0-7696-3863-5cospect 5/16 spine 1/12/12 9:30 am page 1...

Excellent Tool for Standardized Test Preparation!

• Author’s purpose

• Synonyms and antonyms

• Reading comprehension

• Phonics skills

• Study skills

• Answer key

RE

AD

ING

Gra

de 3

Making Children More Successful!Spectrum®, our best-selling workbook series, provides quality educational activitiesthat meet students’ needs for learning achievement and success.

Spectrum® Reading Grade 3 helps young learners improve and strengthen theirfiction and nonfiction reading skills, such as:

• Author’s purpose • Phonics skills• Synonyms and antonyms • Study skills• Reading comprehension

Reading (Grades K–6)

Math (Grades K–8)

Spelling (Grades 1–6)

Writing (Grades 1–8)

Language Arts (Grades 2–6)

Vocabulary (Grades 3–6)

Test Prep (Grades 1–8)

Test Practice (Grades 1—8)

Geography (Grades 3–6)

Phonics (Grades K–3)

Word Study and Phonics (Grades 4–6)

Science Test Prep (Grades 3–8)

Enrichment Math (Grades 3 –8)

Science (Grades 3–8)

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0-7696-3863-5COSPECT_5/16 spine 1/12/12 9:30 AM

Spectrum Reading Grade 3 Table of Contents

Two Boys, Big Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2One Tent, Lots of Stuff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4How to Pitch a Tent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6One Tent…What Next? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Night Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Thunder and Lightning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Smokey the Bear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Planting Dreams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Dreaming of the Harvest . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Peppers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20The Pie Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Once a Pie Man, Always a Pie Man . . . . 24New York Cityʼs Gem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Soccer Blues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Mom to the Rescue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Power Snack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32And Itʼs Out of the Park! . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34History of Soccer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Why Soccer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38A Teacherʼs Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40A Studentʼs Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42The Great Volcano Debate . . . . . . . . . . . 44The End of a Volcano Tale . . . . . . . . . . . 46Volcanoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48And the Next Unit Is…. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50So Many Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Too Many Ideas! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Forest Mammals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Snakes: Love Them or Leave Them? . . . 58Redwood Giants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Problem Solved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62The Hamster From Room 144 . . . . . . . . 64Caring for a Pet Hamster . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Skyway Sweeper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Rooftop Keeper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70The Dirt on Soil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Frederickʼs Secret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Buildings: From Tall to Taller . . . . . . . . . . 76Magic With Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Magic With Wiggles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Houdini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82David Copperfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Wiggles Reappears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86Field Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Riddles Along the Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90One Great Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

A Wall of Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94A Farm From Long Ago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96In the Barn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98In the Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Baking Bread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102All About the Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Caught in Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106How Many Are There?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Sidewalk Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Wishes on the Sidewalk . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Drawings on the Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Roman Wall Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116From Lucy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118At the Shore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120From Isabel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122The Dominican Republic . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Lucy and Isabel: Pen Pals. . . . . . . . . . . 126Phone Troubles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128Phone Manners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130Hold the Phone!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Telephones: How Do They Work?. . . . . 134Honey to the Rescue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136Honey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138A Sad Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140What Is Folk Music? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142Peanut Butter Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Working for Peanuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146All Wrapped Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Making Prints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

