You can read the letters
forwards or backwards. “Now I won!”

Find the Answers

1. What answer is not a palindrome?

a. eye c. hat
b. wow d. pup

2. The word “radar” is a palindrome because you can read the letters
a. forwards only. c. backwards only.
b. in a sentence. d. forwards or backwards.

3. What answer is a palindrome?

a. level c. letter
b. loose d. ladder

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19 A Cupboard That Is Alive

People store their food in cupboards. Sometimes ants

They keep it there until they need it. from other
There are ants that store food, too. nests will try
Where do the ants keep their food? to steal the
They store it in a cupboard that is alive! storage ants.
They want their nectar! Sometimes
The ants are called honey ants. Worker other animals break open the ant nests.
honey ants bring food to storage honey They want to eat the storage ants
ants. The worker ants stuff the storage because they taste so sweet.
ants full of nectar. The storage ants’
bellies swell up. Their bellies get as big
as grapes. They get so big that the ants
can’t move.

Find the Answers

1. This story is mainly about

a. food. c. honey ants.
b. people. d. worker ants.

2. When you store something, you

a. put it away. c. stuff it full of nectar.
b. try to steal it. d. swell up as big as a grape.

3. The story does not tell you

a. what the worker ants do. c. why the storage ants get stolen.
b. how big the storage ants get. d. where the honey ants can be found.

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20 Quicksand!

Most people are afraid of quicksand. more you struggle, the faster you will
They think they will be trapped. They sink. Relax and take deep breaths. If
think they will not stop sinking. They you are wearing a pack, slowly take it
think they will not be able to get out. off. Then spread out your arms and legs
to increase the surface area. If you do
The truth is that most quicksand is not not thrash around, your body will stop
deep. Quicksand is rarely deeper than a sinking. When you stop sinking, slowly,
few feet. Quicksand is just sand with lots slowly swim to safety.
of water. The truth is that you can float
in quicksand.
If you do step in quicksand, what should
you do? You should not struggle. The

Find the Answers

1. When you thrash around, you

a. stop sinking. c. increase surface area.
b. breathe slowly. d. move about in a wild way.

2. If you knew that you could float in quicksand, you would

a. struggle more. c. find it easier to relax.
b. not take off your pack. d. not be able to breathe deeply.

3. Most likely, if you step in quicksand,

a. you will sink until it is over your head.
b. you will not sink more than a few feet.
c. you will not be able to float in it.
d. you will not be able to stop sinking.

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21 Cowboy Boots

Why did cowboys also slipped out quickly. This was very
wear cowboy boots? A important. If a cowboy fell, he did not
cowboy’s boots helped want his boots to get stuck in the stirrups.
him work. The boots He needed to be able to roll free of his
had pointed toes. They horse so he would not get dragged.
had heels. Why did
cowboy boots have pointed toes and Cowboys often had rough rides. They
heels? bounced up and down in the saddle.
The boot’s heels helped anchor the
Cowboys spent a long time riding their cowboy’s foot in the stirrup. They kept
horses. The pointed toes slipped easily the cowboy’s feet from slipping. They
into the stirrups on a saddle. They helped the cowboy stay on his horse.

Find the Answers

1. All cowboy boots had high sides. This might be because it

a. looked nice. c. made the cowboy taller.
b. kept rocks out. d. did not help the cowboy.

2. Front is to back as
a. toe is to heel. c. toe is to saddle.
b. toe is to boot. d. toe is to stirrup.

3. If something is anchored, it
a. bounces. c. is held down.
b. is important. d. slips out quickly.

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22 A Pan and an Invention

Walter Morrison would play catch on the pans they tossed. The name of the
the beach. He would toss a tin cake pan baking company was Frisbie.
to his wife. Walter wanted to invent
something. He wanted a thing that The name was first put on the pie pans
would fly better than the tin cake pan. in the 1870s. Why was the name put
He made a plastic disc. on the tins? The tins could be reused.
When someone started a pie, Frisbie
What did Walter invent? He invented wanted them to see his name. He
the Frisbee®. How did the plastic disc wanted them to think, “It would be easier
get its name? Students used to toss to buy one.”
empty pie pans to each other. The
name of the pie-baking company was on

Find the Answers

1. A disc must be in the shape of a

a. square. c. triangle.
b. circle. d. rectangle.

2. How is a pie plate different from what Walter invented?

a. A pie plate can fly better.
b. A pie plate can’t be tossed around.
c. A pie plate can be used more than once.
d. A pie plate is not made out of plastic.

3. What did Frisbie hope when he put his name on his pie tins?
a. that people would play catch c. that people would buy more pies
b. that people would eat more pie d. that people would invent something new

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23 When Seconds Count

A forest is on fire. Firefighters come firefighter must get the shelter out of its
to battle the blaze. Suddenly, the wind case fast. They must get in it quickly.
shifts. The fire turns. Flames race
toward the firefighters. No one can Firefighters train. They practice getting
outrun them. The flames are moving too their shelters out while running. They
fast. Can the firefighters be saved? practice putting them up. They practice
getting in. At first, it takes a long time.
Firefighters now carry shelters. The The firefighters keep training. They get
shelters are light. They are made to faster. They get so fast that it only takes
reflect heat. Shelters have saved over twenty seconds to get in their shelters.
250 people. Seconds count. A

Find the Answers

1. Which is closest to the number of people shelters have saved?

a. 20 c. 200
b. 25 d. 250

2. What must a firefighter practice doing while running?

a. putting up the shelter c. getting the shelter out of its case
b. getting into the shelter d. counting shelters and firefighters

3. When you train, you

a. get ready for something. c. battle something.
b. count something. d. shelter something.

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24 A Spider You Can Hear

Think of a spider. You may think of people in South America eat these
them crawling. You may think of them spiders.
jumping. You may think of them in a
web. Most likely, you do not think of How do these spiders make noise? They
them making noise. There is one spider rub the bristles on their legs together.
that makes noise. It is the goliath (Bristles are stiff hairs.) This makes a
bird-eating spider. loud hissing noise. The hissing noise can
be heard fifteen feet away. The spider
This spider is the biggest spider in the makes this noise when it feels it is in
world. It lives in South America. One danger.
of these spiders was as big as a dinner
plate! It was eleven inches across! Some

Find the Answers

1. If something is goliath, it is
a. in a web. c. in danger.
b. very big. d. very jumpy.

2. This story is mainly about

a. the world’s biggest spider.
b. how many people eat spiders.
c. noisy spiders around the world.
d. what spiders do when they are in danger.

3. What thing has bristles?

a. a book c. a jump rope
b. a window d. a toothbrush

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25 A Famous April Fool’s Joke

April 1 is known as April Fool’s Day. It television station. They wanted to know
is a day when people play tricks on each where they could buy spaghetti trees!
other. One of the most famous April
Fool’s Day jokes took place in 1957. It Spaghetti does not grow on trees. It is
was in Britain. It was on the television made from wheat flour and water. The
news. news was a trick. It was an April Fool’s
Day joke that worked!
What did people see on their screen?
They saw people picking spaghetti! The
spaghetti was hanging from trees. It
looked real. Many people called the

Find the Answers

1. What grows on trees?

a. noodles c. oranges
b. carrots d. ice cream

2. Where was the spaghetti tree trick played?

a. Brazil c. Botswana
b. Britain d. Bulgaria

3. From this story, you can tell that what you see on television
a. must be true. c. is always true.
b. is never true. d. might not be true.

