Reading Response
This year we will respond to literature in our response journals and online to prepare us for the new testing coming in a few years. While we are reading I will post response questions from the books we are reading. Remember to use evidence from the book to support your response.
Read the story about a boy who takes care of
sheep and then answer the question that follows.
The Shepherd’s Boy and the Wolf
A Shepherd's Boy was tending his flock near a village, and
thought it would be great fun to trick the villagers by pretending
that a Wolf was attacking the sheep: so he shouted out, "Wolf!
Wolf!" and when the people came running up he laughed at
them because they believed him. He did this more than once,
and every time the villagers found they had been tricked, for
there was no Wolf at all. At last a Wolf really did come, and the
Boy cried, "Wolf! Wolf!" as loud as he could: but the people
were so used to hearing him call that they took no notice of his
cries for help. And so no one came to help the boy, and the Wolf
attacked the sheep.
sheep and then answer the question that follows.
The Shepherd’s Boy and the Wolf
A Shepherd's Boy was tending his flock near a village, and
thought it would be great fun to trick the villagers by pretending
that a Wolf was attacking the sheep: so he shouted out, "Wolf!
Wolf!" and when the people came running up he laughed at
them because they believed him. He did this more than once,
and every time the villagers found they had been tricked, for
there was no Wolf at all. At last a Wolf really did come, and the
Boy cried, "Wolf! Wolf!" as loud as he could: but the people
were so used to hearing him call that they took no notice of his
cries for help. And so no one came to help the boy, and the Wolf
attacked the sheep.
Read this poem and the prompt that follows it.
The Moon
The moon has a face like the clock in the hall;
She shines on thieves on the garden wall,
On streets and fields and harbor quays,
And birdies asleep in the forks of the trees.
The squalling cat and the squeaking mouse,
The howling dog by the door of the house,
The bat that lies in bed at noon,
All love to be out by the light of the moon.
But all of the things that belong to the day
Cuddle to sleep to be out of her way;
And flowers and children close their eyes
Till up in the morning the sun shall arise.
The Moon
The moon has a face like the clock in the hall;
She shines on thieves on the garden wall,
On streets and fields and harbor quays,
And birdies asleep in the forks of the trees.
The squalling cat and the squeaking mouse,
The howling dog by the door of the house,
The bat that lies in bed at noon,
All love to be out by the light of the moon.
But all of the things that belong to the day
Cuddle to sleep to be out of her way;
And flowers and children close their eyes
Till up in the morning the sun shall arise.
Below is part of a poem about leaves and a story about a robin.
Read the two texts and think about how they are similar and
then answer the question that follows.
How the Leaves Came Down
I'll tell you how the leaves came down.
The great Tree to his children said,
"You're getting sleepy, Yellow and Brown,
Yes, very sleepy, little Red;
It is quite time you went to bed."
"Ah!" begged each silly, pouting leaf,
"Let us a little longer stay;
Dear Father Tree, behold our grief,
'Tis such a very pleasant day
We do not want to go away."
So, just for one more merry day
To the great Tree the leaflets clung,
Frolicked and danced and had their way,
Upon the autumn breezes swung,
Whispering all their sports among,
"Perhaps the great Tree will forget
And let us stay until the spring
If we all beg and coax and fret."
But the great Tree did no such thing;
He smiled to hear their whispering.
The Little Captive
One day Bessie’s mother said to her that she must open
the cage, and let the bird fly away. “No, no mother!” said
Bessie, “don’t say so. I take such comfort in him, I can’t let him
go.” But the next moment she remembered how unhappy it
made her to disobey her mother; and, taking down the cage,
she opened the door.
To her great surprise, her little captive did not care to
take the freedom offered him. After a while he seemed to
understand that he was expected to come out of the cage; and
what do you think was the first thing that the little bird did?
Why, he lighted right on Bessie’s shoulder, as if he hated to
leave her.
Bessie was pleased enough to see him so tame. She
took him in her hand, and, carrying him to the window, held
him out until he soared away into the air. But he did not forget
his adopted home; for the next day, while Bessie was at dinner,
she heard a flutter of wings, and again the bird perched upon
her shoulder. After pecking some crumbs from the table-cloth,
away he flew again out of the window.
But, my dear little friends, you will be surprised when I
tell you that day after day, for two or three weeks, that little
robin made a visit to Bessie’s house.
Read the two texts and think about how they are similar and
then answer the question that follows.
How the Leaves Came Down
I'll tell you how the leaves came down.
The great Tree to his children said,
"You're getting sleepy, Yellow and Brown,
Yes, very sleepy, little Red;
It is quite time you went to bed."
"Ah!" begged each silly, pouting leaf,
"Let us a little longer stay;
Dear Father Tree, behold our grief,
'Tis such a very pleasant day
We do not want to go away."
So, just for one more merry day
To the great Tree the leaflets clung,
Frolicked and danced and had their way,
Upon the autumn breezes swung,
Whispering all their sports among,
"Perhaps the great Tree will forget
And let us stay until the spring
If we all beg and coax and fret."
But the great Tree did no such thing;
He smiled to hear their whispering.
The Little Captive
One day Bessie’s mother said to her that she must open
the cage, and let the bird fly away. “No, no mother!” said
Bessie, “don’t say so. I take such comfort in him, I can’t let him
go.” But the next moment she remembered how unhappy it
made her to disobey her mother; and, taking down the cage,
she opened the door.
To her great surprise, her little captive did not care to
take the freedom offered him. After a while he seemed to
understand that he was expected to come out of the cage; and
what do you think was the first thing that the little bird did?
