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-K1684-6
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, making valid inferences and
drawing conclusions, recognizing the main idea of a passage,
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
written response. These questions prompt students to write in
descriptive, 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 E 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 E 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, determin-
ing 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 reading
and during reading, the act of reading becomes a search for the
answers to their questions. Asking questions not only gives students
a purpose for reading, it 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 E 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 exam-
ple, “I wonder why the author included this detail?” or “I wonder if
this is going to be important to the story?” Your modeling should
demonstrate how a good reader’s mind is always thinking and ques-
tioning 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 E

 Question Chart
You can help students note and remember details and encourage
them to get into the habit of asking questions while reading by hav-
ing 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
unfamiliar 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
meaning 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 E 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 E

 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.
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.)

Reading for Comprehension—Level E 9

 # # #

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
reading 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
reading informational text, the reader needs to recognize cause and
effect for similar reasons—to understand such things as natural phe-
nomena (What causes hurricanes?), historic events (Why did the pio-
neers 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 conclu-
sions. 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 directly 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 inferenc-
ing. The reader must combine information provided in the text with
prior knowledge and personal experience to arrive at an understand-
ing of cause and effect.
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

10 Reading for Comprehension—Level E

 article that includes some of these words and phrases that cue causal
relationships. 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.) Explain that the map can take differ-
ent 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:

Reading for Comprehension—Level E 11

 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

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.

12 Reading for Comprehension—Level E

 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

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 para-
graph 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.

Reading for Comprehension—Level E 13

 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.
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 con-
clusions 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 together the facts from the text and from your own
knowledge and experience 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
individuals, 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?

14 Reading for Comprehension—Level E

 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 E 15

 ANSWER KEY

4–5 How does a person become president of 12–13 What was the Hindenburg?
the United States? 1. C (Recalling Details)
1. D (Recalling Details) 2. C (Using Context Clues)
2. C (Using Context Clues) 3. D (Recalling Details)
3. C (Determining the Sequence of Events) 4. D (Determining the Sequence of Events)
4. A (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage) 5. D (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
5. A (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 6. (Narrative Writing) Answers will vary.
6. (Persuasive Writing) Answers will vary but
should be persuasive and be in the form of 14–15 What is color blindness?
a direct address. 1. D (Recalling Details)
2. B (Using Context Clues)
6–7 How do animals hide in plain sight? 3. A (Recalling Details)
1. B (Recalling Details) 4. D (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
2. B (Using Context Clues) 5. D (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
3. A (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) 6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers
4. C (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage) will vary but should use information
5. B (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) gathered from the text.
6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers
will vary. 16–17 When did women first vote?
1. B (Recalling Details)
8–9 Who was the Wizard of Menlo Park? 2. B (Using Context Clues)
1. D (Recalling Details) 3. C (Recalling Details)
2. A (Using Context Clues) 4. C (Determining the Sequence of Events)
3. D (Recalling Details) 5. A (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
4. A (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) 6. (Expository Writing, Persuasive Writing) Answers will
5. B (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) vary.
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students
should draw examples from the passage 18–19 How do insects survive the winter?
when discussing the invention of the elec- 1. C (Recalling Details)
tric light, and they may need to do 2. B (Using Context Clues)
research when collecting facts on the tele- 3. D (Recalling Details)
phone. Arguments in favor of the electric 4. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
light may highlight the invention’s impor- 5. D (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
tance to the quality of life throughout the 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students
world. Arguments for the telephone may may note migration as a similarity. They
highlight the importance of communica- may note the following differences: Insects
tion across distances. do not watch over eggs, they die before the
eggs hatch, they spin cocoons rather than
10–11 What is it like on Venus? build nests, or they reduce their numbers
1. C (Recalling Details) and live off stored food.
2. B (Using Context Clues)
3. C (Recalling Details) 20–21 What is the Great Wall of China?
4. A (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) 1. A (Recalling Details)
5. A (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 2. A (Using Context Clues)
6. (Narrative Writing) Answers will vary. 3. B (Recalling Details)

16 Reading for Comprehension—Level E

 4. B (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) 30–31 How do fingernails grow?
5. C (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) 1. C (Recalling Details)
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students 2. D (Using Context Clues)
may note that the Chinese were highly 3. B (Recalling Details)
intelligent, capable of impressive feats of 4. A (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
engineering, and concerned about the 5. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
safety of their people. 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students
may note these similarities: Nails and
22–23 What is the largest flower in the world?
claws grow in the same way and can be
1. D (Recalling Details) clipped without disturbing tissue. Students
2. B (Using Context Clues) may note these differences: Animal claws
3. A (Recalling Details) are used for defense and digging, and cats’
4. B (Determining the Sequence of Events) claws are retractable.
5. A (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers 32–33 Who made the first chewing gum?
will vary. Students may describe the polli- 1. D (Recalling Details)
nation of flowers by insects or birds, air 2. B (Using Context Clues)
plants that require a host tree, or desert 3. A (Recalling Details)
animals that get their only water from 4. B (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
plants. 5. C (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers
24–25 What was the Pony Express?
will vary.
1. A (Recalling Details)
2. D (Using Context Clues) 34–35 What is REM sleep?
3. B (Recalling Details) 1. B (Recalling Details)
4. A (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) 2. C (Using Context Clues)
5. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 3. D (Recalling Details)
6. (Expository Writing, Persuasive Writing) Answers will 4. D (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage)
vary. Students should use examples from 5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
the passage to make their arguments and 6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers
word the essays to read like advertise- will vary.
ments.
36–37 How do crash-test dummies save lives?
26–27 How do birds migrate? 1. D (Recalling Details)
1. C (Recalling Details) 2. B (Using Context Clues)
2. A (Using Context Clues) 3. C (Recalling Details)
3. B (Recalling Details) 4. C (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
4. C (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage) 5. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
5. B (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) 6. (Persuasive Writing) Answers will vary. Students
6. (Expository Writing) Summaries should be one should use details from the passage to sup-
paragraph long and contain all key points port their arguments, writing essays that
of the passage. are both persuasive and in business letter
format.
28–29 Who was Thurgood Marshall?
1. B (Recalling Details) 38–39 How do mountains form?
2. B (Using Context Clues) 1. B (Recalling Details)
3. C (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. B (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers 5. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
will vary. Students may use a 6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers
compare–contrast organization in their will vary.
responses.

Reading for Comprehension—Level E 17

40–41 What is the only continent that humans 50–51 Is the roadrunner a real bird?
have never lived on? 1. D (Recalling Details)
1. C (Recalling Details) 2. D (Using Context Clues)
2. C (Using Context Clues) 3. B (Recalling Details)
3. D (Recalling Details) 4. A (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
4. B (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) 5. B (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students will vary.
should use a compare–contrast organiza-
tion in their responses. 52–53 Who were the cliff dwellers?
1. D (Recalling Details)
42–43 How do olives get their taste? 2. C (Using Context Clues)
1. C (Recalling Details) 3. D (Recalling Details)
2. D (Using Context Clues) 4. A (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
3. D (Recalling Details) 5. D (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
4. D (Determining the Sequence of Events) 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary.
5. B (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. 54–55 What is a manta ray?
Students’ responses should be sequential 1. C (Recalling Details)
and specific. 2. A (Using Context Clues)
3. C (Recalling Details)
44–45 Who led 300 slaves to freedom? 4. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
1. A (Recalling Details) 5. C (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
2. A (Using Context Clues) 6. (Narrative Writing) Answers will vary. Students’
3. C (Recalling Details) descriptions should include specific details.
4. D (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
5. A (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) 56–57 Who are The Ninety-Nines?
6. (Narrative Writing) Answers will vary. Students’ 1. B (Recalling Details)
stories should include details from the pas- 2. C (Using Context Clues)
sage to support their description of the 3. D (Recalling Details)
experience. 4. A (Determining the Sequence of Events)
5. B (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
46–47 Does sound travel on the moon? 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students
1. A (Recalling Details) may note that it takes people a while to
2. A (Using Context Clues) accept anything that is different from their
3. B (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) experience and custom; that men had tra-
4. C (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage) ditionally held positions of responsibility
5. A (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) in professions such as aviation, medicine,
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. and law; and that few women tried to
Responses may mention the difficulty qualify as pilots.
breathing and communicating with no air.
58–59 How was Crater Lake formed?
48–49 What was the Trail of Tears? 1. D (Recalling Details)
1. B (Recalling Details) 2. A (Using Context Clues)
2. C (Using Context Clues) 3. D (Recalling Details)
3. B (Recalling Details) 4. C (Determining the Sequence of Events)
4. A (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 5. D (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
5. C (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) 6. (Expository Writing) Summaries should be one
6. (Persuasive Writing) Answers will vary. paragraph long and contain all key points
Students’ letters should include examples of the passage.
from the passage to emphasize the unfair-
ness of forcing the Cherokees to move.

18 Reading for Comprehension—Level E

60–61 Who is Chinua Achebe? 68–69 Who is I. M. Pei?
1. B (Recalling Details) 1. C (Recalling Details)
2. C (Using Context Clues) 2. B (Using Context Clues)
3. C (Recalling Details) 3. D (Recalling Details)
4. C (Determining the Sequence of Events) 4. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
5. A (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 5. A (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary.
may suggest that familiar subjects and
personal experiences make it easier for a 70–71 What is an ani?
writer to produce a more realistic view of a 1. C (Recalling Details)
topic. 2. D (Using Context Clues)
3. D (Recalling Details)
62–63 What are marsupials? 4. A (Determining the Sequence of Events)
1. D (Recalling Details) 5. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
2. D (Using Context Clues) 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students
3. A (Recalling Details) may suggest that anis have evolved in this
4. C (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) way because it assures the survival of their
5. D (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) species. Students also may suggest that in
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students most human families, men and women
will probably suggest that because of share in the duties of caring for their child.
koalas’ size and cute appearance, people
are drawn to them. 72–73 Who was “The Yellow Kid”?
1. B (Recalling Details)
64–65 What is bluegrass music? 2. C (Using Context Clues)
1. D (Recalling Details) 3. D (Recalling Details)
2. C (Using Context Clues) 4. C (Determining the Sequence of Events)
3. D (Recalling Details) 5. A (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
4. B (Determining the Sequence of Events) 6. (Narrative Writing) Answers will vary.
5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
6. (Expository Writing, Descriptive Writing) Answers 74–75 How does a snake move?
will vary. 1. B (Recalling Details)
2. B (Using Context Clues)
66–67 What are puffballs? 3. B (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
1. A (Recalling Details) 4. A (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
2. D (Using Context Clues) 5. D (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
3. A (Recalling Details) 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary.
4. A (Determining the Sequence of Events)
5. D (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) 76–77 Who was Otzi the Iceman?
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students 1. A (Recalling Details)
may suggest that a puffball can be eaten 2. D (Using Context Clues)
when it is firm and white, like a mush- 3. C (Recalling Details)
room. Students might suggest a dandelion 4. D (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships)
as a flower that can be eaten; this would 5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
be similar to the puffball because of the 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students
changes it goes through as it matures. should use a compare–contrast organiza-
Students should set up this part of their tion in their responses.
responses in a compare–contrast format.

Reading for Comprehension—Level E 19

78–79 What was a quagga? 86–87 How tough are badgers?
1. B (Recalling Details) 1. B (Recalling Details)
2. B (Using Context Clues) 2. D (Using Context Clues)
3. A (Recalling Details) 3. B (Recalling Details)
4. C (Identifying Cause-and-Effect Relationships) 4. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
5. D (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 5. A (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
6. (Expository Writing, Persuasive Writing) Answers will 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary.
vary. Students may suggest that punish-
ments for killing endangered animals 88–89 Where do new words come from?
should be much more severe, and that 1. A (Recalling Details)
there should be more captive-breeding 2. D (Using Context Clues)
programs and returning animals to the 3. C (Recalling Details)
wild. Essays should be persuasive and in 4. A (Recognizing the Main Idea of a Passage)
letter format. 5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
6. (Persuasive Writing) Answers will vary. Students
80–81 How did dogs save Nome, Alaska? should write persuasive essays that are in
1. D (Recalling Details) letter format.
2. A (Using Context Clues)
3. C (Recalling Details) 90–91 What do hurricane hunters do?
4. A (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 1. C (Recalling Details)
5. B (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) 2. A (Using Context Clues)
6. (Narrative Writing) Answers will vary. Students 3. C (Recalling Details)
should use information from the text as a 4. D (Determining the Sequence of Events)
basis for their stories. 5. A (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary.
82–83 How are porcupines born and raised?
1. C (Recalling Details) 92–93 What is Death Valley?
2. A (Using Context Clues) 1. B (Recalling Details)
3. B (Determining the Sequence of Events) 2. C (Using Context Clues)
4. D (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) 3. B (Recalling Details)
5. D (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words) 4. A (Determining the Sequence of Events)
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students 5. C (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
may infer that animals could get an infec- 6. (Narrative Writing) Answers will vary. Students
tion from germs on the quills, or they should use information from the text as a
might die if the quills hit a vital organ or basis for their stories.
stick in their jaws and prevent them from
eating.
94–95 What are “smart” buildings?
1. D (Recalling Details)
84–85 What did Thor Heyerdahl prove? 2. C (Using Context Clues)
1. A (Recalling Details) 3. D (Recalling Details)
2. D (Using Context Clues) 4. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions)
3. C (Recalling Details) 5. B (Understanding Multiple-Meaning Words)
4. A (Determining the Sequence of Events) 6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. Students
5. B (Making Valid Inferences and Drawing Conclusions) may note that exact-scale models are built
6. (Expository Writing) Answers will vary. and subjected to earthquake simulations
Students’ responses should be sequential of varying magnitudes.
and specific.

20 Reading for Comprehension—Level E

 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 E 21

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

Title:_________________________________________________________________________________

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

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

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

Title:_________________________________________________________________________________

Cause Effect
(Why It Happens) (What Happens)

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

ISBN 0-8454-K1684-7

97808454K16846