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26 A Bank with No Money

You hear the word “bank.” You think of ground is always frozen and where it is
a place where people keep their money. dark for four months of the year.
There is a bank where people do not
keep money. The bank stores something The bank keeps seeds from all around
else. It is very important. The bank the world. The seeds are from trees,
keeps it very safe, and it doesn’t charge flowers, and food crops. The bank
money for keeping it. Where is the keeps the seeds safe from floods, storms,
bank, and what does it keep safe? and fires. How many seeds does the
bank hold? There are over 250 million
The bank is dug into a mountainside in seeds in the bank!
Norway. It is in a place where the

Find the Answers

1. This story is mainly about

a. storing seeds. c. seeds from food crops.
b. how seeds grow. d. different kinds of seeds.

2. Most likely, the bank holds seeds from everywhere but

a. Asia. c. outer space.
b. Africa. d. North America.

3. Why is it good that the bank is where it is if the power went out?
a. The seeds would burn up. c. The seeds would blow away.
b. The seeds would stay cool. d. The seeds would start to grow.

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27 A New X-Sport

Extreme sports are known as x-sports. A hamster’s globe is a single ball. A

There is a new x-sport. It is a sport zorb is a ball within a ball. The person is
where you can do what a hamster does. strapped into the inside globe. There is a
Do you know what this sport can be? layer of air between the outside and the
inside globe. The layer of air cushions
The sport is zorbing. Hamsters are and protects the person who is zorbing.
put in plastic balls or globes. Once
inside, the hamsters can roll all over. In
zorbing, people roll down hills or across
flat land while inside zorbs. Zorbs are
plastic globes, or orbs.

Find the Answers

1. What answer is not round?

a. orb c. globe
b. ball d. square

2. In a zorb, a person is protected by

a. a cushion of air. c. a layer of plastic.
b. an extreme sport. d. a single flat strap.

3. For zorbing to become a sport, people first had to

a. play ball. c. invent a zorb.
b. find a hill. d. have a hamster.

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28 Wolf Facts

Wolves run on their toes. Baby wolves, Wolves can run faster when they take
or pups, lick their parents’ jaws. Do you bigger steps.
know why wolves run on their toes and
why pups lick their parents’ jaws? Wolf pups drink milk the first few weeks
of life. Then they need meat. To get
Wolves need to run fast. When wolves meat, they lick their parents’ jaws. The
run on their toes, they are making their licking causes the meat in the parents’
legs longer. It is stomachs to come back up. It causes the
like walking on stilts. parents to regurgitate the meat. Then,
Walking on toes when the regurgitated meat is in their
allows wolves to mouths, the parents can give it to the
take bigger steps. pups.

Find the Answers

1. Why might you be able to run faster when you are older?
a. You will grow stilts. c. You will have longer legs.
b. You will have bigger toes. d. You will regurgitate your food.

2. A fact is the truth. It is not made up. What answer is not a fact?
a. Baby wolves are called pups.
b. Little wolf pups drink milk.
c. Parent wolves can regurgitate food.
d. Wolves look silly running on their toes.

3. Wolf is to pup as
a. dog is to tail. c. hen is to rooster.
b. cat is to kitten. d. duck is to quack.

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29 A Race That Melts Shoes

Some runners need to run on the road’s The black road surface can heat up to
white lines. Do you know why? If the 200°F. The white lines on the road
runners didn’t run on the white lines, reflect the sun’s light, so they are cooler.
their track shoes would melt.
The fastest runner ran the race in less
The runners are in a race. The race is than a day! He did not get any money.
in California. It begins in Death Valley. Believe it or not, runners run this race
It starts below sea level. It goes for for fun!
135 miles, crossing three mountain
ranges. It ends at Mount Whitney. The
race takes place in the summer. The air
in Death Valley can heat up to 130°F.

Find the Answers

1. What answer is true about the race?

a. Winners get money. c. It takes place in Montana.
b. It starts at sea level. d. It takes place in the summer.

2. If the sun was shining on you, you would feel

a. the same heat in a black or white shirt.
b. cooler in a black shirt than a white shirt.
c. warmer in a black shirt than a white shirt.
d. warmer in a white shirt than a black shirt.

3. How many mountain ranges do the runners cross?

a. three c. five
b. four d. six

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30 Why Water Stays Out

Seals spend a lot of time in the water. naturally. This makes sense when you
How does a seal keep water from going think about all
up its nose? A seal’s nostrils are not like the time a seal
yours. Your nostrils are always open. spends in the
If you want to close them, you can hold water. A seal
them shut. Or you can wear a nose uses special
plug. A seal’s nostrils are different. muscles to open
A seal’s nostrils can open and close. its nostrils.
What happens when a seal relaxes these
When a seal dives into the water, its muscles? Its nostrils snap shut!
nostrils are shut. It may seem odd
to you, but a seal’s nostrils are closed

Find the Answers

1. A seal dives into the water. Its

a. nostril muscles are relaxed. c. nostril muscles are not relaxed.
b. nostrils are naturally open. d. nostrils are not naturally closed.

2. Close is to open as
a. same is to shut. c. same is to nostril.
b. same is to relax. d. same is to different.

3. A seal opens its nostrils to

a. swim. c. get air.
b. play. d. get water.

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1 Climbing Blind

Erik Weihenmayer could not see. He What did Erik say? Erik said, “I will
was blind. Erik said, “I want to climb climb the tallest mountain in the world.”
the highest mountain. The tallest
mountain in the world is Mount Everest. Erik climbed it, and he didn’t get lost.
I will climb Mount Everest.” How did Erik find his way? He used
his ears! Erik used his ears to listen
People said, “How can you climb the for bells. The bells were tied to other
highest mountain in the world? You climbers’ poles. The bells were tied to
can’t see!” People said, “It is too hard the sleeves of other climbers’ coats. The
and too high. It’s not safe. You will get bells helped Erik reach the top of Mount
lost. You will fall and hurt yourself. It is Everest on May 25, 2001.
impossible. It can’t be done.”

Find the Answers

1. The climbers wore bells so Erik could

a. get lost. c. hear them.
b. see them. d. tie his sleeves.

2. What day did Erik reach the top?

a. May 25, 2001 c. March 25, 2001
b. May 25, 2010 d. March 25, 2010

3. Most likely, Erik would not have climbed Mount Everest if

a. it was icy. c. people said, “Yes.”
b. he could see. d. he was the only climber.

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2 Trapped

Lucy Cheesman was on an island in and made them bleed. Lucy then tried
the South Pacific. Huge spiderwebs to bite the threads with her teeth, but she
draped down. Lucy thought she would still couldn’t free herself.
walk through them. Lucy was by herself
collecting insects. Fortunately, Lucy had a nail file in her
pocket. She filed the strands one by
Lucy was wrong. She could not walk one. It took hours. After that Lucy
through the spiderwebs. She became always carried a machete with her. A
trapped. One web covered her face. machete is a large knife. Lucy was born
Lucy tried to break the threads with her in 1881. She died in 1969.
fingers, but she couldn’t. The strands
were so strong that they cut her fingers

Find the Answers

1. Where was Lucy?

a. South Pacific c. South Atlantic
b. North Pacific d. North Atlantic

2. What answer lists in the right order of what Lucy tried to use to free herself?
a. teeth, file, fingers c. fingers, teeth, file
b. teeth, machete, file d. fingers, machete, teeth

3. You could find out more about Lucy in books or on the Internet because you know
a. that she carried a machete.
b. her name and when she was born.
c. that she went to an island with spiders.
d. her face was covered in spiderweb threads.

