common core passages and supplemental...

Resource GuideVolume 6

Common Core Passages and Supplemental Practice

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June 2014 Edition v14

ISBN 978-0-9767205-1-5

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ContentsCommon Core Passages 1

Introduction 3

Printout Templates 5

Literature Compare and Contrast 9

The Boy Who Cried Wolf 10

The Wolf Who Cried Boy 12

The Fossil Hunter 15

City Search 17

Yeh-Shen: A Chinese Cinderella Story 20

Rhodopis: An Egyptian Cinderella Story 22

A Movie Mystery 25

The Rogue Ring 27

Baseball Letters 30

The Mola 34

Informational Text Compare and Contrast 39

My Painting 40

My Sculpture 40

Reduce Reuse Recycle 42

Make Your Own Recycled Paper 43

You and Your Blood 46

Your Pulse 47

Archaeology 49

Underwater Dig 50

Maryn Roos: An Artist’s Memoir 52

Maryn Roos: Biography of an Artist 53

iviv Leveled Reading

Common Core Passages

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IntroductionLiterature Passages As students progress through school, they are expected to read and understand increasingly complex text—both literary and informational. Imagine Learning provides opportunity for students to read both types of text. Imagine Learning’s literary works represent a variety of genres including fiction, plays, poetry, tall tales, myths, fairytales, and mysteries. Informational texts cover content area topics like the solar system, laws of motion, and technology literacy. All literary and informational texts are presented as paired passages that give contrasting perspectives and provide different information about the same topic.

Comprehension SkillsImagine Learning exposes students to a broad range of reading material and teaches students how to comprehend what they read. Comprehension standards have become more rigorous. Today, students are not only expected to understand what they read, they are expected to be able to critically analyze text. To meet rigorous Common Core and state standards, Imagine Learning provides numerous instructional activities that teach text features, academic vocabulary, story structure, main ideas and details, and text analysis. The table on the following page describes instructional sequences for both literature and informational texts.

44 Leveled Reading

Sequence for Literature and Informational Texts

Informational Text Literature

Learn types of textLearn how to compare and contrast information in literary works

Analyze text featuresUse story maps to identify important elements of stories

Demonstrate understanding of informational text features

Learn academic vocabulary

Learn how to answer literal questionSort academic vocabulary words by definition

Review how to find main ideas and supporting details

Independently read grade-level passages

Read informational passages Compare and contrast reading selections

Compare and contrast information in grade-level passages

Answer comprehension questions about passages

Learn academic vocabulary

Sort academic vocabulary words by definition

Answer comprehension questions about grade-level passages

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Printout Templates Story Map TemplateTo analyze stories, students need to identify story elements such as character, setting, problem, and resolution. Imagine Learning’s literature activities teach students how to identify these elements by requiring students to complete story maps as they read new stories. The template of the story map is included in this guide for your classroom use.

Main Idea Graphic Organizer TemplateKnowing how to identify main ideas and details is important for comprehending informational text. Students who use Imagine Learning are taught about main ideas and details as they complete informational text lessons. As students read informational passages, you can help them practice identifying main ideas and details by having them complete graphic organizers for passages read. Two main idea templates are provided for your classroom use.

Venn Diagram Template As students complete the instructional sequences for literature and informational text, they are taught how to compare and contrast information in stories and articles. Students practice comparing and contrasting using Venn diagrams. A template of the Venn diagram is included for class discussions and for group analysis of the passages.

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Story Map

Story Map

Copyright © Imagine Learning, Inc. 7

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Graphic Organizers

Main Idea

Detail Detail Detail

Detail Detail

Main Idea

Subtopic 2 Subtopic 3 Subtopic 1

Details Details Details

Graphic Organizers

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Copyright © Imagine Learning, Inc.8 Venn Diagram

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Venn Diagram

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Literature Compare and Contrast Literary PassagesThe texts of the literary passages are provided as printouts. They are organized by grade levels with paired literary passages for grades 2–6. These printouts can be used for classroom reading practice.

Story Maps When students complete activities in the literature strand, they are taught how to identify the following story elements: character, setting, problem, and solution. Completed story maps for fictional works for grades 2–6 are included in this section of the guide.

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The Boy Who Cried Wolf: Common Core Passages

The Boy Who Cried WolfGrade 2, Story 1

Lexile®: 470L, 338 words

Once upon a time, there was a boy who had a very important job. Every day, he had to sit on a hill and watch the town’s sheep to make sure they were safe. There was only one problem. He thought watching sheep was the most boring job ever.

The boy was so bored that he had to do something to make things more exciting. What would be exciting? The boy had an idea, and he ran to town as fast as he could. He yelled, “Wolf! Hey, there’s a wolf up there!”

People came out into the street. “What? A wolf!” They ran out of town and up the hill, but there was no wolf. The people were angry with the boy. They told him to only cry “wolf!” if the sheep were in real danger.

But the next day was so boring that the boy ran to town again. “Wolf!” he yelled.

