Student Comprehension

Booklet to go with:
Magic Treehouse #1:
Dinosaurs Before
Dark
 Contents
Student Booklet with Cover (12 pages)
1 page of questions for each chapter and one for a
Book Preview and one for Thoughts about the book.
Includes Reading Strategies such as Predicting,
Schema, Text to Self Connections, Visualizing,
Sequence, Compare and Contrast, Character and
Setting, along with Comprehension questions about
the story.

Thanks!

SDH Creations

Graphic by Scrappin Doodles

 Magic Treehouse #1:
Dinosaurs Before Dark

Name ________________________________
Name ___________________________________________________________

Preview the Book

1. Who is the author of this book? ______________________
2. When was this book written? _________________________
3. Look at the book’s cover and read the back of the
book. What do you predict that the story will be
about? ______________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
4. Find the Table of Contents. How many Chapters are in
this book? ___________________________________________
5. Find the Chapter called “Dinosaur Valley”. What page
does it start on? _____________________________________
6. Think about your schema concerning dinosaurs.
Write/draw below what you already know about
dinosaurs.
 Chapter 1: Into the Woods
1. Where do Jack and Annie live? _______________________
2. How old are Jack and Annie? ________________________
_____________________________________________________
3. What did Jack and Annie find in the woods? _________
_____________________________________________________
4. What was inside of the thing they found in the woods?
_____________________________________________________
5. Text-to-Self Connection: Write/Draw a connection
you have with something from Chapter 1.
 Chapter 2: The Monster
1. Visualizing: Draw what you visualized in your mind
when you read pages 6 and 7 about what Jack and
Annie saw when they looked out of the tree house.

2. What was the book about that Jack opened?

______________________________________________
3. What animal did they see outside the window
and what was it doing? ________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
4. What happened to the tree house near the end
of this chapter? _______________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
 Chapter 3: Where is Here?
1. Visualizing: Draw what you pictured in your mind
when you read page 13.

2. What do you think happened to Jack and Annie?

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
3. What did Annie do at the end of the Chapter?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
4. Prediction: What do you think will happen next?
______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
 Chapter 4: Henry
1. Check your prediction from the last Chapter.
Was it correct or did something else happen?
_____________________________________________
2. What words did Jack write in his small
notebook? __________________________________
_____________________________________________
3. Where do you think Jack and Annie are in this
Chapter? ____________________________________
______________________________________________
4. Why do you think that is where they are? _____
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
5. What do you think the dinosaur on the hill
looked like? Draw a picture.
 Chapter 5: Gold in the Grass
1. What kind of dinosaur was on the hill? _______________
_____________________________________________________
2. What did the caption in the dinosaur book say, which
Jack read? __________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
3. What did Jack write in his small notebook about the
dinosaur? ___________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
4. What did Jack find glittering in the grass? ____________
_____________________________________________________
5. Prediction: Where did this item come from? What will
happen next? ________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
 Chapter 6: Dinosaur Valley
1. What was the valley filled with? _____________________
____________________________________________________
2. What was the gigantic duck-billed dinosaur doing near
Annie? _____________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
3. What did Jack and Annie do to calm down the
dinosaur? __________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
4. Visualizing: Draw a picture and write words to
describe what you saw in your mind as you read this
Chapter.
 Chapter 7: Ready, Set, Go!
1. Sequence: At the beginning of the Chapter,
Jack and Annie are dashing down the hill. Write
what they passed as they ran- in order.
First ________________________________________
Second _____________________________________
Third _______________________________________
Last ________________________________________
2. Why do you think Jack’s wish to go home didn’t
work in this Chapter? _______________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
3. What did Jack forget on the hill? ____________
_____________________________________________
4. Who were standing around all the nests when
Jack went back? ____________________________
_____________________________________________
5. Why were they there? _______________________
_____________________________________________
6. Who was blocking Jack’s way to the tree house?
______________________________________________
 Chapter 8: A Giant Shadow
1. Compare & Contrast the Tyrannosaurus Rex
and the Anatosauruses.

2. Text-to-Self Connection: What would you do if you

were Jack and a Tyrannosaurus Rex was chasing
you? _____________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
3. What do you think Jack will do at the end of the
Chapter? __________________________________________
___________________________________________________
 Chapter 9: The Amazing Ride
1. Visualizing: Draw how you think it looked when
Jack looked down from flying on the Pteranodon’s
back.

2. How did Jack feel about riding on the back of the

Pteranodon? ___________________________________
3. What words from the text help you know how
Jack feels? _____________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
4. Why did the tree house spin this time? ___________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
5. Predicting: Where do you think Jack and Annie
will end up? _____________________________________
_________________________________________________
 Chapter 10: Home Before Dark
1. What was their mom doing when they returned to their
own time? __________________________________________
____________________________________________________
2. What do you think the “M” on the medallion stands
for? ________________________________________________
3. Characters: Write words to describe Jack and annie
throughout the book.

Jack Annie
 Your Thoughts
1. Did you like this story? _____________________________
2. Why did you like (or not like) this story? _____________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
3. What was your favorite part of the story? ____________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
4. What scene do you remember the most? Draw a
picture of what you visualized in your mind when you
read it.