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3 What the Cat Led To

The story goes that Percy Shaw was Shaw thought, “I can invent something!
driving at night. It was a very foggy I can invent cat’s eyes for roads! Road
night in the 1930s. The road had a reflectors will help people see. They will
dangerous curve. A cat help them know where they are going.”
was sitting on a fence by
the side of the road. At Roads today are safer because of Shaw.
first, Shaw did not see Small glass reflectors in the middle of the
the cat. Then it turned road help drivers see the road at night
and looked at Shaw. and in the fog.
Shaw saw the cat’s eyes.
He saw the car’s headlights reflect in the
cat’s eyes.

Find the Answers

1. What reflects?
a. a sock c. a mirror
b. a pencil d. a napkin

2. Most likely, the night Shaw saw the cat, he

a. saw other animals, too. c. could see the road clearly.
b. was thinking about pets. d. was having a hard time seeing the road.

3. What answer is not true about the story?

a. It was the 1940s. c. The road had a dangerous curve.
b. It was a foggy night. d. The cat was sitting on a fence.

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4 Ride on a Whale Shark

Eugenie Clark was deep under the The whale shark took Clark farther and
water. Clark was a scientist who studied farther away from her boat. Still, Clark
fish. Clark was studying a whale shark. didn’t want to let go. Then she thought,
Whale sharks are not sharks, but they “Why am I still holding on to the shark,
are the biggest fish in the world. getting farther away from the boat?”
Clark finally let go.
The whale shark Clark was looking at
was over forty feet long. Clark was
taking pictures. Then she did something.
Clark grabbed the whale shark’s fin.
She went for a ride!

Find the Answers

1. The whole time Clark was moving farther from the boat she was
a. taking pictures.
b. deep under the water.
c. swimming next to the whale shark.
d. thinking about how she would get back.

2. Most likely, Clark didn’t want to let go because she was

a. feeling sick. c. having a fun time.
b. afraid to let go. d. too tired to swim.

3. What did Clark grab onto for her ride?

a. the whale shark’s fin c. the whale shark’s tail
b. the whale shark’s back d. the whale shark’s nose

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5 Free in Space

On February 7, 1984, a man did spacecraft. They had been tethered to

something. He did something that had it. They did not float freely.
never been done before. Who was he?
What did he do? Bruce was the first human to float
freely in outer space. He did not have
The man was an astronaut. His name a tether. He wore a special backpack.
was Bruce McCandless II. People had It went over his suit. The backpack
gone into space before. Most of them had thrusters. It had long arms. The
stayed inside their spaceships. They controls were on the arms. Bruce
did not go outside. A few astronauts pushed the controls with his fingers.
had gone outside. They had gone on
spacewalks. They had been tied to the

Find the Answers

1. If you are tethered to something, you are

a. free. c. tied down.
b. inside. d. floating.

2. What did Bruce do that had never been done before?

a. go into outer space c. float in his spaceship
b. float freely in space d. go outside his spaceship

3. What day was something done for the first time?

a. February 3, 1983 c. February 3, 1984
b. February 7, 1983 d. February 7, 1984

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6 Into a Cave

Louise Hose is a geologist. Geologists is filled with poisonous gases. If people

study the earth. Sometimes, Hose has breathe the toxic air, they will die.
to wear a mask. If she didn’t wear a
mask, she would die. Why does Hose Hose wears a special breathing mask
have to wear a mask? while she studies the cave. She wears
a light on her head while she makes
Hose works in caves that go deep under maps that show its passageways and
the ground. In many caves, the air is chambers. She studies how the cave was
safe to breathe. Hose made. She studies the fish in the cave.
works in a cave where She studies the bacteria.
the air is not safe to
breathe. It is toxic. It

Find the Answers

1. Something toxic is
a. safe. c. not safe.
b. sweet. d. not sweet.

2. What might a geologist study?

a. masks c. lights
b. rocks d. stamps

3. What does Hose use to see in the cave?

a. the sunlight c. a special mask
b. a flashlight d. a light on her head

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7 How the Band-Aid® Came About

In 1921, it seemed that Josephine did Earle do to save time? He cut strips
Dickson was always having accidents. of tape and stuck pieces of gauze in
She was always getting cuts. The cuts the middle. He covered them with stiff
were small, but they were a bother. fabric.
Josephine would have to stop what she
was doing and cut a piece of gauze. His ready-made bandages saved time.
Then she would have to cut a piece of Josephine did not have to stop and
tape. She would use the tape to keep the cut gauze and tape. What had Earle
gauze on her cut. All this took time. invented with his ready-made bandages?
He had invented Band-Aids®!
Josephine’s husband was named Earle.
Earle thought, “I can save time.” What

Find the Answers

1. What invention can you tell from the story was most likely invented before 1921?
a. scissors c. cell phones
b. airplanes d. rocket ships

2. If you cut yourself in 1900, you would

a. use a ready-made bandage. c. save time by using a Band-Aid.
b. ask Earle for a Band-Aid. d. have to make your own bandage.

3. If you get cut, what part of the Band-Aid do you put on your cut?
a. the tape c. the gauze
b. the strip d. the fabric

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8 Favorite Field Camp

Naomi Pierce is a biologist. A biologist Pierce’s favorite camp might not be the
studies living things. Pierce spent a lot of favorite of anyone else’s. Why not?
time outside of the lab. She spent a lot One day Pierce woke up. She found a
of time in the field. Pierce liked studying ten-foot carpet snake beside her! There
things where they lived. She liked were also a few funnel web spiders in the
camping in the field. camp. These spiders can be dangerous.
Pierce said they seemed to follow her
Pierce said she had a favorite field around.
camp. It was in Australia. The camp
was at the edge of a rainforest. Pierce
stayed in an upside-down water tank.

Find the Answers

1. This story is mainly about a

a. snake. c. biologist.
b. spider. d. water tank.

2. Pierce might have liked working in the lab more if she

a. did not like camping. c. could not stay in a house.
b. saw snakes in the field. d. was near dangerous spiders.

3. A biologist would be least likely to study

a. ants. c. birds.
b. rocks. d. insects.

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9 The Dog and Shoes That Didn’t Slip

Paul Sperry was a sailor. He spent to his lab and began working. He used
hours on the open ocean. One day in a razor blade, rubber, and a sneaker.
1935, Paul took his dog, Prince, out
for a walk on land. The ground was Paul didn’t stop until he had invented
covered with snow. The snow had an icy a new kind of shoe. It was the world’s
crust. Paul noticed that his dog didn’t first nonskid deck shoe! Today, sailors
slip, even on the snow with icy crust. all around the world wear Paul’s shoes.
The shoes’ soles all have a wavelike
Paul picked up his dog’s paws. He pattern. The soles provide sailors with
looked closely at its soles. He saw tiny traction. The soles provide gripping
wavelike grooves. Next, Paul went back power on both dry and wet decks.

Find the Answers

1. What answer is true?

a. Paul looked at his dog’s legs.
b. Paul had a dog named Princess.
c. Paul invented his new shoe in 1934.
d. Paul spent hours on the open ocean.

2. A sole is on the bottom, and a crust is on the

a. top. c. middle.
b. inside. d. bottom.