“This better not be a trick,” the people told him. They ran all the way up the hill to see. There were the sheep, but there was no wolf. The angry people again told the boy that what he did was wrong, but, as soon as they were gone, he laughed and laughed.

On the third day, the boy started looking for something to do when he saw a big, black shape coming toward him. It was a wolf!

The boy ran into town. “Wolf,” he gasped. “There’s a wolf!” The people did not believe him.

The people did not follow him.


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The Boy Who Cried Wolf: Common Core Passages

Then one old man spoke, “I think this boy has learned his lesson. Let’s give him one more chance. I don’t want a wolf to take our sheep.”

Finally, the people followed the boy. The wolf had almost reached the herd. The people ran to the sheep just in time to scare the wolf away. That night, the boy told all the townspeople he was sorry. “I think,” he said, “that watching sheep is not boring after all.”


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The Wolf Who Cried Boy: Common Core Passages

The Wolf Who Cried BoyGrade 2, Story 2

Once upon a time, there was a young wolf who spent his days in the forest under the trees. His job was to watch for boys. The wolf pack was afraid of boys because some boys hunted wolves. So the young wolf watched and waited in the forest, but no boys came. There was nothing to do. He was bored. Bored, bored, bored. He tried to think of something to make life more exciting, and then he had an idea.

“Boy!” he yelled. “There’s a boy in the forest. Run for your lives!” All the wolves were afraid and ran away. The young wolf laughed and laughed at how silly they looked. The wolves were angry. They told the young wolf to never cry “boy!” unless a real boy had come. The young wolf didn’t listen.

The next day, he was bored again. “Help! I saw a boy, and he almost got me!” he yelled. The wolf pack thought it must be true, so they ran off again. When they found out the truth, the wolf pack was very angry. They said, “Never lie again.”

“The young wolf walked around the forest the next day, still laughing at how he had tricked the pack. Suddenly, he smelled something . . . and then he heard something . . . and finally he saw something. It was a boy! The young wolf raced home. “A boy!” he cried. “It’s really a boy this time!”



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The Wolf Who Cried Boy: Common Core Passages

No one believed him.

The young wolf didn’t know what to do. He ran away, but he ran the wrong way—right into the boy!

“What are you doing?” the boy asked as he rubbed his head.

“I was running away,” the young wolf said. “Aren’t you here to shoot wolves?” “Yes,” the boy told him, “I want to shoot as many as I can.” He reached behind his back.

“Help!” screamed the wolf, so scared that he couldn’t even move.

“Now just hold still,” said the boy as he brought out his camera. “I want to shoot your photo.” Click.

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Copyright © Imagine Learning, Inc.14 Grade 2 Story Maps: Common Core Passages

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The Fossil Hunter: Common Core Passages

The Fossil HunterGrade 3, Story 1


I can’t believe that I have to stay with Aunt Megan. She’s really nice, but she always wants me to go to work with her. She’s a ranger at a big state park called Fossil Butte. She spends all day hiking up and down trails and showing people around. My idea of a good time is to stay inside and play video games.

Aunt Megan thinks it will be good for me to spend the whole day outside enjoying the fresh air. What do I think? I think that walking for miles and miles will be very boring.

She wants me to find a fossil. How do you find a fossil? Aunt Megan says I need to investigate rocks very carefully. Looking at rocks is not fun.

But the sooner I find a fossil, the sooner I can get back to my video games. I keep my eyes open, but all I see is regular old rocks.

We’re pretty high up the mountain now, heading into the trees. Aunt Megan shows me jagged lines scratched into the trees where mountain lions have sharpened their claws. I have to admit, it would be cool to see a mountain lion. I look around. Aunt Megan is gone.

“Come on up here!” I breathe a big sigh of relief. Aunt Megan is not a mountain lion’s dinner. I scramble up toward the top of the mountain and toward Aunt Megan.

Since a lot of paleontologists have already been here searching for fossils, I doubt that I will ever find one. I look down. I can’t believe that this was once a huge lake full of fish and tropical plants and even alligators.

I’m trying to imagine an alligator climbing this mountain. Then I see something through the trees that looks like rock on the ground with faint

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Copyright © Imagine Learning, Inc.16 The Fossil Hunter: Common Core Passages

marks on it. As I get closer, I can hardly believe what I see. A fish fossil! That little fish was hiding there in the rock for maybe a million years until I found it.

“Have you discovered anything yet?” Aunt Megan calls. “If we don’t hurry, you’ll miss your favorite TV show.”

“Who cares about TV? You won’t believe what I just found.”


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City Search: Common Core Passages

City SearchGrade 3, Story 2


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“What do you think?” Dad asked as he looked over Jade’s shoulder.

Jade looked at the schedule one more time to make sure. “I think that we should take the 8:55 train. Then we can get off at 83rd Street.”

Dad nodded. “Good job reading the schedule; we’ll get there in no time with you in charge. Have you decided what to get for your brother once we’re there?”

