Reading - Group 3
Week 2
tuesday
May the best Prankster win
When Perla found out she would be spending a few days at her grandparents’ house, she squealed with excitement. Her grandpa was a real prankster. For several years, they had been in an intense prank war. As soon as she arrived, Perla began plotting her first prank. The next morning, Grandpa sat down to eat his breakfast of Raisin Bran and orange juice as usual. When he went to take a bite, however, he noticed that his regular spoon had been replaced by a giant ladle! Even worse, all the raisins had disappeared from his cereal. “Who took my raisins?!” Grandpa bellowed. He looked around and saw Perla hiding a few feet away. Pretending to be upset, he began to chase her around the house. After he caught her, he held her upside down over the table as she giggled. He pried the raisins from her fingers one by one until her palms were empty and the bowl was full. Then he sat down and ate his cereal using the big ladle.
Later that night, Perla found her favourite doll wrapped in toilet paper. It was sitting on her bed next to a sign that read, “I want my Mummy.” The next morning, Grandpa found plastic ants in his shampoo when he went to wash his hair. That same day, after dinner, Perla went to pour a glass of milk and jumped back in shock when it came out green! Grandpa stood smiling a few feet away. He was holding a box of food coloring in his hand. Several hours later, Perla woke up in the middle of the night to a loud squeal. She looked around, startled by the noise. Her heart was pounding hard. After a moment, though, she realized what had happened. Grandpa had placed a squeaky dog toy under her pillow. Perla spent the next day trying to think of the perfect final prank. She would be leaving the next morning and needed something good. Finally, she had an idea. She went to the closet where her old toys were kept and began digging. She pulled out several dolls and dress-up clothes before she found what she was looking for. It was a toy keyboard that sounded out the letters of the alphabet when you pressed on them. Smiling, she put it under Grandpa’s pillow.
The next morning at breakfast, she asked Grandpa how he had slept. She smiled innocently. Grandpa scowled, pretending to pout. He continued to eat his Raisin Bran, full of raisins this time, in silence. Anxious to hear if her prank had worked, Perla turned to her grandmother. “Grandma, how did he sleep?” “Oh, you wouldn’t believe it!” Grandma hollered from the other side of the room. “He woke up at 2:00 am singing the ABC’s!”
Answer the following questions:
What did Perla put in Grandpa’s shampoo?
What colour did Grandpa dye Perla’s milk?
What did the sign say on Perla’s doll?
What kind of cereal was Grandpa eating?
True (T) or False (F)? Choose the right answer. If the story does not say the answer, choose (X).
Multiple Choice.
6. What was Grandpa doing when he woke up at 2 am?
a. Dancing the Macarena
b. Singing the Star-Spangled Banner
c. Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance
d. Singing the ABCs
7. What did Grandpa put under Perla’s pillow?
a. A bowl of cereal.
b. A dog.
c. A squeaky dog toy.
d. A toy keyboard.
8. What kind of juice did Grandpa drink with his cereal?
a. Apple
b. Orange
c. Cranberry
d. Prune
9. If you were going to play a prank on a family member, what would you do?
(Remember that you do not want anyone to get hurt!)
wednesday
As you read the story, think about what you already know in addition to what the story says. Try to figure out what the story means by thinking about what makes the most sense.
The Greedy Man
There once was a very greedy man who sold everything he owned and bought a brick of gold. He buried the gold brick behind a hut that was across the road from his shabby old house. Every day, the greedy man went across the road and dug up his gold brick to look at it. After a while, a workman noticed the greedy man going across the road every day, and decided to follow him. The next day, the greedy man dug down for his gold brick, but the hole was empty. He pulled at his hair, and cried out in sorrow. “My beautiful gold brick!” he wept. A neighbor came running, and asked the greedy man what had happened. When the greedy man told him, the neighbor just shrugged his shoulders. “Why be so sad?” said the neighbor. Just go get a rock and put it in that hole, and pretend that it is gold. It will do you as much good as the gold did.”
Use what you already know and what the story says to make inferences:
1. Why did the greedy man bury his gold brick?
A. He didn’t have a house.
B. He thought it would grow into a tree of gold.
C. He was afraid someone would steal it.
2. Why did the greedy man go and dig up his gold brick every day?
A. Looking at it made him sad.
B. Looking at it made him happy.
C. He wanted to sell it.
3. Why did the workman follow the very greedy man?
A. He didn’t like the greedy man.
B. He knew the greedy man had a gold brick.
C. He was curious.
4. Why did the greedy man find that the hole was empty, and his gold brick was gone?
A. The workman had stolen it.
B. The greedy man had sold it.
C. The greedy man’s neighbor had stolen it.
5. Think about what makes the most sense, to draw a conclusion:
The neighbour told the greedy man that he might as well bury a rock in the hole and pretend that it was gold.