3. When you have the power to grip and not slip on something, you have
a. soles. c. traction.
b. grooves. d. a pattern.

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10 A Horse for Legs

When Lis Hartel was twenty-three is all but invisible to the eye. People told
years old, she got sick. She got polio. Lis she couldn’t do dressage anymore.
This disease did something to her legs. They said she needed her legs to guide
Then Lis needed crutches to walk. Lis the horse.
had been an athlete. She competed in
dressage. What did Lis say? Lis said, “Why
can’t my horse be my legs?” Lis would
Dressage is done on a horse. The not give up. She went to the Olympic
horse and rider go through a series of Games. She won a silver medal.
events. The rider cannot talk. The rider Everyone cheered and cheered. No one
must guide the horse by hand and leg had thought it was possible.
movement. The hand and leg movement

Find the Answers

1. Most likely, if you watched dressage, you would

a. have to be at the Olympic Games.
b. hear the rider talking to the horse.
c. not see the rider’s hands or legs moving.
d. only see the horse and rider do one thing.

2. What phrase fits Lis?

a. “Don’t ever give up.” c. “Most things are not possible.”
b. “Do what others say.” d. “Athletes must be able to run.”

3. What kind of medal did Lis win?

a. blue c. bronze
b. gold d. silver

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11 Forest Training

Olympic runners train hard. They have also felt the uneven forest trails made
to get ready long before the Olympic him mentally tough.
Games start. Lasse Viren was from
Finland. He was a runner. He ran long How did running on forest trails make
distances. He won gold medals in the Lasse mentally tough? Lasse could never
1972 and 1976 Olympic Games. relax. He had to be alert. This was
because the ground was uneven. He had
How did Lasse train? He ran his own to watch for roots. He had to watch for
way. He ran all the time, but he didn’t rocks. Sometimes, he had to slow down.
run on tracks. Instead, he liked to run Other times, he could speed up. He
on forest trails. He felt running on the could never stop paying attention.
trails got his legs ready for anything. He

Find the Answers

1. What Olympic Games did Lasse win gold medals in?

a. 1962 and 1964 c. 1972 and 1974
b. 1968 and 1976 d. 1972 and 1976

2. This story is mainly about

a. why the Olympic Games started.
b. how one Olympic runner trained.
c. the even tracks at the Olympic Games.
d. when the Olympic Games were in Finland.

3. If you are alert, you are

a. paying attention. c. looking uneven.
b. staying tough. d. acting relaxed.
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12 The Crow and the Raccoon

Jean Craighead George is a writer. would hop on the counter and open the
She writes a lot of books about animals. bread box. Then he would eat and eat.
One time, she wrote
a book about her Whenever Crowbar would open the
pets. She wrote bread box, Hands would come running.
about her pet crow He would sit on the floor and wait.
and pet raccoon. The crow was named Why would Hands do this? Crowbar
Crowbar, and the raccoon was named was a messy eater. Crowbar
Hands. would drop piece after piece
of bread on the floor. Hands
Crowbar was smart. He learned how would eat piece after piece of
to open the bread box all by himself. He bread that had dropped.

Find the Answers

1. From the story, you can tell that

a. Hands was a messy eater.
b. the bread box was on the floor.
c. Crowbar could shut the bread box.
d. Jean kept her bread box on the counter.

2. This story is mainly about

a. food. c. a writer’s life.
b. two animals. d. books people like to read.

3. The opposite of messy is

a. clean. c. clever.
b. clone. d. closet.

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13 Youngest to the Pole

Jan Mela had an accident when he was was the one who dared him to try for
thirteen years old. He lost an arm and the North Pole. Jan and the other men
a leg. When he was in the hospital, an pulled sleds. They had to pull all their
explorer came to see him. The explorer food and supplies.
said, “Get better. Then dare to try for
the North Pole.” They had to brave a fierce storm. They
walked over forty miles. It took ten days,
Jan got better. He worked out on a but on April 24, 2004, they made it.
special bike and took long walks. Then Jan became the youngest person to walk
he tried for the North Pole. He was to the North Pole.
only fifteen years old. Jan went with
three explorers. One of the explorers

Find the Answers

1. How old was Jan when he reached the North Pole?

a. ten years old c. fifteen years old
b. thirteen years old d. forty years old

2. How many people went to the North Pole in the story?

a. four c. six
b. five d. seven

3. Most likely, the dare made Jan feel

a. as if he would never get better. c. sad that he had lost an arm and a leg.
b. like he could not be an explorer. d. like he could still do brave things.

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14 The Night the House Burned

It was 1814. James Madison was Dolley save? She saved a painting. The
president. He was the fourth president. painting was of George Washington.
His wife was named Dolley. Dolley had Washington was the first president. Dolley
gotten ready to host a dinner. Forty places felt that saving the painting was important.
had been set. The meal was cooking. She felt it was a symbol of the new country.
Then she was told she had to flee. The It stood for freedom.
British army was coming. They were going
to burn down the White House. You can see the painting Dolley saved
today. It is hanging in the White House.
Dolley was in danger. She had to get It was put there after the White House was
away fast. Still, Dolley would not leave rebuilt.
until she had saved something. What did

Find the Answers

1. How many presidents were there after Washington but before Madison?
a. one c. three
b. two d. four

2. Why did Dolley save the painting?

a. She was Washington’s wife.
b. She wanted the British army to burn it.
c. She felt it was a symbol of the new country.
d. She wanted to show it at dinner to forty people.

3. If you flee, you

a. host a dinner. c. burn down something.
b. save a painting. d. leave quickly.

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15 Kicking a Sock

Pele took an old sock. He filled it full called football. Pele kicked whatever
of old newspapers. Then he tied it shut he could find. He kicked his sock filled
with a string. Why did Pele fill the sock with newspaper. He even kicked old
with newspapers? Pele wanted to play grapefruits!
soccer. He was too poor to buy a ball,
so he made his own. Pele kicked with his left leg. He kicked
with his right leg. He hit the ball with his
Pele was born in Brazil on October 23, head. He became famous because he
1940. As a child, Pele earned pennies scored a lot of goals. When he scored
by shining people’s shoes. When he his one thousandth goal, he said it was
wasn’t working, he did what he liked best. for the poor children of Brazil.
He played soccer. In Brazil, soccer is

Find the Answers

1. Pele could score goals with everything but his

a. hand. c. left leg.
b. head. d. right leg.

2. If someone says they want to play football, they

a. must be from Brazil. c. make money shining shoes.
b. are, most likely, poor. d. might want to play soccer.

3. When was Pele born?

a. October 22, 1940 c. November 22, 1940
b. October 23, 1940 d. November 23, 1940

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16 Was She Crazy?

Elizabeth Blackwell would walk home doctors. They thought a woman who
from school. No one would talk to her. wanted to be a doctor was crazy.
People were rude. They stared at her.
They thought she was crazy. Was she Elizabeth would not give up. She was
crazy? polite to people who were rude. She
worked hard. She studied. She took
She was not crazy. Elizabeth was born tests. At last, she became a doctor.
in 1821. She was studying to be a She was the first woman to become a
doctor. At that time, there were no doctor in the United States.
female doctors in the United States.
People did not think women could be

Find the Answers

1. What is not true about Elizabeth Blackwell?

a. She gave up. c. She became a doctor.
b. She was polite. d. She was born in 1821.

2. Most likely, Elizabeth would be pleased that today

a. most doctors do not study. c. only women can be doctors.
b. only men can go to school. d. anyone who works hard can be a doctor.

3. Rude is to polite as
a. work is to hard. c. think is to crazy.
b. first is to last. d. woman is to doctor.

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17 Where Did Farini Go?