Jade shook his head, and his shoulders slumped a little.

“Cheer up—we’ll find something that’s just right for him.” Dad walked with Jade to the right train. While they waited to get on, they chatted about what they might find for Martin’s birthday.

Once on the train, the world zoomed by just like the birthday ideas zoomed through Jade’s head.

At the station on 83rd, they got out and walked toward the sports shop. “Maybe we should get Martin a baseball hat or a sweatshirt,” Dad said. “He would love some kind of baseball gift.” “Maybe,” Jade said, but he was thinking that he needed something better than a sweatshirt. Dozens of sweatshirts hung on the rack, and they all looked the same. Jade wanted to get Martin something special.

When they left the sports store, Jade noticed a bus stop across the street. He pulled out their bus schedule.

“Look, Dad. We could catch the 9:45 bus to Charleston Street.” There were plenty of stores on Charleston Street, but Jade was thinking of one store in particular.

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Copyright © Imagine Learning, Inc.18 City Search: Common Core Passages

They boarded the bus, rode for a few blocks, and then got off at their stop. Jade began walking toward a pet shop when his dad gently stopped him.

“I’m sorry, Jade, but Martin can’t have a pet. Pets aren’t allowed in his apartment building.”

“Not even a fish?”

Dad shook his head and then said, “We can get on the trolley and go to a bookstore. Martin needs a break sometimes at college, and he might like a fun book.” Jade shrugged, checked the schedule, and found a trolley that would be going past soon.

When they got to the store, Jade held his breath. What if they ran out of time before finding something for Martin’s birthday?

He looked through the mysteries, adventure stories, and graphic novels, but he couldn’t find anything that was just right. He needed something Martin was interested in. Something he would enjoy. But also something different and one-of-a-kind.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jade noticed a group of people. They looked excited, and he wondered what could be so interesting at a bookstore.

A lady who worked there was telling customers about a new book that they could have signed by the author. “In fact,” she told them, “this specific book is about baseball, so both the author and a major league baseball player are here to sign copies of it.”

Jade walked forward as if a magnet were pulling him. There sat a real author and a real baseball player together at the same table.

Jade grabbed his dad’s arm. “Dad, we have to get it for Martin.”

Dad smiled and said, “Let’s get in line. I have a feeling that you found the perfect gift.”


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Grade 3 Story Maps: Common Core Passages


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Yeh-Shen: Common Core Passages

Yeh-Shen lived a happy life with her father, her stepmother, and her stepsister. However, when her father became ill and died, Yeh-Shen’s life changed. Her stepmother became mean and unfeeling, and she forced Yeh-Shen to be a servant.

In spite of her heavy heart, Yeh-Shen tried to work hard. One day as she washed the clothes in the river, a beautiful fish appeared. It sparkled in the sunlight with scales like gems. Each day, the magical fish talked to Yeh-Shen, so she was happy again.

Yeh-Shen’s stepmother did not like to see her happy, so she followed Yeh-Shen and found out about the fish. That night, she caught the fish, killed it, and cooked it. After dinner, Yeh-Shen came to take the dishes. She asked, “What are those bones on your plate?” Her stepmother laughed. “Your pretty fish was also a tasty fish!”

Yeh-Shen took the bones and put them in a little jar in her room because she loved the fish and wanted to remember it.

In the spring, the town had a party that Yeh-Shen wanted to attend, but her stepmother didn’t want her to go. She made sure Yeh-Shen had nothing pretty to wear. Then she and her daughter left for the party without Yeh-Shen.

When she was alone, Yeh-Shen went to her room and looked at the little jar. Instead of fish bones, Yeh-Shen saw a beautiful tiny dress and a tiny pair of golden shoes. She opened the jar and took them out, and

Yeh-Shen: A Chinese Cinderella StoryGrade 4, Story 1



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Yeh-Shen: Common Core Passages

suddenly they grew until they were the right size for her. Now she could go to the party!

At the festival, everyone thought Yeh-Shen was beautiful—especially the king, who did not look at anyone else. After the party, Yeh-Shen worried that her stepmother would find out who she was, so she ran all the way home. She ran so fast that one of her golden shoes fell off. When Yeh-Shen’s stepmother came home, all she could talk about was the girl with the golden slipper and how the king was looking for her.

Before long, the king arrived at Yeh-Shen’s home. “My daughter is the girl you want,” said the stepmother. But when the king brought out the golden shoe, it would not fit the girl’s large feet.

“Are you certain that this is your shoe?” the king asked. Yeh-Shen stepped forward, took out her golden shoe, and said, “I wore the golden shoes at the festival.” Her stepmother’s face turned red, and she said, “That is not her shoe!”

But the king told her to be quiet as he put the slippers on Yeh-Shen’s tiny feet. “You will be my wife,” he said to her. He took Yeh-Shen away with him, and she was happy ever after.


