James got a new bicycle for his tenth birthday. His uncle bought it for him. He hid it in his truck to surprise him.

When James went to get his truck, he saw the shiny new bicycle. It is bright red with black wheels. When he saw it, he jumped for joy.

He quickly ran over to his uncle and gave him a big hug. ''This is what I've always wanted, thank you so much'' he said.

James loves his bicycle so much. He rides it around the house, and across the street. His friends likes the bicycle too, they all have fun riding it.

Question: What did James get for his birthday?

Giraffes only live on the continent of Africa. The only giraffes in the United States are found in zoos or animal parks. Visitors love to see the giraffes because they are so tall.

Giraffes come from __________.

Besides standing on long legs, giraffes have the longest neck of any animal. The neck of a giraffe can be eight feet long.

What other animal also has a long neck and long legs?

Giraffes are the tallest animals on earth. Male giraffes can grow to a height of about 17 feet. If you lived in a two-story house an adult giraffe could look into your bedroom window on the second floor.

How tall do male giraffes become?

Giraffes are beautiful animals. They have an unusual coat that has large brown spots on a cream colored background. There are many different kinds of giraffes across Africa. Each kind of giraffe has a slightly different shape to their spots.

A giraffes coat can help it to _______.

It was raining outside. Manda got out of bed and got dressed for school. Then, she ate breakfast and grabbed her backpack. Before Manda left the house, she probably ___________________.

Giraffes don’t sleep much. They just take short naps while standing up.

Why don't giraffes lie down to sleep?

A person who volunteers is someone who

Giraffes don’t drink much water. They get most of the water they need from the leaves they eat. It is very hard for an adult giraffe to get a drink of water from a stream or pool.

Why is it important for a giraffe to drink water?

Giraffes love to eat leaves. With their great height, giraffes easily eat leaves from the tops of acacia trees. Giraffes get enough food because no other animals can reach the same food that giraffes like. Giraffes spend most of their time eating.

Why can giraffes eat the leaves at the top of trees?

Giraffes love to eat leaves. With their great height, giraffes easily eat leaves from the tops of acacia trees. Giraffes get enough food because no other animals can reach the same food that giraffes like. Giraffes spend most of their time eating.

Why do giraffes spend most of their time eating?

What does the phrase have no idea mean?

Direction: Read the text and then answer the questions

Ever since he was six years old, Nick had wanted to get a puppy. His parents always refused. They said he wasn’t capable of taking care of a puppy. “You have no idea how much work a puppy is,” Dad said. “You would have to housebreak the puppy, train the puppy to obey you, and groom it, too.”

“And then there’s taking the puppy to the vet, playing with it, and feeding it,” Mom added. “It’s not that I’m against having a puppy. But a puppy takes up a lot of time.”

Nick couldn’t think of a way that he could convince his parents that he was ready for a puppy. Then, he got an idea. “If I volunteer at the animal shelter,” he thought, “I’ll bet Mom and Dad will see that I’m ready to take care of a puppy!”

Which word tells a reader most about the text while previewing it?

Which is a synonym for convince?

The wind blew through his hair as the boy watched the clouds roll in. He decided it was time to ride home. What is the boy doing?

We're Racing, Racing Down the Walk

We're racing, racing down the walk,

Over the pavement and round the block.

We rumble along till the sidewalk ends-

Felicia and I and half our friends.

Our hair flies backwards. It's whish and whirr!

She roars at me and I shout at her

As past the porches and garden gates

We rattle and rock

On our roller skates.

1) What makes a rumbling sound in the poem?

When another old cave is discovered in the south of France, it is not usually news. Rather, it is an ordinary event. Such discoveries are so frequent these days that hardly anybody pays heed to them.

The words pays heed to are closest in meaning to _______.

Floods can cause tremendous damage. They can ruin houses, roads and buildings. Floods can take down trees and cause mudslides. It often leaves mud, sand and debris behind. It can take months to clean up after a flood.

What is the main idea?

Weather reporters have to give out a lot of information. That's why they use pictures. The pictures help them tell us about the weather without using so many words. Weather reporters need to know where the cold air is. They need to know where the warm air is. They have to know where it is raining and what types of clouds are in the area. Their reports need to be correct, but they also need to be short. The pictures help weather reporters get the information out in a fast way.

Which sentence best describes the main idea of the paragraph?