Milliken 02 reading well reading comprehension grades 3 4

Reading Well 3–4Milliken’s Reading Well reading series provides teachers and parents with a wide variety of activities to use at home or in the classroom to enhance yourreading program..

Includes Assessment Pages!

Reading Well 3–4

Milliken’s Reading Well reading series provides teachers and parents

with a wide variety of activities to use at home or in the classroom to enhance yourreading program

Reading materials and styles of writing include realistic fiction, biography, poetry,

fantasy, informational articles, myths, legends, tall tales, and plays or skits

The comprehension activities have been selected to provide opportunities for students

to practice a variety of reading skills A list of comprehension skills for all grade levels isincluded on the Reading Comprehension Chart on page 1

A variety of assessment rubrics helps you track progress in achieving those skills

Each book in the series is sequential, allowing students to build on skills previous

learned The various levels available allows you to select the one most appropriate for

an individual student or class

Well Grades 3–4

written by Cindy Barden

illustrated by Corbin Hillam

Author

Cindy Barden

Illustrator

Corbin Hillam

Book Design and Production

Good Neighbor Press, Inc

Copyright © 2002

Milliken Publishing Co.

All rights reserved

The purchase of this book entitles the individual teacher/purchaser to reproduce copies

by any reproduction process for single classroom use The reproduction of any part ofthis book for use by an entire school or school system or for any commercial use isstrictly prohibited

4 Individual Activity Assessment

9 Student Reading Comprehension Skills Assessment

13 What’s Your Birthstone?

14 Trolls of Scandinavia

20 Imagine Eating 500 Pounds of Food a Day!

21 African and Asian Elephants

25 The Strings Sing

26 Listen to the Flute

28 Pecos Bill—A Tall Tale Hero

30 The Secret of Alexandria Elementary School

Reading Comprehension Skills

Activities provide opportunities for students

in grades 3 and 4 to practice these reading

comprehension skills

1

and fantasy

Identify significant details 12, 13, 18, 20, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30, 34, 37

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s Taxonomy, developed by Benjamin Bloom,

divides cognitive objectives into six categories

ranging from simple to complex Milliken’s Reading

Well series provides opportunities for children to

meet these six objectives.

Knowledge is the ability to memorize information

and recall specific facts.

Skills include recording, outlining, listing, discriminating between facts and opinions,classifying items, distinguishing between definitions and examples, and summarizingmaterial

Comprehension is the ability to grasp the meaning of what has been learned rather

than simply memorizing facts.

Skills include comparing and contrasting like and unlike items, identifying steps in aprocess, interpreting charts and graphs, translating verbal material to mathematicalterms, estimating consequences, patterning, and predicting outcomes

Application is the ability to use material previously learned in new situations.

Skills include inferring, estimating, applying concepts to new situations, ordering,

sequencing, understanding changes in word meanings, and constructing graphs andcharts

Analysis is the ability to understand both the content and structural form of material

and the ability to break material into its component parts.

Skills include writing analogies, decoding, using logic, drawing conclusions, predictingsequences, making inferences, and distinguishing between cause and effect

Synthesis is the ability to put parts together to form a new whole.

Skills include planning, deductive reasoning, creative thinking, testing hypotheses,

drawing conclusions, problem solving, and planning a project

Evaluation is the ability to use definite criteria to judge the value of material for a

given purpose.

Skills include developing and evaluating criteria, determining appropriateness and

relevancy of information, discovering common attributes, and evaluating material forextraneous information

2

Using Student Assessments

Assessment forms can measure student progress on a variety of reading comprehensionskills They also enable you to track a child’s literary development over time Completedforms can be shared with students and their parents, used as motivational tools, andused as guides when completing report cards

Individual Activity Assessment

Most activities in the Reading Well series provide opportunities for students to sharpen

several reading comprehension skills

The Individual Activity Assessment form can be used as a follow-up for any activity in thisbook A copy of it can be attached to the completed activity for students to take home

Oral Reading Assessment

This form allows you to track students’ oral reading skills It can be used on a monthly orquarterly basis and will be a helpful reference tool at parent/teacher conferences

Story Frame and Story Map

Students can complete the Story Frame and Story Map after reading any type of

narrative The Story Frame helps students summarize material they have read The StoryMap helps students identify the elements of a story These forms can be used with many

of the activities in this book as well as with other books and stories students read

Story Frame/Story Map Assessment

This form provides a means to assess a student’s reading comprehension level throughthe use of the story frame, story map, or other types of oral or written book reportscompleted by students

Student Reading Comprehension Skills Assessment

This form allows you to assess a student’s overall level on many reading comprehensionskills It can be used on a quarterly basis to track progress and provides valuable

information for parents about their child’s progress

Student Reading Log and Assessment

This form is a self-assessment tool for students as well

as a progress report It provides an opportunity to

learn at what level a student is comfortable reading

and to suggest appropriate reading material for the

future, providing input for both students and parents

3

Individual Activity Assessment

Student’s name: _ Date: _Activity title:

Skill Level

4 Student has mastered this skill

3 Student shows high level of proficiency

2 Student has basic understanding of this skill

1 Student needs improvement on this skill

Skills needed to complete this activity

4

Oral Reading Assessment

Student’s name: _

Skill Level

4 Student has mastered this skill

3 Student shows high level of proficiency

2 Student has basic understanding of this skill

1 Student needs improvement on this skill

5

Notes to help student improve:

Recognizes when words do not

Self-corrects if word doesn’t

Story Frame

6

Title: _Author: _This story is mainly about

(name of main character)

Other important characters are This story takes place (when and where) The problem is _The problem is solved when _

At the end of the story Student’s name: Date:

Story Map

7

Student’s name: Date:

Title: _Author: _

SettingTime:

Story Frame/Story Map Assessment

Student’s name: _ Date: _Story Title:

Scoring

Story elements

Student Reading Comprehension Skills Assessment

Student’s name: _

Skill Level

4 Student has mastered this skill

3 Student shows high level of proficiency

2 Student has basic understanding of this skill

1 Student needs improvement on this skill

N/A not applicable at this time

Dates of assessment

Student Reading Log and Assessment

Student’s name: _

Assessment of Student Reading Log

_ Student is reading above level expected

Keep up the great work!

_ Student is reading at level expected

Good job!

_ Student is reading below level expected

He/she needs to work harder

Suggestions for books student might enjoy are:

Aaron’s class learned about making healthy choices They studied the food

pyramid They learned to read labels on food products

After school, Aaron stopped at a store for a snack He wanted something sweet,but he remembered what his teacher had said about eating too much sugar

Carefully he read labels before making his choice

“Look, Mom,” he said proudly “I bought this snack because there’s no sugar listed

on the label It tastes good too.”

“Glucose, sucrose, lactose, and fructose,” Aaron’s mother read “Corn syrup andhoney I’m glad you read the label first, but I guess there’s one thing your teacherforgot to tell you.”

“What’s that?” Aaron asked

“Glucose, sucrose, lactose, and fructose are other names for sugar.”

“Oh,” said Aaron “No wonder it tasted so good.”

1 Number the sentences in the order in which they occur in the story

_ Aaron read the label before he bought his snack

_ Aaron’s mother said that sugar has other names

_ Aaron’s class learned about eating healthy

2 What are other names for sugar? _

3 What do you think Aaron told his class the next day?

“What should we do today?” Sara asked her

grandma “It’s too cold and wet to play outside.”

“I know,” said Grandma She went to the

bookshelf and took out a large book bulging with

old photographs

“This book is very special to me I call it my

memory book,” Grandma said

Sara saw a picture of a little girl in an old

fashioned dress standing by an old car

“That’s me, when I was your age,” her

grandma told Sara

Sara never realized her grandma used to be a kid too They looked at other

pictures in the memory book She saw Grandma and Grandpa on their wedding day,pictures of places they lived, and vacations they took many, many years ago

“That’s your dad,” Grandma said proudly, pointing to a picture of a little baby

“There’s your dad again, in his Little League uniform He was the best batter on

the team.”

They found pictures of another baby “Who’s that?” Sara asked

“That’s the best one of all,” Grandma told her “That’s you when you were a

baby.”

“I like looking at these pictures with you and hearing stories about the old days,” Sara said

“Next time you come to visit, we’ll start a memory book for you,” Grandma

promised “Maybe someday you’ll share your memory book with your own little girl.”

1 What is the main idea of this story?

A Sara and her grandmother are bored

B Sara and her grandmother share good memories

C Scrapbooks are fun to look at

2 What do Sara and her grandmother plan to do the next time Sara visits?

_

People have been making and wearing jewelry since the Stone Age Necklaces ofanimal teeth and bones were worn to scare away evil spirits Later, people wore rare or valuable stones to bring good luck, health, and happiness.

Many years ago, a different stone with a special meaning became connectedwith each month of the year In the 16th century, people began wearing jewelry withthe special stone for the month when they were born They called these birthstones

13

reproducible

Name: Date: _

What’s Your Birthstone?

Today people do not believe wearing birthstones will bring good luck, happiness, orhealth, but they still enjoy wearing birthstone jewelry

1 What is the main idea of this article?

A Birthstones bring good luck

B People like to wear jewelry

C People have worn birthstones for hundreds of years

2 Which three birthstones are shades of blue?

3 How are the January and July birthstones similar?

_

4 When did people first start wearing birthstones?

5 What is your birthstone? _

Month Color Birthstone Symbolizes

constancysinceritycourageinnocencelove, successhealth, longevitycontentmentmarried happinessclear thinkinghope

fidelityprosperity

Trolls are creatures found in stories told in the Scandinavian countries of Sweden,Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and nearby islands They are short with wrinkled faces,gray skin and hair Some male trolls have long beards Trolls are very strong for

their size

Trolls have long noses so they can smell danger from far away Their large, furryears help them hear wolves With their wide, flat feet, they can walk through deepsnow Their thick, leathery skin protects them from harsh weather and insect bites.They use their long tails to tickle other trolls