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Rhodopis: Common Core Passages

Rhodopis lived in Egypt, but she was born far away in Greece. Her hair was not smooth and black like most Egyptians; instead, it was curly and yellow. She lived as a servant, and she worked hard. The other servant girls did not like Rhodopis because she was different. They gave her more work to do.

Each day, when Rhodopis had finished pulling weeds from the garden or washing clothes in the river, she put on her special golden shoes and went to a quiet place to practice dancing. One day, Rhodopis heard that the pharaoh of Egypt had invited everyone in the land to a celebration. She decided to wear her golden shoes, and she was very happy.

The other servants did not like to see her happy, so they gave her so much work that she could not go to the party. They told her to make the bread, wash the clothes, sweep the floor, cook the soup, sew the torn clothes, dust the rooms, go to the market, and feed the animals. Then they all left for the party. Rhodopis tried not to cry while she started on the long list of things to do.

Rhodopis went to the riverbank to wash clothes. She set her golden shoes on a rock and began to scrub. As she was working, a hawk swooped down and stole one shoe. At the same time, the pharaoh was watching his party. He sighed. He wanted to find just the right girl for his wife, but so far no one had caught his attention. Many of the girls were pretty, but he wanted a sign to help him choose the right one.

Rhodopis: An Egyptian Cinderella StoryGrade 4, Story 2



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Just then, a hawk dove from the sky, dropped a golden shoe in the pharaoh’s lap, and flew off. The pharaoh picked up the shoe and said, “This was no accident.” Then he stood and called his helpers to him. “Somewhere in Egypt is a girl who fits this shoe,” he told them. “Whoever she is, I will bring her here and make her my wife.”

The pharaoh’s servants spent many days searching throughout the kingdom. While the pharaoh waited, he walked up and down his long hallway, wondering what kind of girl would come.

At last, a servant told him that they found the girl. When she came to see him, he held up the golden shoe and asked, “Is this yours?” Rhodopis was too shy to speak, but she nodded and showed him the other shoe.

The servants were surprised that the pharaoh chose to marry Rhodopis. She was not born in Egypt. The pharaoh said, “Her heart is Egyptian, and she belongs with us.” Everyone was happy, and Rhodopis loved both Egypt and the pharaoh all her life.

Rhodopis: Common Core Passages

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Copyright © Imagine Learning, Inc.24 Grade 4 Story Maps: Common Core Passages


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A Movie Mystery: Common Core Passages

Main Event Movies is a small theater in a small town. But one night the owner, Mr. Hardy, found himself in the middle of a story more exciting than any movie. Somehow during the show, someone stole the cash box from his office! The box had all the money in it that he had collected that week. He had to get it back, but how could he find the thief? Only three people could have known about the cash box. First of all, Mr. Hardy interviewed Steve Starr, who sells tickets.

Steve:

I was taking tickets from the time that we opened at 6:30 p.m. until the show started an hour later. Then I had to clean up for half an hour starting at 9:00 p.m. I was so busy all night, it couldn’t have been me.

Mr. Hardy ran a hand through his hair. It sounded to him like Steve didn’t have time to take anything. He wrote the time down in a notebook and then went to ask the lady who was in charge of the movie projector, Jenny Jones.

Jenny:

I was running the projector. I started at 6:45 p.m., and I didn’t finish up until 9:15 p.m. I’m afraid that you’ll have to look somewhere else for the thief.

Mr. Hardy scratched his nose. Jenny sounded too busy to have taken the box. Maybe the thief was suspect number three, Robert Roberts. Mr. Hardy went to ask him.

Robert:

Do you know how much popcorn I had to make tonight? I started popping half an hour before the show started. Then I sold popcorn and drinks to people until 9:00 p.m. I couldn’t even steal five minutes to sit down, let alone steal the cash box.

A Movie MysteryGrade 5, Story 1


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Copyright © Imagine Learning, Inc.26 A Movie Mystery: Common Core Passages

Mr. Hardy looked at the notes in his notebook. It certainly was a mystery.

How could he figure out who the thief was? He needed a way to see who was busy during the movie and who wasn’t. He thought for a minute and then drew in his notebook:

This helped, but Mr. Hardy needed to see the information in a different way so that he could see if there was one person who was not busy during the movie. Next he created this in his notebook:

Which person is the only one who could have had time to steal the cash box out of Mr. Hardy’s office?

Once Mr. Hardy put the times into a chart, he knew that Steve was the only person who could possibly be the thief. Even though Steve was busy right before the movie and right after it, he wasn’t busy during the actual movie. That’s when he must have slipped into Mr. Hardy’s office and taken the box. After Mr. Hardy showed the evidence to Steve, the ticket-taker confessed and gave the box back—with all the money.


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The Rogue Ring: Common Core Passages

Saturday afternoon, Kate met Josh on the stairs of their apartment building, as usual. But unlike most Saturdays, today they had something to talk about besides baseball. Kate talked fast as she told Josh how Tony, a boy from her class, had stolen the teacher’s wedding ring earlier that day.

