Brittany's mom walks into the kitchen wearing her sun hat and a pair of old shoes. “Those vegetable plants are growing by leaps and bounds!” she exclaims to Brittany, as she takes off a dirty glove and wipes a smudge of dirt off her face. Where was Brittany's mom?

Cassie rolled over in her bed as she felt the sunlight hit her face. The beams were warming the back of her neck when she slowly realized that it was a Thursday, and she felt a little too good for a Thursday. Struggling to open her eyes, she looked up at the clock. “9:48,” she shouted, “Holy cow!” Cassie jumped out of bed, threw on the first outfit that she grabbed, brushed her teeth in two swipes, threw her books into her backpack, and then ran out the door. What is Cassie's problem?

My dog Jack is very friendly, and he likes to be around people. Yesterday, our neighbors were having a party, and we all went over to cookout and swim at their house. We could hear Jack barking loudly from our backyard. After a little while, he got quiet, so we thought he had finally calmed down. But, several minutes later, all of the adults start laughing, and I see a black blur and hear a giant splash at the other end of the pool. Why was Jack barking?

Mrs. Lance is my favorite teacher, but something is not right today. Mrs. Lance is sitting down at her desk more than usual, and she asked us to read a story silently and just answer the questions in the book. I glance back at her, and she is blowing her nose. A little while later, I see that her cheeks are kind-of red, and she is drinking a lot of water and eating some cough drops. After a little while, Mr. Dean, another teacher, comes into our classroom. Mrs. Lance takes her purse and leaves, while Mr. Dean stays. What is wrong with Mrs. Lance?

As we entered, a huge blast of water hit the windshield. Huge flopping sponges slapped the hood of the car as we slowly moved forward. Soon there were suds spilling over the sides. I am glad the windows were rolled up! Where are we?

As I walked in the door, I was amazed at the beautiful colors and smells. I knew it would be hard to decide what I would buy with my R5. The chocolate truffles looked delicious, but they were expensive. The jelly beans were not only cheaper, but so colorful! With so much to choose from, I knew I would be here a long time. Where am I?

Rubin dug frantically through his backpack. It has to be here, he thought. How many times had his mother told him not to take his iPod to school. He searched his locker again without much hope. He knew he was in trouble. What inference can you make about Rubin?

Every day after work Paul took his muddy boots off on the steps of the front porch. Alice would have a fit if the boots made it so far as the welcome mat. He then took off his dusty overalls and threw them into a plastic garbage bag; Alice left a new garbage bag tied to the porch railing for him every morning. On his way in the house, he dropped the garbage bag off at the washing machine and went straight up the stairs to the shower as he was instructed. He would eat dinner with her after he was “presentable,” as Alice had often said. What type of job did Paul have?

Spider Webs

All spiders spin webs. That's because webs help spiders. Webs help spiders do three things. Webs help spiders hold eggs. Webs help spiders hide. And webs help spiders catch food. Webs help spiders hold eggs. Many spiders like to lay their eggs in their webs. The webs help keep the eggs together. Webs help spiders keep their eggs safe. Webs help spiders hide. Most spiders are dark. They are brown, grey, or black. But spider webs are light. They are white and cloudy. When spiders hide in their webs, they are harder to see. Webs help spiders catch food. Spider webs are sticky. When a bug flies into the web, it gets stuck. It moves around. It tries to get out. But it can't. It is trapped! Spiders can tell that the bug is trapped. That's because spiders feel the web move. And the spider is hungry. The spider goes to get the bug. As you can see, webs help spiders hold eggs. Webs help spiders hide. And webs help spiders catch food. Without webs, spiders would not be able to live like they do. Spiders need their webs to survive!

As used in the last sentence of the passage, the word survive means to stay

Spider Webs

All spiders spin webs. That's because webs help spiders. Webs help spiders do three things. Webs help spiders hold eggs. Webs help spiders hide. And webs help spiders catch food. Webs help spiders hold eggs. Many spiders like to lay their eggs in their webs. The webs help keep the eggs together. Webs help spiders keep their eggs safe. Webs help spiders hide. Most spiders are dark. They are brown, grey, or black. But spider webs are light. They are white and cloudy. When spiders hide in their webs, they are harder to see. Webs help spiders catch food. Spider webs are sticky. When a bug flies into the web, it gets stuck. It moves around. It tries to get out. But it can't. It is trapped! Spiders can tell that the bug is trapped. That's because spiders feel the web move. And the spider is hungry. The spider goes to get the bug. As you can see, webs help spiders hold eggs. Webs help spiders hide. And webs help spiders catch food. Without webs, spiders would not be able to live like they do. Spiders need their webs to survive!

How can spiders tell when something is trapped in their web?

The Periodic Table of Elements

The list of elements is arranged on a scientific chart. The chart is called the periodic table. Each element is grouped with other similar elements. Elements can be metals, nonmetals, or semimetals. Semimetals have some of the characteristics of metals, and some of the characteristics of nonmetals. Metals, nonmetals, and semimetals each have their own section on the table. What are the different types of elements?

Darin and Gary had worked all winter down in the basement putting together a model radio controlled airplane. Darin instructed Gary how to make every part, but he allowed Gary to do all the work himself. Gary had to cut out all of the balsa wood parts, glue the pieces together and attach the special skin onto the wooden body of the plane. They even practiced flying a radio controlled model plane on a computer program. Darin drove them to a field to test out the plane. When they returned home, Gary came home crying with his plane in a box. He never worked on a model plane again.

How old do you think Gary is?