Reading and Responding

  The snow was getting worse.  All day the wind had been howling, and now it sounded almost alive.  "Oh, Mom," said Holly, "do you think Sadie is all right?"  Holly's little black dog had been gone three days.
     "I'm sure she's fine,"  Holly's mother said. "That dog can take care of herself.  Now get ready for bed."
     As Holly headed up the stairs; she heard a noise.  "That is Sadie scratching!"  She raced to oen the door.  In came Sadie, holding something in her mouth.
     "A puppy! Mom, she's got a puppy!"
     Sure enough, Sadie had a tiny reddish brown puppy in her mouth.  She jumped up on Holly's bed, put the puppy on the pillow, and licked it off.  Three times she came and went in the storm, until four tiny new puppies were curled up on Holly's bed.  Then she curled up herself and took a nap.
      "Oh Sadie," said Holly.  "You're a hero!"

1. When does the story take place?
  in the morning        in the afternoon        at night        at lunchtime

2. Where does the story take place?
  in a house        in a snowy field        in a pet store        in a snowstorm

3.  What happens in this story?
  Holly finds a lost dog.        Holly runs away.
  Holly gets lost.                    Sadie brings home four new puppies

4. Why did Holly's mother think Sadie was all right in the storm?

   "Please come down, Mittens," begged Catherine.  But the tiny kitten just crawled higher up in the tree.  He meowed sadly at Catherine.
    Catherine sighed.  What was she going to do? "I can't come get you," she said to the kitten.  "I've alwasy been afraid of high places! They make me dizzy! I can't climb that tree!"
    Mittens just meowed again.  It was starting to get dark.  If she couldn't get Mittens down, he'd have to spend the night in the tree.  And he was too little for that!
    Catherine sighed again.  Then quickly, so she wouldn't have time to think about it, she grabbed the lowest branch of the old apple tree and began climbing.  Before she knew it, she was up on Mitten's high branch.
     Now the kitten meowed happily.  Carefully, Catherine tucked him into her jacket pocket. Then without looking down, she made her way back to the ground.
    "There!" she said, when they were both safe on the firm ground.  "Now let's go home for dinner."
     Inside her jacket, Mittens just purred.

Respond in complete sentences. Use part of the question in your answer.

1. What does Catherine want to do?

2. Do you think Catherine is a brave person? Why or why not?

3. Do you think Catherine made a wise decision when she decided to climb the tree. Explain your answer.

     Vicki sighed. "I'll never finish this homework," she grumbled.  "I don't know how to write jokes!"
    She poked the stuffed buffalo that sat on the desk next to her books.  "I just don't have any ideas."
    "Well, you won't get any poking me that way!" Vicki blinked. "Who said that?" she asked nervously.
    "I did," came the voice.
        Vicki looked at the toy buffalo.  "Sadie? Is that you?"
        "Of course it is.  Now about this problem writing jokes --- easiest thing in the world! Do you know how to make a buffalo float?"
        "No," said Vicki slowly, "I don't think so."
        "Soda, ice cream, and one buffalo! Or how about this one?  How can you lift a buffalo?  Put an acorn under him and wait twenty years!"
        Vicki laughed.  "This is fun!" she said.  "I have one -- If an elephant didn't have a trunk, how would he smell?"
        Sadie thought for a minute.  "How?" she asked finally.
        "Trunk or no trunk, he'd smell terrible!"
        But Sadie didn't laugh.  In fact, she never laughed or even talked to Vicki again.

Respond: Answer in complete sentences using part of the question in the answer.

1. What is one thing that shows the story is make-believe?
 

2. What is one thing from the story that could really happen?

        Crash! Blake's heart sank when he heard the thunder.  He was still four blocks from home, and he hadn't brought an umbrella.  When he left for  band practice, there had been just a few clouds in the sky.  Now it was dark and gloomy, and the wind was turning cold.
        Blake started to run as he felt the first drops of rain.  But he was carrying too many cymbals to run fast.
        Then Blake had an idea.  He pulled out the biggest cymbal.  "I'm glad I remembered to bring this Zildgen crash cymbal!" He put the cymbal over his head and started for the band room.
        "I must look pretty silly," he thought.  "But at least I'm dry!"

Which is the best summary of the story?

A. Blake heard the thunder and started to run to practice, but he was carrying too many cymbals. He didn't have an umbrella.

B. When Blake went to practice, it wasn't raining, so he didn't take an umbrella.  Then it turned dark and gloomy, and the wind got cold.

C. It started to rain.  Blake didn't have an umbrella, so he took out a cymbol and tapped out a song.

D. As Blake was going to practice, it started to rain.  He didn't have an umbrella, so he took a large crash cymbol and held it over his head to stay dry.

---

 Back To Top
 

Page 5
Mrs. Martinez's  LEAP Practice

  There is nothing like a good home cooking. But what if the home you are cooking for is a zoo full of animals?
        Zoo workers are very careful to feed their animals the right kinds of food. This keeps the animals strong and healthy.  It also keeps the zoo workers busy!
        Each animal likes and needs its own special kind of food.  Lions and tigers eat lots of meat.  Monkeys and apes enjoy lettuce and apples and potatoes -- plus a special milkshake made from milk and vitamns and bananas!  Seals like fish, and elephants eat tons of hay and a special kind of elephant food made just for them.
        So when feeding time rolls around at the zoo, everyone is busy.  Each animal gets just the right kind of food to keep it healthy -- and happy!
What is a summary of the passage?

  Long ago in Louisiana lived a boy named Scott.  Scott loved to fly his kite.  He had made the kite himself.  He had painted it with beautiful pictures of purple and gold tigers breathing orange fire.  Scott had made a long tail for his kite and attached hollow pieces of bamboo to it.  When he flew the kite, the wind blew through the bamboo stems and made a whistling sound.  Scott loved the sound it made.
        Scott's mom didn't like him spending so much time flying his kite.  Scott's family was very poor.  They needed everyone to work in the bamboo gardens of Mt. Herman, Louisiana-- even the smallest children-- so they could grow enough bamboo to sell for money for their groceries.  Without it, they would go hungry.
        During the summer of Scott's ninth birthday, there was  a drought and the bamboo did not grow tall enough. There was not enough for the family to sell until the next harvest. Scott knew that his family would go hungry, if something wasn't done.
        On the night before his birthday, Scott lay awake thinking about what he could do to help his family.  When the sun came up, Scott took his beautiful kite into the French Market and traded it for some vegetables and fruit.  Scott watched the merchant place the whistiling kite with purple and gold tigers on the back shelf.  Tears came to his eyes.  but Scott knew his family would not be hungry.

Write a summary of the story. Remember to "Give me five": Who, did what, when, where, why.These can be in any order.