To the Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3
Evaluation Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Skill Descriptions and Instructional Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Rubric for Open-Response Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Reproducible Graphic Organizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Credits
Front cover: Bald eagle, saguaro cactus, giraffes: www.photos.com; clownfish:
www.istockphoto.com/redtwiggy; Mt. Rushmore: www.istockphoto.com/
megasquib; open book: www.istockphoto.com/mstay

ISBN 978-0-8454-K1683-9
Copyright © 2007 The Continental Press, Inc.
Excepting the designated reproducible blackline masters, no part of this publi-
cation may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechani-
cal, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission
of the publisher. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
 To the Teacher
This edition of Reading for Comprehension introduces a
new, open format, as well as new high-interest selections, to
enhance the reading experience for students. Photos and art
support the text throughout.
Each article is followed by five multiple-choice questions that
address the standards for reading identified by all states. The
questions focus on the following skills: recalling details, using
context clues, determining the sequence of events, identifying
cause-and-effect relationships, recognizing the main idea of a
passage, making valid inferences and drawing conclusions, and
understanding multiple-meaning words. Each question has four
possible choices to give students experience with the format they
will see on state and national tests.
The sixth item in every lesson is a critical-thinking question
that invites students to interact with the text by providing a writ-
ten response. These questions prompt students to write in descrip-
tive, expository, narrative, or persuasive form. Students are
expected to write their responses on a separate sheet of paper.
This Teacher’s Guide includes a reproducible evaluation
chart, skill descriptions, instructional strategies, an answer key
for questions in the student book, a rubric for scoring open-
response questions, and reproducible graphic organizers.
The Reading for Comprehension materials may be used
individually, cooperatively by partners, or in a group setting.
The narrative style of the articles promotes literacy by appealing
to older remedial and special-needs students as well as to
younger students reading at the designated level.

Reading for Comprehension—Level D 3

 EVALUATION CHART
Student Name ________________________________________________________________________
Circle the number of each question that the student missed.

Page 5: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 35: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 65: 1 2 3 4 5

Page 7: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 37: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 67: 1 2 3 4 5
Page 9: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 39: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 69: 1 2 3 4 5
Page 11: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 41: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 71: 1 2 3 4 5
Page 13: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 43: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 73: 1 2 3 4 5
Page 15: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 45: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 75: 1 2 3 4 5
Page 17: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 47: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 77: 1 2 3 4 5
Page 19: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 49: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 79: 1 2 3 4 5
Page 21: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 51: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 81: 1 2 3 4 5
Page 23: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 53: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 83: 1 2 3 4 5
Page 25: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 55: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 85: 1 2 3 4 5
Page 27: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 57: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 87: 1 2 3 4 5
Page 29: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 59: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 89: 1 2 3 4 5
Page 31: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 61: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 91: 1 2 3 4 5
Page 33: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 63: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 93: 1 2 3 4 5
Page 95: 1 2 3 4 5

Skills Times Missed

Question 1: Recalling Details _____________

Question 2: Using Context Clues _____________

Question 3: Determining the Sequence of Events _____________

Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships _____________

Recalling Details _____________

Question 4: Determining the Sequence of Events _____________

Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships _____________

Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions _____________

Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage _____________

Question 5: Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions _____________

Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words _____________

Summary

This student has mastered question types _______________________________________________________

This student is having difficulty with question types _____________________________________________

RFC—Level D Copyright © 2007 The Continental Press, Inc. Duplication permitted.

 SKILL DESCRIPTIONS AND
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
The reproducible evaluation chart on the facing page can be
used to maintain performance records for each student. Use the
information about problem areas to determine which students need
extra instruction and practice in the reading skills described below.
The corresponding question numbers are noted before each skill
description.
Question 6 asks students to engage in higher-order thinking skills,
among them comparing/contrasting, drawing conclusions, forming
and justifying opinions, synthesizing information, determining cause
and effect, and making inferences. Answers to these open-response
questions will vary greatly. General ideas for possible answers are
offered in the answer key where appropriate. Accept all reasonable
responses and encourage students to explain and justify them.
You may extend any of these thought-provoking questions (not
just those already designated) to a topic for a writing assignment.
These questions encourage students to draw from their own prior
knowledge and organize their thoughts into meaningful responses.
For this reason, you might want to collect the separate pieces of
paper on which students have written their responses and then score
them holistically. Holistic evaluation consists of reading a piece
quickly and ranking it according to how well it communicates infor-
mation. (See the rubric on page 21, which may serve as a model
scoring guide.)

