The Magic Glasses

1 Violet had always worn glasses, for as long as she could remember. Being ten years old, it was possible she’d been wearing them for ten years. Maybe she was born with glasses!

2 Violet couldn’t see things that were far away from her, but she also had trouble reading. Her eyesight was very poor.

3 Sometimes, while she was doing her homework in study hall, her glasses would slide down to the tip of her nose. Once, they even fell off her face and landed on the floor.

4 “Violet, what’s going on?” her teacher, Mrs. Shellsworth, asked when she saw Violet crawling on the floor once with her hands stretched out.

5 “I can’t find my glasses,” replied Violet, shyly. The rest of the students looked up from their books and started to laugh.

6 When Violet found the brown specs behind her desk, she quickly put them back onto her face. But they wouldn’t stay on; they were broken.

7 Not wanting to draw any more attention to herself, Violet held her glasses onto her face with her index finger and pretended to read.

8 That night, she told her mother what had happened.

9 “We’re going to have to get you new glasses,” she said, sternly. Violet’s mother was a doctor, and she worked long hours. When she came home, she was often too tired to do much of anything other than watch television with Violet. Her father didn’t live with her. He’d moved out of the house when Violet was just a little girl. She visited her father on weekends, though. He lived in a nearby town and always took her to baseball games in the summer.

10 But it wasn’t summer yet. Violet still had three months left of school, and that meant three more months of being made fun of because of her silly loose glasses.

11 Violet hated her glasses.

12 The day after her glasses had fallen to the floor, Violet’s mother took her to the eye doctor. They did all sorts of tests to see whether she needed a new prescription. After the tests, which showed that her eyes had gotten worse since the last time she’d been there, it was time to pick out new glasses frames.

13 Violet looked at the shiny glass case that was almost as tall as she was. There were boring brown frames and simple black frames. But there were also some pink and blue frames, and even some sparkly yellow frames.

14 “Mom, can I get those?” Violet said, pointing to the sparkly yellow frames.

15 “No, you cannot. Those glasses are not appropriate for school,” said her mother tersely.

16 “But…” said Violet.

17 “No ‘buts.’ You will get these frames right here,” said her mother, pointing to some round gray glasses that Violet hadn’t even noticed.

18 Violet was sad, but there was no use arguing with her mother. She was stuck with the gray frames.

19 Still, Violet wasn’t about to put them on right away. She decided to pout, instead, all the way home.

20 The next day was a Saturday. It was raining hard, and Violet wouldn’t have gone outside if her father weren’t coming to take her to the movies.

21 “You all ready, Bug?” her dad asked, when he came to pick her up. He always called her Bug. “Where are your glasses?” he asked, when he saw her squinting up at him.

22 “I got new ones,” said Violet. Worried that her father wouldn’t like them, she’d put them in her backpack. She was going to wear them in the dark theater where she knew no one could see them.

23 “Well, where are they?” he said.

24 Violet, not wanting to cause a scene, reached into her bag and put the round gray frames onto her face. She didn’t like them and was hoping maybe she could convince her dad to buy her new ones.

25 On the way to the movie theater, she noticed something very strange while peering through her new glasses. Way in the distance, a small bird was smiling at her. Flapping its wings and smiling.

26 That can’t be right, she thought. Then she looked around and noticed that other birds were making faces as well. A pigeon in a tree almost a mile away looked as if it had smelled something strange; its beak was twisted to the side as if in disgust. Then, on the sidewalk near a park they were approaching, she could see a squirrel sneeze, rub its nose, then move its lips as if to say, “Excuse me!”

27 Immediately, she pulled the glasses off of her face, in shock.

28 “What’s wrong?” asked her father.

29 But Violet didn’t want to say what she had seen. Were animals supposed to be so animated? Were these magical glasses?

30 She didn’t know, but one thing was for sure: she’d never seen such things before in her life, and she wanted to see more.

31 Slowly, she put the glasses back on. They were almost at the movie theater, so she made sure to look at as many trees as possible in search of more squirrels, more birds, and more little creatures.

32 Pushing her face up against the car window to her right, she started to stare intently and noticed a man walking his dog. The man was walking slowly, playing with his cell phone while his white poodle was pulling hard on its leash. Violet started to focus on the poodle, and she could have sworn she saw the pet roll its eyes and shake its head.

33 “Hurry up!” she said loudly, as her car went by the man with the cell phone. “Your dog is getting bored!”

34 “Excuse me?” said her father. “Who are you yelling at?”

35 “Oh, nothing,” said Violet. Her new glasses were her little secret, for now. And she couldn’t wait to explore the world through a new set of eyes!

L.3.4a: I can use sentence-level context clues to understand new words while reading.