“Maybe she just lost it,” Josh suggested.

“It would be really strange for Mrs. Garcia to lose her ring,” Kate said to Josh. “She wears it all the time. I’ve never seen her without it at school.”

“What did she tell you about it?” Josh asked while he stood up and started kicking at the bottom stair. “Did she blame Tony?”

“Well, she didn’t say he stole it. But she did tell me that Tony had been at her house early this morning to collect money for the newspaper. He’s in our class, but he also lives near her. He had to go inside and wait because her hands were covered with dough when she answered the door, and she didn’t want to get her purse all dirty.”

“What? Why would she answer the door with dough all over her hands?”

“She was in the middle of kneading bread dough, and it was all over the counter. So Tony came into the kitchen with her and waited while she washed her hands and got the money.”

Josh started pacing back and forth and then asked, “And you think that’s when he took her ring?”


The Rogue RingGrade 5, Story 2

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Copyright © Imagine Learning, Inc.28 The Rogue Ring: Common Core Passages

“It had to be. Like I said, she almost never takes it off, but she had set it on the counter while she was baking. After she set aside the pan of dough to rise, she washed up, and then she couldn’t find her ring anywhere. It looks like Tony is a thief, which is really too bad.”

Josh kicked at the step with his foot again, and then he put his hands in his pockets. “It just doesn’t seem like Tony,” he sighed.

“But it’s got to be him,” Kate replied. “No one else was in her house the whole day, so who else could have taken it?”

Josh stared at the wall for a minute before a grin spread slowly across his face. “Let’s go call Mrs. Garcia,” he told Kate. “Tony is innocent, and I know where the ring is.”

Where is the ring, and what made Josh so sure that Tony didn’t take it?

Josh realized that there was another possibility for where Mrs. Garcia’s ring went. It wasn’t stolen—it was hiding. When Mrs. Garcia set her ring down on the counter, it was near the dough. In her haste to help Tony, she didn’t realize that it got mixed into the loaf of bread. Fortunately, Kate and Josh called her just before the pan went into the oven!


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Baseball Letters: Common Core Passages

Dear Chad,

Can I come play baseball with you guys after school?

Please?

Your friend,

Ashley

Ashley,

No.

Chad

Dear Chad,

Why? I brought my own glove.

Ashley

Ashley,

Girls do not play baseball, and it’s not a real glove if it’s pink.

Chad

Lexile®: n/a, 369 words

Baseball LettersGrade 6, Story 1


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Ashley!

What do you think you are doing? Just because you got a bunch of girls together to throw a ball around, it doesn’t mean that you’re actually playing baseball. And you know that we always play right after school, so why did you have to take up the whole field?

Very angry,

Chad

Dear Chad,

According to the school’s rules, after-school activities that use the building or the field must be scheduled by the secretary and approved by the principal. As far as the school knows, you don’t have a real team.

Yours truly,

AshleyCaptain of the Purple Panthers Baseball Team

Dear Captain of Nothing But a Bunch of Girls Wearing Purple Shirts Who Can’t Play Baseball,

Maybe you think you’re really smart because your girly team got the field today and the principal thinks a pink baseball glove is cute, but we both


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Copyright © Imagine Learning, Inc.32 Baseball Letters: Common Core Passages

know that you cannot play baseball, your team cannot play baseball, and, in a fair fight, my team would destroy your little girl club.

ChadCaptain of the REAL baseball team

Dear Captain of a Team That Doesn’t Even Have a Name,

Is that a challenge? Because my team would beat your team anytime and anywhere. Bring it on.

AshleyCaptain of the Purple Panthers

To Ms. Purple:

When: Thursday after school

Where: The school field

Why: To watch the Baseball Bears destroy the Purple Panthers

Prize: Winner gets the field for the REST OF THE YEAR

From Captain Chad


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Dear Ashley,

Maybe we could work out a deal? I don’t know if I can handle not playing baseball for the rest of the year.

Your friend,

Chad

P.S. I guess girls can be pretty good players sometimes.

Dear Chad,

You know, our school’s mascot is the eagle, so maybe that would be a good name for a school team? And I was thinking that green shirts might work for both boys and girls.

See you after school,

Ashley


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The Mola: Common Core Passages


The MolaGrade 6, Story 2

Diego dipped the tip of his paintbrush into bright red paint and made a long, smooth line across the paper to paint the tail feathers of a bird.

“Hey, look at Diego’s parrot!” Mary said, pointing to his paper.

Diego looked up and saw that many of his classmates were watching him, and his cheeks turned as red as the parrot in his painting.

He was new at school, and, although he wanted to make friends, so much attention made him nervous.

“Your painting is much better than mine,” Mary said as she looked sadly at the green and purple mess on her paper. “I bet you’re going to win the art contest this year.”

Diego glanced across the room at Thomas, the boy who had won the art contest for the last two years.