Reading Comprehension Skills

1, 3. Recalling Details
The purpose of reading is to get meaning from text and to
remember what is read. Basic to comprehension is remembering
details, whether a student is reading narrative fiction or information-
al text. Without a grasp of the details, the student cannot use any of
the cognitive strategies that characterize good readers—they cannot
recognize or infer the main idea, understand sequence, identify cause
and effect, or make inferences or draw conclusions.
To recall details, students need to have noted details in a mean-
ingful way in the first place. Teaching students the strategy of asking
questions as they read is an important way to help them attend to
details. When students ask questions of the text, both before and
during reading, the act of reading becomes a search for the answers
to their questions. Asking questions not only gives students a pur-
pose for reading, it also helps them monitor their comprehension. If
they are not finding the answers they seek, they should question
whether it is because the answers are not there or because they are
not understanding what they are reading. Asking questions encour-
ages students to be active and engaged readers who read purposeful-
ly and retain what they read.

Reading for Comprehension—Level D 5

 Teacher Strategies
Modeling
Encouraging students to ask their own questions of the text as
they read is an important way to help them note and remember
important details. Good readers ask questions before, during, and
after reading to focus their attention and clarify meaning. Model this
process as a way to help children develop their own questioning
strategy while reading.
Read aloud a page or paragraph of a text. Think aloud by asking
the questions that occur to you as you read. Your modeling should
focus on questions that can be answered by or inferred from details in
the text. Also include questions that are “wonderings”—for example,
“I wonder why the author included this detail?” or “I wonder if this is
going to be important to the story?” Your modeling should demon-
strate how a good reader’s mind is always thinking and questioning
while reading.
K-W-L Chart
Creating a K-W-L chart with students is an effective way to
engage them in a topic and help them note details in a meaningful
way. A K-W-L chart can be started as part of a prereading discussion.
Draw a three-column chart on the chalkboard, labeling the columns
K, W, and L. (See graphic organizer on page 22.)
Ask students to tell what they already know about a given topic.
List their responses in the first column. Then ask them what they
want to learn about the topic. List these things in the middle col-
umn. These responses help to define their purpose for reading. Have
students read the text to find out what they want to know. Have
them note where in the text they found the facts they were looking
for. Then, after reading, complete the K-W-L chart by entering the
things the students learned from their reading in the final column.
Student Strategies
Partner Reading
Have students engage in partner reading. Invite them to take
turns reading a page or a paragraph or two of the text. After each
one reads, the two students should discuss what was read. Encourage
them to talk about what they learned and ask questions about why
the author included certain details and what will be important for
them to remember. The act of talking about what was read not only
clarifies understanding but also helps secure facts and information
in the memory.

6 Reading for Comprehension—Level D

 Question Chart
You can help students note and remember details and encourage
them to get into the habit of asking questions while reading by having
them make a question chart, similar to the one below, as they read. In
the left column, they should write the questions and the “wonderings”
that occur to them while reading. In the right column, they can record
the details from the text that helped them answer the questions.

Question Details I Used to Answer It

2, 5. Using Context Clues and Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words

Reading widely is an effective way to acquire new vocabulary.
The more students read, the more words they know. But to learn new
words through reading, students need to know how to use context
clues to infer the meanings of unfamiliar and multiple-meaning
words. Context clues are of different types, and students need to
know what kinds of clues they can expect to find. The clues to the
meaning of an unfamiliar or a multiple-meaning word might take
any one of these forms:
• A definition—sometimes the meaning of a new or multiple-
meaning word is given right in the text, often set off by commas.
• A synonym—sometimes a familiar word that has almost the
same meaning helps the reader know the meaning of an unfa-
miliar word.
• An antonym—sometimes a familiar word that means the
opposite of the unfamiliar word gives a clue to what it means.
• An example—sometimes a clue to the meaning of an unfamil-
iar word is given in an example.
• A description—sometimes a description that appears in the
same sentence or a nearby sentence gives a clue to the mean-
ing of an unfamiliar or a multiple-meaning word.
It is important to remember that the students will be able to use
context clues successfully to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar
and multiple-meaning words only if most of the words in the text
they are reading are familiar. If too many words in a text are unfa-
miliar to a student, the text is above the student’s instructional read-
ing level, and attempting to read it will only lead to frustration.