Why, he lighted right on Bessie’s shoulder, as if he hated to
leave her.
Bessie was pleased enough to see him so tame. She
took him in her hand, and, carrying him to the window, held
him out until he soared away into the air. But he did not forget
his adopted home; for the next day, while Bessie was at dinner,
she heard a flutter of wings, and again the bird perched upon
her shoulder. After pecking some crumbs from the table-cloth,
away he flew again out of the window.
But, my dear little friends, you will be surprised when I
tell you that day after day, for two or three weeks, that little
robin made a visit to Bessie’s house.
Below is a passage about satellites. Read the passage and
answer the question that follows.
What Is a Satellite?
A satellite is an object that moves around a larger object. Earth
is a satellite because it moves around the sun. The moon is a
satellite because it moves around Earth. Earth and the moon
are called "natural" satellites.
But usually when someone says "satellite," they are talking
about a "man-made" satellite. Man-made satellites are
machines made by people. These machines are launched into
space and orbit Earth or another body in space.
There are thousands of man-made satellites. Some take
pictures of our planet. Some take pictures of other planets, the
sun and other objects. These pictures help scientists learn about
Earth, the solar system and the universe. Other satellites send
TV signals and phone calls around the world.
Why Are Satellites Important?
Satellites fly high in the sky, so they can see large areas of
Earth at one time. Satellites also have a clear view of space.
That's because they fly above Earth's clouds and air.
Before satellites, TV signals didn't go very far. TV signals only
travel in straight lines. So they would go off into space instead
of following Earth's curve. Sometimes they would be blocked by
mountains or tall buildings.
Phone calls to faraway places were also a problem. It costs a lot
and it is hard to set up telephone wires over long distances or
underwater.
With satellites, TV signals and phone calls can be sent up to a
satellite. The satellite can then send them back down to
different spots on Earth.
What Are the Parts of a Satellite?
Satellites come in many shapes and sizes. But most have at
least two parts in common -- an antenna and a power source.
The antenna is used to send and receive information. The power
source can be a solar panel or battery. Solar panels make power
by turning sunlight into electricity.
Many NASA satellites carry cameras and scientific sensors. They
may gather information about Earth's land, air and water. Or
they may collect data from the solar system and universe.
What Were the First Satellites in Space?
The Soviet Union was the first to launch a satellite into space.
The satellite was launched in 1957 and was called Sputnik 1.
NASA has launched many satellites into space. The first was
Explorer 1 in 1958. Explorer was America's first man-made
satellite. The first satellite picture of Earth came from NASA's
Explorer 6 in 1959.
How Does NASA Use Satellites?
NASA satellites help scientists study all kinds of things.
Satellites provide information about Earth's clouds, oceans, land
and air. They also can observe wildfires, volcanoes and smoke.
All this information helps scientists predict weather and climate.
It helps farmers know what crops to plant. It helps control the
spread of disease. And it helps with response to emergencies.
Satellites also tell us a lot about space. Some watch for
dangerous rays coming from the sun. Some explore stars,
planets, asteroids and comets.
answer the question that follows.
What Is a Satellite?
A satellite is an object that moves around a larger object. Earth
is a satellite because it moves around the sun. The moon is a
satellite because it moves around Earth. Earth and the moon
are called "natural" satellites.
But usually when someone says "satellite," they are talking
about a "man-made" satellite. Man-made satellites are
machines made by people. These machines are launched into
space and orbit Earth or another body in space.
There are thousands of man-made satellites. Some take
pictures of our planet. Some take pictures of other planets, the
sun and other objects. These pictures help scientists learn about
Earth, the solar system and the universe. Other satellites send
TV signals and phone calls around the world.
Why Are Satellites Important?
Satellites fly high in the sky, so they can see large areas of
Earth at one time. Satellites also have a clear view of space.
That's because they fly above Earth's clouds and air.
Before satellites, TV signals didn't go very far. TV signals only
travel in straight lines. So they would go off into space instead
of following Earth's curve. Sometimes they would be blocked by
mountains or tall buildings.
Phone calls to faraway places were also a problem. It costs a lot
and it is hard to set up telephone wires over long distances or
underwater.
With satellites, TV signals and phone calls can be sent up to a
satellite. The satellite can then send them back down to
different spots on Earth.
What Are the Parts of a Satellite?
Satellites come in many shapes and sizes. But most have at
least two parts in common -- an antenna and a power source.
The antenna is used to send and receive information. The power
source can be a solar panel or battery. Solar panels make power
by turning sunlight into electricity.
Many NASA satellites carry cameras and scientific sensors. They
may gather information about Earth's land, air and water. Or
they may collect data from the solar system and universe.
What Were the First Satellites in Space?
The Soviet Union was the first to launch a satellite into space.
The satellite was launched in 1957 and was called Sputnik 1.
NASA has launched many satellites into space. The first was
Explorer 1 in 1958. Explorer was America's first man-made
satellite. The first satellite picture of Earth came from NASA's
Explorer 6 in 1959.
How Does NASA Use Satellites?
NASA satellites help scientists study all kinds of things.
Satellites provide information about Earth's clouds, oceans, land
and air. They also can observe wildfires, volcanoes and smoke.
All this information helps scientists predict weather and climate.
It helps farmers know what crops to plant. It helps control the
spread of disease. And it helps with response to emergencies.
Satellites also tell us a lot about space. Some watch for
dangerous rays coming from the sun. Some explore stars,
planets, asteroids and comets.