The Great Farini was on a tightrope. up to his tightrope. Finally, he finished

He was high above Niagara Falls. his walk over the falls.
When he was halfway, he stopped. He
tied a rope to the tightrope. Then he The Great Farini’s real name was
climbed down the rope. William Hunt. Hunt was born in
1838. Hunt walked over Niagara Falls
Where did the Great Farini go? He many times. One time, he hung from his
went two hundred feet down. He rope with his feet. Another time, he did
stepped onto the deck of a ship. He somersaults on the rope!
had a drink. Then he climbed back up
the rope. He climbed all the way back

Find the Answers

1. What word does not fit the Great Farini?

a. weak c. strong
b. brave d. daring

2. From the story, you can tell that the Great Farini
a. was lucky he had a rope with him.
b. didn’t know if a ship would be there.
c. didn’t want to climb back up the rope.
d. planned what he would be doing ahead of time.

3. What did the Great Farini do on the ship?

a. He took a nap. c. He did a somersault.
b. He had a drink. d. He hung over the side.

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18 A Tiny Jumper

Georgia “Tiny” done that before. In 1914, she went

Broadwick went up in a first again. This time, she made a
hot-air balloon. Then free-fall parachute jump. No one had
she did something. It ever done this before. When you free-
was a first. No woman fall jump, you have to pull a cord to open
had done it before. your chute. It will not open by itself.
She jumped out with a parachute. The
year was 1908. Tiny was only fifteen Where did Tiny’s nickname come from?
years old. It came from her size. She was only four
feet tall. What did Tiny show us? She
Tiny went first again in 1913. She showed us that size has nothing to do
jumped out of a plane. No woman had with bravery.

Find the Answers

1. What year was Tiny the first woman to jump out of a plane?
a. 1908 c. 1914
b. 1913 d. 1915

2. This story is mainly about

a. Tiny’s jumps. c. when Tiny pulled her own cord.
b. how Tiny got her nickname. d. why Tiny went up in a hot-air balloon.

3. What would Tiny agree with?

a. Being big is better. c. Bravery comes in all sizes.
b. Big people are braver. d. You must be big to be brave.

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19 The Horse with Brushed Teeth

George Washington was president. He The dentures did not feel good. They
was the first president of the United hurt George’s mouth. George had more
States. George liked his horse very than one pair of dentures. What were
much. What did George have done for the dentures made of? They were not
his horse? George had his horse’s teeth made of wood. Some had teeth carved
brushed! The horse’s teeth were brushed from elephant tusks. Some had teeth
daily. carved from walrus tusks. Some had
human teeth.
Did George brush his teeth as much?
George had only one tooth left when
he was president. He had to wear
dentures. Dentures are false teeth.

Find the Answers

1. George’s dentures were not made from

a. wood. c. walrus tusks.
b. human teeth. d. elephant tusks.

2. One reason George might have had more than one pair of dentures was because he
a. brushed his teeth daily. c. liked elephant and walrus tusks.
b. was the first president. d. was trying to find a pair that felt good.

3. When something is done daily, it is done

a. one time. c. at least one time each day.
b. three times. d. at least three times each day.

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20 Shark Attack!

“Sprint!” people in the boat yelled at shark was spotted. It was twelve feet
Lynne. “Swim as fast as you can!” long. It had its mouth open to attack,
Lynne is a long-distance swimmer. She and it was going straight for Lynne.
was swimming around the Cape of Good
Hope. The Cape is at the tip of South A man shot it in the fin with a spear
Africa where the Atlantic and Indian gun. The shark bit the spear and pulled
Ocean crash together. it out. The shark swam away, but the
blood from its wound attracted more
The water at the Cape is filled with sharks. When did Lynne find this out?
sharks. A boat was close to Lynne. After she had swum around the Cape
The people in the boat were looking for and sprinted to shore!
sharks. Lynne did not know it, but a

Find the Answers

1. When you are moving very fast and at full speed, you are
a. jogging. c. walking.
b. marching. d. sprinting.

2. What two oceans crash together at the Cape of Good Hope?

a. Indian and Pacific c. Indian and Atlantic
b. Atlantic and Arctic d. Atlantic and Pacific

3. How do you think Lynne felt after she found out about the sharks?
a. lucky c. sleepy
b. angry d. unhappy

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21 A True Tall Tale

Jim Bridger was born in 1804. He They all thought it was just another tall
was a mountain man. He was known tale.
for how much he knew about the West.
He was known for his mapmaking skills. Was it a tall tale? Bridger had explored
He was also known for his telling of tall Yellowstone Park. He had seen hot
tales. Bridger liked to tell stories. He springs. He had seen geysers. Geysers
liked stories with endings that surprised shoot boiling water into the air. Bridger
people. had seen water that was hot enough
to cook fish in. Before, no one but the
One time, Bridger told stories about a American Indians had seen such things.
river. He said the river was hot enough
to cook fish in. No one believed Bridger.

Find the Answers

1. Most likely, more people would have believed Bridger if they, too,
a. had seen geysers. c. had explored mountains.
b. had told tall tales. d. had cooked fish in water.

2. A tall tale is a story that

a. is very long. c. most likely isn’t all true.
b. has to be true. d. must be told by Jim Bridger.

3. Jim Bridger was known for what he knew about the

a. East. c. South.
b. West. d. North.

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22 Spelling with Fingers

Helen Keller was born in 1880. When Annie would put her fingers in Helen’s
she was less than two years old, she got hands. What was Annie doing?
very sick. She became blind and deaf.
She could not see. She could not hear. Annie was spelling out words. She was
Helen did not know how to behave. She making letters with her fingers. One
would grab food. She would hit people. time, Annie spelled out w-a-t-e-r. She
She would have fits on the floor. put Helen’s hands in water at the same
time. At last, Helen learned that the
Annie Sullivan came to teach Helen. finger signs meant words.
Annie did not allow Helen to grab food.
She did not let Helen get her way by
hitting or having fits. Over and over,

Find the Answers

1. Annie taught Helen how to

a. grab food. c. get her way by hitting.
b. spell out words. d. get her way by having fits.

2. From the story, you can tell that after Helen was sick, she could still
a. feel. c. talk.
b. hear. d. listen.

3. Most likely, babies learn to talk when they

a. never hear a word. c. hear a word just once.
b. learn to spell a word. d. hear words over and over.

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23 Egg Danger!

Bill Peet was an artist. He drew from rafters. They swung, leaped, and
pictures for movies. He drew mice, dropped onto a huge mountain of hay
elephants, and other animals. He also that filled the hayloft.
wrote books. He drew all the pictures in
his books. There was only one danger. Sometimes
hens would lay eggs in the hay. Some of
Bill was born and raised in Indiana. the eggs were very old. They had never
When he was a boy, he and his brothers hatched. If Bill or one of his brothers
went to his grandfather’s farm. There landed on an old
was a huge, old barn. It had a hayloft. egg, it was a real
Bill and his brothers swung off of ropes, mess! The smell
leaped off of crossbeams, and dropped was horrible!

Find the Answers

1. Bill was born and raised in

a. Idaho. c. Indiana.
b. Montana. d. Missouri.

2. From the story, you can tell that Bill’s grandfather had what kind of animals on
the farm?
a. mice c. elephants
b. chickens d. hippopotamuses

3. When a living thing comes out of an egg, we say it has

a. landed. c. dropped.
b. smelled. d. hatched.

