Table of Contents Title Author Genre Page 1 Grandpa's Story: A Comb, Penknife And Handkerchief NPR Staff Nonfiction 610 2 Two Brothers Remember Lives Spent With Liberty NPR Staff Nonfiction 10 3 From Poor Beginnings To A Wealth Of Knowledge NPR Staff Nonfiction 13 4 Mother To Daughter: 'That's When I Knew I Was Adopted' NPR Staff Nonfiction 17 5 At 16, Making A Trek To Make The '63 March On Washington NPR Staff Nonfiction 21 6 Weird, or Just Different? Derek Sivers Nonfiction 25 7 Try Something New for 30 days Matt Cutts Nonfiction 29 8 Photos From a Storm Chaser Camille Seaman Science 33 9 Finding Planets Around Other Stars Lucianne Walkowicz Science 37 10 Could a Saturn Moon Harbor Life? Carolyn Porco Science 42 11 Amphibians Joshua National Park Science 46 12 Winter Dusk Poetry 49 13 The Mystic Meaning Poetry 51 14 Shake, Mulleary And Go-Ethe Henry Cuyler Bunner Poetry 53
22 teenager, I was starting to lose respect for your grandpa 23 Leonard." 24 Lynne said she resented her father for "always wanting to 25 keep the house perfect and always being in control, and I 26 was starting to realize that he wasn't that educated." 27 Carpenter became president of the board of trustees of 28 Park United Methodist Church and served as president for a 29 few years. When the trustees met, he would take apples. 30 "First he would pull out his handkerchief and he would 31 wipe the apples and make them shiny," said Lynne, who is 32 51. "And then he would pull out his penknife. And he'd 33 always cut so that there was just one long apple peel. And 34 as they're arguing, he would slice the apple, put it on 35 the penknife, and hold it out to each member of the 36 trustees. And every meeting, they would eat apples 37 together. 38 "And they started getting trust back. And so he had that 39 ability," she continued. "He didn't have a lot of money. He Notes: 40 didn't have a lot of education. But he had that 41 handkerchief, and he had that penknife in the trustee 42 meetings. "And people did start to get along. He was an 43 important part of that."
2 their childhoods living in a house right behind the Statue of 3 Liberty. Their family moved to the same small island in New 4 York Harbor as Lady Liberty 75 years ago this summer, not 5 long after their father, also James, became a guard at the 6 statue. 8 When the Bizzaros moved to what's now called Liberty 9 Island in 1937, Paul was 8 and James was 6. 10 "Half of the island was for the visitors. The half that we 11 lived in, we had that whole half to us," says James. 12 "But we were allowed to do whatever we wanted, so we 13 used to go up to the torch," Paul remembers. Notes: 14 "And if you shook enough, the whole arm would shake," 15 James says. 16 The boys shook it once when their mother was walking 17 up. "She never went up again," Paul says. 18 "We used to go on the ferry to go to school, and I 19 remember Sister Alphonsus Marie — she was tough, like a 20 truck driver," James says. "She was mean. But she was 21 always talking about the island, so I invited her to come to 22 the statue, and we climbed the head, and she says, 'Oh!' 23 She says, 'This is the closest I'm going to get to heaven.' 24 But she never treated me any better or any different." 25 In 1944, the family moved back to Brooklyn, where they 26 had lived before moving to the island, though their father 27 still commuted to the statue.
28 "And the way a person knows every corner of his house, 29 he knew every corner of that Statue of Liberty," says James. 30 Their father retired in 1971 after 36 years there. He had 31 been a guard for about a year, then began working in 32 maintenance, and eventually became the maintenance 33 supervisor. 34 "When he retired, it took 11 men to replace him. He was 35 the man that kept the statue lit. The lights, they never went 36 out when he worked," Paul says. Two Brothers Remember Lives Spent With Liberty By: NPR Staff Checking for Understanding What is the main idea of this text? Provide evidence from the text to support your answer. How do Paul and James feel about living behind the Statue of Liberty? Provide evidence from the text to support your answer.
