Target Skills Review RL7.2(Summarizing ) RL7.3(Plot)

Studying Birds
     There was a gentleman called Arthur who was very fond of studying birds. He would go out in the woods to watch them, and he also made sketches of them, and worked so hard that he had nearly a thousand of these drawings, which, of course, he valued very much. Once, he was going away from home for some months, and before he went, he collected all his precious drawings together, put them carefully in a wooden box, and gave them to a relative to take care of until he returned.
     Time went by, and he returned, and asked for the box containing his treasures. The box was there. However, two rats had found their way into it and had made a home there for their young ones. The beautiful drawings were all gnawed until nothing was left but tiny scraps of paper. The poor man was very disappointed. However, in a few days he went out to the woods and began his drawings again as cheerfully as if nothing had happened. He decided to make better drawings than before. It was nearly three years before he had made up for what the rats had destroyed. The man indeed possessed the precious jewel of patience.

Which paragraph best summarizes the story and its theme?

• Arthur loves to study as well as sketch birds. He manages to collect many sketches of birds. However, one day he finds that all his sketches have been destroyed. He had packed them all in a box very carefully. He is very sad and unhappy about it. He then decides to draw new sketches of birds, all over again. He realizes that drawing new sketches helps him become calm and peaceful.

• Arthur is fond of studying birds and makes sketches of them. He goes away for a few months and gives his treasured sketches to a relative for safekeeping. He returns to find that rats have destroyed all of them. However, he does not give up. In about three years' time, he sketches and recreates his old collection. Arthur shows that patience and a calm mind can help one achieve what one wants.

• Arthur loves to draw. He also loves to study birds and make drawings of them. He spends a lot of time in the forest drawing and studying birds. He has a large collection of drawings of the birds. However, one day he finds that rats have eaten up his drawings. Arthur then decides to draw more pictures of birds. Arthur realizes that one cannot trust others to take care of one's precious belongings.

• Arthur loves birds and goes to the forest to make drawings of them. He collects many sketches, which he treasures. He goes away to another place for some time. He packs all his valuable sketches in a box and gives them to a relative to take care of. He finds that his drawings have been destroyed when he returns. He realizes that he must practice more to draw better.

Inspirational Team
by Judy Clark

          It was Tabitha's turn to give her presentation on a historical figure. The assignment was for each student to pick a person who was recognized for an accomplishment, research the person, and then give a short speech on something that was inspirational about that person. Tabitha walked up to the front and displayed a presentation titled "Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan" in block letters on the smartboard.
     Raising my hand, I said,"I thought we were only supposed to choose one person."
     She smiled and replied, "You'll see why I picked two. Helen Keller was born in 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama, and was healthy for the first two years of her life. But in 1882, she became very sick and lost her ability to see and hear. It must have been very difficult for her, not being able to communicate very well with everyone around her." Looking around, I could tell that other students were thinking the same thing that I was—that it would be difficult to live in a world that was both dark and silent.
     "Helen Keller's parents wanted to do anything they could to help her," Tabitha continued. "They took her to different experts. In fact, one expert was Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone. At the time, Bell was helping hearing impaired children, and he had the idea of sending the Kellers to the Perkins Intstitute for the Blind in Boston, Massachusetts. That was where Helen met Anne Sullivan. For the next 49 years, Anne Sullivan helped Helen by teaching her a new way of communicating. She would hand Helen an object such as a doll, then trace the letters that spelled out the object on Helen's palm. Helen quickly picked up on what Anne was teaching her."
     Tabitha looked at me and smiled again. "The reason I picked two people as being inspirational is because they both did something amazing. Anne Sullivan helped connect Helen to the world in a way she would not have been able to connect on her own. And Helen used the skills that Anne taught her to go to college and then to go on to help other people who had challenges similar to her own. They were, in fact, an inspirational team." I found myself nodding in agreement as I joined in with the other students in clapping our approval.

Which of these details would be most important in a summary of this passage?

• Helen Keller was healthy for the first two years of her life.

• Helen Keller met Anne Sullivan at The Perkins Institute for the Blind.

• Alexander Graham Bell was the inventor of the telephone.

• Alexander Graham Bell sent Helen to The Perkins Institute for the Blind.

