Reading Passages

For the Love of Reading

Improving comprehension; remembering more details you read.

Picture Perfect

This pre-task activity will help increase your vocabulary through picture and word match and a well-planned vacation.

Multiple Select

Choose the photo that best describes the word 'itinerary'

Open Ended

Do you think it is wise and practical to go on a vacation amidst the CoVID-19 pandemic? Why or Why not.

If YES, how will you plan your vacation?

Special Instruction: Your anwer must be at least 250 words. Your teacher will check your answer.

Multiple Select

Picture-word match.

Which of the following best describes the photo?

• break dancer

• contortionist

• yoga instructor

• ballerina

Passage 1

In this essay, the author discusses the trials and tribulations of travel.

Trials and Tribulations of Travel

Travel is thrilling, but getting to paradise is often an ordeal. Traffic jams make me steam, and I'm a world-class contortionist in the way I fit myself in the ever-shrinking economy seats on planes. My stress levels are already off the charts before I even arrive. And then I have to figure out my itinerary and negotiate where to eat with my family. By the time I get home, I need a vacation. I can't wait to plan my next one.

Multiple Select

OVERVIEW

The author will most likely avoid travel except in dire circumstances.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Multiple Select

In this sentence:

Traffic jams make me steam.

What does steam mean?

• make a person breathe hot smoke

• make a person boil

• make a person angry

• make a person nervous

Multiple Choice

The author would describe travel as which kind of experience?

• relaxing

• stressful

• scary

• ecstatic

Give at least 5 benefits of travelling.

Instruction: Create a 10-minute video about the benefits of travelling. Create your video using the URL below. You may do this after you finish this quiz.

https://voicethread.com/share/15680116/

Reading Passage 2

Pre-Task

Passage 2

In this passage, the author leaves glitzy Las Vegas for a quiet hike in the desert.

Surreal to Real

Tired of the din of the smoky casinos, we leave Las Vegas for a hike at Owl Creek Canyon, just 20 miles off the "Strip." It's blistering hot when we get there, so after tossing my camera and gear into my pack, I don sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat. The open desert gives us views of a rocky red escarpment, and after passing stands of towering pine trees, we venture further into the cool of the canyon where we scale over truck-sized jumbles of boulders and soak in crystal clear pools.

Multiple Select

What does the canyon offer the hikers?

• a chance to swin

• bat viewing acitivity

• camping facilities

• Instagramable canyon

Multiple Choice

Which best describes the author's feelings about Owl Canyon Creek?

• nostalgia

• anxiety

• appreciation

• regret

Multiple Select

The open desert gives us views of a rocky escarpment...

In context, what does escarpment mean?

• multi-colored desert hot spring

• crescent-shaped sand dune

• rocky slope or cliff dividing into two areas

• blistering wide-brimmed canyon

Reading Passage 3

Vocabulary Enrichment

Multiple Select

crestfallen

• disliked

• sad and disappointed

• rejected

• unwelcomed

Multiple Select

period is another word for ...

• aura

• over a year

• era

• millennium

Multiple Choice

Choose the word that best describes the picture.

• twinning

• reflective

• shadow

• attractive

Multiple Choice

POLL

According to Business Insider, this city ranked as the No. 1 most visited city around the world in 2019.

• Bangkok

• Paris

• London

Passage 3

In this passage, an old man gazes at his younger reflection and compares the joys of youth with the inevitability of aging.

What can be a Beautiful Reflection?

The old man stood and stared at a reflection of himself 50 years back. He thought back to that era when he had travelled alone for months needing only his own thoughts for company and feeling impervious to time. His mind wondered across the years to the moment he first held his daughter, and later, his granddaughter. My how his desires had changed with time. Youth may be full of the joys of a life yet to be lived, but, in its own way, age can be beautiful too, he thought.

Multiple Choice

Which best describes the overall tone?

• bitter

• crestfallen

• reflective

Multiple Choice

DETAILS

How many years had passed between the reflection in the mirror and the writing of the passage?

• 55

• 50

• 60

• 45

Multiple Choice

Bonus VOCAB

He thought back to that era when he had travelled alone for months needing only his own thoughts for company and feeling impervious to time.

In context, what does 'impervious' mean?

• waterproof

• passive

• unaffected

• bulletproof

Multiple Choice

Choose the correct sentence.

• The old man stood and stares at a reflection of himself 50 years back.

• The old man stands and stared at a reflection of himself 50 years back.

• The old man stood and stared at a reflection of himself 50 years back.

Watch an assigned video for this passage before moving on to the next slide. The link is found below.

https://admin.flipgrid.com/manage/topics/18513335

Reading Passage 4

In this essay, the author remembers what it was like growing up in Tornado Alley.

In the Heart of Tornado Alley

For me and my family, the high-pitched moan of a tornado siren had been so commonplace we rarely took notice, even as the storm clouds turned day into night. Such is life in Missouri, located in the heart of a region in the United States called Tornado Alley. I was so intrigued by the wonders of weather, I'd press my nose against the window to watch the cornfield dance in the wind as the meteorologist insisted we seek shelter. But after one too many false alarms, how can we heed every warning?

Multiple Choice

OVERVIEW

The author's tone in the passage can best be described as

• nostalgic

• knowledgeable

• sympathetic

• dissapointing

Multiple Select

The author likely views stormy weather as

• sinister and distressing

• frequent and fascinating

• dull and irritating

• irritating and frequent

Multiple Select

TECHNIQUE

The phrase 'wonders of weather' is an example of

In this passage, the author gives a brief history of the barbershop.

Read, White and Blue Stripes

Barbershops served as social hubs during Greek and Roman times. Besides offering shaves and haircuts, they were places to get the latest news and gossips. During the Middle Ages, barbers doubled as minor surgeons. Bloodletting was a common medical treatment in that era, and the doctors left that work to barber surgeons. The red and white stripes of the barber's pole also began during this time. Later, when barbershops became common in America, the blue stripe was added to the familiar signs.

Multiple Choice

The author's approach to the topic can best be described as

• irrelevant

• nostalgic

• informative

• ponderous

Multiple Select

During the Middle Ages, doctors likely considered bloodletting to be

• profession

• quick

• routine

• illegal

Multiple Select

What color was most recently added to barbershop poles?

• BLUE

• RED

• WHITE

Open Ended

Choose two of the six reading passages. Write your answer below.

Before you hit submit, copy the link below and go to that site to record a 2 minute impression for each passage that you picked.

https://voicethread.com/share/15680116/