Prince Meanerman

Once upon a time, a mean prince ruled over a farming town called Summersville. The prince was named Prince Sweeterman, but he was known throughout Summersville as Prince Meanerman. The people of Summersville were very poor farmers, as the prince kept most of the wealth and food for himself. The farmers worked day and night trying to grow enough food for themselves, but still, the Prince took more and more. The sight of the hard-working farmers cracked Prince Sweeterman up as he watched from his castle in joy as the farmers struggled day after day. The Prince was warned that he should not treat his people this way, but the warning went in one ear and out the other. He never changed his ways.

One, by one the farmers began to look for other kingdoms to take them in. Eventually, Prince Sweeterman was left with no workers and no kingdom to rule over. With no food to eat for himself, he grew very hungry and meaner and meaner each day. Prince Meanerman never did learn his lesson.

What is the first thing we learn about Prince Sweeterman?

The Dog and the Princess

Once upon a time Princess Ali and her mother, The Queen, ruled all of the lands. Princess Ali’s father had died when Ali was very young, so she had no memory of him and she always felt like something was missing from her life. But, many people told her tales of the great King Archie. Every story that she heard made her father sound like a jovial and fun king. Everyone always laughed when they spoke of King Archie. She thought about him often and how different her life may have been if she had grown up with both a mother and a father.

On a beautiful spring day, Princess Ali was walking in the grand gardens when she spotted a goofy-looking dog. His legs were way too long for his body, one ear stood straight up, while the other folded down, and his big tongue hung out of the left side of his mouth. He had a great big grin on his face as he ran towards Princess Ali. The dog was running too quickly and wasn’t able to stop his long legs from crashing into Princess Ali, so they both tumbled to the ground.

Princess Ali giggled as the dog covered her in kisses. When she was able to break free, she stood up and the dog began to dance in circles around her, barking happily. She saw that he wore a red collar with the name “Archie” stitched in white writing. She decided this dog must belong to someone so she spent all day walking the dog around the kingdom trying to find his rightful owners.

Throughout the day Princess Ali laughed more than she ever had. The dog spent the whole day trying to please her and make her laugh. He chased butterflies, played in puddles, licked her hand, snuggled his head into her belly, and pulled flowers out of the ground for her. As the day drew to a close, they hadn’t come across anyone that claimed to be his owner.

Princess Ali decided to keep the dog Archie, and they all lived happily ever after.

Of the choices below, what is the best reason for the author choosing to name the dog Archie?

The History of Soccer

In the late 1800s, there was a man named Arthur, who lived in London. Arthur had a lot of friends, and they all enjoyed spending time together. Arthur and his friends would occasionally get bored. There was not always a lot to do back then.

One day, their boredom led to them trying a new game. They put a ball on the ground and started kicking it. Arthur was having so much fun! The only problem was the game was complete chaos. Everyone was playing their own version of the game. “We need to create rules!” Arthur said.

The group of friends began creating a list of guidelines for their new game. Each member of the group thought of something different. One friend decided you could not use your hands. Another friend suggested that kicking the ball in the net would count as a goal. Arthur, himself, thought the winning team would be decided by who had scored the most goals.

Arthur and his friends were very happy with the game. Only one thing was missing! They needed a name for the game. They decided to call it football! Over 100 years later, the game has grown in popularity. Today, in America, we call the game Soccer!

What do we learn first in this passage?

The History of Racing

There once lived a businessman from Washington, D.C. named William. In 1935, William decided to move south to Daytona Beach, Florida. Daytona Beach had become well known over the last 10 years for people racing cars, so William set up a car repair shop.

Racing in Daytona Beach continued to grow. William and several others started having organized races on the beach. Cars would begin the race driving south for two miles on the pavement. At the end of the 2 miles, they would return 2 miles north on the sandy beach along the Atlantic Ocean.

This oval racetrack format became very popular. The number of spectators increased each race, so William and his fellow drivers decided to start a formal annual event. Today, the annual event is called the Daytona 500 and is one of the largest races in the world. William’s family still organizes the race to this day.

What led William and his friends to start a formal racing event?

Prince Meanerman

Once upon a time, a mean prince ruled over a farming town called Summersville. The prince was named Prince Sweeterman, but he was known throughout Summersville as Prince Meanerman. The people of Summersville were very poor farmers, as the prince kept most of the wealth and food for himself. The farmers worked day and night trying to grow enough food for themselves, but still, the Prince took more and more. The sight of the hard-working farmers cracked Prince Sweeterman up as he watched from his castle in joy as the farmers struggled day after day. The Prince was warned that he should not treat his people this way, but the warning went in one ear and out the other. He never changed his ways.

One, by one the farmers began to look for other kingdoms to take them in. Eventually, Prince Sweeterman was left with no workers and no kingdom to rule over. With no food to eat for himself, he grew very hungry and meaner and meaner each day. Prince Meanerman never did learn his lesson.

Of the choices below, what’s the best reason for why the farms began to look for other kingdoms to live in?

The History of Soccer

In the late 1800s, there was a man named Arthur, who lived in London. Arthur had a lot of friends, and they all enjoyed spending time together. Arthur and his friends would occasionally get bored. There was not always a lot to do back then.

One day, their boredom led to them trying a new game. They put a ball on the ground and started kicking it. Arthur was having so much fun! The only problem was the game was complete chaos. Everyone was playing their own version of the game. “We need to create rules!” Arthur said.

The group of friends began creating a list of guidelines for their new game. Each member of the group thought of something different. One friend decided you could not use your hands. Another friend suggested that kicking the ball in the net would count as a goal. Arthur, himself, thought the winning team would be decided by who had scored the most goals.