   It is really strange that Casper isn't playing his usual tricks, Eli thought as she suspiciously eyed Casper, who sat quietly in a corner. Usually, when Casper realized that Eli and Mom were going to the supermarket, he would start barking till they gave him a treat. Today, surprisingly, Casper only gave them a mischievous look. As Eli and Mom began getting ready to leave the house, Mom asked Eli if she had seen her red shoes, and when Eli said no, the two began looking around the house for the shoes. Soon, Eli spotted Casper with with one red shoe in his mouth as he darted out into the backyard. Mom and Eli laughed as they realized Casper's new trick to prevent them from going out.


Which is the best summary of the passage?

• Eli and her mother begin to look for a missing red shoe but are unable to find it anywhere. After a while, Eli spots her dog Casper playing with the red shoe outside, and realizes that Casper has found a new game with which to trouble them.

• Eli and her mother are about to head out to the supermarket when their dog Casper begins barking. Eli gives him a treat and promises that they will be back soon and begins looking for red shoes.

• Eli wonders why Casper is quiet, as she helps her mother find a red shoe to go to the supermarket. Later, Eli sees Casper with the one red shoe as he darts outside and understands that this is Casper’s new way of stopping them from leaving.

• Eli finds Casper's quiet behavior very unusual. Later, when Eli’s mom loses her red shoes, Eli notices Casper’s mischievous look and realizes that Casper must have hidden the shoe somewhere so that she and her mother cannot go out to the supermarket.

Joseph hurried out of the exam hall as soon as the bell rang. The exams were over, and he could not contain his excitement at summer vacation starting. He had managed to convince his parents to allow him to join a soccer training camp at school. He would have the opportunity to train with some great coaches, and he would also get the chance to meet his favorite soccer player. His best friend Andy would also be with him at the camp. As he walked back home from school, he thought of the things he had to buy before the start of camp.

Which is the best summary of the paragraph?

• Joseph walks back home from school after his last exam. On the way, he wonders how he can convince his parents into letting him attend the soccer training camp with his friend Andy.

• Joseph is excited because exams are over, and he will be attending a soccer training camp over the vacations. He wonders what it will be like to train with top-level soccer coaches.

• Joseph hurries home after his last exam. He is excited about meeting his favorite soccer player, and training with some great coaches at the soccer training camp that he will be attending with his friend Andy.

• Joseph is preparing to attend a camp at school with his best friend Andy. On his way home from school, he thinks about how little time he has to purchase everything he needs for the camp.

Mrs. Peal's Roof

     As soon as Mrs. Peal asked the question, Jack felt the knot in his stomach. He felt that knot because he knew he had been caught. He had gotten onto her roof from the elm tree in his backyard and had broken one of her roof tiles when he had landed. Mrs. Peal wasn't home at the time, but the damage was obvious when she pulled into the driveway.
     Jack had already gotten in trouble for climbing on his own roof. Mrs. Peal knew that because she had called his mother when she'd seen him playing on the roof one day. 
     Jack liked the adventure of being up high where he could get a bird's-eye view of the world. He felt invisible. He knew he wasn't supposed to, but he was always careful, and the trees in the yard gave him such an easy way to get to the roof.
     But here was Mrs. Peal: "Jack, did you get on my roof?"
     "No, ma'am, I didn't get near your roof," he lied.
     "Then tell me how you think that roof tile up there got broken," she said, pointing to the spot. "It's right under the branch of your favorite elm tree."
     "I don't know, Mrs. Peal, maybe a squirrel fell or maybe something fell out of an airplane," he said. His stomach was really churning, and all he could think of was getting away from his neighbor. 
     Mrs. Peal laughed and shook her head. "When was the last time you saw an airplane flying over my house?"
     "Sometimes airplanes fly so high you can't see them," Jack said.
     "Don't make it worse for yourself by lying to me, Jack," she said. "You look me right in the eyes and tell me you didn't break the tile when you jumped out of the tree." She took his shoulders in both hands and looked Jack right in his eyes.
     Jack knew he'd been caught and exhaled deeply. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Peal. I didn't mean to break your tile. I can just see so much farther from your roof than my roof."
      "Jack, you're not supposed to be on the roof, period," Mrs. Peal said. "You know your parents have told you to stay off the roof."
     "Are you going to tell my parents?" Jack asked.
      "Yes, because they've asked you not to climb on it, but I'll also tell them how much fun you have, how careful you are, and that it isn't very far from the ground." Mrs. Peal replied. "You should talk to them about it, too."
     Jack felt the knot in his stomach loosen, knowing that Mrs. Peal might help him change his parents' thoughts about climbing.

