Reading PracticeTheme 1

and ARMT/ SAT

Students need:

Expo markers

Paddles

or

paper and pencil

Story Elements

ARMT Coach Review pages 54-59

Characters The characters are the people

or animals in the story who are part of the story’s events. When you read, you should pay attention to the way the characters act.

Characters’ actions will reveal the characters’ features and show how the characters feel. A character’s features and feelings will show you the reasons for that character’s actions. This will help you understand the story better.

Character traits are a character’s inner qualities. A person might be stingy or generous, gentle or rough, weak or strong. Sometimes an author will tell you character traits but most of the time you have to decide what a character is like using clues in the passage.

A character’s feelings are more specific to what is happening in the story. A character’s feelings can affect what happens in the story.

Character motivations are what a character wants or desires. They are the reasons why a character does or says something. Sometimes the motivation is stated by the author and sometimes you must use clues to figure it out.

The plot is the series of events that happen in a story. There is a beginning, a middle, and an end. A problem is a challenge for a character and a solution fixes the problem.

Setting is the time and place of a story. It tells you when and where the story happens. Sometimes the author tells you exactly what the setting is, but other times you must figure it out by reading the clues in the story.

Let’s use what we know about characters, plots, and settings to answer some questions about a couple of short stories.

Put your thinking cap on, and let’s get started!

Mark stood at the mouth of the cavern. The sun was warm on his neck, but he could feel the cold that waited to envelop him inside the hollow rock. He wished he hadn’t accepted Alex’s dare. He wished he’d said some clever, mocking thing instead, as his brother would have done. But Mark knew he wasn’t clever that way, not at talking.

He was just quiet and stubborn, and he had quietly and stubbornly shaken Alex’s hand. And now they were waiting for him at the pool at Alex’s mom’s house. And he was stuck here looking down into the dark pit he said he wasn’t afraid to go into. He wished it were over already and he was home.

1. Which word best describes Mark?

A Brave

B Quiet

C Clever

D Cold

Before you answer, look back at the passage and find the answer.

Which word best describes Mark?A Brave B Quiet C Clever D Cold

Mark stood at the mouth of the cavern. The sun was warm on his neck, but he could feel the cold that waited to envelop him inside the hollow rock. He wished he hadn’t accepted Alex’s dare. He wished he’d said some clever, mocking thing instead, as his brother would have done. But Mark knew he wasn’t clever that way, not at talking. He was just quiet and stubborn, and he had quietly and stubbornly shaken Alex’s hand. And now they were waiting for him at the pool at Alex’s mom’s house. And he was stuck here looking down into the dark pit he said he wasn’t afraid to go into. He wished it were over already and he was home.

Mark is best described as quiet.So the answer is B.

He was just quiet and stubborn, and he had quietly and stubbornly shaken Alex’s hand.

Let’s see why the other choices

were not correct…

Mark stood at the mouth of the cavern. The sun was warm on his neck, but he could feel the cold that waited to envelop him inside the hollow rock. He wished he hadn’t accepted Alex’s dare.

This part of the passage says Mark feels the cold that waits in the cavern. It does not describe Mark as cold.

This section says he “wished” he had said something clever, but that

he wasn’t clever, so clever could not be used to describe Mark.

He wished he’d said some clever, mocking thing instead, as his brother would have done. But Mark knew he wasn’t clever that way, not at talking.

And he was stuck here looking down into the dark pit he said he wasn’t afraid to go into. He wished it were over already and he was home.

This part tells us that he wished he hadn’t said he would go into the cavern, so he is not brave.

2. What is the main problem in the story?

A. Mark has trouble making friends.

B. Mark is in a fight with his friend Alex.

C. Mark accepted a dare to go into a cave.

D. Mark wants to be like his older brother.

Reread to find the answer…

Mark stood at the mouth of the cavern. The sun was warm on his neck, but he could feel the cold that waited to envelop him inside the hollow rock. He wished he hadn’t accepted Alex’s dare. He wished he’d said some clever, mocking thing instead, as his brother would have done. But Mark knew he wasn’t clever that way, not at talking. He was just quiet and stubborn, and he had quietly and stubbornly shaken Alex’s hand. And now they were waiting for him at the pool at Alex’s mom’s house. And he was stuck here looking down into the dark pit he said he wasn’t afraid to go into. He wished it were over already and he was home.

2. What is the main problem in the story?

A. Mark has trouble making friends.

B. Mark is in a fight with his friend Alex.

C. Mark accepted a dare to go into a cave.

D. Mark wants to be like his older brother.

The Mule Egg

Read the following story ( on the next few slides). Then answer the questions.

The Mule Egg

When Jimmy was home sick, his aunt sent him a fruit basket. It had many tasty treats. It also had something that Jimmy had never seen before. It looked a little like a small hairy bowling ball.

He asked his sister, May, “Do you have any idea what this thing is?”

May knew it was a coconut, but she wanted to have some fun with her brother. “That’s a mule egg,” she said. “You have to take it into your room and sit on it. If you do that for a few weeks, a mule will hatch from it!”

Jimmy had never seen a mule, but he had always wanted a pet. So he took the coconut into his room and sat on it. He did this every day for a few weeks, with no result. Finally, he went back to May and told her that nothing was happening.

“I guess you got a dud,” she said with a sympathetic smile.

Upset, Jimmy went outside and kicked the coconut into the bushes. Just then, a rabbit scooted out. Seeing the bunny hop away, and thinking it was a mule, Jimmy chased after it, shouting, “Hey, get back here! Don’t you know that I’m your father?”

3. At the end of the story, why does Jimmy chase after the

rabbit?A He wants the rabbit to be his pet.

B He thinks it will be funny to scare it.

C He believes that the rabbit is a coconut.

D He wants to put the rabbit back in the egg. Let’s reread the end before you answer…

Upset, Jimmy went outside and kicked the coconut into the bushes. Just then, a rabbit scooted out. Seeing the bunny hop away, and thinking it was a mule, Jimmy chased after it, shouting, “Hey, get back here! Don’t you know that I’m your father?”

3. At the end of the story, why does Jimmy chase after the

rabbit?A He wants the rabbit to be his pet.

B He thinks it will be funny to scare it.

C He believes that the rabbit is a coconut.

D He wants to put the rabbit back in the egg.

4. In paragraph 1, this story takes place in ---

A Jimmy’s aunt’s house

B Jimmy and May’s house

C Jimmy’s backyard

D May’s room

Let’s reread to find out…

The Mule Egg

When Jimmy was home sick, his aunt sent him a fruit basket. It had many tasty treats. It also had something that Jimmy had never seen before. It looked a little like a small hairy bowling ball.

4. In paragraph 1, this story takes place in ---

A Jimmy’s aunt’s house

B Jimmy and May’s house

C Jimmy’s backyard

D May’s room

The answer is B because Jimmy is home sick and his aunt sends him a fruit basket.

5. What is the main problem in the story?

A Jimmy is sick

B The rabbit runs away from Jimmy

C May likes to play pranks on Jimmy

D Jimmy wants his coconut to hatch

5. What is the main problem in the story?

A Jimmy is sickB The rabbit runs away from JimmyC May likes to play pranks on JimmyD Jimmy wants his coconut to hatch

D is the answer, because that is what the story is mainly about.

6. In the story, the author suggests that …

A brothers and sisters always look out for one another

B if you are sick, people will send you great gifts

C you should not believe everything you are told

D mule eggs should never be thrown away

6. In the story, the author suggests that …

A brothers and sisters always look out for one another

B if you are sick, people will send you great gifts

C you should not believe everything you are told

D mule eggs should never be thrown away