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24 The Right Place

Margaret Bourke-White was up had to climb. She had to fly. She had
high. She was perched on a building. to put herself in danger.
The ground was far below. It was
eight hundred feet below. What was One time, Margaret was on a ship. The
Margaret doing? She was taking a ship was hit by a torpedo. It began to
photograph. sink. Margaret had to get in a lifeboat.
Some soldiers were in the lifeboat, too.
Margaret was born in 1904. Her The lifeboat filled with water. People
pictures are famous. Someone said she had to act fast. They had to bail out the
was always in the right place at the right water. What did they use? The soldiers
time. Being in the right place is not used their helmets.
easy. Margaret had to try hard. She

Find the Answers

1. If you bail water out of a boat, you

a. dip it out. c. climb in.
b. act fast. d. are famous.

2. From the story, you can tell that Margaret

a. wanted to be famous. c. did not care about the right time.
b. worked hard for her pictures. d. found it easy to be in the right place.

3. This story is mainly about

a. sinking ships.
b. photographs of buildings.
c. a person who took photographs.
d. the people who were in famous photographs.

/3
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25 More Than Twenty Million Steps

Dave Kunst walked around the world. One time, Dave was shot at by bandits.
He was the first person to circle the land Another time, Dave was going across
mass of Earth on foot. His trip took a desert. Flies kept swarming over his
him across four continents. It took him nose, mouth, and eyes. The flies were
through thirteen countries. Dave walked thirsty. They were trying to get moisture.
for four years, three months, and sixteen
days. He wore out twenty-one pairs ofAnother time, Dave wanted to eat in a
restaurant. The owner had Dave bring
shoes. He took more than twenty million
steps. a mule into the restaurant! The people
eating laughed and laughed. They liked
Dave had many adventures. Some were being surprised by the mule.
fun. Others were filled with danger.

Find the Answers

1. Another title for this story might be

a. “Flying in the Desert.” c. “Walking Around the World.”
b. “Eating in Restaurants.” d. “All the World’s Continents.”

2. In the story, the number twenty-one was for the number of

a. steps Dave took. c. countries Dave went through.
b. years Dave’s trip took. d. pairs of shoes Dave wore out.

3. Most likely, when Dave got to a coast, he

a. ended his trip. c. tried to get moisture.
b. flew across an ocean. d. looked for restaurants.

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26 What the Scale Said

Mary McLeod Bethune was born in paper at the school. There were only a
1875. Mary’s family grew cotton. few desks and books. Still, Mary studied
Mary’s father would take the cotton to hard.
the market. A buyer would weigh it.
Mary’s father did not know what the Mary went with her father the next time
scale said. He did not know how to read he sold cotton. The cotton buyer said,
because he had been a slave. He could “You have 280 pounds.” Mary looked
not tell if he was being cheated. at the scale. She said, “Isn’t it 480
pounds?” Mary had read the scale
Mary went to school. She had to walk correctly! She had stopped her father
every day. The school was five miles from being cheated.
away. There weren’t any pencils or

Find the Answers

1. How far did Mary walk to school and back home every day?
a. five miles c. fifteen miles
b. ten miles d. twenty miles

2. From the story, you can tell that reading

a. makes you cheat. c. will help you pick cotton.
b. is done only at school. d. can help you keep what is yours.

3. Scale is to weight as
a. clock is to tick. c. clock is to time.
b. clock is to hand. d. clock is to face.

/3
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27 Across Antarctica

The Guinness Book of World Records No one had ever crossed the continent
has called Ranulph Fiennes the “World’s before without help.
greatest living explorer.” This is because
he has led over thirty journeys. This It was very cold. At times, it was
includes trips to the North and South 100°F below zero! The winds were too
Poles. It also includes a famous trip to strong. Fiennes and the other man could
Antarctica. not finish the trip. They had to quit
because they did not have enough food.
Fiennes went to Antarctica with one They walked a total of 1,350 miles.
other man. They pulled sleds by
themselves. They did not use dogs.

Find the Answers

1. Most likely, Fiennes’s sled was heavier at the start because it had
a. food on it. c. a stove on it.
b. a tent on it. d. a sleeping bag on it.

2. In the story, how many people are trying to cross Antarctica?

a. only Fiennes c. Fiennes and two more
b. Fiennes and one more d. Fiennes and three more

3. From the story, you can tell that no one had crossed the continent before
a. using sleds. c. when it was very cold.
b. with enough food. d. without outside help.

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28 The Lady Who Watched

How do hens lay eggs? Jane Goodall watching. This time she wasn’t in a tiny
was a little girl, but she wanted to know. henhouse. She was in Africa! She was
Jane went into a tiny henhouse. She watching chimpanzees.
waited and watched. No one knew
where Jane was. Everyone was looking Jane had to be very patient. At first,
for her. Jane’s mother even called the the chimps were afraid of her. They
police. would run away. Jane never gave up.
After a long time, the chimps stopped
How long did Jane watch and wait? noticing her. Jane watched how chimp
She didn’t come out of the henhouse until families got along. She learned how they
five hours had passed! When Jane find food, eat, and raise their babies.
grew up, she did a lot more waiting and

Find the Answers

1. From the story, you can tell that Jane

a. cannot sit still. c. wants things right away.
b. doesn’t give up easily. d. is afraid of small spaces.

2. If you are patient,

a. you can wait calmly. c. you stop noticing families.
b. you learn how to find food. d. the police will look for you.

3. How long was Jane in the tiny henhouse?

a. five days c. five hours
b. five years d. five minutes

/3
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 Fascinating People

Name_ ______________________________________________
Warm-Up

29 A Sled to Laugh At

Two brothers made a sled. Their names farther down the slope on their sled than
were Orville and Wilbur Wright. The any other sled had ever gone!
brothers’ sled didn’t look like other
children’s sleds. It was long and narrow. The Wright brothers had thought before
they built their sled. They thought about
Orville and Wilbur took their sled to a wind resistance. They built their sled so
sledding hill. All the children laughed at the wind didn’t slow them down. The
Orville and Wilbur’s sled. They thought Wright brothers went on to build and fly
the sled wouldn’t hold anyone. The the first plane.
children had a race. Who won? Orville
and Wilbur left the others far behind
them! Not only that but they went

Find the Answers

1. Most likely, the other children’s sleds were

a. longer and bigger. c. shorter and wider.
b. thinner and newer. d. longer and thinner.

2. From the story, you can tell that the Wright brothers
a. planned before they built. c. didn’t want to be laughed at.
b. started building right away. d. cared mostly about how things looked.

3. Racecars are built low and narrow. Most likely, this is so there is
a. more wind resistance. c. more room for the driver.
b. less wind resistance. d. less room for the driver.

/3
©Teacher Created Resources 165 #5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading
 Fascinating People

Name_ ______________________________________________
Warm-Up

30 A Clown in Danger

Most people think a dangerous sport. The bull can trample

clown’s job is to be silly the riders or gore them with its horns.
and make people laugh. The job of the rodeo clown is to give the
Robin Sindorf was a rider time to get away. The rodeo clown
clown. She would dress does this by making the bull go after him
in silly clothes, but she wasn’t silly. She or her!
put herself in danger. She did this to
save lives. After Robin would get the bull to chase
her, she would jump into a barrel. She
Robin was a rodeo clown. Riding a would hold onto straps. She would be
bull is part of a rodeo. Cowboys try to tossed high into the air by angry bulls!
stay on a bull for eight seconds. It is a

Find the Answers

1. How long do cowboys try to stay on a bull?

a. six seconds c. eight seconds
b. six minutes d. eight minutes

2. What is Robin’s main job?

a. jump into a barrel c. get tossed high into the air
b. get trampled on by the bull d. give the rider time to get away

3. Most likely, Robin holds onto the straps so she

a. can stay on the bull. c. gets gored by the bull’s horns.
b. doesn’t fall out of the barrel. d. can dress in silly clothes and laugh.

