Show:
Cause/Effect
Main Idea/Theme
Context Clues
Making Inferences
Text Structure
100
Jack was alone in the house. He heard a strange sound upstairs. He tiptoed up the stairs and peeked into his bedroom. A big moth was fluttering against the window. Effect: Jack tiptoed upstairs. Cause: A. He heard a strange sound. B. He wanted to go to bed. C. A moth was on the stairs.
What is A. He heard a strange sound.
100
The little grey mouse that lived in my wall prospered for many days on nibbles of my lunch. I’d pack a meal before bed and, while I slept, he would take small bites of my lunch, which I left on the counter. He’d take a cracker crumble here, and a bread crumb there, but he wouldn’t take too much and he’d always clean up after himself. Things were going quite well for him and I didn’t even know he existed, until he got sloppy. One night while I slept, he ate all of my chips and left behind a big mess. When I awoke to this sight, I knew what had happened to my chips. So the next night when he returned for another snack, he found a nice, delicious piece of cheese… lightly balanced on a mouse trap. Now I don’t have to share my chips anymore. What is the theme?
What is "Don't be messy; clean up after yourself".?
100
I played a game with my sister. When she used the spinner, it landed on high numbers. She was able to ADVANCE in the game very quickly, and she won. The word ADVANCE means: A. get ahead B. fall behind C. stay in the same place
What is A. get ahead?
100
Pete called Ted Tuesday afternoon and invited him to come to his house after dinner to watch a movie. It had been a long, boring day, and Ted was excited to have something to do. After dinner, he hopped on his bike and pedaled over to Pete's house. The house was dark, and when he rang the bell, there was no answer. Ted turned around, hopped back on his bike, and rode home. Make an inference about why Ted rode home.
What is "Nobody was home"?
100
When I got home from school after a long boring day, I took out the peanut butter, jelly, and bread. After taking the lid off of the jars, I spread the peanut butter on one side of the bread and the jelly on the other, and then I put the two pieces of bread together. After that, I enjoyed it while watching “Cops” on the TV. I swear, that was the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich I ever ate. How is this paragraph organized?
What is chronological or sequential order because it gives us the steps of how the author made their sandwich. *Clue words: When, After, Then*
200
Looking through the trees, we saw a campfire. We were surprised. "That's strange," said Stu. "Nobody ever comes here but us!" Cause: We saw a campfire. Effect: A. Nobody comes to the woods. B. We were surprised. C. We ran though the trees.
What is B. We were surprised.
200
Kyle liked Lucy more than any other girl in the school, but he had an odd way of showing it. When she walked ahead of him in line, he kicked at her shoe. When she passed him on the school yard, he called her “lame Lucy.” He even wrote a mean word on her homework during the bus ride to school. But what puzzled Lucy the most was receiving an invitation to Kyle’s birthday party. Figuring that he was just planning a mean trick on her, Lucy decided not to go, and while Kyle eagerly awaited Lucy’s arrival, Lucy talked on the phone to Jacob. When Kyle finally realized that Lucy was not coming to his party, he was crushed. What is the theme?
What is "Don't be cruel or mean to people you care about"?
200
Everyone has EMOTIONS. Sometimes you may get angry or you might be afraid. You may be very sad one day or you might jump up and down for joy. All of these are EMOTIONS and there are many more. The word EMOTIONS means: A. ideas B. feelings C. pictures
What is B. feelings?
200
Sara walked into the large room. The woman behind the desk smiled at her. Sara looked around. There were hundreds of magazines in the room. There were thousands of books! Other children were in the room, sitting and reading books. Sara walked up to the woman. "Can you help me find a book?" she asked. Make an inference about where Sara is.
What is "Sara is in the library."
200
There are many theories about why the dinosaurs vanished from the planet. One theory that many people believe is that a gigantic meteorite smashed into the Earth. Scientists believe that the meteorite was very big and that the impact may have produced a large dust cloud that covered the Earth for many years. The dust cloud may have caused plants to not receive sunlight and the large plant eaters, or herbivores, may have died off, followed by the large meat eaters, or carnivores. This theory may or may not be true, but it is one explanation as to why these giant reptiles no longer inhabit the Earth. How is this paragraph organized?
What is "By cause and effect. One cause is that a meteorite hit the Earth and its effect was that dinosaurs became extinct."?
300
It is a good idea to lock your door at night. Mr. Griswold forgot to lock his door last Monday. When he returned home, he found that his new TV set had been stolen. Effect: Mr. Griswold's TV was stolen. Cause: A. He went to a show every Monday. B. He forgot to lock his door. C. It was very late.
What is B He forgot to lock his door.
300
Many types of bacteria are helpful. For example, some are able to take nitrogen from the air. They then put it into the soil. This makes the soil better for growing plants. Some bacteria are helpful in making cheese. Other bacteria are helpful in making vinegar. What is the main idea of this text passage? A. Bacteria puts nitrogen from the air into the soil. B. Bacteria helps make food. C. Some types of bacteria helps humans.
