Reading - Common Core: 3rd Grade English Language Arts

Story 1: Prince Meanerman

Once upon a time, a mean prince ruled over a farming kingdom 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.

Story 2: The Kingdom of Cherry Blossoms

Once upon a time, Prince David and Princess Caroline were fortunate enough to rule over a beautiful kingdom. All over the kingdom, great big cherry blossom trees bloomed year-around, which is how the kingdom received its name. The Prince and Princess were not your average rulers. They were very kind and shared their wealth with all the townspeople. Instead of living in a castle, they lived in a regular home just like everyone else. The parties that they hosted were not just for the wealthy, but for everyone in town. Many days were spent with everyone laughing and dancing under the beautiful pink blooms of the cherry blossom trees.

How are Prince Sweeterman and Prince David different?

Story 1: Prince Meanerman

Once upon a time, a mean prince ruled over a farming kingdom 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.

Story 2: The Kingdom of Cherry Blossoms

Once upon a time, Prince David and Princess Caroline were fortunate enough to rule over a beautiful kingdom. All over the kingdom, great big cherry blossom trees bloomed year-around, which is how the kingdom received its name. The Prince and Princess were not your average rulers. They were very kind and shared their wealth with all the townspeople. Instead of living in a castle, they lived in a regular home just like everyone else. The parties that they hosted were not just for the wealthy, but for everyone in town. Many days were spent with everyone laughing and dancing under the beautiful pink blooms of the cherry blossom trees.

Given the choices below, what is something that Prince Sweeterman and Prince David have in common?

Story 1: Prince Meanerman

Once upon a time, a mean prince ruled over a farming kingdom 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.

Story 2: The Kingdom of Cherry Blossoms

Once upon a time, Prince David and Princess Caroline were fortunate enough to rule over a beautiful kingdom. All over the kingdom, great big cherry blossom trees bloomed year-around, which is how the kingdom received its name. The Prince and Princess were not your average rulers. They were very kind and shared their wealth with all the townspeople. Instead of living in a castle, they lived in a regular home just like everyone else. The parties that they hosted were not just for the wealthy, but for everyone in town. Many days were spent with everyone laughing and dancing under the beautiful pink blooms of the cherry blossom trees.

What is different about the people living in the different kingdoms?

Story 1: Prince Meanerman

Once upon a time, a mean prince ruled over a farming kingdom 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.

Story 2: The Kingdom of Cherry Blossoms

Once upon a time, Prince David and Princess Caroline were fortunate enough to rule over a beautiful kingdom. All over the kingdom, great big cherry blossom trees bloomed year-around, which is how the kingdom received its name. The Prince and Princess were not your average rulers. They were very kind and shared their wealth with all the townspeople. Instead of living in a castle, they lived in a regular home just like everyone else. The parties that they hosted were not just for the wealthy, but for everyone in town. Many days were spent with everyone laughing and dancing under the beautiful pink blooms of the cherry blossom trees.

In which kingdom would you expect to find an angry, hard-working farmer?

Text 1: 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.

Text 2: Adley Joins the Soccer Team

The day started off like any other day. Adley woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast, and began running to school. Her mother joked that it was like “pulling teeth” to get Adley out of bed in the morning, but today was different. Her dad had pulled strings to get her on the soccer team- a year earlier than most girls were allowed to start playing at her school. Today was the first day of practice, and she couldn’t wait! Today was not going to be like any other day.

All-day she was distracted. She couldn’t focus on what the teachers were teaching in class. She just kept thinking about soccer practice after school, and her nerves were growing bigger and bigger. By the time practice was about to start, Adley was so nervous she kept dropping her cleats. She began to wonder if she really should join the team.

Suddenly, Adley heard a whisper, “Put the cleats on, that’s all you need to do”. She looked around but saw no one close to her that could have spoken to her. All of the other girls were already on the soccer field stretching before practice began. She did as she heard, and put the cleats on. Before she ran onto the field to join the other girls, she noticed a golden glow around her soccer cleats. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she was too embarrassed to ask anyone else if they saw the glow too.

During practice, Adley ran faster than she’s ever run before, and she scored 4 goals during the 1-hour practice. Her teammates huddled around her after each goal and praised her talents. After each goal that she scored, she looked down and saw the golden glow around her cleats- she figured they must be magic! As long as Adley was wearing her cleats, her confidence grew and her nerves disappeared.

Given the choices below, how can the texts be described?

Text 1: 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.

Text 2: Adley Joins the Soccer Team

The day started off like any other day. Adley woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast, and began running to school. Her mother joked that it was like “pulling teeth” to get Adley out of bed in the morning, but today was different. Her dad had pulled strings to get her on the soccer team- a year earlier than most girls were allowed to start playing at her school. Today was the first day of practice, and she couldn’t wait! Today was not going to be like any other day.

All-day she was distracted. She couldn’t focus on what the teachers were teaching in class. She just kept thinking about soccer practice after school, and her nerves were growing bigger and bigger. By the time practice was about to start, Adley was so nervous she kept dropping her cleats. She began to wonder if she really should join the team.

Suddenly, Adley heard a whisper, “Put the cleats on, that’s all you need to do”. She looked around but saw no one close to her that could have spoken to her. All of the other girls were already on the soccer field stretching before practice began. She did as she heard, and put the cleats on. Before she ran onto the field to join the other girls, she noticed a golden glow around her soccer cleats. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she was too embarrassed to ask anyone else if they saw the glow too.

During practice, Adley ran faster than she’s ever run before, and she scored 4 goals during the 1-hour practice. Her teammates huddled around her after each goal and praised her talents. After each goal that she scored, she looked down and saw the golden glow around her cleats- she figured they must be magic! As long as Adley was wearing her cleats, her confidence grew and her nerves disappeared.

If we were going to add the following sentence to one of the texts, which text would we add it to?

The first game of soccer played in American was in the 1860s.

Text 1: 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.

Text 2: Adley Joins the Soccer Team

The day started off like any other day. Adley woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast, and began running to school. Her mother joked that it was like “pulling teeth” to get Adley out of bed in the morning, but today was different. Her dad had pulled strings to get her on the soccer team- a year earlier than most girls were allowed to start playing at her school. Today was the first day of practice, and she couldn’t wait! Today was not going to be like any other day.

All-day she was distracted. She couldn’t focus on what the teachers were teaching in class. She just kept thinking about soccer practice after school, and her nerves were growing bigger and bigger. By the time practice was about to start, Adley was so nervous she kept dropping her cleats. She began to wonder if she really should join the team.

Suddenly, Adley heard a whisper, “Put the cleats on, that’s all you need to do”. She looked around but saw no one close to her that could have spoken to her. All of the other girls were already on the soccer field stretching before practice began. She did as she heard, and put the cleats on. Before she ran onto the field to join the other girls, she noticed a golden glow around her soccer cleats. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she was too embarrassed to ask anyone else if they saw the glow too.

During practice, Adley ran faster than she’s ever run before, and she scored 4 goals during the 1-hour practice. Her teammates huddled around her after each goal and praised her talents. After each goal that she scored, she looked down and saw the golden glow around her cleats- she figured they must be magic! As long as Adley was wearing her cleats, her confidence grew and her nerves disappeared.

If we were going to add the following sentence to one of the texts, which texts would we add it to?

An early version of a soccer ball was made out of a pig’s bladder.

Text 1: 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!

Text 2: 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.

Given the choices below, what is the main difference between the two texts?

Text 1: 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!

Text 2: 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.

Given the choices below, what do both texts have in common?

Text 1: 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!

Text 2: 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.

Given the choices below, what is a major difference between how the game of soccer started versus how racing was started?

Adapted from “How the Camel Got His Hump” in Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling (1902)

Now this is the next tale, and it tells how the Camel got his big hump.

Presently the Horse came to him on Monday morning, with a saddle on his back and a bit in his mouth, and said, “Camel, O Camel, come out and trot like the rest of us.”

“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Horse went away and told the Man.

Presently the Dog came to him, with a stick in his mouth, and said, “Camel, O Camel, come and fetch and carry like the rest of us.”

“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Dog went away and told the Man.

Presently the Ox came to him, with the yoke on his neck and said, “Camel, O Camel, come and plough like the rest of us.”

“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Ox went away and told the Man.

At the end of the day the Man called the Horse and the Dog and the Ox together, and said, “Three, O Three, I’m very sorry for you (with the world so new‐and‐all); but that Humph‐thing in the Desert can’t work, or he would have been here by now, so I am going to leave him alone, and you must work double‐ time to make up for it.”

That made the Three very angry (with the world so new‐and‐all), and they held a palaver, and an indaba, and a punchayet, and a pow‐wow on the edge of the Desert; and the Camel came chewing milkweed most ’scruciating idle, and laughed at them. Then he said “Humph!” and went away again.

Presently there came along the Djinn in charge of All Deserts, rolling in a cloud of dust (Djinns always travel that way because it is Magic), and he stopped to palaver and pow‐wow with the Three.

“Djinn of All Deserts,” said the Horse, “is it right for any one to be idle, with the world so new‐and‐all?”

“Certainly not,” said the Djinn.

“Well,” said the Horse, “there’s a thing in the middle of your Howling Desert (and he’s a Howler himself) with a long neck and long legs, and he hasn’t done a stroke of work since Monday morning. He won’t trot.”

“Whew!” said the Djinn, whistling, “that’s my Camel, for all the gold in Arabia! What does he say about it?”

“He says ‘Humph!’” said the Dog; “and he won’t fetch and carry.”

“Does he say anything else?”

“Only ‘Humph!’; and he won’t plough,” said the Ox.

“Very good,” said the Djinn. “I’ll humph him if you will kindly wait a minute.”

"Camel my friend, what's this is hear of your doing no work, the world so new-and-all?", and the Djinn

"Humph!"

"Camel, you've given the Three extra work ever since Monday morning, all on account of your 'scruciating idleness."

"Humph!"

"I shouldn't say that again if I were you. You might say it once too often. Camel, I want you to work."

"Humph!"

No sooner has Camel said it than he sees his back, that he is so proud of, puffing up and puffing up into a great big lolloping human

"Do you see that hump? That's your very own humph that you've brought upon your very own self by not working. Today is Thursday, and you've done no work since Monday, when the work began. Now you are going to work," said Djinn.

"How can I with this humph on my back?" asked Camel.

"That's made a-purpose all because you missed those three days. You will be able to work now for three days without eating, because you can live on your humph; and don't you ever say I never did anything for you. Stay with the Three, and behave."

"Humph! Humph!"

From that day to this the Camel always wears a humph. Now we call is "hump" so that we will not hurt his feelings. However, he has never yet caught up with the three days that he missed at the beginning of the world, and he has never yet learned how to behave.

How is the Camel described throughout most of the story?

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.

How is King Archie described in the story?

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.

During the first paragraph, we could describe Princess Ali as

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.

How is the dog described in the story?

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.

How is Princess Ali described at the end of the story?

Adley Joins the Soccer Team

The day started off like any other day. Adley woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast, and began running to school. Her mother joked that it was like “pulling teeth” to get Adley out of bed in the morning, but today was different. Her dad had pulled strings to get her on the soccer team- a year earlier than most girls were allowed to start playing at her school. Today was the first day of practice, and she couldn’t wait! Today was not going to be like any other day.

All-day she was distracted. She couldn’t focus on what the teachers were teaching in class. She just kept thinking about soccer practice after school, and her nerves were growing bigger and bigger. By the time practice was about to start, Adley was so nervous she kept dropping her cleats. She began to wonder if she really should join the team.

Suddenly, Adley heard a whisper, “Put the cleats on, that’s all you need to do”. She looked around but saw no one close to her that could have spoken to her. All of the other girls were already on the soccer field stretching before practice began. She did as she heard, and put the cleats on. Before she ran onto the field to join the other girls, she noticed a golden glow around her soccer cleats. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she was too embarrassed to ask anyone else if they saw the glow too.

During practice, Adley ran faster than she’s ever run before, and she scored 4 goals during the 1-hour practice. Her teammates huddled around her after each goal and praised her talents. After each goal that she scored, she looked down and saw the golden glow around her cleats- she figured they must be magic! As long as Adley was wearing her cleats, her confidence grew and her nerves disappeared.

How is Adley described in the first paragraph?

Adley Joins the Soccer Team

The day started off like any other day. Adley woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast, and began running to school. Her mother joked that it was like “pulling teeth” to get Adley out of bed in the morning, but today was different. Her dad had pulled strings to get her on the soccer team- a year earlier than most girls were allowed to start playing at her school. Today was the first day of practice, and she couldn’t wait! Today was not going to be like any other day.

All-day she was distracted. She couldn’t focus on what the teachers were teaching in class. She just kept thinking about soccer practice after school, and her nerves were growing bigger and bigger. By the time practice was about to start, Adley was so nervous she kept dropping her cleats. She began to wonder if she really should join the team.

Suddenly, Adley heard a whisper, “Put the cleats on, that’s all you need to do”. She looked around but saw no one close to her that could have spoken to her. All of the other girls were already on the soccer field stretching before practice began. She did as she heard, and put the cleats on. Before she ran onto the field to join the other girls, she noticed a golden glow around her soccer cleats. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she was too embarrassed to ask anyone else if they saw the glow too.

During practice, Adley ran faster than she’s ever run before, and she scored 4 goals during the 1-hour practice. Her teammates huddled around her after each goal and praised her talents. After each goal that she scored, she looked down and saw the golden glow around her cleats- she figured they must be magic! As long as Adley was wearing her cleats, her confidence grew and her nerves disappeared.

How is Adley described in the second paragraph?

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.

How is Prince Sweeterman described throughout the story?

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.

How are the farmers described in the story?