18 mentioned that we were speculating that these jets might 19 in fact be geysers, and erupting from pockets or chambers 20 of liquid water underneath the surface, but we weren't 21 really sure. However, the implications of those results -- of 22 a possible environment within this moon that could 23 support prebiotic chemistry, and perhaps life itself -- were 24 so exciting that, in the intervening two years, we have 25 focused more on Enceladus. 26 We've flown the Cassini Spacecraft by this moon now 27 several times, flying closer and deeper into these jets, into 28 the denser regions of these jets, so that now we have come 29 away with some very precise compositional measurements. 30 And we have found that the organic compounds coming 31 from this moon are in fact more complex than we 32 previously reported. While they're not amino acids, we're 33 now finding things like propane and benzene, hydrogen 34 cyanide, and formaldehyde. And the tiny water crystals here 35 now look for all the world like they are frozen droplets of 36 salty water, which is a discovery that suggests that not only 37 do the jets come from pockets of liquid water, but that that Notes: 38 liquid water is in contact with rock. And that is a 39 circumstance that could supply the chemical energy and 40 the chemical compounds needed to sustain life. 41 So we are very encouraged by these results. And we are 42 much more confident now than we were two years ago that
19 Her thunders shook the mighty deep, 20 And there should be her grave; 21 Nail to the mast her holy flag, 22 Set every threadbare sail, 23 And give her to the god of storms, 24 The lightning and the gale! Old Ironsides By: Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. Checking for Understanding What do you think this poem is describing? How does the author use rhythm and rhyme in this poem?
9 He took his vorpal sword in hand: 10 Long time the manxome foe he sought -- 11 So rested he by the Tumtum tree. 12 And stood awhile in thought. 13 And as in uffish thought he stood, 14 The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Notes: 15 Came wiffling through the tulgey wood, 16 And burbled as it came! 17 One, two! One, two! And through and through 18 The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! 19 He left it dead, and with its head 20 He went galumphing back. 21 "And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? 22 Come to my arms, my beamish boy! 23 frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" 24 He chortled in his joy. 25 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves 26 Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; 27 All mimsy were the borogoves, 28 And the mome raths outgrabe.
What do you think of the moral, “Example is the best teacher”? How else could you word the moral of this story? The Cat and the Mouse () Edited by William Byron Forbush, et al Vocabulary: none for this poem Notes: The Cat and the Mouse 1 The cat and the mouse 2 Played in the malt-house:
22 that farmer may give me hay, that I may give cow hay, that 23 cow may give me milk, that I may give cat milk, that cat 24 may give me my own tail again.” 25 “No,” says the butcher, “I’ll give you no meat, till you go to 26 the baker and fetch me some bread.” 27 First she leaped, and then she ran, 28 Till she came to the baker, and thus began: 29 “Pray, Baker, give me bread, that I may give butcher bread, 30 that butcher may give me meat, that I may give farmer 31 meat, that farmer may give me hay, that I may give cow 32 hay, that cow may give me milk, that I may give cat milk, 33 that cat may give me my own tail again.” Notes: 34 “Yes,” says the baker, “I’ll give you some bread, 35 But if you eat my meal, I’ll cut off your head.” 36 Then the baker gave mouse bread, and mouse gave 37 butcher bread, and butcher gave mouse meat, and mouse 38 gave farmer meat, and farmer gave mouse hay, and mouse 39 gave cow hay, and cow gave mouse milk, and mouse gave 40 cat milk, and cat gave mouse her own tail again.
Notes: 33 “GIVE ME MY BONE!” 34 At this the teeny-tiny woman was a teeny-tiny bit more 35 frightened; but she put her teeny-tiny head out of the 36 teeny-tiny clothes, and said in her loudest teeny-tiny voice: 37 “TAKE IT!” Teeny Tiny Edited by: William Byron Forbush, et al. Checking for Understanding How does the author use repetition in this text?
Please summarize this text. The Small Gray Mouse () By: Nathan Haskell Dole Vocabulary: vain – to be proud of your own achievements secure – a strong hold that does not allow movement pursue – to follow or chase ere – before dainty – delicate Notes:
The Small Gray Mouse 1 The small gray mouse ran east 2 And the small gray mouse ran west 3 And could not tell in the least 4 Which way was best. 5 The small gray mouse ran north 6 And the small gray mouse ran south 7 And scurried back and forth 8 To escape the kitten’s dreadful teeth-lined mouth! 9 But kitty thought it precious fun 10 To see the panting mousie run, 11 And when it almost got away 12 Her furry paw upon its back would lay. 13 But kitty grew too vain and sure; Notes: 14 She thought she had the mouse secure; 15 She turned her head, she shut her eyes. 16 That was not wise, 17 And ere she knew 18 The gray mouse up the chimney flew, 19 Where dainty cats could not pursue. 20 So she had nothing else to do 21 But miew—oo—oo—!
The Conceited Mouse () By: Ella Foster Case Vocabulary: dairymaid – a woman who works with milk products cunning – clever inconvenient – makes things harder Notes: The Conceited Mouse 1 Once upon a time there was a very small mouse with a 2 very, very large opinion of himself. What he didn’t know his 3 own grandmother couldn’t tell him. 4 “You’d better keep a bright eye in your head, these days,” 5 said she, one chilly afternoon. “Your gran’ther has smelled 6 a trap.” 7 “Scat!” answered the small mouse—“’s if I don’t know a 8 trap when I see it!” And that was all the thanks she got for 9 her good advice. 10 “Go your own way, for you will go no other,” the wise old
affairs – your business midst – to be in the middle state – things that affect the way you think or feel What Katie Heard 1 'How very annoying!' 2 'It is really too bad to have this noisy creature foisted on 3 us just now.' 4 Katie stood on the doorstep of her aunt's house in a very 5 stiff, pink frock. Her cheeks were red and rosy, for it was a 6 warm summer day, and her feelings were just those of any 7 little girl who is paying her first real visit to an aunt in the 8 country. 9 The speakers were Katie's two cousins, Janet and Clare, Notes: 10 and the words came very clearly through the curtains and 11 open windows, as Katie stood there, wondering whether 12 the bell had really rung, or whether she had better give it 13 another tug. She saw her own reflection in the shining 14 bell- handle, and it had gone crimson all at once. 15 Poor Katie! Mother had told her she would be expected,
16 and this was what her cousins thought about her! 17 Was it not a dreadful state of affairs for a small girl at 18 the beginning of her first visit? Katie shut her mouth tight, 19 and clenched her small, hot hands, in a desperate effort to 20 look just ordinary. It was very hard to be brave. She would 21 have liked to run away, but she knew that would be. 22 cowardly. Her cheeks kept growing hotter and hotter. It was 23 mean, she had always heard, to listen to things that were 24 not intended for one. Plainly, there was only one course: to 25 go right on, and not let anybody know that she had 26 overheard those dreadful, unkind words. 27 The waiting and the silence was almost too much. The 28 girls' voices died away in the room; a bee was buzzing in a 29 foxglove bell at her elbow, and some cows went quietly up 30 the lane past the green garden-gate. Then, all at once, the Notes: 31 door flew open, and tall Janet and fair-haired Clare stood 32 before her. 33 'You dear child, have you come all alone? How tired she 34 looks, Clare!' 35 'Katie, Katie, haven't you got a kiss for your own 36 Clare?'
1 I know a certain young fellow, 2 Who’s filling people with joy; 3 How would you like to say “hello,” 4 To this remarkable boy? 5 Ev’ryone’s talking about him. 6 He’s been the topic for days; 7 He’s just a winsome gent, with an instrument, that plays; 8 I’d like to have you meet him. 9 Shake hands with Mister Jazz, himself! 10 He took the saxophone from off the shelf Notes: 11 And when you hear him play; 12 You’ll say that he’s been taking lessons up in Heaven. 13 That dreamy moan, is his own ’riginality; 14 He knows a strange sort of change in a minor key, 15 I don’t know how he does it; 16 But when he starts to play the blues, 17 He’s like a messenger of happy news; 18 No one else could ever do it as, 19 My friend, Mister Jazz. 20 I never cared about discords, 21 They never cared about me; 22 But when I listen to his chords,
Grumble, Grumble, Growl! () Composed by: Phillip Phillips Vocabulary: content – feeling satisfied scarcely – a small amount of something famine – when there’s not enough food to eat and people are starving Notes: Grumble, Grumble, Growl! 1 We are all grumblers here, 2 From the largest to the least, 3 No matter what our cheer, 4 Be it famine, be it feast, 5 For this world is very strange, 6 Let times be fair or foul, 7 No matter where we range, 8 It is grumble, grumble, growl, 9 We never are content,