/3
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©Teacher Created Resources 167 #5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading
#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 168 ©Teacher Created Resources
 Answer Key
Interesting Places and Events Page 19 The Smallest and the Page 29 Floating Islands
Page 9 The Big Wave Largest 1. c
1. d 1. d 2. b
2. c 2. c 3. a
3. b 3. b Page 30 A Long Walk on a
Page 10 A Very Strange Page 20 The Middle Long Wall
Meeting 1. a 1. b
1. d 2. b 2. c
2. b 3. c 3. d
3. a Page 21 Can Climb, Can’t Page 31 Four, Five, or Seven
Page 11 The Biggest Country Climb Seasons?
1. b 1. b 1. b
2. a 2. d 2. c
3. d 3. a 3. a
Page 12 From Not Real to Page 22 Hot-Water Monkeys Page 32 The Falls Few People
Real 1. c See
1. b 2. a 1. b
2. d 3. d 2. c
3. a Page 23 Emergency Number 3. d
Page 13 Four Corners 1. a Page 33 A Hotel That Melts
1. d 2. b 1. a
2. a 3. c 2. d
3. c Page 24 A Hole First 3. c
Page 14 Raining Frogs 1. d Page 34 Riddles from the
2. c Philippines
1. d
3. b 1. a
2. b
Page 25 Why Long and Dark? 2. c
3. a
1. d 3. d
Page 15 Wide and Narrow
Streets 2. c Page 35 Into the Death Zone
1. a 3. b 1. a
2. d Page 26 The Biggest Coins 2. b
3. c 1. b 3. c
Page 16 A Foot in Each 2. a Page 36 Underground Cities
Country 3. c 1. c
1. c Page 27 The World’s Smallest 2. a
2. a Park 3. b
3. b 1. d Page 37 Okay Spitting
Page 17 A Question About 2. b 1. c
Roofs 3. a 2. d
1. b Page 28 How Cattle Know 3. a
2. c Where to Go Page 38 Under-the-Water
3. a 1. c Mail
Page 18 School of the Air 2. a 1. b
1. a 3. d 2. a
2. d 3. d
3. b

©Teacher Created Resources 169 #5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading

 Answer Key (cont.)

Scientifically Speaking Page 51 A Plant Like Page 62 A Pretzel Bone Knot

Page 41 No Teeth Flypaper 1. c
1. a 1. b 2. d
2. b 2. a 3. a
3. c 3. d Page 63 The Largest Land
Page 42 Where a Day Is Not Page 52 Flying with Hands Animal
Twenty-Four Hours 1. a 1. a
1. d 2. c 2. c
2. b 3. b 3. b
3. a Page 53 A Lucky Accident Page 64 Icebergs with Stripes
Page 43 The Smaller Lung 1. b 1. b
1. a 2. d 2. d
2. c 3. c 3. a
3. b Page 54 All About the Growl Page 65 Breaking the Sound
Page 44 All Because of Melted 1. d Barrier
Chocolate 2. a 1. d
1. b 3. b 2. a
2. d Page 55 You Had to Look Up 3. b
3. c 1. d Page 66 Skin-Deep Stripes
Page 45 Caribou Fog 2. c 1. b
1. d 3. a 2. d
2. c Page 56 First in Space 3. c
3. b 1. b Page 67 Tricky Shampoo
Page 46 All About Giraffes 2. c 1. c
1. a 3. d 2. d
2. b Page 57 A Giant 3. b
3. c 1. c Page 68 Walking on Eggs
Page 47 Fake Eyes 2. d 1. a
1. c 3. a 2. c
2. d Page 58 A Message You Won’t 3. d
3. b Hear Page 69 The Caterpillar Has
Page 48 Koalas 1. b More
1. a 2. a 1. b
2. d 3. c 2. c
3. c Page 59 Squirting Blood 3. d
Page 49 Jupiter Fun Facts 1. c Page 70 No Nest
1. d 2. a 1. d
2. b 3. d 2. a
3. c Page 60 Vulture Fun Facts 3. b
Page 50 The Big and Small of 1. b From the Past
Fox Ears 2. d Page 73 A House Key You
1. d 3. a Couldn’t Lose
2. c Page 61 Drinking Boiling 1. d
3. a Water 2. a
1. b 3. c
2. a
3. d
#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 170 ©Teacher Created Resources
 Answer Key (cont.)
Page 74 What Was Wanted Page 85 Signaling Towers Page 95 The Army Under the
1. a 1. c Ground
2. c 2. d 1. c
3. d 3. a 2. b
Page 75 The Teddy Bear Page 86 Water Warning 3. a
1. c 1. a Page 96 The Rule About Red
2. b 2. b 1. a
3. a 3. d 2. d
Page 76 An Old Food Page 87 White House Firsts 3. b
1. b 1. c Page 97 A Living Fossil
2. a 2. b 1. d
3. d 3. d 2. a
Page 77 How a Pot Kept Page 88 Poison 3. c
Trials Short 1. d Page 98 Rich on Water
1. d 2. b 1. a
2. c 3. a 2. b
3. b Page 89 Why the Player 3. c
Page 78 Salt and Pay Climbed a Ladder Page 99 No Elbows!
1. b 1. d 1. c
2. c 2. b 2. d
3. d 3. c 3. a
Page 79 Sliced Bread Page 90 Why the Horse Page 100 Traveling in
1. c Couldn’t Graze Colonial America
2. a 1. b 1. a
3. d 2. d 2. b
Page 80 What the Plow Hit 3. c 3. c
1. a Page 91 Cobwebs and Soldiers Page 101 The Elephant on the
2. d 1. c Bridge
3. b 2. b 1. d
Page 81 The Trick Vase 3. a 2. c
1. c Page 92 One-Room Schools 3. b
2. b 1. a Page 102 Poodle Haircut
3. a 2. c 1. b
Page 82 Mice and Muscles 3. d 2. d
1. b Page 93 Cheering Up Archie 3. a
2. c 1. d Did You Know?
3. a 2. b Page 105 A Googol
Page 83 The Captain Who 3. a 1. b
Waited Page 94 Did Hancock Invent a 2. d
1. d Pickle? 3. a
2. c 1. a Page 106 Funny Laws
3. b 2. b 1. b
Page 84 Singing Sands 3. c 2. a
1. a 3. d
2. b
3. c

©Teacher Created Resources 171 #5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading

 Answer Key (cont.)
Page 107 A Boat That Is Alive Page 118 An Apple Catch Page 128 A Spider You Can
1. a 1. b Hear
2. c 2. d 1. b
3. b 3. c 2. a
Page 108 Eating Skin Page 119 Solid Spit 3. d
1. b 1. d Page 129 A Famous April
2. d 2. a Fool’s Joke
3. c 3. c 1. c
Page 109 Avalanche Dog Page 120 A Great Lakes 2. b
1. c Memory Trick 3. d
2. a 1. d Page 130 A Bank with No
3. d 2. a Money
Page 110 The Bone That 3. b 1. a
Stands Alone Page 121 All About Flags 2. c
1. c 1. c 3. b
2. d 2. a Page 131 A New X-Sport
3. b 3. b 1. d
Page 111 Guard Llamas Page 122 Forwards and 2. a
1. a Backwards 3. c
2. b 1. c Page 132 Wolf Facts
3. c 2. d 1. c
Page 112 UFO Sighting! 3. a 2. d
1. d Page 123 A Cupboard That Is 3. b
2. b Alive Page 133 A Race That Melts
3. a 1. c Shoes
Page 113 The Bull Sees Red 2. a 1. d
1. c 3. d 2. c
2. b Page 124 Quicksand! 3. a
3. a 1. d Page 134 Why Water Stays
Page 114 Submarine Sleep 2. c Out
1. b 3. b 1. a
2. c Page 125 Cowboy Boots 2. d
3. d 1. b 3. c
Page 115 Who Is Fighting? 2. a Fascinating People
1. d 3. c Page 137 Climbing Blind
2. b Page 126 A Pan and an 1. c
3. c Invention 2. a
Page 116 The First Birthday 1. b 3. d
1. a 2. d Page 138 Trapped
2. b 3. c 1. a
3. d Page 127 When Seconds 2. c
Page 117 How the Moose Count 3. b
Crossed the Road 1. d Page 139 What the Cat Led To
1. d 2. c 1. c
2. c 3. a 2. d
3. b 3. a

