Main Idea
The crop that gives the most food to humans and animals in the United States is corn. Most of the corn grown is for use as animal feed. The farmers of the United States produce about one half of all the corn grown in the world.
corn is grown as feed for humans and animals?
Michael Jordan tried out for the varsity basketball team at Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. But at five feet and eleven inches tall, the coach believed that Jordan was too short to play at that level, so Jordan was cut from the team. Jordan didn’t let this obstacle defeat him. In fact, it pushed him to work even harder. He trained vigorously and grew another four inches the following summer. When he finally made the varsity squad, Jordan averaged 25 points a game and went on to become one of the greatest basketball players in history. What is the theme of this story?
Many people wear black as a sign of mourning. In China the color for death is while. People in Turkey wear purple. But everywhere people follow special customs when someone dies. In this paragraph mourning means
showing sadness
In 1519, Ferdinand Megellan and his crew sailed west from Spain. They wanted to see what would happen if they kept sailing west. Three years later, they landed in Spain. They had sailed around the world. Effect: Magellan and his crew sailed around the world. What was the cause
They wanted to see what would happen if they kept sailing west.
Jake is Cassie's older brother. One day they are walking home from school when a cold front rolls in and the temperature drops 20 degrees. Jake is dressed more appropriately for the weather than Cassie. He takes off his hooded sweatshirt and offers it to her. She gratefully accepts. Jake is now colder, but he is happier. What character trait describes Jake?
One of the most welcome sights in the desert is the cactus. The cactus is a plant that can store large amounts of water. It has a thick, tough skin to keep the water in. There are many kinds of cacti. Some grow as tall as 50 feet.
the cactus is designed for storing water.
Tammy and Sammy were both students in Mr. Morton’s reading class. Mr. Morton wasn’t too strict about deadlines, and Sammy took advantage of that. He did all of his homework in his other classes but never bothered to complete Mr. Morton’s reading assignments, figuring that he could complete them later. Tammy, on the other hand, completed each assignment Mr. Morton assigned the night that he assigned it. She had to stay up a little later, but she didn’t want to get a penalty for turning in her reading work late. Tammy knew reading was a core subject and that she had to keep “C” average for the entire year or she would have to go to summer school. When the end of the quarter came, Tammy and Sammy had both planned on going to the Enchanted Castle amusement park, but Mr. Morton called Sammy’s mother, and she grounded Sammy until he turned in all of his work. That weekend was horrible for Sammy. He stayed up until 2:00 AM each night and still couldn’t complete all of the assignments. The whole while, Tammy had a great time eating pizza at Enchanted Castle, watching movies late at night, and enjoying her weekend free of stress and pressure. At the end of the quarter, Sammy was lucky to squeak by with a “C” minus in reading while Tammy earned an “A.” Sammy still hasn’t learned his lesson and probably won’t complete this activity either. What is the theme of this story
England has been ruled by monarchs for hundreds of years. The youngest was Henry VI, who became king at age one. Queen Victoria ruled the longest. In this paragraph a synonym for monarch would be
Jasper and Judy live in a big apartment house. They live on the tenth floor. Last week Jasper walked up all nine flights of stairs. He was very tired when he got home. Cause: Jasper walked up nine flights of stairs. What was the effect?
He was tired when he got home.
Anna volunteered to help Kylie clean her house. When Anna washed the mirrors, Kylie asked her if she used paper towels instead of newspapers. When Anna admitted that she had, Kylie asked her to redo them. Then, while Anna was sweeping, Kylie corrected her on her technique. "Don't just push the dirt around, Anna. SWEEP it," Kylie told Anna. What character trait describes Kylie?
There are about 2,000 kinds of bats. They come in many sizes. bats are rather strange looking animals. They are soft and furry with large ears. Bats can not run or walk. They usually eat insects. Bats are the only mammals that fly.
Bats are unusual mammals.
A CROW perishing with thirst saw a pitcher, and hoping to find water, flew to it with delight. When he reached it, he discovered to his grief that it contained so little water that he could not possibly get at it. He tried everything he could think of to reach the water, but all his efforts were in vain. At last he collected as many stones as he could carry and dropped them one by one with his beak into the pitcher, until he brought the water within his reach and thus saved his life.
If at first you don't succeed, try, and try again.
Once a man checked out a book from a library. He neglected to return it. The book was finally returned by his great-grandson 145 years later. Although the fine came $2,264, the great grandson did not have to pay it. In this paragraph neglected means
Michael did not want to go to the dentist. He was afraid that Dr. Yurman would hurt him. He cried all the way to the office. But after all that, it didn't hurt at all. Effect: Michael cried all the way to the office. What was the cause?
He was afraid of the dentist.
Eric's car broke down in the woods and his phone wasn't getting a signal. He used his car antenna as a spear and caught fresh salmon. He started a fire with sparks from his car battery, and he ate the cooked salmon while waiting for help.
What character trait does Eric demonstrate?Cats are popular house pets. Cats come in a variety of colors. Some cats have long hair and some have short hair. There are cats that have no tails. Cats can have eyes of many different colors. A cat can be solid color, more than one color, or striped.
There is much variety in the cat family.
A monkey put his hand into a jar of cookies. He grasped as many as he could possibly hold, but when he tried to pull out his hand, he was prevented from doing so by the neck of the cookie jar. Unwilling to lose the cookies, and yet unable to withdraw his hand, he burst into tears and bitterly lamented his disappointment.
Mustard doesn't originate in a jar. It starts out as a tiny seeds. They are inside the leaves of the mustard plant. The seeds are dried and made into powder. The powder is mixed with water and spices. This makes a spread for sandwiches. In this paragraph originate means
Kitty and her friend decided to take a trip. "We'll go to the beach," said Kitty. "The beach is nice in the autumn. It's cool, so there won't be many people there. It won't be crowded at all." Cause: The weather is cool. What is the Effect?
There won't be many people at the beach.
The teacher told the students that they were not to start testing until everyone received all testing materials. He went on to explain that the test booklet was to remain sealed until he had read through all the directions. Immediately after receiving the test booklet, Chris raised his hand and asked if he could start the test.
What character trait does Chris demonstrate?Chocolate is a popular food. Today we think of it mainly as a candy. Years ago, it started out as a drink. All chocolate is made from the beans of the cacao tree. There are many steps to follow in turning cacao beans into the kind of chocolate we eat.
Making chocolate is a long process.
One winter a Monkey found a Snake stiff and frozen with cold. He had compassion on it, and taking it up, placed it in his bosom. The Snake was quickly revived by the warmth, and resuming its natural instincts, bit the monkey, inflicting on him a mortal wound.
You cannot always change someone's nature by helping them.
Purple dye was rare long ago. Since it was hard to get, it costs a lot. As a result purple became the imperial color. It was only used by kings and queens. In this paragraph imperial means
Peter walked quickly down the dark street. It was quiet. Suddenly, a dog howled. Peter walked even faster after that. Cause: A dog howled. What was the effect?
Peter walked even faster.
Orson sat on the couch. He wanted to change the television station, but the controller was all the way at the end of the couch by his feet. Orson sort of scooted toward it and attempted to grab it with his feet. The controller fell and landed several feet away from him. Orson quit trying to change the channel and just watched whatever was playing.
What character trait does Orson demonstrate?