Writing - Narrative
Both Isla and Kira wanted to learn about or do something new. Think about a time when you wanted to do something new. Write the introductory, or beginning, paragraph to a story that tells about a time you wanted to learn about or do something new. Remember the characteristics of narrative writing as you write.
Use Little House on the Prairie to answer questions 1-5.
Which sentence from the story contains descriptions that appeal most to the reader's sense of touch?
Use By the Shore of Silver Lake to answer questions 6-10.
Which word is an antonym of terribly in paragraph 5?
Vocabulary
Directions: For numbers 11-15, choose the word that has about the same meaning as the underlined word.
The team played horribly after their best player was injured.
Word Study
Directions: Look at the suffixes in each item. Then choose the meaning that best describes each word.
muddy
Reading Comprehension
Directions: Read the selections. Then answer each question.
1) Isla lived on a farm in Scotland in the 1600s and was the youngest person in her family. Since Isla was so young, she wasn't allowed to do anything important.
2) Isla found her mother and asked her, "May I help you make the bread?"
3) Her mother said, "Not yet, Isla, you're too little."
4) Isla found her father and asked, "Father, may I help you?"
5) Her father smiled and said, "When you get a little older, you can help."
6) Isla asked her sister if she could help feed the sheep. Her sister laughed and said, "You're too little."
7) Isla was walking back to the house when she heard a cry. She found an escaped lamb behind a bush, so she took a long flower and held it out to the lamb, and it came closer. The lamb followed Isla and the flower back to the house.
8) "Good job, Isla," her mother said. "How about tomorrow you help me mix bread dough?"
1) Kira and her father lived in a small Scottish village by the sea. One day, she asked her father about an island that she could see from the shore.
2) "It's called Staffa," he explained. "That's where Fingal's Cave is."
3) Kira asked her father to take her there. The next morning, they took a small boat to Staffa.
4) When they rowed into the cave, it was dark and cool with high ceilings. Kira noticed rocks that looked like tall columns.
5) "Wow!' exclaimed Kira. Her voice echoed throughout the cave. Fingal's Cave sounds like it's singing back to us. We should call this cave Uanh-Binn, the 'Cave of Melody!"'
Compare and contrast the setting of both selections. Write a paragraph in which you describe how the settings of the two selections are alike and different.
Directions: Read the selection and answer the question.
The Top of the World
Matthew Henson moved slowly through the thick white snow. He felt the bitter cold with each step. The rest of his crew had fallen behind. Even though he was leading the way to the North Pole, he felt alone. Henson shivered, pulling his hood tighter around his face. He thought about what had led him here. He had worked on a ship as a cabin boy, where he had learned to read and write. Years later, he met Robert Peary, a famous explorer. Peary asked Henson to join him on his adventures. Over the years, Henson and Peary had traveled all over the north. Henson had learned other languages. He had become a talented dogsled driver, or musher. Peary wanted to reach the North Pole, and he could only do it with Henson’s help. They had packed a ship with food, signed up crew members, and set sail for the top of the world. Now, Henson stood alone in the freezing cold. He looked all around him. He saw nothing but white snow and blue sky. After checking his map, he realized he had gone too far. He had walked past the North Pole. He turned around and followed his footsteps back. He checked the map again. At last, he found what he believed to be the right spot and planted the American flag. He was tired and cold, but he was also very excited. This is a great moment for both scientists and explorers, he thought, and he sat down to wait for the crew. A little while later, Peary appeared. “I think I’m the first man to sit on top of the world,” Henson told him.
How did Matthew Henson’s experiences in life help him become part of finding the North Pole?
Which sentence states the main theme of the story?
Read the story events below.
Events from the story
1. Pa is plowing the field when he notices a prairie fire.
2. ?
3. Pa and Ma begin filling the trench with water and setting small fires on the other side of the line.
4. The family saves their home.
Which of the following events completes the missing #2?
In paragraph 15, the word horribly means that animals were crying -
Pa's interaction with Ma shows that they -
In paragraph 10, why is Carrie upset with Laura?
How is paragraph 19 important to the story's plot?
Read these sentences from paragraph 19.
She looked up at Laura with big eyes as blue as violets. Her hands were full of violets. She held them up to Laura and said, "Sweet! Sweet!"
These sentences help the reader know that Grace -
Read the dictionary entry for the word disturb.
disturb \ di-'starb\ verb
1. to interfere with
2. to change the position or arrangement
3. upset, worry
4. to make confused or disordered
Which meaning best matches the way the word disturbed is used in paragraph 20?
The fire was furious when the firefighters arrived.
He insisted that he would carry his own backpack.
The audience thought the movie ended terribly.
Which word is a synonym for disturbed in the sentence below?
Nothing in the backyard was disturbed during the storm.
happiness
careful
sunny
The meaning of the word hopeful is -
What is the main theme of "Isla on the Farm"?
Isla and Kira would most likely agree that -
In both selections, the reader can conclude that the main character -
What is the main topic of the selection?
Which of these is a topic of the selection?
What does Robert Peary need to make his trip to the North Pole successful?
Which statement describes a main theme of the selection?