by Regina Velázquezillustrated by Ken Gamage

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

2.1.4

1032331

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Online Leveled Books

Level: J

DRA: 18

Genre:Humorous Fiction

Strategy:Summarize

Skill:Cause and Effect

Word Count: 353

by Regina Velázquezillustrated by Ken Gamage

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without the prior written permission of Houghton Mifflin Company unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Address inquiries to School Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Company, 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116.

Printed in China

ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02443-1ISBN-10: 0-547-02443-6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 SDP 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08

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2

Flora was a fly. A fly is an insect. Insects have wings and six legs.

Flora liked ice cream. She liked her wings. She also loved to fly.

Ice cream

Wings

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3

But Flora did not like school. She was the only insect at her school.

The other kids were spiders. Spiders have no wings and eight legs. The spiders laughed at Flora. They said “Ha, ha! You only have six legs!”

The spiders judged her, too. “Wings are silly!” Sammy said.

School

Spider

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4

The spiders took Flora’s book bag. They said Flora’s lunch looked rotten. They pushed her away from the water fountain!

“Why don’t they let me drink?” Flora asked. “The spiders are so mean!”

Book bagWater fountain

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5

In gym class, the spiders made spider webs. They made huge webs. They made very sticky webs.

Flora tried to be like the spiders. She tried to make a web, too. She tried and tried. But she could not make a web.

The other kids laughed. “You are silly! Flies can’t make webs!” they said.

Gym

Web

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6

One day, Flora’s teacher wrote a new word on the board. It was arthropod. An arthropod is any kind of bug or crab. Spiders and flies are both arthropods.

Flora said, “See, a fly is the same as a spider.” But the other kids did not care.

Board

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One day, a strong breeze came into Flora’s classroom. It scared everyone. It blew papers in the air. It made desks fall down.

Then, it took everyone out of the room!

7

Paper

Desk

Breeze

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The breeze took all the spiders out the window. It lifted them high up in the air.

The spiders landed in a tree. They could not go down the tree. It was too dangerous. The spiders were afraid. “Help!” Flora heard them screaming. “Help!”

8

Tree

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9

The breeze took Flora away, too. But she was not afraid. She was not like the spiders. She could fly!

Flora flew to the tree. Flora took Sammy first. She put him on the ground.

“Wow,” Sammy said. “Your wings are not silly. They’re great! Thanks, Flora.”

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Flora saved all the spiders. “Thank you, Flora!” the spiders said.

“It is good to be a fly,” she said.“And it is great to have a fly who is a friend!”

said Sammy. “Please play baseball with us!”

10

Baseball

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11

RespondingTARGET SKILL Cause and Effect Copy

this chart. Name the causes for three

events from the story Flora the Fly Saves

the Spiders.Cause Effect

Flora could not make a web in gym class.

The spiders laughed at Flora.

? It blew papers in the air.

? The spiders screamed for help.

Flora put Sammy on the ground.

?

Text to Self Flora makes friends with the

spiders. Use a few sentences to write a

personal narrative about a time when you

made a friend. Remember to stay focused

on one main idea.

Write About It

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12

breezedangerousinsectsjudge

rottenscarescreamingsticky

TARGET VOCABULARY

TARGET SKILL Cause and Effect Tell how one event makes another happen.

TARGET STRATEGY Summarize Stop to tell important events as you read.

GENRE Humorous fiction is a story that is written to make the reader laugh.

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by Regina Velázquezillustrated by Ken Gamage

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

2.1.4

1032331

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Online Leveled Books

Level: J

DRA: 18

Genre:Humorous Fiction

Strategy:Summarize

Skill:Cause and Effect

Word Count: 353