Thomas looked angry, and Diego felt sick to his stomach knowing that he was the reason why; he knew Thomas wanted to win the contest again and that Thomas had heard Mary’s prediction. “Your parrot looks like it’s made from lots of different pieces,” Kurt said. “How did you think of painting it that way?” Diego looked at the crowd of kids around him and then glanced over at Thomas again before answering.

“It’s called a mola, and it’s from Panama. Except there they sew pieces of cloth together to make pictures on clothes and pillows and stuff. My


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The Mola: Common Core Passages

grandma has a parrot like this on a dress, so I didn’t really think of it myself.” “Then maybe it shouldn’t go in the art contest,” Thomas said loudly.

No one paid any attention to Thomas because they were busy asking Diego to show them how to paint mola designs.

Diego nervously explained that there wasn’t enough time before the end of class. Really, he was hoping that if he didn’t make a big deal about his art, Thomas wouldn’t be angry with him.

When the teacher told everyone to clean up, Diego saw that Thomas’s fist was curled so tightly around his paintbrush that his knuckles had turned white. Diego worried that the paintbrush would snap in half any second, but most of all he worried about what Thomas would do to him after class.

Diego removed his painting smock in a hurry and stuffed it into his bag, then grabbed his tray and brushes and rushed to the sink to wash them.

He dodged the other students so that he could clean up and get out of the classroom as fast as possible.

“Hey, Diego,” Mary called. He turned to look—and crash! Colors flew through the air—red, green, blue, yellow—and Diego found himself facedown on the floor with his cheek in a puddle of paint.

As he stood, his heart beat faster. Thomas was standing in front of him, his white t-shirt splattered with paint and his hands balled up in fists. “I … I …” Diego began, not knowing what to say, and he ducked his head down towards his chest.Thomas took a step toward Diego, but before Diego could find out what he was planning to do, Kurt said, “Wow, Thomas, look at your shirt—it’s awesome!” “Yeah, it’s kind of like you have your own mola,” Mary added with a laugh.

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Copyright © Imagine Learning, Inc.36 The Mola: Common Core Passages

Thomas looked down at his colorful shirt and said sarcastically, “Oh yeah? Maybe I should enter myself in the art contest.” “That’s a great idea!” Kurt said. “Would you mind if I make a shirt like yours?”

Thomas looked surprised, and he stepped back a little, unclenching his fists.

Mary agreed, “I can’t think of a better way to show that we’re artists!”

Kurt looked at Diego and nodded slightly. Soon Thomas left with a group of students who were all talking about which clothes their parents would let them paint. Diego sighed with relief and went to get some paper towels to wipe the paint off the floor. “Can I help you with that?” Kurt asked. “Thanks,” Diego told him. “No problem,” said Kurt. Diego looked toward the door to make sure that Thomas was really gone and then said, “No, really. Thanks.” Kurt smiled and held out his hand for a paper towel.


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3838 Leveled Reading

3939

Informational Text Compare and ContrastInformational Text PassagesThe texts of the informational passages are provided as printouts. They are organized by grade levels with paired informational passages for grades 2–6. These printouts can be used for classroom reading practice.

Informational Text Graphic OrganizersTo extend the instruction of the informational text strand, graphic organizers are provided for the passages students read. Completed organizers for each selection are provided, as well as templates for identifying the main ideas and details of Imagine Learning’s passages.


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My Painting, My Sculpture: Common Core Passages

I love to paint. When I paint, I use my hands to hold the brush. I mix the paint to create my own colors. Then I dip the brush in my bright colors and swirl it onto the canvas. I create an animal from my imagination. I add details so that my animal is interesting to look at. I hang my painting on the wall when I am finished.


My PaintingGrade 2, Article 1

I love to make sculptures. I use my hands to shape the clay. I squish and fold it to make different things. I use black and white clay to make an animal from real life. I carve details with my sculpting tool to give my animal a face. I put my sculpture on the table when I am finished.


My SculptureGrade 2, Article 2


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Grade 2 Graphic Organizers: Common Core Passages

Main Idea

Sculpture

Detail Carve details

Detail Put sculpture on the

table

Detail Make an animal from

real life

Detail Use my hands

Detail Black and white clay

Main Idea

Paintings

Detail Add details

Detail Hang paintings on

the wall

Detail Create an animal from imagination

Detail Use my hand

Detail Bright colors


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Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.: Common Core Passages

No one likes to see garbage on the ground. No one likes to see garbage filling up oceans and landfills, either. There’s a lot you can do to help keep the earth clean.

Reduce

The best way to keep garbage from piling up is to limit how much you make. Think about how often you throw a box or wrapper away. Buy snacks that come in bulk instead of little snack bags. Help plant a garden so your family can eat fresh, unpackaged foods. When you use less packaging, you reduce the garbage you create.

Reuse

Need to buy something new? Try reusing what you have instead. Learn to sew and turn your old clothes into bags or toys. Save your plastic food containers for storing leftovers. Or decorate them. Then you can use them for holding toys or pens and pencils. Anything you do to keep your stuff out of the garbage will help the earth.