Trolls have small eyes and poor eyesight “He couldn’t tell a tree from a hole in theground” is a favorite troll saying

1 Name four Scandinavian countries _

2 Why do trolls have:

wide, flat feet large, furry ears thick, leathery skin _long noses _

According to legends, trolls live with their families deep in the forests, usually

underground or under bridges The head of each troll family is the oldest member.Since trolls live very long lives, family leaders may be great, great-grandmothers or grandfathers

Troll mothers cook and clean and take care of the children Troll fathers hunt andmake things for the family Troll children are often full of mischief and play pranks oneach other and on other family members

At night, the families gather around fires and tell troll stories, but when the sun rises,they must be well-hidden Trolls cannot handle direct sunlight If even one sunbeamtouches a troll, he or she will turn to stone

People in Scandinavia claim that many odd-shaped rocks or boulders were reallyonce trolls

Some stories say that night trolls kidnap people and turn them into trolls Otherstories tell of trolls who take care of and protect children lost in the woods

3 Circle the words that describe trolls

4 Why do trolls live underground or under bridges?

5 Write a question you would ask if you could meet a troll

A nursing home

Characters:

Narrator, Grandma Greene, Alien

NARRATOR: Grandma Greene woke from a

restless sleep She heard a weird humming

sound through the open window of her room in

the nursing home She couldn’t believe her

eyes when she looked out and saw an alien

spaceship hovering next to her window She

watched as a door opened in the spaceship

and an alien walked toward her through the

window Grandma Greene was fascinated—and scared

ALIEN: Greetings, Earth Creature I’ve come to take you to Planet Zyco

Please follow me

GRANDMA GREENE: Follow you? Where?

ALIEN: To Planet Zyco Hurry now

GRANDMA GREENE: No way, alien I’m too old to go anywhere

Besides, at 94 I don’t hurry so well any more

ALIEN: But you must We’ve traveled one zillion and thirteen

light years to find you That’s a long way, you know

GRANDMA GREENE: I don’t care how far it is Besides, why would you want an oldlady like me?

ALIEN: We need you You are the only one in seven galaxies that can help us

GRANDMA GREENE: Me? Why would you need me?

Before reading the rest of the play, list three possible reasons why the alien wantsGrandma Greene to go to Planet Zyco

_

ALIEN: Because we have discovered that you bake the finest chocolate chip cookies

in the entire universe Our people love chocolate chip cookies more than

anything else in the world

GRANDMA GREENE: Chocolate chip cookies? I’ve baked thousands of them in mytime Maybe more than a million Even won a prize or two But that was long ago.ALIEN: Did you forget how to bake scrumptious cookies that melt in your mouth?GRANDMA GREENE: Forget? Of course not

ALIEN: Then I don’t see what the problem is Let’s go

GRANDMA GREENE: Young man, you may not have noticed, but I’m an old lady I’mvery sick and haven’t got long to live I can’t see too well or hear too well, either

My bones are old I doubt I’d live long enough to arrive at your planet, let alone

be able to bake cookies

ALIEN: Oh, is that all? On Planet Zyco, we live to be 300 years old or more Actually,I’m 146 myself—in the prime of life

GRANDMA GREENE: 300 years?

ALIEN: Of course And you can too We can fix your hearing and your eyesight Wecan strengthen your bones You’ll feel 50 years younger in a day or so

GRANDMA GREENE: Well, why are you standing around wasting time when we could

be on our way? You’d better stop at the store and stock up on eggs, sugar, flour,and the other ingredients I’ll need I’ve got a lot of baking to do

Before Grandma Greene went to Planet Zyco, she left a short note for her friendsand family Write Grandma Greene’s note

Dear Friends and Family,

During the summer, all the boys in Faraway took turns

watching the village sheep on a hill outside the village

None of the boys liked the job, but they all had to take

their turns for a week at a time

When it was Matt’s turn to watch the sheep, he soon

became bored and decided to play a trick on the

people in the village

“Wolf! Wolf!” Matt shouted as loudly as he could

All the people of the village ran to the hill to help Matt

save the sheep from the wolf

When they arrived, Matt was the only one who laughed

at his joke There wasn’t any wolf

The next day, Matt tried the same trick “Wolf! Wolf!”

he shouted

Again the villagers ran to help him This time Matt

laughed even harder because they had fallen for the

same joke two days in a row

Two days later, as Matt sat on the hill watching the

clouds, a wolf attacked the sheep Matt was really scared

He needed help

“Wolf! Wolf!” Matt shouted

No one came The villagers were tired of his tricks

“Wolf! Wolf!” he shouted even louder

The villagers ignored him and the wolf took all the sheep

1 Why didn’t the villagers come when Matt cried “Wolf! Wolf!” the third time?

2 “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” is a fable—a story that teaches a lesson

What lesson can people learn from this story?

1 Which sentence summarizes the main idea of the story?

A Wolves like to attack sheep

B Taking care of sheep is a boring job

C People who lie will not be believed, even when they tell the truth

2 For each action listed (cause), write what happened as a result (effect)

because he was bored

a second time as a joke

How do you think Matt felt at the end of the story? _