2019 STAAR Grade 4 Reading

He tries to be very careful when he arrives at school on Friday.

He invites his friends to sit next to him on the bus ride to school.

He tells the principal what happened in Mr. Gregg’s class.

He hasn’t been to the principal’s office this week.

the bus driver is being unfair

the principal will tell Christopher’s mother that he can’t go to the picnic

his actions are amusing

he can stay out of trouble long enough to be allowed to go to the picnic

is hoping the principal is absent again

has been sent to the principal’s office often

expects the principal to allow him to attend the picnic

is willing to explain to the principal what really happened

Christopher tells his friends Timothy and Rashid that he doesn’t think he can go the whole day without getting into trouble.

Christopher compares how he is feeling to how the bus chugs up the hill.

Christopher has a problem that he shares with his friends Timothy and Rashid.

Christopher is too loud on the school bus and gets in trouble with the driver.

He has to work hard to take care of borrowed materials.

He doesn’t take responsibility for his actions.

He likes to joke around with his friends.

He depends on his friends to get him out of difficult situations.

Demanding jobs

Difficult decisions

Confusing messages

Unlucky events

Long ago, people played games that are similar to marble games played today. (paragraph 2)

Different types of marbles have been found in places all around the world. (paragraph 2)

They were beautiful, and each one was unique. (paragraph 4)

Others had swirls of one color or many different colors. (paragraph 4)

fun of it

very seriously

This competition

Each year

difficult to find

made by children

much smaller in size than marbles are today

created from a variety of available materials

inventions lowered the cost of marbles

glassmakers figured out how to cut marbles easily

glass is melted in order to make a marble

the shape of marbles has improved over time

No one really knows where and exactly when they were invented. (paragraph 2)

Now, more people could buy them. (paragraph 5)

Marbles are placed inside a circle that is drawn on the ground. (paragraph 9)

Players may lose some of their favorite marbles. (paragraph 10)

The introductory paragraph

The section titled “Marbles through Time”

The caption under the first photograph

The section titled “Marble Games”

It makes Dad proud of Max.

It causes Max to become tired and grumpy.

It leads Max to a surprise discovery.

It proves to Grandpa that Max is a good helper.

amazed that Max found it when he could not

pleased to see things that were once meaningful to him

upset that Max is no longer helping Grandpa plant a tree

concerned about what Max will think when he sees what is in the can

First-person from Max’s perspective

First-person from Dad’s perspective

Third-person from the perspective of Max’s grandfather

Third-person from the perspective of an unknown observer

expects to discover a special surprise

is struggling with a difficult job

dislikes spending time outdoors

is determined to help plant trees

a person who sends

an object that is sent

the sending of something again

the method used to send things

The bottle experiment quickly spread to other schools.

People around the world were encouraged to find pen pals.

Students tried to send messages in bottles to their classmates.

Two people living in different parts of the world became friends.

persuade the reader to try sending a message in a bottle

tell the reader how to start a floating bottle experiment at school

describe some examples of messages sent in bottles and tell what happened to them

explain some of the challenges of trying to communicate with people who live across the ocean

rewards people have received for returning bottles that were found

what keeps bottles with messages in them from sinking in the ocean

bottles that have drifted in the sea and then been found

what people write on the notes that are placed inside bottles

People enjoy the experience of finding hidden objects or messages.

It is important to follow instructions that are included with messages.

People can become friends with someone whom they have never met.

It is common to find objects that have been left in secret places.

A time capsule is opened by the person who made it, while a message in a bottle is opened by a stranger.

A time capsule stays in the same place, while a message in a bottle travels to a new place.

A time capsule is hidden for a long time, while a message in a bottle is found quickly.

A time capsule is for everyone to share, while a message in a bottle is intended for a specific person.

It is a glass bottle, and inside is a rolled-up piece of paper. This message in a bottle may have traveled halfway around the world before landing on this beach.

They do so for different reasons. Most often it is simply for fun.

Occasionally someone tries to use a message in a bottle to contact a particular person. In 1914 a British soldier fighting in World War I wrote a letter to his wife.

The fisherman delivered the letter to the soldier’s daughter, who was an adult by then. She was thrilled to receive the letter and learn more about her father.

It was made in the 1980s.

It was covered by water.

It was found by accident.

It held many items.

sound

taste

smell

touch

Only the second and fourth lines rhyme.

Only the first and third lines rhyme.

The first and third lines rhyme, and the second and fourth lines rhyme.

The first and second lines rhyme, and the third and fourth lines rhyme.

It describes how Grandma’s visit makes every day exciting.

It explains why Grandma does not visit the speaker very often.

It describes the activities Grandma has planned for her visit.

It shows the speaker’s surprise that Grandma has come to visit.

Each stanza introduces a new reason that Grandma comes to visit.

Each stanza offers interesting facts about the history of the speaker’s family.

Each stanza highlights the reasons the speaker enjoys Grandma’s visits.

Each stanza describes delicious foods that Grandma prepares.

All the lines have the same number of words.

Most of the lines have the same meter.

Each stanza introduces a new character.

Each stanza solves a different problem.

would like Grandma to stay longer

shares many secrets with Grandma

is curious why Grandma has to leave

knows when Grandma will visit again

Definition 1

Definition 2

Definition 3

Definition 4

Acorn weevils are the first insects to live in acorns.

Acorn weevil larvae eat the inside of the acorn.

Acorn weevils can use their snouts to drill holes in acorns.

Acorn weevil larvae are inside an acorn when it falls from the tree.

are similar to many other types of nuts that people eat

must be properly prepared before humans can eat them

are becoming rare because many animals use them

can cause serious damage when they fall off trees

Acorns are nuts which drop from oak trees in the fall. People have found ways to prepare and eat acorns for many years. Some animals, including several types of insects, use acorns for food and even for shelter.

Acorns usually drop from trees before colored leaves do. They hit everything beneath them and are often gathered by squirrels. At certain points in history, they were also gathered, prepared, and eaten by people.

The ancient Romans, Native Americans, and Pilgrims all ate acorns. Some animals also use acorns in interesting ways. However, the Native Americans were the only ones who thought of using acorns for medicine.

Native Americans used to prepare baskets of acorns. Animals such as the acorn woodpecker may hide many acorns in dead trees or telephone poles. The acorn weevil and the acorn moth lay their eggs in or near an acorn.

They finish eating all the nut meat inside of the acorn.

An adult acorn weevil drills a new hole in the acorn.

The acorn drops from the oak tree to the ground below.

The weather becomes so warm that no acorn shelter is needed.

uses acorns to attract the insects it likes to eat

will lay its eggs inside the acorn-filled tree

prefers sweet-tasting acorns to bitter ones

is creating storage for many acorns