Reading Gains Form 3, sections 1 & 2 - fourth quarter of the year for ELD I (12/3/2025)

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

Jackson looked between the bars. A small, orange kitten looked back at him. It had big, gold eyes and was shaking. “Poor thing,” Jackson murmured to it, wishing he could get it out. He looked around the pet store and spotted his mother. She was watching the hamsters run in their wheels. He called her over. She looked between the bars. Jackson explained that he just wanted to hold the kitten so that it would stop shaking. She opened the door. Carefully, she pulled the kitten out and handed it to Jackson. It immediately stopped shaking.

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

Ansel Adams was a photographer. He took many famous pictures. They are beautiful and inspiring. He took pictures of nature scenes. Adams spent many years photographing the wilderness. He worked mostly in the western United States. He photographed areas in national parks. His photographs show what the areas were like before human development. Adams believed in conservation. He wanted nature to be protected. He wanted to convince other people to help protect the environment.

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

Jason stood in the kitchen, looking at the mess. Sauce had splashed on the stove top. Noodles were hanging out of the top of the pot. Water had spilled onto the floor, making it wet. But the noodles were perfectly done, and the sauce tasted good. Dinner was ready.

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

Humans put bait on a line. They drop the line into the water. Then they wait for a fish to bite. But they aren't the only ones that fish. Some birds fish too, and green herons use bait. Sometimes they drop things in the water. They use leaves, seeds, flowers, or twigs. The bait lures a fish to the surface. Then the heron catches it. Fishing this way is not common among green herons. And no one knows how they learn to use bait to catch fish. But the heron is one of the few species that uses objects to get food.

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

Redwood trees are known for their massive size. A redwood tree can be as tall as a 35-story building. It can be up to 22 feet wide. Surprisingly, the trees' roots stay close to the surface of the ground. Most tree roots grow deep in order to balance the tree. A redwood tree's roots only grow six feet underground. This allows the tree to absorb the moisture it needs when it rains. To keep the tree from toppling, the roots have to spread out. They can cover over an acre.

Directions:
Read the passage about making movies. Complete the statement with the word for each question number.

Have you ever had a great idea for a movie? Maybe it's time you put your idea onto the screen.

    The first step is to turn your idea into a script. The script makes your idea solid. It is like a road map. A script will let you explain your movie to others.
People should be able to ____6____ your ideas. You can use the script when looking for help. You will need people to help you with your project.

    You'll need actors. You will also need a crew. The crew will help with sets, costumes, and filming. You will also need money to pay everyone. Producers are people who believe in your idea. They will be willing to provide money for your project. Movies are made by ____7____.

    This first part is the pre-production phase. In this phase, you will plan. You'll decide how you want to shoot your movie. You will choose locations for shoots. A schedule is needed. It will say where and when you will shoot each scene of your movie. Good planning will help the rest of the process. You must work ____8____.

    The next phase is called production. This is when you start filming with the camera. Hopefully, you have gathered a talented cast and crew. You should create a solid shooting plan. If you do, your script will start to come to life. You will start to see the movie you imagined.

    The next stage is post-production. This is when you edit all of your film. You will create the final version of your film. You will make your movie look and sound its best. Your movie will be ____9____.

    Finally, you're ready to share your movie. Your hard work will have paid off. You'll be ready to show your movie on the big screen. People can now ____10____your movie.

For Earth, the sun is our shining star.

Directions:
Read the passage about a summer solstice celebration. Complete the statement with the word for each question number.

Calvin had a summer job as the caretaker of two children, ages five and eight. He preferred the term “caretaker” to “babysitter.” He thought it was the most fun summer job he had ever held. But he reconsidered as he looked at the unbelievable mess around him. He wondered how two small children could do all this. He silently admitted that he had to take some of the responsibility for the mess. He did, after all, agree to make cupcakes to celebrate the summer solstice. It was partly his __11___ .

    It all started when Calvin told the children the way the earth rotated. He explained its orbit around the sun. There is one day a year that the sun shines longest on the earth. That day is the summer solstice. The children were excited to know that such a day existed. They were more excited that it was that very day. It was a __12___ day

    Calvin asked how they'd like to celebrate the day. Leila, the five-year-old girl, immediately said, “Make cupcakes!”

    Tristan, her brother, shook his head. “Baking cupcakes is little kid stuff. No way.”

    Calvin nudged Tristan. “Once we make cupcakes, we get to eat them...”

    Tristan nodded thoughtfully. “Okay,” he said, “cupcakes it is.” They had an __13____ .

    Calvin and the two kids got cake mix and frosting from the pantry. Leila was in charge of putting the little paper cupcake wrappers into the muffin pan. Little cupcake wrappers ended up everywhere in the house. Tristan was in charge of cracking the eggs. Broken eggs ended up on the floor, the counter, and on Tristan's sleeve.