What is C. "Some types of bacteria helps humans."
300
I could see Neal and Jeff from a block away. They walked in my direction. As they APPROACHED, I could from the looks on their faces that they were happy. The word APPROACHED means: A. walked farther away B. skipped C. moved nearer
What is C. moved nearer
300
Nina held the glass jar very carefully. The teacher told the students to be careful because the experiment could explode. Slowly, Nina poured the green liquid into a glass jar. She wiped the edge of the jar and set it on the table. Next, she picked up the tube of red liquid. She measured one drop of it. Nina then carefully added the red drop to the green liquid. Make an inference about the class Nina is in.
What is "Nina is in science class"?
300
A hurricane is a large storm with heavy winds and rain that begins in the ocean and builds up strength as it moves across the water. A tornado is a storm that develops on land, with no warning, and moves in a circular motion with heavy winds with a funnel shape, picking up and carrying dirt, dust, and even objects. Tornadoes can form when hurricanes make landfall, as their winds at ground level slow down, while the winds near the top keep their momentum, but a hurricane cannot be created by a tornado. How is this paragraph organized?
What is "Compare and Contrast the similarities and differences between a hurricane and tornado."?
400
A sudden noise made us look around. Two dark shapes were moving toward the river. "There thery are!" cried Captain Higgins. "They are getting away!" Cause: There was a sudden noise. Effect: A. We looked around. B. We ran toward the river. C. Two men got away.
What is A. We looked around?
400
Our solar system is very large. It includes the eight planets that turn around the sun. These planets include Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. There are also hundreds of thousands of smaller planets in this system. They are called asteroids. Each asteroid is much smaller than any of the eight large planets. What is the main idea of this text passage? A. Our solar system is made up of the Sun, the nine large planets and many asteroids. B. Pluto used to be a planet but now is a dwarf planet. C. There are eight large planets in our solar system.
What is "Our solar system is made up of the Sun, the nine large planets and many asteroids."
400
We have had our cat for six years. He is soft, and lets us play with him. He is a good pet, and we ARE FOND OF him. What does the phrase ARE FOND OF mean: A. dislike B. like C. punish
What is B. like?
400
There are many different ways of going to school. Some children go to school by radio. The teacher talks to the children over the radio. The children can talk back to the teacher. In some desert countries, children go to school in tents. They people move across the desert, carrying the tent school with them. In some hot countries, children go to school outside all year long. They do not sit in buildings. The sit on the grass. Make an inference about why children in hot countries go to school outside all year long.
What is "It would be too hot to have school inside a building so they sit on the cool grass"?
400
Jimmy’s pizzeria is my favorite pizza place in the city, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that just by looking at the outside. It is an inconspicuous brown brick building. It doesn’t even have a sign, just the name of the establishment in three-inch letters on the storefront window. The inside isn’t much to speak of either. There are some chrome swivel stools along a laminate counter-top that makes an L shape, separating the register and kitchen area from the dining area. Booth seating lines the eating area of the restaurant area and a few favorable reviews from local publications are framed and displayed on the walls. How is this paragraph organized?
What is "Description because it allows the reader to visualize what the pizzeria looks like inside and out."?
500
Mrs. Moore was planting flowers in the yard. Her shovel hit something hard. "Howard, come here!" she called. "I have found something strange!" Effect: Mrs. Moore called to Howard. Cause: A. She was planting flowers. B. Her shovel hit something hard. C. She found a shovel in her yard.
What is B. Her shovel hit something hard.
500
When you can read, then you can go from Kalamazoo to Idaho- Or read directions that explain just how to build a model plane- Or bake a cake or cook a stew- The words will tell you what to do! When you can read, then you can play a brand new game the proper way- Or get a letter from a friend and read it...to the very end. What is the theme of the poem?
What is "when you read, you can do many things."?
500
Many CREATURES live in the forest. Some live under the ground in hols they dig. Others live up in the trees. Some of these CREATURES sleep at night and some sleep during the day. The word CREATURES means: A. living things B. owls C. mice
What is A. living things?
500
Sparta and Athens were Greek cities. Long ago, the people of both cities sent their children to school. The children learned different things there. In Sparta, the children went to school outdoors. They learned how to jump and run. They learned how to dance. They learned how to play many different games. In Athens, only boys went to school. They learned how to read, write, and speak correctly. They learned how to count and use numbers. Make an inference about schooling for girls in Sparta and Athens.
What is "Girls went to school in Sparta but not in Athens"?
500
Dr. Miller doesn’t want the tigers to vanish. These majestic beasts are disappearing at an alarming rate. Dr. Miller thinks that we should write to our congress people. If we let them know that we demand the preservation of this species, maybe we can make a difference. Dr. Miller also thinks that we should donate to Save the Tigers. Our donations will help to support and empower those who are fighting the hardest to preserve the tigers. We owe it to our grandchildren to do something. How is this paragraph organized?
What is "problem and solution. The problem is that tigers are vanishing. A solution is to donate to Save the Tigers to help protect them."?