Recycle

Paper, plastic bags, bottles, and other items can be made into new stuff. Save your recyclables, and turn them in to your city’s recycling center. You can even earn money by recycling soda cans and plastic bottles.

You can make a big difference by practicing the three Rs regularly!


Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.Grade 3, Article 1


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Make Your Own Recycled Paper: Common Core Passages

Did you know that you can make your own recycled paper at home? Here’s what you will need:

• newspaper, paper towels, or construction paper • a dishpan • a blender • an 8 x 10 inch piece of small-holed screen• a towel• a smooth board• a cotton cloth

Step 1:

Tear the paper into small pieces. Then fill a dishpan with warm water and soak the pieces in it all night.

Step 2:

The next day, add more warm water to the dishpan and break the mixture apart.

Step 3:

Place the mixture in your blender and add enough water to fill it halfway. Blend the mixture in short bursts until it looks like mushy soup. You’ve created pulp.

Step 4:

Cover the screen evenly with your pulp. Then lay a towel out and place the screen on top. Press the board firmly onto the pulp, squeezing out the water. Set the board aside when done.


Make Your Own Recycled PaperGrade 3, Article 2

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Copyright © Imagine Learning, Inc.44 Make Your Own Recycled Paper: Common Core Passages

Step 5:

Place the cotton cloth on a flat surface. Turn the screen over onto the cloth and carefully remove it, leaving the paper on the cloth. You may need to use a spatula to separate the paper from the screen.

Step 6:

Lay your paper out to dry. You can experiment by adding dried flowers, glitter, or other add-ins when creating your pulp. Just think of all the different kinds of paper you can make!


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Main Idea

Keep the Earth Clean

Subtopic 2 Reuse

Subtopic 3 Recycle

Subtopic 1 Reduce

Details • Reuse old

clothes, containers, etc.

Details • Bulk snack boxes • Plant a garden.

Details • Recycle soda

cans or plastic bottles

Main Idea

Making Paper

Subtopic 2 Steps

Subtopic 3 Experiment

Subtopic 1 Things you need

Details • Tear, soak paper • Make pulp • Lay pulp out,

squeeze water

Details • Newspaper • Dishpan • Blender • Towel

Details • Add dried

flowers • Add glitter



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You and Your Blood: Common Core Passages

Can you imagine carrying a gallon of milk everywhere you go? That would be heavy! But you’re stronger than you think because you carry about that much blood all the time. You can’t see your blood, but it’s constantly flowing inside you. Blood travels around your body delivering things you need to stay alive.

So how does blood travel? Your heart makes it happen. First it pumps blood through your lungs, where the blood picks up oxygen from the air you breathe. Then it pumps the blood around your body so the oxygen can be delivered to your cells.

As it travels, your blood also delivers nutrients to every cell in your body. Nutrients are the good things you get from food that help your body grow.

Blood has another important job of collecting waste that your cells don’t need any more. One type of waste that blood collects is a gas called carbon dioxide. Once your blood has traveled all around your body, it returns to your lungs carrying carbon dioxide. You get rid of the carbon dioxide when you breathe out, then your blood collects new oxygen to take around your body again. Your blood works hard to keep you alive!


You and Your BloodGrade 4, Article 1


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Your Pulse: Common Core Passages

Think about a time when you were exercising a lot, or maybe a time when you were scared. Could you feel your heart beating? If you could, you felt your pulse. Your heart pumps to move blood filled with oxygen around your body. When you are working hard, your cells use a lot of oxygen. Your blood needs to move faster so that it can deliver more oxygen to your cells. So your heart pumps harder and faster.

But when you are sleeping, your heart pumps slowly. That’s because you aren’t using a lot of energy, so your heart doesn’t need to work as hard.

You can feel your pulse to tell how hard your heart is working. Hold two fingers of one hand to your other wrist, just below your thumb. You should be able to feel the blood moving through your arm as your heart pumps. To check your pulse rate, count how many heartbeats you feel in one minute. A normal rate varies depending on your age, but ninety beats in one minute is average. How fast is your heart beating right now?


Your PulseGrade 4, Article 2

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Copyright © Imagine Learning, Inc.48

Main Idea

Blood

Subtopic 2 Blood delivers nutrients

Subtopic 3 Blood collects waste

Subtopic 1 Blood travels

Details • Blood delivers

nutrients to cells • Nutrients help

your body grow

Details • Heart pumps

blood to lungs • Blood delivers

oxygen

Details • Carbon dioxide • New oxygen

Main Idea

Pulse

Subtopic 2 When you sleep

Subtopic 3 Checking your pulse

Subtopic 1 When you work hard

Detail • Your heart pumps

slowly.

Detail • Your heart pumps

blood faster for your body.

Detail • Your pulse tells

how hard your heart is working.



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Archaeology: Common Core Passages

Do you like to get dirty? Do you like to solve mysteries? What about going camping? If you like all of these things, as well as the chance to have your work become famous in a museum, then you might want to consider becoming an archaeologist.