Reading for Comprehension—Level D 7

 Teacher Strategies
Present the Strategy
Present these steps for using context clues to infer word meaning.
Write them on the board or on chart paper and keep them displayed
so that students can refer to them when they are reading.
When you come to a word you don’t know…
• Read to the end of the sentence. Look for clues that help you
figure out what the word means.
• Read on to the end of the paragraph. Clues may appear in sen-
tences that follow the sentence that contains the unfamiliar
word.
• Reread the whole paragraph from the beginning. There may be
clues in the earlier sentences that you didn’t catch before.
• Think about the whole paragraph in which the unfamiliar
word appears. What is the main idea of the paragraph? What
does the sentence containing the unfamiliar word say about
that main idea?
• Ask yourself, Is there a word I know that I could substitute for
the unfamiliar or multiple-meaning word? Would that word
make sense in this context?
• Decide what you think the word means. Does the meaning
make sense in the sentence? Does that meaning make sense in
the paragraph?
Modeling
After presenting the steps to using context clues to infer word
meaning, model how you would use these strategies while reading.
Select a paragraph that includes a word that you think is unfamiliar
to the students. Read the text aloud and model all the steps and your
thinking as you use context clues to infer word meaning.
Student Strategies
Use the Strategies
Display the steps to follow when using context clues to figure out
the meaning of unfamiliar or multiple-meaning words. Encourage
students to follow these steps whenever they encounter a word that is
unfamiliar. (See graphic organizer on page 23.)
Cloze Sentences
Cloze sentences can help students develop an awareness of con-
text and how it can provide clues to words and their meanings.
Select paragraphs from books the students have not already read.
Write sentences or paragraphs on the board, omitting one important
word. Ask students to predict the missing word. Follow up by talking
about the clues they used to make their predictions.

8 Reading for Comprehension—Level D

 3, 4. Determining the Sequence of Events
Sequence of events is important in many of the texts students
read at this level. Sequence is obviously important in stories and
other kinds of narrative fiction. Story events happen in a certain
order, and when recalling story events students need to remember
the order in which they happened. Sequence is also a major organi-
zational element in many other kinds of texts students read. Texts
that explain how to do something, texts that tell about something
that happened in history, and texts that explain things that happen
in nature all have sequence as their organizational structure.
An important part of determining sequence of events is recogniz-
ing the connections between events. In many instances, it is cause
and effect that accounts for a pattern of events. At other times,
sequence of events is simply related to the passage of time or to the
spatial movement of characters—for example, characters taking a
walk or taking a trip. When exploring sequence with students, help
them see how the events are connected and why they follow one
another in the order they do.
Teacher Strategies
Signal Words
An important tool for determining sequence of events is the abili-
ty to recognize words and phrases that signal sequence and time
relationships. These words and phrases are of three types: ordinal
numbers, such as first, second, third; adverbs that clarify time order
and time relationships—for example, next, then, last, finally, soon,
now, before, after; and words and phrases that place actions and
events in time—for example, yesterday, last year, in the beginning, a
week later. Create a classroom chart of all the time signal words and
phrases grouped into these three types. To begin the chart, have stu-
dents brainstorm examples of each type of signal word. Then add to
the chart examples that students find in their own reading.
Scrambled Stories
Write the events of a simple story on cards—one event for each
card. Select a story that is not familiar to the students. You might use
a fable or a folktale in which the events follow a logical sequence,
and there should be no more than six events from beginning to end.
Present the events to students in scrambled order and have them
arrange the events in a logical sequence. Discuss the connections
they see between the events and their reasons for ordering the events
in the manner they did.

Reading for Comprehension—Level D 9

 Student Strategies
Sequence of Events Chart
Show students how to create a simple flow chart to map sequence
of events. (See graphic organizer on page 24.)

# # #

A chart like this can be used with narrative and informational

texts that present information in chronological order. Impress on stu-
dents that the chart takes the form of what they are reading. It can
be as long or as short as it needs to be to accommodate the events in
the story or the steps in a process.
Time Line
A time line is a useful tool for charting sequence of events in his-
torical selections, biographies, or other texts that include a number
of dates. Encourage students to make a time line as they read,
recording important events and dates that they encounter. Point out
that the dates should appear on the time line in chronological order,
from the earliest to the latest, so it is possible that the events on the
time line will not be in the same order in which they were told in the
text. Time lines not only help students keep track of the sequence of
events, they also allow the reader to relate events that occur during
the same period in history.