_____/3

1) In paragraph 6, the word specs means –

A dust

B eye glasses

C eye sight

D pencils

2) What does the word intently mean in paragraph 32?

A carefully

B uninterestedly

C excitedly

D sadly

3) In paragraph 15, the word tersely means –

A happily

B miserably

C meanly

D quietly

L.3.5a: I can use context to help me understand nonliteral words and phrases. _____/1

4) In paragraph 32, the author says that Violet was “pushing her face up against the car window”.

What does this sentence show us about Violet?

A She is excited to go to the movies.

B She wants to get out of the car.

C She does not want to talk to her dad.

D She wants to see everything out the window.

RL.3.1: I can use text evidence to answer questions about what I have read. _____/2

5) Which sentence from the passage best supports that Violet did not like her old glasses?

A Violet couldn’t see things that were far away from her, but she also had trouble reading.

B Violet still had three months of school, and that meant three more months of being

made fun of because of her silly loose glasses.

C “I can’t find my glasses,” replied Violet, shyly.

D It was raining hard, and Violet wouldn’t have gone outside if her father weren’t coming

to take her to the movies.

6) Read this sentence from paragraph 7.

Not wanting to draw any more attention to herself, Violet held her glasses onto her face with

her index finger and pretended to read.

From these sentences, the reader can infer that Violet –

A does not like to read

B is upset that her glasses broke

C does not want her class to pay attention to her

D needs her glasses so she can read

RL.3.2: I can use text evidence to help retell stories and their main ideas. _____/2

7) Read the following list.

Why Violet Doesn’t Like Her New Glasses

1. They were not colorful or sparkly.

2.

3. They were plain gray.

Which detail from the story belongs second on the list?

A They were Violet’s last choice.

B They were not expensive.

C They were Mom’s choice.

D They were just like her old glasses.

8) What is the best summary of this story?

A Violet breaks her glasses and needs a new pair. She does not like how her new glasses

look. Violet pouts and refuses to wear her new glasses.

B Violet doesn’t like her old glasses. She goes to the eye doctor with her mom. Violet gets

upset when she is not allowed to choose the new glasses with the sparkly yellow frames.

C Violet’s old glasses are broken and too lose to wear. She gets a boring pair of new glasses

with her mom. Violet goes to the movies with her dad.

D Violet needs new glasses. She is upset with her new glasses. Violet decides to wear her

glasses when she can see facial expressions on animals.

RL.3.3: I can describe how a character’s actions affect the story. _____/2

9) This question has two parts. First, answer part A. Then, answer part B.

Part A

The reader can infer that Violet will like her new glasses because she –

A needs to wear them to see well

B can see animals make different faces

C wants to make her parents happy by wearing them

D is too shy to ask for new glasses

Part B

Which sentences from the passage best support the answer to part A? Choose three.

A Violet couldn’t see things that were far away from her, but she also had trouble reading.

B Violet was sad, but there was no use arguing with her mother.

C She didn’t know, but one thing was for sure: she’d never seen such things before in her

life, and she wanted to see more.

D Violet, not wanting to cause a scene, reached into her bag and put the round gray frames

on her face.

E Her glasses were her little secret, for now.

F And she couldn’t wait to explore the world through a new set of eyes!

10) This question has two parts. First, answer part A. Then, answer part B.

Part A

Paragraphs 17-24 tell the reader that Violet –

A wanted her old glasses back

B wished she did not need to wear glasses

C was angry with her mom

D did not like her new glasses

Part B

Which evidence from the text best supports the answer to part A?

A Violet was sad, but there was no use arguing with her mother.

B Worried that her father wouldn’t like them, she put them in her backpack

C She decided to pout, instead, all the way home.

D Violet, not wanting to cause a scene, reached into her bag and put the round gray frames

on her face.

RL.3.3: I can describe how a character’s actions affect the story. _____/2

11) What do you think would have happened if Violet didn’t realize her new glasses were magic?

Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Teacher Only:

Name: Date:

Stage A Successful Yard Sale

A yard sale is when you sell items in your front yard. People have yard sales to get rid of unwanted items. It

can also be a good way to make some extra money. Here are some tips on how to have a good yard sale.

Finding the Items

1) You need a plethora of items to sell – the more, the better! Search

your home for all your unwanted items. Make sure everyone in the

family joins in. try to get a large range of items.

2) Clean out the garage or basement. Many people have a store of old

stuff somewhere. Offer to clean up this area. As you do, collect

everything you think you can sell.

3) Ask other people you know to join in. many people have junk lying

around they want to get rid of. They make be happy to give it to

you to sell.

