Author's Purpose
Reading for Detail/Restating
Identifying Genre
Context Clues
Short Response Essay
100
Julie and Chris Beck held a fundraiser for the animal shelter. Their bake sale raised $500 for the shelter, which houses stray dogs and cats. They have adopted two dogs and a cat from the shelter. They also volunteer there by walking dogs. If you would like to donate the Beck Pet Fund, call 1-800-HELP-Pet. What is the author's purpose?
To inform
100
Pseudoscorpions don’t bite or sting humans, and they can even be helpful. These bugs feed on common household pests, such as carpet beetle larvae, ants, mites, and small flies. Welcoming this hitchhiker into your home may mean there are fewer household pests to “bug” you! How can pseudoscorpions be helpful to humans? Pseudoscorpions can be helpful to humans because they eat on common bugs found within your home!
Pseudoscorpions can be helpful to humans because they eat on common bugs found within your home!
100
Grey wolves are members of the dog family that live and hunt in groups. Their pups stay with them until they are ready to leave the group. For a year or two, the young wolves hunt with their parents, forming a pack. What is the genre?
Nonfiction
100
On Sunday night, Wally watched the eclipse. He asked his dad when an eclipse would RECUR. His dad said he didn't know but he would find out. However, he forgot. So something else recurred- Wally's question! What does RECUE mean?
To happen again
100
Spit keeps our mouths moist and softens our food when we chew. Without spit in our mouths, we would have a hard time talking. We would find it even harder to swallow. How is spitting helpful?
Spitting is helpful when eating and doing other things. When we eat, our spit keeps our foods moist, making the food soft and easier to chew. Without our spit, our throats would be too dry to talk or swallow. Spitting has many purposes, and is very helpful!
200
"Hello, everyone. My speech today is on a new kind of insulation for your home. Instead of using fiberglass insulation, which is not good for the enviornment, why not use wool? That's right- wool. Sheep stay warm because of their wool. People use it to make warm clothes. Now some people are using it in their homes to keep their homes warm, too. Everyone should use wool for insulation. It's the perfect material! What is the author's purpose?
To persuade
200
George liked to read the ingredients of the foods he ate before he ate them. If he didn't know what something was, he would look it up online. If his family went to a restuarant, George would bring a dictionary. His sister Jessie sometimes got annoyed when George explained everything that made up her snack. What did Jessie think of George's habit? Why
Jessie was annoyed by George's habit. He would explain everything she ate, and even bring a dictionary to the restaurant!
200
At times, I feel I am the only one Who ever wished to fill my time with fun. It's boring getting up for school each day. They tell me all this call will later pay. Today, the sun is shining warm and bright And here I sit in artificial light. What is the genre?
Poetry
200
Treasure Island is a novel about the search for treasure a pirate named Flint buried. Other pirates returned to the island but cannot find the riches. They do find Ben Gunn, a man Flint had MAROONED on the island. Before the searchers arrived, Gunn had found Flint's treasure and stashed it in his cave. What does the word MAROONED mean?
Abandoned
200
When a hurricane makes landfall, it can be very dangerous along coastlines because of a storm surge, where ocean waters rush onto land. When this is combined with heavy rainfall, there can be devastating floods. The center of a hurricane is called the eye. While most of a hurricane contains dangerously strong winds, the eye is actually a calm area in the storm. When the eye of a hurricane passes over land, people might think that it’s over, but before long the wind and rain increase again as the second part of the hurricane moves through. Why are hurricanes dangerous?
Hurricanes are dangerous because... R.A.D.E.
300
When you hike through the forest, make as little noise as possible. Most animals will run or fly away if they hear unfamiliar noises. If you really want to see as much wildlife as possible, find a comfortable spot to sit. Stay still for a long time, and then the animals will appear around you. What is the author's purpose?
To inform
300
The final layer of the rainforest is the forest floor. It is surprisingly dark and less than 2% of the sun's light reaches this area. Because the sun's rays don't shine on the ground, there is very little plant life on the forest floor. It is an area covered with fallen leaves, seeds, dead flowers, and fruits and branches that decompose very quickly. It also has a distinctive variety of animals and plants that live here. Why would only a distinctive, variety of animals and plants be able to live there?
Very few, distinctive animals can live in the final layer of the rainforest because little sunlight reaches this area. There is also very little life down there.