1

Table of Contents

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Two Boys, Big PlansRead to see what Sam and Kent are planning.1 “Okay, I’m going to ask my parentsright now. Are you?” Sam waited forKent’s reply over the phone.2 “I think so,” said Kent after amoment. “My dad just got home alittle while ago. Are you bringingcrackers?”3 Sam laughed. Kent was alwayshungry. “Yes, I’ll bring the crackers,”he said. “And be sure to tell them thatwe’ll turn the lights out by 9:30. Okay?”4 “Nine-thirty. Right,” Kent agreed.“Okay, I’m going to go ask. I’ll talk toyou in a little bit.”5 “Okay,” answered Sam, and hehung up. Now, if only we can talk ourparents into letting us do this, hethought to himself. He put on a bigsmile and entered the family room.6 “Dad?” said Sam quietly so hewouldn’t make his father jump. “Icleaned up those grass clippings for you.”7 “Oh, good,” nodded Mr. Hume.“Thanks, Sam.”8 “Mom? Dad?” started Sam again.Both his parents looked over theirnewspapers. The words rushed out ofSam. “Kent and I were wondering if wecould sleep out in the tent tonight.We’d be warm enough in our sleepingbags, and we won’t eat too much, andit’ll be lights out at 9:30, we promise.”

9 Mr. and Mrs. Hume blinked, thenlooked at each other. How do theytalk to each other without sayinganything, wondered Sam.10 “Did Kent’s parents say it wasokay?” asked Mrs. Hume.11 “He’s asking right now.” Sam shiftedfrom one foot to the other. Anotherlook passed between his parents. 12 Mr. Hume nodded. “If Kent’sparents say it’s okay, it’s okay with us.”13 “Thanks, Dad! Thanks, Mom!” calledSam as he dashed for the phone. Hedialed and held his breath. Then, heheard Kent’s voice.14 “Okay?” asked Sam.15 “Okay!” said Kent.

2Spectrum Reading Grade 3


NAME ________________________________

Write the words from the story thathave these meanings.

1. answer

_________________________________

2. inquire

_________________________________

3. went into

_________________________________

4. went quickly

_________________________________

A word without an ending is a baseword. Circle the base word in each ofthe words below.

5. bringing 6. lights

7. quietly 8. blinked

A word that names one of somethingis singular. A word that names more than one is plural. Most wordsare made plural by adding an sat the end. Write the plural form ofthese words.

9. cracker__________________________

10. parent___________________________

11. tent _____________________________

12. word ____________________________

1. This story is mostly about

______ a sleepover.

______ Sam’s parents.

______ two boys’ plans.

2. At the beginning, when Sam and Kent are talking on thephone, what did you think theymight be talking about?

_________________________________

_________________________________

3. In the story, when did you find outwhat the boys are planning?

_________________________________

_________________________________

4. Why do you think Sam told his dadabout the grass clippings?

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

5. Why does Sam mention beingwarm enough and when the lightswill be turned out?

_________________________________

_________________________________

6. Now that the boys have permission,what do you think they will do next?

_________________________________

_________________________________


Par. 1

Par. 4

Par. 5

Par. 8


One Tent, Lots of StuffWhat do the boys need for their nightin the tent?1 “Lantern?”2 “Got it.”3 “Sleeping bags?”4 “Got it—both of them.”5 “Pillows?”6 “Two fat ones.”7 “Crackers?”8 “Three kinds.”9 “Three kinds? Great!”10 Sam and Kent had made a list of allthe things they needed for sleepingout in the tent. Now, they were sittingcross-legged in the tent, checkingthings off the list. 11 “Are you going to bring a bathrobeand slippers?” Kent asked Sam.12 “Oh, no! We’re camping. Those are just for in the house,” answeredSam, looking as if he knew all about camping.

13 “Oh, right,” said Kent, who hadnever been camping before. Hedidn’t think Sam had been campingbefore either. Still, it was Sam’s dad’stent, so he must know.14 “Oh, I almost forgot. Can you bringyour baseball glove?” Sam lookedvery serious.15 Kent couldn’t figure this one out.“My baseball glove? What do weneed that for?”16 “Well, we just might. You neverknow,” said Sam with mystery and authority. 17 “Okay,” shrugged Kent, “I’ll bring it when I come after supper. Whattime do you think you’ll be able tocome out?”18 Sam thought for a moment. “Weusually eat at 5:45. Then, I have toclear the table. I should be done by6:30. What about you?”19 “My dad doesn’t get home until sixo’clock,” said Kent, regretfully.“Maybe if I offer to help Mom withsupper, things will go quickly.”20 Sam shrugged. “It’s worth a try.Come out as soon as you can.” Samlooked around the tent. “Okay, I thinkeverything’s ready. I’ll see you later.”21 “See you later,” said Kent, and theboys both ran home.