POPULAR YARD SALE ITEMS

Children’s Toys

Clothes

Building Materials

Furniture

Kitchen Items

Books and Movies

Setting Up

The Week Before Your

Yard Sale

On The Day of Your

Yard Sale

hang up flyers put up balloons

tell friends set up tables

run an ad in the newspaper put a sign on the street

1) Collect everything you have to sell. It

is a good idea to make everything look

neat and tidy. If you have clothes,

wash them and hang them up. They may

not be new clothes, but they’ll have to

look fresh and clean if you want people

to buy them. Clean and dust all the

items so they look their best.

2) Set up tables in your front yard to

place all the items on. If you are

placing items on the ground, put them

on a sheet or blanket.

3) People will need to know how much each

item is. Put a sticker on each item and

write the price on it.

4) Collect some coins. People will often

pay in notes.

Make sure you

have plenty of

coins to give

as change.

Getting A Crowd

1) You want lots of people to come to your yard sale. Here

are some things you should do:

• Tell all your friends

• Put notices on notice boards

• Put up flyers

• Put an ad in the local newspaper

• Put a sign at the end of your street

2) Make it easy for people to find the yard sale. Put balloons

at the end of your street and in your front yard.

Time To Sell

1) Now it is the time to sell your items. Remember that you are selling things you don’t really want. Don’t

try to sell your items for too much. Be open to haggling too. Many people want a bargain and may not

pay what you think it’s worth. If people suggest a lower price, take it! If people are thinking about

buying something, make them a deal.

2) If items are not selling, try lowering the prices. It is better to sell items for something than to have

to pack them all up again.

L.3.4.a: I can use context clues in a sentence to learn the meaning of new words. _____/3

1) Read this sentence from the flier.

You need a plethora of items to sell – the more, the better!

What does the word plethora mean?

A few

B abundance

C variety

D box

2) Read these sentences from the flier.

Be open to haggling. Many people want a bargain and may not pay what you think it’s worth.

If people suggest a lower price, take it! If people are thinking about buying something, make

them a deal.

What does the word haggling mean? Choose two.

A bargaining

B talking

C negotiating

D selling

3) Read these sentences from the flier.

People will often pay in notes. Make sure you have plenty of coins to give as change.

What does the word notes mean?

A messages

B bills

C quarters

D coins

RI.3.1: I can use text evidence to answer text-based questions. _____/3

4) According to the flier, what is the purpose of the balloons?

A They make people feel good about buying.

B You can sell them.

C They help people to find your yard sale.

D You can put prices on them.

5) Which of the following is not a piece of information you can learn from the flier?

A how to advertise your yard sale

B how much money you can make

C how to help sell items that aren’t selling

D how to find items to sell

6) What does the author suggest using blankets for?

A cleaning your yard sale items

B keeping items off the ground

C selling at the yard sale

D sitting on at your yard sale

RI.3.6: I can understand an author’s point of view and purpose for writing. _____/2

7) Which of the following sentences from the first paragraph show that the author thinks

having a yard sale can benefit you? Choose two.

A A yard sale is when you sell items in your front yard.

B People have yard sales to get rid of unwanted items.

C It can also be a good way to make some extra money.

D Here are some tips on how to have a good yard sale.

8) This question has two parts. First, answer part A. Then, answer part B.

Part A

The author would most likely agree with which statement?

A Yard sales are fun.

B Everyone should hold a yard sale.

C It is important to advertise your yard sale.

D You will need to change the prices at your yard sale.

Part B

Which detail from the flier supports the answer to part A?

A A yard sale is when you sell items in your front yard.

B Make sure everyone in the family joins in.

C You want lots of people to come to your yard sale.

D If items are not selling, lower the prices.

RI.3.7: I can use graphic sources to help me understand nonfiction texts. _____/2

9) The table with the topics “The Week Before Your Yard Sale” and “On the Day of Your Yard

Sale” matches best with which heading on the flier?

A Finding Items

B Setting Up

C Getting A Crowd

D Time To Sell

10) How does the information in the table “Popular Yard Sale Items” help the reader?

A It explains how much money can be made.

B It shows what sort of items to collect.

C It shows how to price items.

D It explains why you should have a yard sale.

RI.3.8: I can use sequence to help me with the order of events in a text. _____/1

11) The author left the following detail out of the “Setting It Up” part of the flier.

Sort through all of the items you have to sell. Organize them in groups of similar items to

help your buyers find things easier. Put all clothes together, all toys together, all kitchen

things together, etc.

Where is the most effective place to add this information?

A after step 1

B after step 2

C after step 3

D after step 4

RI.3.8: I can describe the connection between different parts of a text. _____/2

12) Why did the author include the illustration? Use two details from the text to support your answer.

Teacher Only: