Pirateology

Make & Take Math Manipulative

1. Reading Comprehension 

A Cold Day

The Brenners

The Bus Driver

2. Getting some ideas on how to make our own math manipulatives.

Earth Day 2012

1. Let's take some time to practice the skill of  understanding how to know the amount of time that has passed.

We always have a start time and a finish time, but what is the amount of time in between?

Elapsed Time

Elapsed Time Quiz

Elapsed Time Caluclator


2. Earth Day 2012

Earth Day Games

The history of Earth Day

Earth Day Activities in Texas

What Can You Do?

Earth Day Reading and Activities

Earth Day Flag

Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension

Story with questions

Story #2

Story #3


Today, Mike and his mom are going to the library. Mike wants to find a book to read. His mom wants to use a computer there.

When they get to the library, Mike finds a book about detectives. He also finds a book with chapters about a friendly ghost. Finally, he finds a book about a man who lives in the woods without food or water. He puts the books on the front desk and waits for his mom.

Mike's mom sits at one of the computers in the library. She checks her email and looks at pictures of flowers on the internet. Then she reads a news article on a website.

Mike's mom leaves the computer and walks over to Mike. “I got a movie for us to watch tonight," she says. “Are you ready to leave?”

"Sure," Mike says. He puts his books and the movie on the front desk to check out. "How long can we keep them?" he asks.

"Three weeks," says the librarian.
"Cool," says Mike.

Suddenly, Mike is surprised. His mother is checking out something else that is too big to put on the desk.

It’s a picture of the ocean.

"What is that for?" Mike asks.

"To put on our wall at home," says Mike's mom.

"You can do that?" Mike asks.

Mike's mom smiles at the librarian. "Yes," she says, "but we have to return it in three months."

Questions
1) Based on the books Mike finds, we can tell that he is interested in
A. science
B. nature
C. mysteries

2) What does Mike's mom do at the library?
I. She uses a computer.
II. She looks at pictures.
III. She reads an article.
A. I only
B. I and II only
C. I, II, and III

3) For how long can Mike use the books before he must return them to the library?
A. one week
B. two weeks
C. three weeks

4) What does Mike's mom want to do with the picture of the ocean?
A. She wants to buy it.
B. She wants to put it in her house.
C. She wants to give it to her friend as a gift.

5) Based on information in the passage, it can be understood that you can check out all of the following at the library except
A. computers
B. movies
C. pictures

6) As used in the passage, what does "check out" mean?
A. see
B. rent
C. find

7) Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A. Mike's Mom
B. A Picture of the Ocean
C. A Day at the Library

8) Using the passage as a guide, it can be understood that you can check out which of the following things from the library?
I. pictures
II. furniture
III. food
A. I only
B. I and II only
C. I, II, and III

Words, Words, Words

1. Let us review our word choices and definitions.

Word-O-Rama

Homophones








2. Short Story

King Grisly-Beard

The Happy Prince

The Frog Prince

3.  More Math Word Problems

Problem 1

Ms. Schultz bought 24 school supply bags and put 12 pencils into each bag.

How many pencils does Ms. Schultz have?

Problem 2

Ms. Schultz had 152 pencils that she needed to split equally into four school

supply bags. How many pencils will be in each bag?

Problem 3

Coach Berkman had 240 baseballs. He sorted the baseballs into bags with

eight baseballs in each bag. How many bags did Coach Berkman fill?

Problem 4

Coach Berkman had 14 bags of baseballs. If there were

20 baseballs in each bag, how many baseballs did he have?

Problem 5

Ms. Schultz bought 16 boxes of pencils and each box contained

36 pencils. How many pencils did Ms. Schultz buy?

The Dragon Rock by Ellena Ashley

1. Take a look at this short story.

Short Stories: The Dragon Rock by Ellena Ashley


Questions

a. What genre is this story?  Is it fiction, non-fiction? Also, is it a myth or a historical event, or a fairy tale?

b. Before waking up, how did the dragon rock play a part in the daily life of the village?

c. What is the climax of this story?

d. What is the resolution to the problem in this story?

e. What do you suppose the dragon did after he disappeared into the cool dark waters of the lake?

2. Word Problems

a. There are 45 students in the school band. The band instructor wants to have five equal rows of students on stage at their performance.

How many band students will be in each row?

There will be _________ students in each row.

b. Danny volunteers at the library. He always works a total of two hours each time he goes. Last week Danny worked six hours.

How many days last week did Danny volunteer at the library?

Danny volunteered at the library ________ days last week.

c. The science fair had 12 rows with displays. There were eleven displays in each row.

How many projects were displayed at the science fair?

There were ________ projects displayed at the science fair.

d. Melissa has 216 flowers. She wants to make vases with six flowers each to take to the retirement home.

How many vases will Melissa need? 

Melissa will need _________ vases.

e. Danny volunteers at the library. He always works a total of four hours each time he goes. Last week Danny worked twenty four hours.

How many days last week did Danny volunteer at the library?

Danny volunteered at the library ________ days last week.

f. Sara has 24 classmates and she wants to bring Oreo cookies for her birthday party. She wants to give 5 Oreos to each student.

How many Oreos will she need to bring to class for her birthday party? 

Sara will need to bring ________ Oreos to the party. 

If there are 40 Oreos in each package, how many packages will she need to bring?

Sara will need to bring _______ packages of Oreos to the party. 

g. Joe and Noah are collecting Pokemon cards.  Every week they both buy 3 packages of cards. Each pack holds 5 cards. 

How many cards do they collect each week?

Joe and Noah collect _______Pokemon cards each week.

How many cards do they collect after eight weeks?

After eight weeks, Joe and Noah collect _______ Pokemon cards.

3.  Spring is in the air.

The following is a mix of popular spring designs and some student drawings.

Fun Stories

1. Twins

Jada and Jessie

Jada and Jessie are twins. They were born on August 5, 1992. They are ten now and in the fourth grade. Jada and Jessie do everything together. They are in the same class. They dress alike. They look the same. 

People always get them confused. This really makes Jada and Jessie laugh. Teachers always get them mixed up at school. Even their father has trouble telling them apart. Their mother doesn’t, though. She always knows which twin is which. Jada and Jessie often try to confuse her, but it has never happened.

Their older brother, Jared, is fifteen. He never knows which one is which. He doesn’t even try. Jada and Jessie have the same friends. Their friends always mix them up. It doesn’t matter to Jada and Jessie.

One day, their father told their mother to get one of them a different haircut, so that he could tell them apart. Jada and Jessie were horrified. They didn’t want to look different. They liked looking the same. Their mother came to the rescue, and refused to make them cut their hair. The girls were happy just the way they were and didn’t want to change. Their dad just shook his head. He would have to stay confused. Jada and Jessie didn’t care. They knew which one was which, and that was all that mattered.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:

1. How old are Jada and Jessie in this story? 

a.    ten

b.    twelve 

c.    eight

d.   fifteen

2. Who in their family could tell them apart? 

a. their brother

b. their dad 

c. their mom

d. no one

3. Who in the family wanted them to look different? 

a. their mom

b. Jared 

c. their dad

d. Jada and Jessie

4. Who came to their rescue when they were supposed to get different haircuts?

a. their dad

b. Jared 

c. their friends

d. their mom

5. Jada and Jessie don’t care if people can’t tell them apart. Why do you think they feel this way?

a.    Jada and Jessie are in the fourth grade.

b.    Jada and Jessie know their differences.

c.    Jada and Jessie like wearing blue dresses.

d.    Jada and Jessie like making Jared mad.

2. Identifying Story Parts

Click here

3. Texas Treasures Reading

a. Where did Chester live before he found himself in New York City?

b. What is the sequence of events that led to Chester coming to New York City? Retell the events in order in which they happened.

c. What can you tell about Chester's acquaintance, Tucker? Use details from the story to support your answer.

d. What message is the author trying to communicate to the reader by making a cricket, a cat and a mouse his main characters? Explain using story details.

e. Read "The Country Mouse and the City Mouse" on pages 408-409. How is the Country Mouse's experience similar to Chester's on page 419-420? How is it different? Use details from both sections to explain.

Food Chains

1. Today we will revisit our discussion of the food chains that give us live, sustain our life and help us produce life.

Food Chains

Reading Comprehension

Jerry the Beaver

Jerry the beaver is a very good beaver. Jerry made his house out of wood. Jerry built his house in the water because he likes to eat fish. He is a very hard working beaver and has made the biggest beaver house in the forest! His house was so big that all the fish in the river would swim right into his house. Jerry was very happy because he had a nice big house and all the fish he could ever want.

Now, Jerry was not the only beaver in the forest. There were many other beavers in the woods and many other animals in the forest who also liked to eat fish. All the other animals liked Jerry but they didn’t like that he was keeping all the fish to himself. So they didn’t ask Jerry to come to the Big Forest Party held every year! This made Jerry sad so he stayed home and ate his fish all alone in his big house.

In the middle of the party the animals noticed there were only a few fish left to eat.

“We will have to get more fish!” said Doug the Skunk. The other animals agreed. So, Doug and a few others made their way to the river but there were no fish in it because they had all flopped into Jerry’s house. As the small group walked upstream they heard someone yelling for help! They rushed to see who was in trouble!

As they ran they could hear that it was coming from Jerry’s house! Doug and his friends burst into Jerry’s house and there were fish everywhere!

“Jerry! Where are you, Jerry?” they shouted. “I’m under the fish! Help me!”

Doug dove into the pile of fish and found Jerry’s tail sticking up. They all grabbed it and pulled him out of the pile of fish!

“Thank you so much! I’m sorry for keeping all the fish for myself.” Jerry said. “I guess I got what I deserve.”

“It’s okay Jerry, you’re safe now. Just come back to the party with us!” “Do you really mean it?” asked Jerry. Just then, there was a knock at the door. It was all the other animals! “FISH!” They all exclaimed. And all the animals rushed into the room and began to party around the big pile of fish. The animals had such a great time in Jerry’s big house and they all had plenty of fish to eat.

“It kinda stinks in here!” said Doug. “Yes it does, Doug. Yes it does.”

Reading Comprehension Questions After reading the story, answer the questions. Circle the correct answer.

1. Why did Jerry build his house in the water? 

A) He loved to swim.

B) He made it out of wood. 

C) He likes to eat fish. 

D) Badgers like the water.

2. Why did the fish swim right into Jerry’s house? 

A) The house was made out of wood. 

B) The house was so big. 

C) The water in the house was clean.

D) The house was in the forest.

3. The other animals didn’t like Jerry because 

A) He went to the party by himself. 

B) He made his house out of wood. 

C) He is a very good badger.

D) He was keeping all the fish to himself.

4. Where did the animals find Jerry when they were out looking for fish? 

A) Under a pile of fish. 

B) At the party. 

C) In the stream.

D) At Doug’s house.

5. How did Jerry feel after Doug saved him? 

A) Sad.

B) Angry about the party. 

C) Sorry for keeping the fish to himself. 

D) Scared that the animals would eat his fish

Reading Practice

1. Reading Comprehension

The Puffed Up Pig

By: Chantele Langley 

"What do you think?" Pigsel asked with a proud grin. He had left the farm today to visit the upscale "A la Creme Organic Dairy Farm" to show some of his photographs to the Goat family. Mr. Vincent Goat looked at the photograph with a sideways glance.

"I don't know..." he said pursing his lips. The photograph was inspired by the Mona Lisa. Pigsel had just left Europe where he visited the famous painting in Paris. Then, before he flew back to the states he did a quick safari in Africa and used some local hyenas as his subject.

"I just think the animals are a bit too smiley for this piece." He held the photograph in his hoof, cocked his head to the side and looked at the photo with squinted eyes. He shook his head in a disapproving manner. "What else do you have?" Mr. Goat asked.

"Um well let me see..." Pigsel said a bit nervously. That was his best piece he thought. He dug around in his briefcase and pulled out an older black and white one he did at sunrise on the farm and a close up shot of some of the baby ducks following their mother around.

"I don't know. These just feel overdone if you will," said Mr. Goat. "Franchesca, what do you think?"

Franchesca was Mr. Goat's wife. "I just don't feel excited when I look at it." She murmured.

Pigsel felt flustered and discouraged. He never expected the goats not to like his work. He thought they may argue about the price, but it never occurred to him that they would refuse to even buy it. Don't they know that he is the most talented photographer of all the Floffertown farm animals? Most likely they just had poor taste.

"What's wrong?" Mr. Cow asked Pigsel while he was dragging his belongings out of the taxi in front of the farm. Mr. Cow could tell by Pigsel's gruff movements and frustrated look that he was not in a good mood.

"Oh nothing." Pigsel moaned. He wasn't planning on sharing the detailsof this less than proud moment. "Are you sure?" Mr. Cow pushed. He grabbed one of Pigsel’s black,

leather bags and carried it for him as they walked to his pen. "Well..." Pigsel slowly started. "I am just a little perturbed that I traveled

all the way out to A la Creme Dairy Farm to sell my latest photos and that bird-brained goat had the nerve to say he didn't like it!"

"Hmmm." Mr. Cow paused. He knew Pigsel could sometimes be a bit prideful and not open to criticism. "I'm sorry they didn't buy it. Maybe you could ask them what kind of photographs they would like you to take."

"Preposterous! Those silly animals have too much horn and too little brain to know what it would take to make a beautiful photograph!"

"Oh...yes...I understand." Mr. Cow muttered as he laid Pigsel's bag next to his neatly decorated pen. His front doorway was always swept of all dirt and he had tiny lights above his doorway and around his windows. He was so artistic, Mr. Cow thought.

"Well thanks for your help Mr. Cow" Pigsel said kind of abruptly. He opened his door and Mr. Cow could see his neatly arranged living room decorated with candle-lit glass sconces and art work from around the world. "Good night." The door shut and the warm light was gone. Mr. Cow moseyed his way back to his family.

That night Pigsel had a disturbing dream. He was all alone in his pen surrounded by beautiful photographs that he made. He was admiring them when he heard noises outside. He looked out one of his windows and saw all the other farm animals playing. The Duck family was playing hoofball with the Cow family... the Farmer's dog, Bob, was showing the young eaglet, Samson, how to tie a boyscout knot...and the sheep were showing their new dance routine to the horses while they laughed and neighed laying in a wool blanket the sheep had given them. He suddenly lost his excitement about his photographs and was terribly sad he wasn't invited in the afternoon fun. Just then, a terrible bright white light filled his pen and in a moment all his photographs were gone.

Over his morning cappuccino, he thought, “Maybe I should spend a little less time on my work. I could be more open to criticism as well.” He walked on his front stoop to finish his coffee. Curly Sheep was practicing her dance routine by herself while wearing a pair of headphones. She twirled around and was very light on her hoofs.

"Nice job!" he yelled.

"What? Oh thanks Mr. Pigsel. I just thank God everyday for the talents he bestows on me. It really is a miracle I can even dance because my left hoof is a little bigger than it’s supposed to be. I am just an undeserving receiver, really."

"Hmmm" I never thought of it that way. Pigsel walked away with his shoulders slumped. That night he spread word around that he wanted to have a party with everyone at his pen. He decorated his front stoop with moonflowers and tiki torches and all the animals came. As they were all having fun he took beautiful star lit shots of all the animals. Before they all went home he showed the gang the proofs. There were pictures of the ducks waddling with the big harvest moon sitting behind them, the horses gave their big smiles while star light reflected off their fantastic teeth, the cow family took a family portrait along the pasture's fence and many more.

"Wow. You did it again Pigsel!" hollered Mr. Cow

"Well all our talents are a gift," Pigsel quietly replied. "Besides you guys were the amazing subjects!"

Mr. Cow and many of the other animals' eyes grew very wide. Was that really Pigsel being humble?

"Well I really must turn in." Pigsel politely informed. "Good night all!" The animals thanked him politely and trotted back to their quarters.

The next week some of the photos were posted in the New Pork Times and the Goat family offered $200 for each photo. Pigsel didn't brag about it once and was extremely grateful!

©www.HaveFunTeaching.com

1. What made Pigsel decide to change his outlook on things?________________________________________________________

2. How did the way Curly Sheep view her talent contrast with the way Pigsel saw his?

________________________________________________________

3. How did Pigsel solve his problem of feeling bad after realizing that he had been wrong and possibly rude to others?

________________________________________________________

4. What does the prefix "dis" mean in disapproving? 

A. Before 

B. Always 

C. Against

D. Not

5. What three or four events led to Pigsel’s change of heart/mind? 

1. ___________________________________________________ 

2. ___________________________________________________ 

3. ___________________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________

Statue Of Liberty and Art

1. Reading Comprehension

Statue of Liberty: A Famous Gift

By: Peter Winkler 

On July 4, 1884 France gave the United States an amazing birthday gift: the Statue of Liberty! Without the base at the bottom, it is as tall as a 15-story building. She is a symbol of the United States. But the world-famous Statue of Liberty standing in New York Harbor was built in France. The statue was shown to the U.S., taken apart, shipped across the Atlantic Ocean in crates, and rebuilt in the U.S. It was France’s gift to the American people.

It all started at dinner one night near Paris in 1865. A group of Frenchmen were talking about their dictator and the democratic government of the U.S. They wanted to build a monument to support American freedom. Maybe then, France would have a democracy in their own country. At that dinner was the sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (bar-TOLE-dee). He imagined a statue of a woman holding a torch burning with the light of freedom. It took 21 years for this idea to become a reality. French supporters raised money to build the statue, and Americans paid for the base it would stand on. Finally, in 1886, the statue was dedicated.

Fun Facts

* Engineer Gustave Eiffel, who would later design the Eiffel Tower in Paris, designed Liberty’s “spine.” Inside the statue four huge iron columns support a metal framework that holds the thin copper skin. * The statue - 151 feet, 1 inch tall - was the tallest structure in the U.S. at that time. Do you know what the tallest structure in the U.S. is today?

* The arm holding the torch measures 46 feet; the index finger, 8 feet; the nose, nearly 5 feet. That is a big nose! (Be careful, if it gets cold she may sneeze!) * Visitors climb 354 steps (22 stories) to look out from 25 windows in the crown. * Seven rays in the crown represent the Earth’s seven seas.

Use the information in the story to answer the questions below.

1. Where is the Statue of Liberty located? 

A. France

B. New York 

C. New Jersey 

D. Germany

2. How was the Statue of Liberty shipped over from France? 

A. On an airplane

B. In crates 

C. On a train

 D. In trucks

3. Why did France want to build this monument? 

A. America wanted to give France a birthday present

B. France wanted to give their dictator to America 

C. America wanted to become a democracy 

D. To support American freedom

4. Who sculpted the Statue of Liberty? 

A. Gustave Eiffel

B. Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi 

C. Bill Gates 

D. Lady Liberty

5. What makes up the Statue of Liberty’s “spine”? 

A. Four iron columns

B. 206 Bones 

C. Five copper wires 

D. 40 pounds of stone

Geometric Abstractism

2. These are a few of the student renditions of Geometric Abstractism.

Rotations, Translation, Reflections, Congruent

1. Remember these important definitions for the upcoming tests and any word problems that we use in class.

2.  Reading Comprehension

Justin Bieber Biography

An old soul is the last thing you would expect to find inside Justin Bieber. But all it takes is one listen to the 15 year-old soul-singing phenomenon to realize that he is light years ahead of his manufactured pop peers. After posting dozens of homemade videos on YouTube in 2007, where the multi-talented Bieber put his impeccable spin on songs from artists like Usher, Ne-Yo and Stevie Wonder, Justin racked up over 10,000,000 views purely from word of mouth.

“I started singing about three years ago,” says the Canadian native who grew up an only child in Stratford, Ontario. “I entered a local singing competition called Stratford Idol. The other people in the competition had been taking singing lessons and had vocal coaches. I wasn’t taking it too seriously at the time, I would just sing around the house. I was only 12 and I got second place.”

In an effort to share his victory with his loved ones, Justin began posting his performance footage online. “I put my singing videos from the competition on YouTube so that my friends and family could watch them,” he says. “But it turned out that other people liked them and they started subscribing to them. That’s how my manager found me. He saw me on YouTube and contacted my family and now I’m signed!”

Seven months after Justin started posting his videos online, former So So Def marketing executive Scooter Braun flew the then 13-year old singer to Atlanta, GA to meet with his elite colleagues. As if Justin’s natural singing talent wasn’t enough to impress Scooter’s inner circle, Braun knew Bieber was also a self-taught musician who plays the drums, guitar, piano and trumpet.

“Right when we flew into Atlanta, Scooter drove us to the studio and Usher was there in the parking lot,” remembers Bieber. “That was my first time ever being out of Canada so I went up to him and was like, ‘Hey Usher, I love your songs, do you want me to sing you one?’ He was like, ‘No little buddy, just come inside, it’s cold out.’”

All it took was a short time online for Usher to realize he was in the company of a future superstar. “A week later Usher flew me back to Atlanta,” says Bieber. “I sang for him and his people and he really wanted to sign me then and there but I still had a meeting with Justin Timberlake who also wanted to sign me. It turned out Usher’s deal was way better. He had L.A. Reid backing him up and Scooter had a lot of really good connections in Atlanta. I always tease Usher now and remind him how he blew me off the first time we met.”

In October of 2008, Justin Bieber officially signed to Island Records. His debut album, My World is an intimate look into the mind of a budding young renaissance man. With production from star hit men like The Dream and Tricky Stewart who produced “Umbrella” for Rihanna and Beyonce’s smash, “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” Justin has everything he needs to achieve pop supremacy.

His first single, “One Time” produced by Tricky, is about one of Justin’s favorite topics, puppy love. Usher joins Justin on “First Dance” where the two share verses on a song that Bieber describes as, “A slow groovy song that people can dance to.” On the Midi-Mafia produced “Down to Earth” Justin digs deep to talk about growing up. “Bigger” finds the teenaged singer maturing at a steady rate, while motivating his listeners to strive for their goals.

“I’m looking forward to influencing others in a positive way,” says Justin. “My message is you can do anything if you just put your mind to it. I grew up below the poverty line; I didn’t have as much as other people did. I think it made me stronger as a person it built my character. Now I have a 4.0 grade point average and I want to go to college and just become a better person.”

A virtually untapped well of natural artistic talent, Justin Bieber is primed to be a solid force in music for many years to come. “I think older people can appreciate my music because I really show my heart when I sing, and it’s not corny,” he says. “I think I can grow as an artist and my fans will grow with me.” And just think, he’s just getting started.

Use the information in the story to answer the questions below.

1. How did Justin Bieber rack up over 10,000,000 views on YouTube? 

A. Internet Marketing 

B. Facebook 

C. Word of Mouth

D. MTV 2. 

Why did Justin Bieber put his videos online?

A. He wanted to be famous 

B. He wanted to get signed by a manager

 C. He thought he was really good 

D. He wanted to share them with his loved ones

3. What instruments does Justin Bieber play? 

A. Piano, Trombone, Drums, Keyboard 

B. Guitar, Piano, Trumpet, Drums 

C. Drums, Guitar, Piano, Dancing

D. Drums Guitar, Piano, Saxophone 

4. Why did Bieber want to be signed by Usher instead of Timberlake?

A. Usher was more famous 

B. Justin Timberlake didn’t want to hear him sing 

C. He had people backing him up and had connections in Atlanta 

D. Usher said he could be in his music videos

5. What makes Justin Bieber a good role model? 

A. He has a 4.0 grade point average and wants to go to college 

B. He wants to be rich and famous 

C. He is friends with Usher and dresses really nice

D. He only cares about money and fame

Show Your Test Skills

1. Reading and comprehension questions.

Mariana's Polar Bear Swim  By Brenda B. Covert

---

¹     Once Mariana Lopez reached the frigid water's edge, she knew she had made a mistake. She liked her baths warm and her chocolate hot. What had made her take the dare to go for a winter swim with the Polar Bear Club? Swimming in icy water had been a Polar Bear Club tradition for decades. However, Mariana's family observed a different tradition. When they swam, it was in a heated indoor pool. What had she been thinking?
 ²     She peered into the water from the safety of the dock. The temperature was so low that even the fish were shivering! The faraway sun did nothing to chase away the chill in the air. Mariana looked at her tan arms. Her goosebumps had goosebumps!
 ³     "Hey, girly, are you ready to be a real polar bear?"
 ⁴     Mariana turned to look at Mrs. Fleming. She wore blue flip-flops on her pasty white feet. Her short, pudgy body was stuffed into an orange floral swimsuit. The little swim skirt did nothing to hide the dimpled, white thighs. Mrs. Fleming was as white as a polar bear! The thought almost put a grin on Mariana's face, but it was too cold to grin.
 ⁵     "I think I've changed my mind," Mariana said, pulling her fluffy yellow towel more tightly around her tankini-clad body. Her knees were knocking nearly as fast as her teeth were chattering.
 ⁶     Mrs. Fleming turned to the gathering crowd. With her hands cupped around her mouth, she called, "We've got a chicken in our midst!"
 ⁷     Mariana blushed and protested. "I'm not chicken; I'm cold!"
 ⁸     A young man with spiky hair and a goatee sauntered toward Mariana. "You don't know what cold is until you've taken the plunge!"
 ⁹     "So why do you do it?" Mariana asked, trying hard not to shiver.
 ¹⁰     "The adrenaline rush!" the man answered. "If you're not awake now, you will be once you hit the water!" He walked away, chuckling softly and swinging a white towel.
 ¹¹     "A quick dip in cold water is good for your skin," Mrs. Fleming said. "It helps build your immunity too. Since I joined the Polar Bear Club, I've been remarkably healthy!"
 ¹²     "You don't think I'll catch a cold?" Mariana asked.
 ¹³     "Not unless you stay in for a long time. Most of us jump in and jump back out again," Mrs. Fleming said. "We don't want to invite hypothermia, you know!"
 ¹⁴     "Oh." Mariana didn't know what hypothermia was, but she didn't want to get it, either.
 ¹⁵     Mariana's friends were standing with the crowd that had gathered to watch the polar bears. This was it. She knew when she saw them waving at her that it was too late to back out. She had to go through with it.
 ¹⁶     Just before the countdown started, the swimmers dropped their towels and other supplies. Many of them held hands.
 ¹⁷     "Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! JUMP!"
 ¹⁸     Mariana pinched her nose shut with one hand and gripped Mrs. Fleming's hand with the other. Closing her eyes, she leaped into the air. It felt like fire and ice when she hit the freezing water. What a shock! She shot up out of the water like a fireworks display.
 ¹⁹     "Woo-hoo-hoo-YOW!" she shrieked.
 ²⁰     Without looking for Mrs. Fleming, whose hand she had lost on impact, Mariana splashed her way back to land. Feeling like an ice cube, she went looking for her yellow towel. It wasn't where she had dropped it. Someone held it out to her.
 ²¹     "Here you are, girly. What took you so long?"
 ²²     Mariana quickly wrapped the towel around herself and buried her face in the folds. Then she peeped out. How did Mrs. Fleming beat Mariana out of the icy water? And why had her white skin turned bright pink?




Mariana's Polar Bear Swim

1. What was Mariana's mistake?   Acting like a chicken   Accepting a dare to swim in icy water   Drinking hot chocolate   Talking to Mrs. Fleming	2. What was the plot of this story?   An old woman befriends a nervous girl.   Swimmers search for healthy habits.   Everyone wonders why the swimmers go for this wintertime stunt.   A young girl must choose whether to take the Polar Bear plunge.
3. List two similes from the story.	4. List an example of exaggeration from the story.
5. If Mariana had not seen her friends, she might have:   Changed her mind and stayed dry   Shed a few tears at being forgotten   Called them to find out why they hadn't come   Been less nervous	6. Which one of these is not a fact?   Mariana came from a Hispanic heritage.   Mrs. Fleming had very white skin.   It was a cold day in the winter.   Once she saw her friends, it was too late for Mariana to back out.
7. What will the swimmers most likely do next?   Build sandcastles   Drink something hot   Jump in the water again   Try to get a tan	8. What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?   That nobody stayed in the water   That Mrs. Fleming got sunburned   That Mrs. Fleming moves super fast when she is cold   That Mariana was glad that she took the plunge

Write one paragraph about something fun that you did for an adventure. Don't forget to mention who was with you on the adventure.

2. Math Test Practice

Set #1

 Set #2

Set #3