Nonfiction Passages With Short Tests to Get Kids Ready for …

N -Sweat

Nonfiction Passages With Short Tests to Get Kids Ready for Standardized Reading Tests

by the Staff of Storyworks? magazine

NEW YORK ? TORONTO ? LONDON ? AUCKLAND ? SYDNEY MEXICO CITY ? NEW DELHI ? HONG KONG ? BUENOS AIRES

No-Sweat Bubble Tests ? Scholastic Teaching Resources

PHOTO CREDITS: p. 6: Jim Kalett; p. 8: Photodisc via SODA; p. 10: Colorado Historical Society via SODA; p. 12: Bettmann/CORBIS; p. 14: art by Lynn Stevens Massey; p. 16: Bettman/CORBIS; p. 18: Cornelius Van Wright/SODA; p. 20: Smithsonian Institute; p. 22: American Foundation for the Blind via SODA; p. 24: NPO-Energia via SODA; p. 26: top: Stapleton Collection/CORBIS;

bottom: Bettmann/CORBIS; p. 28: CORBIS; p. 30: Library of Congress via SODA; p. 32: Josue Castilleja; p. 34: map by John White; p. 36: Jack Moebes/Bettmann/CORBIS; p. 38: Gianni Dagli Orti/CORBIS; p. 40: Photodisc via SODA; p. 42: Philip Gendreau/Bettmann/

CORBIS; p. 44: Jim Cummins/CORBIS; p. 46: Artville via SODA

Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the activity sheets from this book for classroom use. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

Cover and interior design by Josu? Castilleja ISBN 0-439-62574-2

Copyright ? 2004 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.

Printed in the U.S.A. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 10 09 08 07 06 05 04

No-Sweat Bubble Tests ? Scholastic Teaching Resources

CONTENTS

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 E.B. White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 A Crayon Is Born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Kids in the Gold Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The Real Dracula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Thomas Jefferson and the Big Cheese ......14 What's a Yankee Doodle? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Martin Luther King, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 A Star-Spangled Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 More Miracles for Helen Keller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Star Trek! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Arctic Disaster! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 The Animal Thieves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Abraham Lincoln . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 The History of Gum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 America's Lost Colony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Stand Up by Sitting Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Massive Mummy Find! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 When Wild Animals Become Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Oceans in Danger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Inventing a Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Lunch or Junk? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

No-Sweat Bubble Tests ? Scholastic Teaching Resources

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Introduction

"No-Sweat Bubble Test" has always been one of Scholastic Storyworks magazine's most popular features. And why shouldn't it be? Even before the No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2002, many teachers and school districts were already relying heavily on standardized tests to assess how much students have learned and what they still need to know.

Standardized tests require students to read both fiction and nonfiction texts. While students usually get lots of practice reading fictional works, many struggle with comprehending nonfiction pieces. Nonfiction has its own set of challenges that fiction doesn't; for example, readers often have to figure out which information is important and which isn't. One way to help students navigate nonfiction--and ultimately succeed in tests--is by giving them practice in reading and comprehending nonfiction texts.

To make your job easier, we compiled 21 of Storyworks' best high-interest nonfiction articles and their companion "No-Sweat Bubble Tests" in this one book, ready for you to reproduce and distribute to students. Nonfiction selections range from high-interest historical subjects, such as Roanoke, England's first colony in America, and life during the California Gold Rush, to kid-pleasing topics, such as cafeteria lunches and the history of bubble gum.

After students read each one-page article, they answer 6 to 8 questions similar to ones they would encounter in standardized tests, complete with fill-in bubbles. Questions assess students' comprehension and reading skills, such as identifying the main idea, distinguishing between fact and opinion, evaluating the author's purpose, and drawing conclusions, as well as test students' vocabulary. In addition, several tests include a "Write It Out!" section that asks students to write a paragraph elaborating on a particular aspect of the article or expressing an opinion about it. (An Answer Key on page 48 will help you quickly grade students' tests.)

We hope you and your students enjoy reading the nonfiction passages and get the most out of No-Sweat Bubble Tests. Enjoy!

No-Sweat Bubble Tests ? Scholastic Teaching Resources

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