NAME ________________________________

Words that mean the same, or nearlythe same, are called synonyms. Circlethe pair of synonyms in each row.

1. many fat all countless

2. serious narrow unsmiling busy

3. special after moment instant

4. shortly later soon gladly

5. helpful finished glum done

Each word part is called a syllable.The words below are broken intosyllables. Sound out each syllable.Then, write the word and say it toyourself as you write.

6. mys/ter/y ________________________

7. au/thor/i/ty ______________________

8. re/gret/ful/ly _____________________

1. One of the boys usually has theideas. The other one seems to goalong with those ideas. Which boyis the “leader”?

_________________________________

2. What details from the story helpedyou answer question 1?

_________________________________

_________________________________

3. Kent says he might help his momwith supper. What does that tellyou about Kent?

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

4. Based on what you know aboutcamping, how do you feel aboutall the stuff the boys have in theirtent? List what you think they needand what they don’t need.

What They Need

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

What They Don’t Need

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

5. In some stories, the author tells youwhat is happening. In this story, theauthor uses mostly dialogue, whatthe characters say, to let youknow what is going on. Chooseone line of dialogue and writewhat it helps you know about thecharacter.

Dialogue: _______________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________



How to Pitch a TentFollow these instructions to learn howto pitch a tent.

These general instructions shouldallow anyone to pitch any size or styleof tent. Keep in mind that pitching atent alone, even if you haveexperience, is difficult.

1. Choose a flat area on which topitch your tent. Remove any stonesor rocks that might poke throughthe tent’s floor.

2. Take the tent and all equipmentout of the storage bag. Layeverything on the ground neatly.

3. Spread a groundcloth over thechosen spot. Then, lay the tentfloor, over the groundcloth. Foldthe edges of the groundclothunder, so they do not stick out fromthe edges of the tent.

4. Make sure the tent door is zippedshut. Then, pound a stake througheach loop, pulling snugly as you go so the floor gets stretched to its full size.

5. Put together the tent poles, ifnecessary. Thread each onethrough its loops or channels. Donot step or walk on the tent to dothis. If necessary, crawl or lie downon your stomach to reach thecenter of the tent.

6. Raise the poles. If you have apartner, work on opposite sides ofthe tent.

7. Pull the guy lines straight out fromthe sides of the tent. Peg each one.



NAME ________________________________

Write the words from the article thathave these meanings.

1. to push through

_________________________________

2. with care and order

_________________________________

3. to strike heavily

_________________________________

4. middle or interior point

_________________________________

In each row below, circle the threewords that belong together.

5. grass stones rocks pebbles

6. set lay put jet

7. tight windy snug stretched

8. haul pull snap heave

1. What do you know about pitchinga tent? Do you have anything toadd to these instructions?

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

2. Number the sentences to show theorder to pitch a tent.

______ Spread out groundcloth.

______ Tighten and peg guy lines.

______ Choose and clear an area.

______ Put together tent poles.

______ Lay out equipment.

______ Pound stakes through loops.

______ Raise the poles.

1. If you don’t know or understandwhat a guy line is, which illustrationhelps you figure it out? Tell how.

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

2. Choose one illustration. Explainwhat it shows.

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________


Step 1

Step 2

Step 4

Step 5


One Tent…What Next?What do the boys expect to happen?1 “Then, there was the time mybrother and I nearly got blown awaywith the tent! Did I tell you about thatone?” Sam shook his head and triednot to look impatient. His dad hadbeen telling camping stories for almostan hour. How can I get him to stopwithout saying anything? thought Samto himself. He really wanted to get outto the tent.2 Finally, his dad stopped for a bite of dessert, and Sam asked to beexcused. When his mom nodded herokay, it took only four trips to clear thetable. Then, he was off and across thebackyard.3 “Caught you!” yelled Sam as heflipped back the tent flap. Kentjumped and turned red. “Ha! I knew it! In the crackers already.” Then, he laughed. “Have you been waiting long?”

4 Kent shook his head because hismouth was full. Finally, he said, “Notlong. My dad got home late.” 5 Sam shrugged. “Oh, well. We’rehere now. Let’s get ready.”6 “Ready for what?” asked Kent.7 “For whatever’s going to happen,”answered Sam. Well, he must know,thought Kent. He helped Samstraighten the sleeping bags and stashstuff in the corners. They played catchacross the tent for a little while. Ah, thebaseball glove, thought Kent. Theyplayed badminton with crackers, butthen Sam discovered crumbs in hissleeping bag, so they stopped. 8 They turned on the lantern andread. After a while, Sam retold someof his dad’s camping stories. Then,Kent turned out the light, and theylistened for noises in the dark. Theydidn’t hear any for a very long time. 9 Finally, Kent heard something at the tent flap. He half crawled and half flew across the tent to warn Sam.Sam yelled when Kent landed on topof him.10 “Hey, are you guys all right?” It wasSam’s mom. “Breakfast is ready.” 11 Sam and Kent looked at eachother in disbelief. They had sleptthrough the whole night, and nothinghad happened.



NAME ________________________________

Words whose meanings are oppositeare called antonyms. Match eachword in the first list with its antonym inthe second list. Write the letter in theblank.

1. ______ asleep a. night

2. ______ dark b. awake

3. ______ day c. crooked

4. ______ straight d. light

A prefix is a group of letters added tothe beginning of a word that changesthe meaning of a word.

The prefix re- means “again.”

• retold means “told again”

The prefix im- means “not.”

• impatient means “not patient”

Write the correct word next to itsmeaning.

5. fill again _________________________

6. not possible______________________

7. appear again ___________________

8. not polite ________________________

1. Which sentence best describes this story?

______ Nothing exciting happensto the boys in the tent.

______ The boys have a crazy nightin the tent.

______ In the morning, Kent plays a trick on Sam and scareshim.

2. Why did the boys stop playingbadminton?

_________________________________

_________________________________

Number each list of words below inalphabetical order.

1. ______ tent 2. ______ lantern

______ camping ______ noises

______ hour ______ crackers

______ brother ______ flap


impoliteimpossible

reappearrefill


Answer Key

Write the words from the story thathave these meanings.

1. answer

_________________________________

2. inquire

_________________________________

3. went into

_________________________________

4. went quickly

_________________________________

A word without an ending is a baseword. Circle the base word in each ofthe words below.

5. bringing 6. lights

7. quietly 8. blinked

A word that names one of somethingis singular. A word that names more than one is plural. Most wordsare made plural by adding an sat the end. Write the plural form ofthese words.

9. cracker__________________________

10. parent___________________________

11. tent _____________________________

12. word ____________________________

1. This story is mostly about

______ a sleepover.

______ Sam’s parents.

______ two boys’ plans.

2. At the beginning, when Sam and Kent are talking on thephone, what did you think theymight be talking about?

_________________________________

_________________________________

3. In the story, when did you find outwhat the boys are planning?

_________________________________

_________________________________

4. Why do you think Sam told his dadabout the grass clippings?

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

5. Why does Sam mention beingwarm enough and when the lightswill be turned out?

_________________________________

_________________________________

6. Now that the boys have permission,what do you think they will do next?

_________________________________

_________________________________

Par. 1

Par. 4

Par. 5

Par. 8

reply

Answers will vary.

X

when Sam asks his parentsfor their permission

ask

entered

rushed

Answers will vary.