    Eventually the cupcakes were baked and frosted. They __14___ the cupcakes. Leila somehow got frosting on the bottom of her shoe. She left chocolate footprints around the house. Tristan dropped a few cupcakes in the sink while frosting them. They quickly started eating the frosted cupcakes.

    Finally they had all eaten their fill. The children ran outside to play. Calvin looked around. He wondered how they had made such a mess. He was ___15____ .

Directions:
Read the passage about pizza. Complete the statement with the word for each question number.

    Popular legend has always claimed that Abner Doubleday was the founder of the sport of baseball. However, not all historians agree. Some cite instances of baseball-like games being played years before Doubleday's games in 1839. There is a ____16____ .

    There is little dispute, however, when it comes to giving credit for the modern rules of baseball. In 1845, Alexander Cartwright wrote “Rules and Regulations of the Knickerbocker Baseball Club.” This document listed twenty rules. These twenty rules provided the foundation for rules still used today. The document is the ____17____ of the rules.

    Cartwright's Knickerbockers were the first baseball team to wear uniforms. Before long, baseball teams were popping up all over the northeastern United States. In 1857, the National Association of Baseball Leagues was formed. The game became ____18____ . Early games took place between unpaid amateurs. However, in 1869 the players for the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first team of paid professionals. This allowed the Red Stockings to attract the most talented players in the country. Their success led other teams to begin paying players. Owners began charging fans to watch games. This money went toward players' salaries. By 1871, there were enough teams paying players to form a professional league. The first all-professional game was played in front of 500 paying fans. Baseball had become a ____19____ .

    One hundred years later, in the 1970s, Major League Baseball had grown to twenty-four teams. By 1990, the number of teams had grown to thirty. However, things weren't perfect. The players and owners were continually fighting over salaries. In 1994, the players went on strike. The World Series championship was canceled for the first time. Subsequent years saw a decrease in fans. They seemed angry at the players for striking. Fans ____20____ the players. However, over a decade later the stadiums are filling once again. Baseball continues to keep its place as America's game.

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

In early 2007, an unlikely celebrity made his world debut. But it wasn't a person. It was a polar bear. The bear is named Knut. He was born at a zoo in Berlin, Germany, in December 2006. After Knut was born, his mother rejected him and his brother. When the brother died, zoo workers decided to take Knut away from his mother. They cared for him themselves. When Knut was shown to the public a few months later, he captured the attention of the world. But many people were opposed to the zoo's actions. They felt that it was cruel for humans to raise a polar bear as a pet.

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

In Oxford, England, there's a sculpture that attracts a lot of attention. On a quiet street in the Headington neighborhood, there is a 25-foot shark. It looks like it is ripping into a house. Bill Heine, the owner of the house, commissioned the sculpture. He wanted to make a statement. He wanted to show how it feels to be unable to help people in need. He said that he felt like ripping a hole in his roof out of desperation. The sculpture was created 41 years after the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in World War II. It is a memorial to the victims of the nuclear bomb. The sculpture is now known as the Headington Shark.

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

A finger run around the edge of a wine glass can produce a haunting sound. In France, Benjamin Franklin attended concerts performed this way. It was a sound that Benjamin Franklin enjoyed. So he invented the armonica, which is a series of glass bowls lined up on a wooden dowel. Franklin's armonica had a foot pedal that allowed him to spin the bowls. That way, he could run dampened fingers along the spinning edges to create sound. It sounded much like a series of wine glasses would, except one could play more notes at a time. Its popularity spread until even Beethoven and Mozart had composed for the armonica.

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

The world's largest photograph was taken by an unused airport hangar! In a camera obscura, a small hole is opened to expose a light-sensitive paper. The image outside of the camera is imprinted onto the paper, which is then developed. Six photographers used a huge, seamless piece of fabric covered in a light-sensitive chemical. They used a 6mm pinhole in the door of the hangar to expose the fabric to light, just like the hole in a camera obscura. They developed the fabric like they would a photograph. The image showed the airport outside of the hangar, and the San Joaquin Hills in the background. The photograph is three stories high and eleven stories long.

Directions:
Read the paragraph and complete the statement.

Of the many kinds of guitars, the lap steel guitar is one of the most exceptional. The lap steel is played differently than other guitars. Instead of being held in the arms, the lap steel is placed in the player's lap. Most guitars are played by pressing the strings to the fret board with one hand. This shortens the strings to produce different notes and chords while the other hand plucks or strums the strings. On the lap steel, a steel bar is pressed against the strings. This creates a distinctive sound. The lap steel guitar originated in Hawaii in the 1800s and has recently experienced an increase in popularity because of its intriguing sound.

Directions:
Read the passage about the dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. Complete the statement with the word for each question

    Mikhail Baryshnikov is considered the greatest living male ballet dancer. Known as a powerful, perfect dancer, Mikhail attracts large crowds to his performances. He helped make ballet popular with men as well as women. He helped pave the way for male ballet dancers all over the world. His ___26___ has been great.