Arthur and his friends were very happy with the game. Only one thing was missing! They needed a name for the game. They decided to call it football! Over 100 years later, the game has grown in popularity. Today, in America, we call the game Soccer!

Of the choices below, what’s the best reason for the game of soccer originally being called football?

The Dog and the Princess

Once upon a time Princess Ali and her mother, The Queen, ruled all of the lands. Princess Ali’s father had died when Ali was very young, so she had no memory of him and she always felt like something was missing from her life. But, many people told her tales of the great King Archie. Every story that she heard made her father sound like a jovial and fun king. Everyone always laughed when they spoke of King Archie. She thought about him often and how different her life may have been if she had grown up with both a mother and a father.

On a beautiful spring day, Princess Ali was walking in the grand gardens when she spotted a goofy-looking dog. His legs were way too long for his body, one ear stood straight up, while the other folded down, and his big tongue hung out of the left side of his mouth. He had a great big grin on his face as he ran towards Princess Ali. The dog was running too quickly and wasn’t able to stop his long legs from crashing into Princess Ali, so they both tumbled to the ground.

Princess Ali giggled as the dog covered her in kisses. When she was able to break free, she stood up and the dog began to dance in circles around her, barking happily. She saw that he wore a red collar with the name “Archie” stitched in white writing. She decided this dog must belong to someone so she spent all day walking the dog around the kingdom trying to find his rightful owners.

Throughout the day Princess Ali laughed more than she ever had. The dog spent the whole day trying to please her and make her laugh. He chased butterflies, played in puddles, licked her hand, snuggled his head into her belly, and pulled flowers out of the ground for her. As the day drew to a close, they hadn’t come across anyone that claimed to be his owner.

Princess Ali decided to keep the dog Archie, and they all lived happily ever after.

What is the first thing we learn about the dog Archie?

The History of Racing

There once lived a businessman from Washington, D.C. named William. In 1935, William decided to move south to Daytona Beach, Florida. Daytona Beach had become well known over the last 10 years for people racing cars, so William set up a car repair shop.

Racing in Daytona Beach continued to grow. William and several others started having organized races on the beach. Cars would begin the race driving south for two miles on the pavement. At the end of the 2 miles, they would return 2 miles north on the sandy beach along the Atlantic Ocean.

This oval racetrack format became very popular. The number of spectators increased each race, so William and his fellow drivers decided to start a formal annual event. Today, the annual event is called the Daytona 500 and is one of the largest races in the world. William’s family still organizes the race to this day.

What is the first thing William did when he moved to Daytona Beach?

Text 1: Where to see African Animals

Animals that are from Africa are some of the most fascinating animals to see. If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing the animals that live in Africa, there are two ways to make this happen. The first is to visit a local zoo. Most zoos have an African section, which have many of the animals that you would find in Africa. The other, and probably the more exciting option, would be to take a trip to Africa and go on an African safari!

Visiting a Zoo

If you go to a zoo to see African animals, you can usually follow signs straight to the African section. There you will see an area that is modeled off of what an African habitat, or area where animals live, would look like. There will be tall trees for the giraffes and lots of grass and small plants for the elephants. The neat thing about seeing animals in a zoo is that you can see tons of different animals from all over the world.You can see Polar Bears found in Alaska or Kangaroos found in Australia, just to name a few!

African Safari

An African safari is a trip that is very popular in Africa. People sign up for tours and ride around Africa to see many African animals in their homes in the wild. During an African safari, the driver is also the tour guide. He, or she, will know many facts and details about the area and the animals. During the safari, you might go by giraffes eating from tall trees, elephants spraying water from their noses, and lions laying in the sun.

Text 2: African Animals

Africa is home to many amazing and different animals! The weather in Africa is generally very warm, but depending on where in Africa you are, you will see different habits and animals. The top half of Africa, or the northern part, is mainly made up of deserts. The bottom half of Africa, or the southern part, is made up of plains and jungles.

Desert

African deserts are home to animals that can live in very hot temperatures, with very little water. If you were to visit an African desert you might see animals such as camels, foxes, or sheep. Reptiles also live in African deserts. Reptiles that you might see include snakes or lizards.

Plains

African plains are flat areas with a lot of grass. You might see some tall trees spread out, but the majority of this area is covered in grass. If you visit this area of Africa, you might run into some dangerous animals. The plains are where lions and chetahs call home. However, many other animal call the plaines their home. If you want to see elephants, giraffes, or zebras, the plains are where you will find them.

Jungles

The jungles in Africa are rainforest. They are filled with tall trees, plants, and many animals. If you were in an African rainforest, you might see monkeys hanging from branches, or big snakes wrapped around trees. Also, bright colored parrots can be seeing flying from tree to tree. Much bigger animals, such as gorillas and jaguars also live within all of the trees of the rainforest.

According to Text 1, what is an advantage of going to a zoo instead of going to Africa?

The History of Soccer

In the late 1800s, there was a man named Arthur, who lived in London. Arthur had a lot of friends, and they all enjoyed spending time together. Arthur and his friends would occasionally get bored. There was not always a lot to do back then.

One day, their boredom led to them trying a new game. They put a ball on the ground and started kicking it. Arthur was having so much fun! The only problem was the game was complete chaos. Everyone was playing their own version of the game. “We need to create rules!” Arthur said.

The group of friends began creating a list of guidelines for their new game. Each member of the group thought of something different. One friend decided you could not use your hands. Another friend suggested that kicking the ball in the net would count as a goal. Arthur, himself, thought the winning team would be decided by who had scored the most goals.

Arthur and his friends were very happy with the game. Only one thing was missing! They needed a name for the game. They decided to call it football! Over 100 years later, the game has grown in popularity. Today, in America, we call the game Soccer!

What is the last thing we learn from this passage?