Answers will vary.

Answers will vary.

crackers

tentswords

parents

Words that mean the same, or nearlythe same, are called synonyms. Circlethe pair of synonyms in each row.

1. many fat all countless

2. serious narrow unsmiling busy

3. special after moment instant

4. shortly later soon gladly

5. helpful finished glum done

Each word part is called a syllable.The words below are broken intosyllables. Sound out each syllable.Then, write the word and say it toyourself as you write.

6. mys/ter/y ________________________

7. au/thor/i/ty ______________________

8. re/gret/ful/ly _____________________

1. One of the boys usually has theideas. The other one seems to goalong with those ideas. Which boyis the “leader”?

_________________________________

2. What details from the story helpedyou answer question 1?

_________________________________

_________________________________

3. Kent says he might help his momwith supper. What does that tellyou about Kent?

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

4. Based on what you know aboutcamping, how do you feel aboutall the stuff the boys have in theirtent? List what you think they needand what they don’t need.

What They Need

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

What They Don’t Need

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

5. In some stories, the author tells youwhat is happening. In this story, theauthor uses mostly dialogue, whatthe characters say, to let youknow what is going on. Chooseone line of dialogue and writewhat it helps you know about thecharacter.

Dialogue: _______________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

mystery

Answers will vary.

Answers will vary.

Answers will vary.

Ex.: “Oh, no! We’recamping. Those are justfor in the house..."

Sam

Answers will vary.

Answers will vary.

authorityregretfully

3 5

Write the words from the article thathave these meanings.

1. to push through

_________________________________

2. with care and order

_________________________________

3. to strike heavily

_________________________________

4. middle or interior point

_________________________________

In each row below, circle the threewords that belong together.

5. grass stones rocks pebbles

6. set lay put jet

7. tight windy snug stretched

8. haul pull snap heave

1. What do you know about pitchinga tent? Do you have anything toadd to these instructions?

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

2. Number the sentences to show theorder to pitch a tent.

______ Spread out groundcloth.

______ Tighten and peg guy lines.

______ Choose and clear an area.

______ Put together tent poles.

______ Lay out equipment.

______ Pound stakes through loops.

______ Raise the poles.

1. If you don’t know or understandwhat a guy line is, which illustrationhelps you figure it out? Tell how.

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

2. Choose one illustration. Explainwhat it shows.

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

Step 1

Step 2

Step 4

Step 5

poke

Answers will vary.

Answers will vary.

6425173

The illustration that goeswith Step 7; the guy linesare stretched out, just asthe text describes.

neatly

pound

center

Words whose meanings are oppositeare called antonyms. Match eachword in the first list with its antonym inthe second list. Write the letter in theblank.

1. ______ asleep a. night

2. ______ dark b. awake

3. ______ day c. crooked

4. ______ straight d. light

A prefix is a group of letters added tothe beginning of a word that changesthe meaning of a word.

The prefix re- means “again.”

• retold means “told again”

The prefix im- means “not.”

• impatient means “not patient”

Write the correct word next to itsmeaning.

5. fill again _________________________

6. not possible______________________

7. appear again ___________________

8. not polite ________________________

1. Which sentence best describes this story?

______ Nothing exciting happensto the boys in the tent.

______ The boys have a crazy nightin the tent.

______ In the morning, Kent plays a trick on Sam and scareshim.

2. Why did the boys stop playingbadminton?

_________________________________

_________________________________

Number each list of words below inalphabetical order.

1. ______ tent 2. ______ lantern

______ camping ______ noises

______ hour ______ crackers

______ brother ______ flap

impoliteimpossible

reappearrefill

refillimpossible

reappearimpolite

X

bdac

4231

3412

Sam finds crumbs in hissleeping bag.

7 9

152Spectrum Reading Grade 3 Answer Key


0-7696-3863-5cospect 5/16 spine 1/12/12 9:30 am page 1...

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