3, 4. Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships

Identifying cause-and-effect relationships is important when read-
ing both stories and informational text. When reading stories, the
reader needs an awareness of cause and effect to understand why
events happen and why characters do the things they do. When read-
ing informational text, the reader needs to recognize cause and effect
for similar reasons—to understand such things as natural phenomena
(What causes hurricanes?), historic events (Why did the pioneers go west
to California?), and steps in a process (How does a caterpillar become a
butterfly?).
The skill of identifying cause and effect is related both to sequence
of events and to making inferences and drawing conclusions. Very
often, time relationships are also causal relationships. The first event
in a sequence causes the next to happen, and that event causes the
next, and so on. Causal relationships are not always explained direct-
ly in the text. Often the reader is required to draw a conclusion about
what factors brought about an outcome. For this reason, identifying
cause and effect often involves inferencing. The reader must combine
information provided in the text with prior knowledge and personal
experience to arrive at an understanding of cause and effect.

10 Reading for Comprehension—Level D

 Teacher Strategies
Signal Words
Students in the elementary grades recognize and use only a few
words that signal cause-and-effect relationships: because, since, and
so. Work with students to develop their awareness of other words and
phrases that signal cause and effect—for example, for, in order to, so
that, as a result, therefore, and for that reason. Read aloud an article
that includes some of these words and phrases that cue causal rela-
tionships. As you read, think aloud about cause and effect and the
words used to signal causal connections. Make a list of the words
and phrases in the article you read aloud and have students add
examples from their own reading.
Modeling
Identifying cause and effect often requires making inferences and
drawing conclusions. The reader needs to draw from his or her own
prior knowledge and experience, as well as the facts provided in the
text, to figure out what caused things to happen. Model the process
of making these connections. Select a text that provides lots of
opportunities to explore cause and effect. Read the text aloud and
model the cognitive process that is involved in making cause-and-
effect connections as you read. Think aloud about the information
that is provided in the text and the prior knowledge you must draw
from. Share the reasoning that helps you understand why things
happen or why people behave as they do. As you think aloud, point
out any signal words or language patterns that helped you recognize
cause-and-effect relationships.
Student Strategies
Cause-and-Effect Map
Encourage students to map cause and effect as they read. They
should write the cause in a box at the left and the effect in a box at
the right, with an arrow in between showing the connection. (See
graphic organizer on page 25.)

Reading for Comprehension—Level D 11

 Explain that the map can take different forms to reflect the
cause-and-effect relationships they encounter in their reading. For
example, if lots of things came together to cause something, the
map might look like this:

If one event had several consequences, the map might look

like this:

Why Chart
Identifying cause and effect, particularly in fiction, often requires
a certain amount of inferencing and thinking about what caused
story events to happen. A Why chart can help students analyze cause
and effect. In the left column of the chart, have students list impor-
tant story events. In the right column, have them explain why each
event happened.

What Happened Why It Happened

12 Reading for Comprehension—Level D

 4. Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage
Main idea is most important when students are reading informa-
tional texts. Recognizing the main ideas in what they are reading
gives students a way to organize the facts they are learning and to
focus on those facts that are most important. This is critical to both
comprehension and retention. If students cannot pick out the main
ideas and see how all the other information in the text relates to
those main ideas, informational texts are just a sea of facts—difficult
to process and impossible to remember.
In informational texts written for students in grades 3–5, the
main idea of a passage is sometimes explicitly stated in the first or
last sentence. Looking for the main idea to be stated in either of
these two places can sometimes be an effective strategy. More and
more, however, students need to be able to infer the main idea when
it is not explicitly stated. This involves thinking about the important
information presented in each paragraph and drawing a conclusion
about the single idea that is supported by all this information.
Teacher Strategies
Modeling
Read aloud an informational text. Select a text in which some
paragraphs have explicitly stated main ideas and others do not.
After reading each paragraph, think aloud to identify the main idea.
If the main idea is explicitly stated, tell students how you knew
which sentence stated the main idea. If the main idea is not explicit-
ly stated, think aloud to model how you used the information in the
paragraph to infer the main idea.
As you read and identify the main idea in each paragraph, make
a list of the main ideas. Then think aloud to model how you use the
main ideas of the paragraphs to determine the main idea of the
whole selection.
Mapping
Demonstrate how students can use a map to help them infer the
main idea when it is not explicitly stated in the text. First, write the
important information in the passage. Then think about how the
information is connected and what all the information is about. (See
graphic organizer on page 26.) The idea that connects all the infor-
mation in a passage is the main idea.

Detail Detail Detail Detail

#
#

#
#
Main Idea

Reading for Comprehension—Level D 13

 Student Strategies
Partner Reading
Have students read informational texts with a partner. Have them
take turns reading paragraphs aloud. After each paragraph is read,
have the students work together to identify the main idea. Encourage
them to keep a list of the main ideas for the paragraphs and use the
list to decide what is the main idea of the whole selection.
Highlighting
Whenever it is possible, let students use highlighters to mark the
main ideas in paragraphs. Remind them that there can be only one
main idea in a paragraph, so they can highlight only one sentence in
each paragraph. If they can find no single sentence in the paragraph
that states the main idea, have them write what they think is the
main idea on a sticky note and place it in the margin next to the
paragraph.

4, 5. Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions

Making inferences and drawing conclusions both involve going
beyond the text to arrive at an understanding that is not explicitly
stated in the text. When readers make inferences and draw conclu-
sions, they are making connections between what is stated in the
text and their own knowledge and experience. Often when students
have difficulty making valid inferences and drawing conclusions, it
is because they lack the necessary background knowledge about a
topic or they fail to apply that knowledge as they are reading.
Helping students expand their background knowledge is critical to
helping them become active and engaged readers. This cannot be
achieved simply by trying to “build background” just before reading
a selection. It requires careful selection of books that tap into what
students already know and then expand this knowledge.
There are, however, strategies that you can implement that will
help students think about what they already know about a topic
before reading and to access their prior knowledge as they read.
Teacher Strategies
Prior Knowledge Web
Before students read a text, engage in a brainstorming session in
which students tell you what they already know about a topic. This
strategy can be used both for informational texts and stories. For
informational texts, use the main topic of the selection. Ask students
to share all the facts and information they know about the topic. For
a story, preview the story and identify a place where the students will
need to make an important inference or draw a conclusion. Ask
yourself what background knowledge they will need to use to do this.
For example, if familiarity with nocturnal animals is required to
make an inference or draw a conclusion, ask students to share their
knowledge about nocturnal animals and what distinguishes them
from other animals.

14 Reading for Comprehension—Level D

 As students share information, record it on the board or on chart
paper to create a web of information about the topic. The web can
take any shape, but make an effort to categorize information as you
go along. (See graphic organizer on page 27.)
Thinking Aloud
Modeling your thoughts as you make inferences and draw conclu-
sions is an effective way to show students how to work on these skills.
Select a short text or a passage from a text that provides opportunities
for inferencing. Read it aloud, pausing to think aloud—putting togeth-
er the facts from the text and from your own knowledge and experi-
ence that allow to you to make an inference or draw a conclusion.
Encourage students also to “think aloud” and share their thoughts
as they read. When students are reading silently, work with individu-
als, asking them questions that encourage them to share their
thoughts and to think beyond the text to figure out things that are not
explicitly stated. Such questions might include What does this make you
think of? What do you think the author means? What is this character like?
Student Strategies
Partner Reading
After you have modeled the thought processes involved in mak-
ing inferences and drawing conclusions, have students read with a
partner. Ask them to take turns reading aloud passages from a text
and sharing what they thought as they read. Encourage both the
reader and the listener to tell the inferences they made and the con-
clusions they drew.
Mark the Spot
Give students a supply of small sticky notes and invite them to
use the notes to mark the places in the text where they figured out
something that was not actually stated in the text. Encourage them
to write something on the notes that will help them remember the
inference they made or the conclusion they reached. When they
have completed their reading, work with individual students to
review the spots where they placed their sticky notes. Have them tell
you the inference they made or the conclusion they drew at that
point and what information helped them make that inference or
reach that conclusion.

Reading for Comprehension—Level D 15

 ANSWER KEY

4–5 How did the Olympic Games begin? 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students
1. C (Recalling Details) may note that the way the leaders from the
2. D (Using Context Clues) Iroquois nations met is similar to the meet-
3. B (Recalling Details) ings of the U.S. Senate. Each Iroquois
4. B (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) nation had its own leaders and laws—like
5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) our current states—but all people were gov-
6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers erned under a constitution.
will vary. The student’s set of directions
14–15 Why does a jumping bean jump?
should be specific and sequential.
1. A (Recalling Details)
6–7 How do crocodiles clean their teeth? 2. C (Using Context Clues)
1. D (Recalling Details) 3. D (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
2. A (Using Context Clues) 4. B (Determining the Sequence of Events)
3. C (Recalling Details) 5. A (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
4. A (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) 6. (Narrative Writing) Tales will vary. Encourage
5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) volunteers to share their tales with the
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. class.

8–9 What is the Statue of Liberty? 16–17 What is Earth Day?

1. C (Recalling Details) 1. C (Recalling Details)
2. B (Using Context Clues) 2. D (Using Context Clues)
3. D (Recalling Details) 3. C (Recalling Details)
4. A (Determining the Sequence of Events) 4. A (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage)
5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 5. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
6. (Expository Writing) Answers should explain 6. (Persuasive Writing) Answers will vary. Students
how the Fourth of July symbolizes freedom should use details from the article to sup-
and independence to the American peo- port their arguments.
ple. Encourage students to think about
18–19 What is a mongoose?
how they celebrate this holiday and how
this makes the day more meaningful to 1. D (Recalling Details)
them personally. 2. B (Using Context Clues)
3. A (Recalling Details)
10–11 Why do leaves change color in the fall? 4. B (Determining the Sequence of Events)
1. C (Recalling Details) 5. D (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
2. A (Using Context Clues) 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary.
3. C (Recalling Details)
20–21 How do people know what time it is?
4. A (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
5. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 1. C (Recalling Details)
6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers 2. B (Using Context Clues)
will vary. 3. D (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
4. B (Determining the Sequence of Events)
12–13 Where did the ideas for our government 5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
come from? 6. (Persuasive Writing) Answers will vary.
1. D (Recalling Details)
22–23 What is the praying mantis?
2. C (Using Context Clues)
3. D (Recalling Details) 1. D (Recalling Details)
4. B (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) 2. C (Using Context Clues)
5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 3. B (Determining the Sequence of Events)
4. D (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)

16 Reading for Comprehension—Level D

 5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 32–33 Why is Mt. Rushmore famous?
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students 1. D (Recalling Details)
may note that the praying mantis would 2. C (Using Context Clues)
consider its “territory” the area in which it 3. C (Recalling Details)
hatched and would most likely eat all the 4. D (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage)
harmful insects and plants there. 5. A (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers
24–25 Who was Anne Frank?
will vary.
1. B (Recalling Details)
2. D (Using Context Clues) 34–35 What plant eats meat?
3. C (Recalling Details) 1. D (Recalling Details)
4. B (Determining the Sequence of Events) 2. A (Using Context Clues)
5. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 3. C (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers 4. A (Determining the Sequence of Events)
will vary. 5. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students
26–27 How is paper made?
might respond that the Venus flytrap is
1. C (Recalling Details) considered beautiful to bugs because of its
2. D (Using Context Clues) appearance and sweet-smelling nectar.
3. A (Recalling Details)
4. D (Determining the Sequence of Events) 36–37 What was a victory garden?
5. C (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) 1. A (Recalling Details)
6. (Descriptive Writing, Expository Writing) Answers 2. B (Using Context Clues)
will vary. 3. B (Recalling Details)
4. D (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
28–29 What was the Titanic?
5. D (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
1. D (Recalling Details) 6. (Descriptive Writing) Answers will vary.
2. C (Using Context Clues) Students’ responses should be sequential
3. A (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) and specific.
4. C (Determining the Sequence of Events)
5. D (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) 38–39 Where does chocolate come from?
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students 1. C (Recalling Details)
may respond no because of modern-day 2. A (Using Context Clues)
technology, or yes because even with 3. C (Recalling Details)
advanced technology all it takes is one 4. B (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
small thing to go wrong. An example 5. B (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
would be the space shuttle disasters. 6. (Descriptive Writing) Answers will vary.
Students’ responses should be sequential
30–31 What is the powder on a butterfly’s wings?
and specific.
1. A (Recalling Details)
2. D (Using Context Clues) 40–41 What tea party became a part of history?
3. A (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) 1. C (Recalling Details)
4. B (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage) 2. B (Using Context Clues)
5. A (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) 3. D (Recalling Details)
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students 4. B (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage)
may suggest that its bright colors aren’t so 5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
visible among the bright colors of flowers 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students
or that bright colors might not look appe- may respond yes because it was an
tizing to predators. Students might men- unnecessary tax on something that was
tion the walking stick, which looks like a an important part of people’s lives, or no
twig, or the chameleon, which can change because even though the colonists might
its color to blend into multiple surround- have grumbled about paying the tax, they
ings. knew the money was being spent to
improve their lives.