300
Luke raced along the dark, deserted beach, struggling to keep up with the glowing orb. An ancient map had helped him find it, and now it was going to help him find the treasure that would save his people. It hovered in the air at the mouth of a cavern. What is the genre?
Fantasy
300
Eddie and Carlos built a fort in the woods. They brought magazines there to read on long summer days. As winterapproached, they forgot about their fort. In the late spring, Eddie went back to find that the weather had caused the magazines to DISINTEGRATE. What does DISINTEGRATE mean? freeze-fall apart-blow away
to fall apart
300
Why do students enjoy summer vacation?
Students enjoy summer vacation because.. R.A.D.E.
400
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, do you really want to put this man in jail because he broke a little law? The law says that people can only have four dogs as pets, but Mr. Brown loves animals so much that he rescued 19 stray dogs. Is it fair to put such a nice man in jail? Why should he be punished for helping these poor dogs?" What is the author's purpose?
To persuade
400
You may already know that hurricanes are major tropical storms that can cause devastating waves, wind, and rain. They happen during “Hurricane Season,” which is from June 1st until November 30th in the Atlantic Ocean and from May 15th until November 30th in the Pacific Ocean. A hurricane that forms in the Atlantic Ocean begins as tropical disturbance. This is a large area of windy thunderstorms that forms over the warm ocean, near the equator. When the storms grow larger, rains and wind pick up, and the “disturbance” can develop into a fullfledged hurricane. Describe a tropical disturbance.
A tropical disturbance may form in the Atlantic Ocean when windy thunderstorms form over warm, ocean water near the equator.
400
Alexis watched Alexandra, Sydney, and Rachel from her table at the edge of the lunch area. As usual, they were whispering and laughing. Sometimes, Sydney turned around, but Rachel poked her and she turned back. Sydney used to be Alexis's friend. What is the genre?
Realistic fiction
400
The Verillo family was driving to a theme park when a storm surprised them. Even with the windshield wipers on top speed, the rain OBSCURED Mr. Verillo's view of the road. He slowed down until the rain let up. What does OBSCURED mean?
Blocked
400
Octopuses are extremely intelligent. They can learn new things just like humans. They’ve even learned a few tricks to get them out of sticky situations. If an octopus is threatened by a predator, such as a shark or bird, it can use some pretty incredible skills to get away. Octopuses don’t have teeth or sharp claws to defend themselves. Instead, they use more clever ways to fool their attackers. Octopuses like to hide themselves in the sand on the bottom of the ocean floor. How you ask? Well, the octopus is like a chameleon because it can change the color of its skin to match the sand. And this color change, or camouflage, happens in less than a minute. How are octopuses intelligent?
Octopuses are intelligent because they can.. R.A.D.E.
500
Long ago, the phoenix flew through the sky. The giant bird carried people’s prayers to heaven, and when it died, it burned away in a huge fire. Then, the phoenix was reborn out of the fire’s ashes. What is the author’s purpose?
To entertain
500
You do something about twenty times a minute without even thinking about it—you breathe! In fact, every day you take about twenty-thousand breaths. The organs of your body that allow you to breathe are called your lungs. You have two of them that work together, located in your chest inside the rib cage. How often do you breathe?
You breathe twenty times a minute
500
G.S. Bluford, Jr. is a retired astronaut. He was the first African American to travel to space. Over the course of four flights, he logged more than 688 hours in space. He retired from the Air Force in 1993. What is the genre?
Biography
500
Some people hunt for lost coins on beaches using an APPARATUS called a metal detector. It has a long stem that ends in a circular part called a search head, which hovers just over the ground. When it passes over metal, it makes a sound. What does APPARATUS mean?
Machine or device
500
A storm progresses through four different stages before it is actually considered a hurricane. First is a tropical disturbance, which has thunderstorms and rotating winds, or what scientists call cyclonic circulation. Next is a tropical depression, which is similar to a tropical disturbance, but has winds between 23 and 39 miles per hour. A tropical storm is the next level, which has stronger wind speeds between 40and 73 miles per hour. Once winds reach 74 miles per hour, the storm is officially classified as a hurricane. The winds pick up energy from the warm surface ocean water. How does a storm progress?
A storm progresses in... R.A.D.E.
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