An archaeologist is a scientist who studies the past. Archaeologists find and study all of the things that people left behind, things called artifacts. Artifacts can be anything, such as old tools, dishes, toys, even bones. Archaeologists use them to put together the story of what life was like a long time ago. Usually, artifacts aren’t just lying around, so archaeologists often have to dig for them. Sometimes they dig with a shovel; sometimes they brush dirt away with a paintbrush. Archaeologists use many different tools to make sure that they don’t damage anything as they search for artifacts. If they find a broken artifact, they spend a lot of time putting it back together.

Artifacts are precious because they tell archaeologists a lot about ancient people. Some artifacts are put in museums so that when we visit them, we can learn about the past too.


ArchaeologyGrade 5, Article 1


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Underwater Dig: Common Core Passages

Not all archaeologists work on land. Some archaeologists search for clues to our past under the water.

These archaeologists use special tools to do their work. Scuba gear helps them to stay underwater for a long time because it holds air for them to breathe. Sonar helps archaeologists know where to look. It sends sound waves underwater so they can see what an object is by its shape.

Sunken ships are the most common things archaeologists look for underwater. No, archaeologists aren’t searching for treasure chests and pirate gold, although sometimes they find them. Instead, they are looking for clues about who was on the ship and why it sank.

Right now archaeologists are searching for four hundred ships that sank off the coast of Vietnam during a battle more than seven hundred years ago. If underwater archaeologists find these ships, they will stay busy for a long time.


Underwater DigGrade 5, Article 2


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Main Idea

Archaeology

Subtopic 2 Finding artifacts

Subtopic 3 Precious artifacts

Subtopic 1 Archaeologists

Details • Dig with a shovel • Careful with

artifacts

Details • Study the past • Look for artifacts

Details • Tell about

ancient people • In museums

Main Idea

Underwater dig

Subtopic 2 Sunken ships

Subtopic 3 Search for sunken ships

Subtopic 1 Special tools

Details • Looking for clues

about ships and why they sank

Details • Scuba gear • Sonar

Details • 400 sunken ships • Off coast of

Vietnam


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An Artist’s Memoir: Common Core Passages


When I was really young, my mom used to sew dolls and stuffed animals to earn extra money. I would often sit on the sewing room floor next to her. To entertain myself, I would pick up scraps of fabric and ribbon and sew my own creations. My mom always made sure I had plenty of materials to use.

I would make whatever I could imagine, but my favorite things to make were puppets. I made some of them using cloth and extra buttons. Sometimes I would draw a character on a piece of paper, cut it out, and then glue it on a stick. Other times I would fold a stiff piece of paper in half, draw the puppet’s front on one side, and then draw its back on the other side. Then it could stand on its own.

Now that I’m a professional artist, I use my imagination to make my puppets on the computer through digital illustration and animation. Although I can’t hold these puppets, by animating them, I can make them move and talk on their own!

Maryn Roos: An Artist’s MemoirGrade 6, Article 1


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Biography of an Artist: Common Core Passages

When you’re a kid, is it possible to know what you’re going to be when you grow up? For Maryn Roos, it was. From the time she was little, she knew that she would be an artist. She was always imagining characters and creating them out of fabric scraps from her mom’s craft room. But there are many different paths an artist can take, and Maryn wanted to figure out which one was right for her.

She first thought she would study fine art. But as she looked at the different types—such as painting, sculpture, and printmaking—she wasn’t interested in doing them for her career.

Next, she looked into film animation. She visited the Disney Animation Studios in California and spoke with a head animator. She realized that film animators often work for a long time animating a character that someone else created. Maryn liked animation, but she wanted to create her own characters.

Maryn knew that illustrators create art for books, magazines, and games, and she realized that was the kind of art she wanted to create. So she studied illustration in college, and since then she has illustrated many children’s books and software activities that include the characters she imagines.

Today, Maryn creates computer activities to help kids learn English. She’s found the perfect combination of work for her as she helps design characters, draws them, and brings them to life with animation.


Maryn Roos: Biography of an ArtistGrade 6, Article 2

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Copyright © Imagine Learning, Inc.54 Grade 6 Graphic Organizers: Common Core Passages

Main Idea

A Memoir

Subtopic 2 Making puppets

Subtopic 3 Professional artists

Subtopic 1 Sewing with mom

Details • Used imagination

to make puppets • Made different

kinds of puppets

Details • Mom sewed dolls

and animals • Made own

creations

Details • Makes puppets

on the computer

Main Idea

Biography

Subtopic 2 Film animation?

Subtopic 3 Illustrator!

Subtopic 1 Fine art?

Details • Visited Disney • Could not create

her own characters

Details • Not interested in

painting, sculpture or printmaking

Detail • Studies illustration • Illustrates books

and computer activities

ISBN 978-09767205-1-5®

common core passages and supplemental...

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