Reading for Comprehension—Level D 17

42–43 Where does the trap-door spider live? dents to draw from personal experience
1. C (Recalling Details) when providing rules to follow in the
2. B (Using Context Clues) ocean.
3. D (Recalling Details)
52–53 How has the potato changed history?
4. A (Determining the Sequence of Events)
5. D (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) 1. D (Recalling Details)
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students 2. A (Using Context Clues)
might respond no because spiders can’t see 3. B (Recalling Details)
what’s underneath them, or yes because 4. C (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage)
they see above them to spin their webs 5. B (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
and find food. 6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers
will vary. Students’ responses should be
44–45 What is recycling? sequential and specific.
1. B (Recalling Details)
54–55 How do dolphins sleep without drowning?
2. D (Using Context Clues)
3. B (Determining the Sequence of Events) 1. B (Recalling Details)
4. B (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage) 2. A (Using Context Clues)
5. C (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) 3. C (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage)
6. (Persuasive Writing) Answers will vary. Student 4. C (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
responses should use examples from the 5. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
article to explain why buying recycled 6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers
materials is good for the environment. will vary. Students may mention the bat,
which hangs upside down in caves.
46–47 What is a shooting star?
56–57 What is the birthday of the United States
1. B (Recalling Details)
2. A (Using Context Clues) of America?
3. D (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) 1. D (Recalling Details)
4. D (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 2. A (Using Context Clues)
5. A (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) 3. A (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers 4. B (Determining the Sequence of Events)
will vary. 5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary.
48–49 Where was the first subway started?
1. B (Recalling Details) 58–59 How does gravity affect the tides?
2. C (Using Context Clues) 1. B (Recalling Details)
3. C (Recalling Details) 2. D (Using Context Clues)
4. D (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) 3. A (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 4. D (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage)
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students 5. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
should generally use the fact that the sub- 6. (Narrative Writing) Answers will vary.
way is located underground as a jumping-
60–61 Where do people pray to mountains?
off point.
1. C (Recalling Details)
50–51 Why is the lionfish left alone? 2. D (Using Context Clues)
1. B (Recalling Details) 3. C (Recalling Details)
2. D (Using Context Clues) 4. D (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage)
3. D (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) 5. B (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
4. D (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage) 6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers
5. A (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) will vary. Students may suggest the ways
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Student that the celebration of a holiday has
responses should include examples from changed over the years, for example.
the article to explain why the lionfish Encourage them to discuss and justify their
should not be disturbed. Encourage stu- ideas.

18 Reading for Comprehension—Level D

62–63 What bugs us every 17 years? 3. C (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
1. A (Recalling Details) 4. A (Determining the Sequence of Events)
2. D (Using Context Clues) 5. A (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
3. C (Determining the Sequence of Events) 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary.
4. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
74–75 Why don’t people ride zebras?
5. B (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students 1. A (Recalling Details)
may write about a butterfly or wasp. The 2. D (Using Context Clues)
writing may compare and contrast what 3. B (Recalling Details)
the cocoons are made of and how the 4. B (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage)
insects feed. 5. D (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
6. (Narrative Writing) Answers will vary.
64–65 What can be learned from ancient graves? Encourage students to share their stories in
1. D (Recalling Details) a storytelling session.
2. B (Using Context Clues)
76–77 Who holds the record for staying alive at
3. B (Recalling Details)
4. D (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage) sea the longest?
5. A (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 1. C (Recalling Details)
6. (Narrative Writing) Answers will vary. Students 2. B (Using Context Clues)
should draw from examples in the article 3. A (Determining the Sequence of Events)
when deciding how they would live and 4. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
what they would wear. 5. C (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary.
66–67 Why did the dinosaurs die out?
1. C (Recalling Details) 78–79 Why do you look upside down in a spoon?
2. C (Using Context Clues) 1. A (Recalling Details)
3. A (Recalling Details) 2. B (Using Context Clues)
4. C (Determining the Sequence of Events) 3. C (Recalling Details)
5. D (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 4. D (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. 5. D (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
Encourage students to share their responses. 6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Reflections
will be distorted, either by widening or
68–69 What colorful art form began in America? elongation.
1. C (Recalling Details)
2. A (Using Context Clues) 80–81 What is Carnegie Hall?
3. B (Recalling Details) 1. A (Recalling Details)
4. C (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) 2. D (Using Context Clues)
5. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 3. B (Recalling Details)
6. (Descriptive Writing) Answers will vary. 4. C (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage)
Students’ responses should be sequential 5. D (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
and specific. 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary.

70–71 What happens underground during winter? 82–83 What is ball lightning?
1. A (Recalling Details) 1. C (Recalling Details)
2. D (Using Context Clues) 2. D (Using Context Clues)
3. C (Recalling Details) 3. C (Recalling Details)
4. A (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage) 4. A (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage)
5. D (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) 5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. 6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers
will vary.
72–73 How did Maggie and Lillian Rogers learn
so much about the White House? 84–85 Who was Calbraith Rodgers?
1. A (Recalling Details) 1. B (Recalling Details)
2. D (Using Context Clues) 2. C (Using Context Clues)

Reading for Comprehension—Level D 19

 3. C (Recalling Details) 3. D (Recalling Details)
4. B (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) 4. A (Determining the Sequence of Events)
5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 5. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students
will vary. Students’ responses should may mention the skunk, which sprays
include details from the article. chemicals to deter predators, by way of
comparing and contrasting.
86–87 Where did the first magnets come from?
1. C (Recalling Details) 92–93 What was so special about climbing Half
2. D (Using Context Clues) Dome?
3. B (Recalling Details) 1. B (Recalling Details)
4. A (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage) 2. B (Using Context Clues)
5. D (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) 3. C (Recalling Details)
6. (Narrative Writing) Answers will vary. 4. D (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
Encourage students to share their stories in 5. D (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
a storytelling session. 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary.
88–89 Why did the Spanish come to the 94–95 What unique thing do bowerbirds do?
Americas? 1. C (Recalling Details)
1. C (Recalling Details) 2. A (Using Context Clues)
2. C (Using Context Clues) 3. B (Recalling Details)
3. B (Recalling Details) 4. C (Determining the Sequence of Events)
4. D (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) 5. C (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
5. A (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. may note that she might feel safer in a
small, plain nest; a smaller nest might be
90–91 What animal makes bubbles on leaves? easier to defend and might attract less
1. B (Recalling Details) attention from other animals.
2. D (Using Context Clues)

20 Reading for Comprehension—Level D

 Rubric for Open-Response Questions
This rubric may be used for scoring the open-response (writing) questions.

1 — Not Competent
• Student made no attempt to write.
• Writing is illegible.
• Content is incomprehensible.

2 — Marginally Competent
• Student did not write on topic.
• Student wrote partially in another language.
• Language skills are grossly lacking.
• Student may write only a single sentence.

3 — Acceptable
• Student wrote on topic.
• Sentence structure may be weak.
• Vocabulary may be limited.
• Sequence may be illogical.
• The piece may contain extraneous information.

4 — Well Written
• Student wrote on the topic, using basic skills taught at
this level.
• Writing shows use of organizational strategy.
• Vocabulary and sentence structure are good.

5 — Highly Successful
• Writing is consistent, well organized, and well elaborated.
• Writing contains rich detail and varied word choices.
• Writing shows creativity.
• Writing shows excellent basic skills appropriate for grade.

Reading for Comprehension—Level D 21

 K–W–L Chart
Name:________________________________________________________ Date:__________________

Title:_________________________________________________________________________________

What I Know What I Want to Learn What I Have Learned

RFC—Level D Copyright © 2007 The Continental Press, Inc. Duplication permitted.

 Words in Context Chart
Name:________________________________________________________ Date:__________________

Title:_________________________________________________________________________________

What Is It?

Definition:

Examples

_______________________
Word

I will probably find this word: I will remember this word by:

Context Personal Connection

RFC—Level D Copyright © 2007 The Continental Press, Inc. Duplication permitted.

 Sequence of Events Chart
Name:________________________________________________________ Date:__________________

Title:_________________________________________________________________________________

As you read a passage, write down what happens in the order the
events occur.

#
#
#
#
#

RFC—Level D Copyright © 2007 The Continental Press, Inc. Duplication permitted.

 Cause-and-Effect Map
Name:________________________________________________________ Date:__________________

Title:_________________________________________________________________________________

Cause Effect
(Why It Happens) (What Happens)

RFC—Level D Copyright © 2007 The Continental Press, Inc. Duplication permitted.

 Main Idea Map
Name:________________________________________________________ Date:__________________

Title:_________________________________________________________________________________

Detail Detail Detail

Main Idea

Detail Detail Detail

Main Idea

Detail Detail Detail

Main Idea

RFC—Level D Copyright © 2007 The Continental Press, Inc. Duplication permitted.

 Inference Web
Name:________________________________________________________ Date:__________________

Title:_________________________________________________________________________________
Directions: In the center of the web, write the name of the article you
read. In the next ring, write something that happens in the article,
choosing a specific detail. In the outer ring, write what this event means.
For example, if the topic is “Show horses” (center ring) you may read
about a trainer having a horse do tricks (next ring). You could infer from
this that the trainer is skilled at working with horses (outer ring).

What You Can Infer

What Happens

_________________
Topic

RFC—Level D Copyright © 2007 The Continental Press, Inc. Duplication permitted.

ISBN 0-8454-K1683-9

97808454K16839