#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 172 ©Teacher Created Resources

 Answer Key (cont.)
Page 140 Ride on a Whale Page 150 The Night the House Page 160 The Right Place
Shark Burned 1. a
1. b 1. b 2. b
2. c 2. c 3. c
3. a 3. d Page 161 More Than Twenty
Page 141 Free in Space Page 151 Kicking a Sock Million Steps
1. c 1. a 1. c
2. b 2. d 2. d
3. d 3. b 3. b
Page 142 Into a Cave Page 152 Was She Crazy? Page 162 What the Scale Said
1. c 1. a 1. b
2. b 2. d 2. d
3. d 3. b 3. c
Page 143 How the Band-Aid® Page 153 Where Did Farini Page 163 Across Antarctica
Came About Go? 1. a
1. a 1. a 2. b
2. d 2. d 3. d
3. c 3. b Page 164 The Lady Who
Page 144 Favorite Field Camp Page 154 A Tiny Jumper Watched
1. c 1. b 1. b
2. a 2. a 2. a
3. b 3. c 3. c
Page 145 The Dog and Shoes Page 155 The Horse with Page 165 A Sled to Laugh At
That Didn’t Slip Brushed Teeth 1. c
1. d 1. a 2. a
2. a 2. d 3. b
3. c 3. c Page 166 A Clown in Danger
Page 146 A Horse for Legs Page 156 Shark Attack! 1. c
1. c 1. d 2. d
2. a 2. c 3. b
3. d 3. a
Page 147 Forest Training Page 157 A True Tall Tale
1. d 1. a
2. b 2. c
3. a 3. b
Page 148 The Crow and the Page 158 Spelling with
Raccoon Fingers
1. d 1. b
2. b 2. a
3. a 3. d
Page 149 Youngest to the Pole Page 159 Egg Danger!
1. c 1. c
2. a 2. b
3. d 3. d

©Teacher Created Resources 173 #5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading

 Leveling Chart
Page # Flesch-Kincaid Page # Flesch-Kincaid Page # Flesch-Kincaid
Grade Level Grade Level Grade Level
Interesting Places and Events Scientifically Speaking (cont.) Did You Know? (cont.)
9 2.0 62 2.0 116 2.3
10 2.4 63 2.8 117 2.3
11 2.3 64 2.5 118 2.2
12 2.8 65 2.0 119 2.8
13 2.0 66 2.1 120 2.4
14 2.6 67 2.7 121 2.7
15 2.8 68 2.5 122 2.5
16 2.6 69 2.7 123 2.1
17 2.1 70 2.4 124 2.1
18 2.1 From the Past 125 2.3
19 2.8 73 2.9 126 2.7
20 2.5 74 2.9 127 3.4*
21 2.0 75 2.3 128 2.5
22 2.9 76 2.1 129 2.8
23 2.4 77 2.1 130 2.1
24 2.2 78 2.6 131 2.3
25 2.4 79 2.6 132 2.1
26 2.1 80 2.9 133 2.4
27 2.8 81 2.1 134 2.5
28 2.1 82 2.0 Fascinating People
29 2.2 83 2.2 137 2.1
30 2.0 84 2.5 138 2.7
31 2.3 85 2.8 139 2.5
32 2.8 86 2.8 140 2.1
33 2.7 87 2.9 141 2.4
34 2.0 88 2.9 142 2.1
35 2.8 89 2.6 143 2.7
36 2.7 90 2.7 144 2.9
37 2.1 91 2.8 145 2.5
38 2.8 92 2.0 146 2.4
Scientifically Speaking 93 2.9 147 2.8
41 2.3 94 2.9 148 2.0
42 2.2 95 2.8 149 2.0
43 2.5 96 2.1 150 2.7
44 2.9 97 2.1 151 2.2
45 2.8 98 2.4 152 2.7
46 2.9 99 2.1 153 2.6
47 2.8 100 2.4 154 2.6
48 2.4 101 2.2 155 2.1
49 2.7 102 2.3 156 2.1
50 2.0 Did You Know? 157 2.9
51 2.9 105 2.6 158 2.3
52 2.2 106 2.1 159 2.1
53 2.8 107 2.4 160 2.9
54 2.4 108 2.2 161 2.5
55 2.7 109 2.5 162 2.9
56 2.0 110 2.2 163 2.1
57 2.3 111 2.6 164 2.0
58 2.8 112 3.0 165 2.2
59 2.3 113 2.1 166 2.8
60 2.8 114 2.3
61 2.7 115 2.1

#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 174 ©Teacher Created Resources

 Tracking Sheet
Interesting Scientifically Fascinating
From the Past Did You Know?
Places and Events Speaking People
Page 9 Page 41 Page 73 Page 105 Page 137
Page 10 Page 42 Page 74 Page 106 Page 138
Page 11 Page 43 Page 75 Page 107 Page 139
Page 12 Page 44 Page 76 Page 108 Page 140
Page 13 Page 45 Page 77 Page 109 Page 141
Page 14 Page 46 Page 78 Page 110 Page 142
Page 15 Page 47 Page 79 Page 111 Page 143
Page 16 Page 48 Page 80 Page 112 Page 144
Page 17 Page 49 Page 81 Page 113 Page 145
Page 18 Page 50 Page 82 Page 114 Page 146
Page 19 Page 51 Page 83 Page 115 Page 147
Page 20 Page 52 Page 84 Page 116 Page 148
Page 21 Page 53 Page 85 Page 117 Page 149
Page 22 Page 54 Page 86 Page 118 Page 150
Page 23 Page 55 Page 87 Page 119 Page 151
Page 24 Page 56 Page 88 Page 120 Page 152
Page 25 Page 57 Page 89 Page 121 Page 153
Page 26 Page 58 Page 90 Page 122 Page 154
Page 27 Page 59 Page 91 Page 123 Page 155
Page 28 Page 60 Page 92 Page 124 Page 156
Page 29 Page 61 Page 93 Page 125 Page 157
Page 30 Page 62 Page 94 Page 126 Page 158
Page 31 Page 63 Page 95 Page 127 Page 159
Page 32 Page 64 Page 96 Page 128 Page 160
Page 33 Page 65 Page 97 Page 129 Page 161
Page 34 Page 66 Page 98 Page 130 Page 162
Page 35 Page 67 Page 99 Page 131 Page 163
Page 36 Page 68 Page 100 Page 132 Page 164
Page 37 Page 69 Page 101 Page 133 Page 165
Page 38 Page 70 Page 102 Page 134 Page 166

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#5032 Daily Warm-Ups: Nonfiction Reading 176 ©Teacher Created Resources