READING SKILLS

READING SKILLS
UNSEEN PASSAGES & POEMS
C L A S S 4 th
KEY TO SYMBOLS USED IN THIS BOOK
 CONTENTS
UNSEEN READING PASSAGES
C L A S S 4 TH

READING PASSAGES 1 PAGE 4

READING PASSAGES 2 PAGE 10

READING PASSAGES 3 PAGE 16

READING PASSAGES 4 PAGE 22

UNSEEN POETRY 1 PAGE 28

READING PASSAGES 5 PAGE 34

READING PASSAGES 6 PAGE 40

READING PASSAGES 7 PAGE 48

READING PASSAGES 8 PAGE 52

UNSEEN POETRY 2 PAGE 58

 UNSEEN READING PASSAGES
C L A S S 4 th

READING PASSAGES 1

STORIES:
1. A NEW LIFE ON MARS
2. THE LAYERS OF THE EARTH
A NEW LIFE ON MARS
PRACTICE
THE LAYERS OF THE EARTH
PRACTICE
 UNSEEN READING PASSAGES
C L A S S 4 th

READING PASSAGES 2

STORIES:
1. PANDORA’S BOX
2. CONIFEROUS AND DECIDUOUS TREES
PANDORA’S BOX
PRACTICE
CONIFEROUS AND DECIDUOUS TREES
PRACTICE
 UNSEEN READING PASSAGES
C L A S S 4 th

READING PASSAGES 3

STORIES:
1. THE INVENTION OF EARMUFFS
2. HAMSTER ADVENTURES
THE INVENTION OF EARMUFFS
PRACTICE
HAMSTER ADVENTURES
PRACTICE
 UNSEEN READING PASSAGES
C L A S S 4 th

READING PASSAGES 4

STORIES:
1. TOO MUCH SUGAR
2. KIRLA’S QUEST
TOO MUCH SUGAR!

.
PRACTICE
KIRLA’S QUEST

.
PRACTICE
 UNSEEN READING PASSAGES
C L A S S 4 th

UNSEEN POETRY 1

STORIES:
1. WHICH ARE YOU?
2. STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY
EVENING
WHICH ARE YOU?
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
PRACTICE
STOPPING BY WOODS ON A
SNOWY EVENING
Robert Frost
PRACTICE
 UNSEEN READING PASSAGES
C L A S S 4 th

READING PASSAGES 5

STORIES:
1. MOUNTAIN FOOD CHAIN
2. SOJOURNER TRUTH
MOUNTAIN FOOD CHAINS
PRACTICE
SOJOURNER TRUTH
PRACTICE
 UNSEEN READING PASSAGES
C L A S S 4 th

READING PASSAGES 6

STORIES:
1. SNOW DAY
2. ANIMAL BEDTIMES
SNOW DAY
PRACTICE
ANIMAL BEDTIMES
PRACTICE
 UNSEEN READING PASSAGES
C L A S S 4 th

READING PASSAGES 7

STORIES:
1. THE BEST DAY EVER!
2. OUR INCREDIBLE SUN
THE BEST DAY EVER
PRACTICE
OUR INCREDIBLE SUN
PRACTICE
 UNSEEN READING PASSAGES
C L A S S 4 th

READING PASSAGES 8

STORIES:
1. AMAZING ANACONDAS
2. I SAW AN ANACONDA!
AMAZING ANACONDAS
PRACTICE
I SAW AN ANACONDA!
PRACTICE
 UNSEEN READING PASSAGES
C L A S S 4 th

UNSEEN POETRY 2

STORIES:
1. CHICAGE POET
2. THE WIND
CHICAGO POET
Carl Sandburg
PRACTICE
 THE WIND
Robert Louis Stevenson
PRACTICE
YOU ARE AWESOME

A New Life on
Mars
1. d because it takes place in
the future and in space.
2. c – metaphor and hyperbole,
the tin can is the transport
ship.
3. His parents got
engineering jobs at the
Colony.
4. Brandon is unhappy about
going to Mars because he
liked his life on Earth. He
likes sports and you can’t
even go outside on Mars.
The Layers of the
Earth
1. a) T b) F c) T d) T
2. d - sequence. The text
starts at the top layer
of the earth and works
it’s way inward. The
layers are all explained
in order.
3. They are both very hot
and composed of metal.
4. The diagram shows
the different layers of
the Earth. It helps the
reader to see how
thick each layer is and
where it is located.
ANSWERS
Pandora’s
Box
1. a – curious The text says
that she wondered what was
inside the box. She was so
curious that she ended up
opening it.
2. This myth explains why
bad things happen like
sickness or feeling sad or
hateful.
3. The moral of this story is that
curiosity can be very dangerous!
4. The gods put Hope into the
box so that humans would not
be overwhelmed with all that
bad things that came out of
the box.
Coniferous and Deciduous
Tress
1. c – compare and contrast
The passage compares two
kinds of trees and tells how
they are different from each
other.
2. a – a little bit at a time
3. Deciduous trees don’t
grow in winter because
they do not have leaves
to the collect sunlight and
water they need to grow.
4. a) D b) D c) C d) D
The Invention of
Earmuffs
1. c – Problem Solution
Chester’s problem was
that his ears were cold
while skating. He
solved his problem by
inventing earmuffs.
2. Chester used wire,
beaver fur, and velvet.
3. Chester went on to
run a factory to make
earmuffs.
4. d – Sequence The
author starts with the
opening of the factory,
then tells about making
earmuffs for soldiers in
World War I, about his
Greenwood’s death
and into the present.
Hamster
Adventures
1. Alex was excited because
he wanted to show his
parents that he was
responsible enough to
take care of a pet.
2. c
3. Alex’s parents gave him a
puppy because Alex
proved he was responsible
by taking such good care
of Nibbles.
4. c – third person. The
story begins by saying
that Alex was so
excited, so we know it
is third person.

Too Much
Sugar!
1. a) to persuade The
author tells how bad
sugary drinks are for you
and also tells you how
you can drink less sugar.
2. The picture relates to the
text because it shows
what ten teaspoons of
sugar (the amount in a
can of Coke) looks like.
3. 1) Sugar can cause
diseases 2) Sugar can
cause you to gain
weight.
4. c – the first
paragraph is
about the problem
and the second
one gives
solutions.
Kirla’s
Quest
1. c fantasy because
there is a mythical
creature, a dragon.
Also, Kirla has an
enchanted sword.
2. Craull destroyed everything.
3. cruel
4. Kirla will kill the dragon
because her sword is
enchanted. Then she will
bring all the people back to
the Anslor. The king will give
her half the treasure and
she will marry the princess
and live happily ever after
(answers will vary)
ANSWERS
Which are
You
1. sinner/saint, rich/poor,
humble/proud,
happy/sad, lifters/leaners
2. Lifter: a person who
helps others.
Leaner: a person
who is lazy and
always needs help.
3. It’s better to be a lifter and
help people.
4. I am a lifter because I help
around the house and I
help my little brother with
his homework. At school I
lend people pencils and try
to help when I can.
(answers will vary)
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy
Evening
1. 1) The first, second and fourth
lines of the first three stanzas
rhyme. 2) all four lines in the
last stanza rhyme.
2. Because he doesn’t know
why they have stopped
there.
3. There are woods and a lake.
There are no farmhouses
nearby and it is snowing.
4. No, because he says that he
has promises to keep and miles
to go before he sleeps, so he
will need to get going soon.
Mountain Food
Chains
1. Plants and animals all
depend on each other
for survival because
animals eat plants and
other animals eat those
animals. They need
each other to survive.
2. a ) T b) T F d) F
3. c – easily broken or
damaged
4. If hunters killed most of
the snow leopards
there would too many
blue sheep. All those
blue sheep would eat
all the grass and then
they would all starve
when it was all gone.
Sojourner Truth
1. D – biography
2. 2,5,1,4,3
3. Sojourner Truth is an
important person in
American history
because she was an
abolitionist who helped
people see why slavery
is wrong.
4. a

Snow Day
1. suit yourself a – do what you
want.
2. I think at first they were
surprised that their mom
was making a snowman,
but then they felt like they
were missing out on
something fun.
3. Luke and Isabel didn’t want
to play in the snow until they
saw their mom having fun
building a snowman. Then
they all had fun in the snow.
4. Luke and Isabel
would have stayed
inside.
Animal
Bedtimes
1. Some animals need a lot
of sleep and others do
not need much sleep at
all.
2. 1) Brown bats spend most
of their lives sleeping 2)
Lions sleep a lot more
than giraffes.
3. Scientists think that
animals that get eaten
sleep more because
they are usually safe
when they sleep.
4. Disagree because it shows
that goats and rabbits sleep
less than lions. If the
scientists were correct, they
would sleep more.
ANSWERS
The Best Day
Ever!
1. a – first person (or first
dog) Willy is the narrator
and he is a dog.
2. 4, 1, 5, 3, 2
3. Willy thinks school is a bus
because whenever Logan
goes to school, he takes the
bus and Willy only sees the
bus.
4. I think the author uses the
word best so often because
she is showing how Willy is
so enthusiastic about
everything and how he really
loves almost everything that
happens to him.
Our Incredible
Sun
1. The sun is very big and very
hot.
2. The sun makes energy
by converting
hydrogen into helium.
The process is called
nuclear fusion.
3. We need the sun for
light, heat, and
energy.
4. b – to inform I know
because the author gives
a lot of facts about the
sun.
Amazing
Anacondas
1. a – squeeze
2. a) T b) F c) F d) T
3. An anaconda waits for its
prey in the water. It
attacks suddenly and coils
its body around the victim
and squeeze until the
animal can’t breathe.
Sometimes it drowns the
prey.
4. 1) How big is a male
anaconda? 2) How often
do anacondas need to
eat? 3) How long do
anacondas live?
I Saw an
Anaconda!
1. The Amazon Rainforest I
would see lots of trees,
pants and animals like
sloths and insects.
2. Fredi is the tour guide.
He is important to the
story because he stops
the boat and tells
everyone about
anacondas. He also
keeps everyone safe!
3. The narrator saw an
anaconda capture, kill,
and eat a caiman.
4. sequence
 ANSWERS

Chicago
Poet

1. a mirror, because the narrator

says that, “Everything I did he
did.” So, he is seeing his own
reflection. He is the narrator.
2. He does not feel good about
himself because he calls
himself a nobody. He also
calls himself a liar, a fool and
a dreamer
3. dusty drinker of dust.
4. Sad and despairing. It feels like
this guy doesn’t have a lot to
live for and is not very happy
(answers will vary)

The
Wind

1. The author is talking to the

wind.
2. personification 1) Oh wind
that sings so loud a song
2) But always you yourself
you hid.
3. The last two lines are
the same in all three
stanzas.
4. d – curious In the last
stanza, the narrator asks
questions about the wind
because he is wondering
about what it is.