What is the main conflict of this passage

• Jack lies about getting on the roof.

• Mrs. Peal doesn't want to repair the tile.

• Jack fears that Mrs. Peal will tell his parents.

• Jack thinks airplanes fly too high.

The Dance

     Deanne could not believe that all of the kids were dancing to the music that her friend Gina was playing for them. She was used to school dances where most of the boys stood on one side of the gym trying to embarrass their friends and the girls stood on the other side of the gym pretending that they were too cool to talk to all those nerdy boys. She was always one of the few brave souls who decided to throw caution to the wind and get out on the dance floor. 
     However, on that night she was the wallflower, while everybody else was throwing caution to the wind. To tell the truth, she was not really paying attention to the other kids. She saw them as a shaking and gyrating mass. Her real focus was Gina. She was happy for her friend, but at the same time, she could not help but think about how she would have done things differently if she was the DJ. 
     She worked her way through the mass of kids and towards Gina. When she got to the stage, she did not congratulate her friend; rather, she told Gina what she would do differently if she was the DJ. She looked at her friend and said, “The music you are playing is pretty cool, Gina, but it’s kinda old. I think everybody wants to hear something new.” 
     Gina, looking a little annoyed, responded by asking Deanne what made her think the other kids wanted to hear newer songs. Deanne responded by telling Gina that it was just “a feeling,” and that she knew that the kids would have more fun if they were dancing to music they were more familiar with. 
     Gina, still looking annoyed, said, “Deanne, see that boy over there in the plaid shirt and matching baseball cap? He was the first person on the dance floor. He didn’t come out until I started playing old songs.” 
      “So?” Deanne responded. 
      “Well,” said Gina, “after he started dancing, that girl right there in the multi-colored hooded sweatshirt started dancing. That’s when the floodgates opened and everybody but you got out on the dance floor.” 
      “What does all of that have to do with anything?” asked Deanne. 
      “That,” answered Gina, “told me that if I kept those first two dancers moving, the rest of the kids would follow along. About 15 minutes ago, while you were sulking in the corner, I put on a new song, and as soon as I did, that kid in the plaid shirt and hat went and sat down. Had I played another new song, the girl in the hoodie would have left the dance floor. By the third new song, the entire floor would have been empty.” 
     Deanne had no idea that Gina put so much thought into what she was going to play. She spent the rest of the evening standing next to Gina, watching everything she did.

Which sentence supports the idea that Deanne hopes to learn from Gina?

• "What does all of that have to do with anything?" asked Deanne.

• Had I played another new song, the girl in the hoodie would have left the dance floor.

• She spent the rest of the evening standing next to Gina, watching everything she did.

• To tell the truth, she was not really paying attention to the other kids.

Nick stepped off the bus and walked into the bus station. He had never seen a building so enormous, with so many buses arriving and departing from dozens of gates. Everywhere he looked there were lines of people and piles of luggage. He was eager to leave the station.
     Nick spotted an escalator across the floor and hurried over, climbing on carefully as he looked up toward the next floor. There were even more people walking fast through the terminal, and even more piles of luggage. He had to get out of here fast, but it was all so confusing and crowded.
     At last, Nick spotted a sign that said EXIT. He adjusted his backpack and wove through the crowd to get to the last staircase. Nick clambered up the stairs and blinked as he finally emerged into the bright sunlight. Was it possible the sun was actually brighter here in New York City than at home in his small Pennsylvania town, or was it just the light bouncing off the skyscrapers that made it seem so intense?

How does the setting change as the story develops?

• The city light seems brighter compared to the light in the bus station.

• The city streets seem wider than the hallways of the bus station.

• The sounds of the city seem louder compared to the bus station

• The crowds of people seem to walk faster than in the bus station.