    Baryshnikov was born in Russia on January 27, 1948. His father was an engineer and his mother was a seamstress. He lived an ordinary life. He played soccer with the neighborhood boys. Baryshnikov's mother liked ballet dancing. She enrolled him in a dance class when he was 12 years old. She ___27___ his dancing. He studied at the school of the Theatre Opera Ballet. At this school, he learned to speak French, play concert piano, and dance. At first, Baryshnikov was most interested in his piano classes. He wanted to be a famous concert pianist. Eventually, though, he fell in love with ballet, and he was good at it. Despite being shorter than other male dancers, he was very powerful and his technique was perfect. Baryshnikov had a great deal of ___28___ .

    When Baryshnikov was 15 years old, he entered the Vaganova Ballet Academy. He started training more seriously. Three years later, he joined the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad. Normally, when dancers join ballet companies, they are apprentices. This means that they train with the company and have small parts in the performances. Baryshnikov was so talented that he skipped this step. He was immediately a soloist. Audiences loved watching him dance alone on the stage. He seemed to fill the whole room with his movements and presence. He began winning ballet competitions and other medals of honor. He was an immediate star. He was a ____29___.

    Baryshnikov moved to Canada in 1974 and then to the United States. He danced with the American Ballet Theater and the New York City Ballet. By this time, he was world-famous. Along with dancing, Baryshnikov has been a ballet teacher and choreographer. He has also been an actor. Mikhail Baryshnikov has not only had a successful career, but he has truly danced through life! Baryshnikov has had an ___30___ life.

Directions:
Read the passage about Maggie's summer. Complete the statement with the word for each question number.

    Maggie opened her eyes and smiled at the sunlight filling her room. School had ended yesterday. She had the whole summer ahead of her. She imagined it as a meadow full of wildflowers, waiting for her. It was quiet and relaxing, just how she liked it. Summer was ___31___ .

    After eating a toaster waffle, Maggie rushed through her farm chores to get them out of the way. She slapped another coat of paint on the barn doors. Retrieving a hammer and nails from the barn, she fixed some wooden boxes that had fallen apart. Her family filled the boxes with tomatoes and asparagus every Saturday morning to sell them at the market. She completed her ___32___.

    Once finished, she made a sandwich and wandered down to the river that ran along the edge of the farm. The swift water had cut a deep trench over the years. It was a two-foot drop from where Maggie stood on the bank to the water. She strolled idly along the edge. She ___33___ along the river.

    Suddenly the bank shifted beneath her sneakers. Before she could react, a great chunk of the bank collapsed. Maggie tumbled into the water amid red clay and scrub grass. She scrabbled at the bank and found a handhold. Once she caught her breath, Maggie noticed many strange-looking rocks that had been buried in the bank. Turning them over in her hands, she discovered imprints of odd shells in the rocks. She filled her pockets with as many rocks as she could. They had ___34___ shapes.

    When she got back home, Maggie showed the fossils to her mother. Her mother looked at the fossils for a long time and didn't say anything. Then she went to the telephone and made a few calls. Her mother described the shapes of the shells in great detail to someone. When she hung up she told Maggie that the fossils were very rare and that a team of scientists wanted Maggie to show them where she had found them. “This summer may be more exciting than I thought,” Maggie marveled. The scientists wanted to ___35___.

Directions:
Read the passage about the history of the bicycle. Complete the statement with the word for each question number.

    The first bicycle with a practical use was the high wheel bicycle. There were earlier types of bicycles, but none of them became as popular as the high wheel bicycle.

    These bicycles did not have gears like modern bikes. The wheel only spun as fast as the pedals could be cranked. To achieve fast speeds, the front wheel was made very large, up to five feet around. The back wheel was much smaller. The cyclist rode high up in the air because of the large front wheel. The cyclist was ____36____.

    Many inventors worked to improve upon the basic design. At first, wheels were made of iron and wood. Later designs included solid rubber tires, metal spokes, ball bearings, and hollow steel frames. These bicycles were used in Europe, but it was not until the latter part of the nineteenth century that they became popular in the United States. Bicycles became more ____37____.

    Thomas Stevens rode a high wheel bicycle from San Francisco to Boston in 1884. He was the first cyclist to cross the United States. Eventually he rode a bicycle around the world. His ride was a major ____38____.

    With a large front wheel bicycle, the rider had to be very strong and have legs long enough to reach the pedals. The safety bicycle was developed in the 1880s. It was similar to the modern bicycle, with two equally sized wheels and a chain that connected the pedals to the rear wheel. This was the first type of bicycle that used an inflated tire. It quickly grew more popular than the high wheel bicycle. Inventors continued to improve it by adding brakes, gears, and other adjustments. Bicycles became more ____39____.

    With the improved models, cycling became quite popular in both the United States and Europe. In the United States, a bicycle club called the League of American Wheelmen formed in 1880. This organization was crucial in the development of better roads throughout the country. The group had ____40____.