This is probably because:
A. The neighbour wanted the gold brick for himself.
B. The neighbor wanted to be the greedy man’s friend.
C. The gold brick had not done the greedy man any real good.
6. Draw another conclusion:
What lesson is this story meant to teach?
thursday
Answer the following questions about this advertisement.
Decide if this cereal would be a healthy choice based on the information in this ad. Give a reason for your answer.
Does this ad convince you to want to try it? Why or why not?
Who do you think would buy this cereal?
What are the first two things that you notice about this ad? Why?
What do you get for free inside the box of cereal?
Now it’s your turn to design your own cereal box. Think of something different, not something you can already find in the shop.
friday
A House of Memories
Eddie does not like cleaning, but over the past few days, he has had to stuff his old toys into garbage bags and the new ones into boxes. He tossed out old, dried-up Silly Putty, puzzles he once glued together, plush animals and more. Eddie’s family is about to move to a new house, and they need their home cleaned for the next family who will live in it. “Won’t they want our stuff?” Eddie asked his mother. “Who wouldn’t want toys?” “They’ll bring their own toys,” she answered. “Come on, Eddie. We’re nearly done. All that’s left to clean is the attic.” Eddie looked around his home. Without any furniture, the house looked big, empty and strange. It made Eddie feel a little sad. He liked this house and his friends, and he did not really want to move. Eddie followed his mother to the foot of the rickety ladder that led to the attic.
Eddie’s father was already up there, looking through boxes of old photographs. “One step at a time, please. This ladder is older than me,” Eddie’s mother warned. Eddie carefully climbed up the ladder. At the top, Eddie was surprised to find a big, dark and dusty room. The ceiling was slanted, and the floor was made of rows of wooden planks with strange pink fluff in between the planks. “You’ll have to walk on the wooden beams,” Eddie’s father said from deep in the room. “The pink
stuff between the beams is called insulation. If you step on that, you’ll fall through the floor and wind up in the kitchen!” With the help of his mother, Eddie balanced on a wooden beam and slowly walked through the attic. He reached his father, who handed Eddie a small and dusty picture. It did not have much colour left, but showed a young boy playing baseball in his backyard. “Is this me when I was younger?” Eddie asked. “That is me, Eddie, when I was your age,” his father replied. “I found it in one of these old boxes.” “Look, here’s one of me,” Eddie’s mother said, handing Eddie another photograph. This picture showed a young girl playing hopscotch on a sidewalk. Eddie put the two pictures side by side on the wooden beam he was balanced on. “You guys were kids?” Eddie asked. “We weren’t born this old,” Eddie’s mother said, laughing. Eddie looked at the pictures some more. He had never seen his dad or mom playing baseball or hopscotch or other games. They were always working, cooking, cleaning, driving and doing other adult things. It was hard to imagine them as kids playing in their backyards.
Eddie followed his mother to the corner of their attic where a dusty window was notched into the wall. Looking out, Eddie could see his backyard with a swing set, a tiny tricycle and a machine that made giant bubbles. Eddie had been playing with those toys for as long as he could remember. “Soon, a new family is going to make this house their own,” Eddie’s mother whispered from over Eddie’s shoulder. “And we’re going to have a new yard to make our own, too.” Eddie looked back out the dusty window. He liked the swing set, and he did have a lot of fun in that backyard, but he was not a little kid anymore.
At the new house, he would be going to a new school. He wanted to try out for the school soccer team and maybe join the drama club. Maybe it was a good time to move after all. Eddie and his parents finished cleaning the attic and climbed down the old ladder, into their now almost-empty house. Eddie picked up their camera, took it to his parents and said, “Mom, Dad, could you take a picture of me playing in our backyard?”
1. Pick the correct answer.
Eddie is helping clean out his (basement / attic).
Eddie is shown pictures of his (grandparents / parents) while they were younger. Eddie’s family is moving to (a new house / Australia).
The picture of Eddie’s father shows him playing (soccer / baseball) when he was younger.
2. Write 1, 2, 3 and 4 to put the story events in order.
_______ Eddie looks at his old back yard.
_______ Eddie’s father explains what insulation is in their attic.
_______ Eddie follows his mother up the ladder to their attic.
_______ Eddie sees what his home looks like without any furniture.
3. Answer the following questions:
a. At the start of the story, how does Eddie feel about moving?
b. Why is Eddie surprised to see the pictures of his parents?
c. What is Eddie looking forward to doing after he moves?
4. If you moved, what sorts of things would you fill a new backyard with?
extra
Here is an example to help you:
