April/May 2009

STORYWORKS ACTIVITIES
Reading and writing skills practice for each
Storyworks article, play, and poem

 

We have created 22 brand-new standards-based reproducibles and comprehension quizzes for you to use with the April/May issue, plus a LIBRARY of reading comprehension/essay writing templates, graphic organizers, and skills activities to be used with any issue!

 

Important Answer Key Information
Answers to all online reproducibles and quizzes are on our secret Web site. The URL to this Web site can be found on page T1 of the print version of your Teacher’s Edition.

UPDATED! VOCABULARY ACTIVITY
A new activity presents vocabulary from the entire issue of Storyworks.
To download, click here.

This Month's Teacher's Edition
Misplace your Teacher’s Edition? Don’t worry! You can now download it directly from our Web site by clicking here. Note: This online version does NOT include the answer key. The answer key is on page T7 of the print version of your Teacher’s Edition, and also on the Answer Key Web site.

 

Most of the following resources are in PDF format. To view and print them, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader Software. Click here to download it for free.

 

April/May 2009
Reproducible Skills Activities and Quizzes


Poetry
"Climbing"

 

  • Comprehension Quiz
    Test-prep and critical thinking questions
  • Read. Think. Explain.
    Critical thinking questions
    (Note: These are also listed in our Teacher’s Edition and can be used for discussion.)
  • Poetry Writing
    Students experiment with words, smells, and images to write a lofty poem about their favorite Spring activity.

 

 

Fiction
"Ol' Dirty Nose"
Check out the 2008-2009 Create a Character Contest-winning story and meet the creative team behind it: author Roland Smith and contest winner,
Janie Groetsch


  • Comprehension Quiz
  • Test-prep and critical thinking questions
  • Read. Think. Explain.
    Critical thinking questions
    (Note: These are also listed in our Teacher’s Edition and can be used for discussion.)
  • Vocabulary
    Based on words from this article
  • Understanding Character
    Students will think about characters' decisions and their motivations in order to better understand who these characters really are.
  • Creating Characters
    Students will look at lines from Janie’s contest entry and find details in the story to show how Roland turned Janie’s outline into the character of Sam Woods.

For this article, we also recommend that you use the following reproducibles from the library (see the entire list below):


Historical Fiction
"When the Earth Split Open"
The Midwestern Earthquakes of 1811-1812


 

 

  • Comprehension Quiz
    Test-prep and critical thinking questions
  • Read. Think. Explain.
    Critical thinking questions
    (Note: These are also listed in our Teacher’s Edition and can be used for discussion.)
  • Vocabulary
    Based on words from this article
  • Genre Study: Historical Fiction
    Students write their own piece of historical fiction, telling the story of the earthquakes from the perspective of another fictional character.
  • Distinguishing Fact From Fiction
    Students learn how to tell the difference between the facts in an article and the fictional elements used to make the story more interesting.

For this article, we also recommend that you use the following reproducibles from the library (see the entire list at the bottom of this page):

 

Play
"The Red-Headed League"
A mysteriously delightful Sherlock Holmes adventure!


  • Comprehension Quiz
  • Test-prep and critical thinking questions
  • Read. Think. Explain.
    Critical thinking questions
    (Note: These are also listed in our Teacher’s Edition and can be used for discussion.)
  • Vocabulary
    Based on words from this article
  • Sequencing
    Students practice putting events from the play in their proper order.
  • Drawing Conclusions
    Students identifythe details in the play that helped Holmes draw his conclusions and find his answers.

For this article, we also recommend that you use the following reproducibles from the library (see the entire list below):


Poetry
"Voice from Afar"

 

  • Comprehension Quiz
    Test-prep and critical thinking questions
  • Read. Think. Explain.
    Critical thinking questions
    (Note: These are also listed in our Teacher’s Edition and can be used for discussion.)
  • Poetry Analysis
    Students will think about what the author is saying in her poem. They will then think about what the poem means to them.

 

ALL of the April/May 09 Reproducibles

Click here to print all of these reproducibles at once. (without answer key!)

ALL of the April/May 09 Quizzes
Click here to print all of these quizzes at once (Without answer key!)


Skills and Graphic-Organizer Library
Use these basic skills activities for just about any Storyworks feature