COLEGIO DISTRITAL SILVERIA ESPINOSA DE RENDON

READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES

TEACHER: Ludhin Montaez

Word Detective: The Ugly Duckling

Hans Christian Andersen wrote the story of The
Ugly Duckling. It tells about a small baby duck,
called a duckling, who is a very ugly duck. He
is not very happy because all the farm animals
make fun of him. Then, one day the duckling
grows up. He finds out he is not a duck, but a
beautiful swan!
Below is part of the story.

The poor duckling, had crept out of his shell

last of all. He looked so ugly! He was bitten
and pushed and made fun of, not only by the
ducks, but by all the poultry. He is too big, they
all said. The turkey, who fancied himself really
an emperor, puffed himself out like a vessel in
full sail. He flew at the duckling, and became
quite red in the face with passion. The poor little
duckling did not know where to go. He was quite
miserable because he was so ugly and laughed at
by the whole farmyard. So it went on from day to
day till it got worse and worse. The poor duckling
was driven about by everyone; even his brothers
and sisters were unkind to him. They would say,
Ah, you ugly creature, I wish the cat would get
you. The ducks pecked him, the chickens beat
him, and the girl who fed the poultry kicked him
with her feet. So at last he ran away, frightening
the little birds in the hedge as he flew off.
Circle the letter of the word that means
almost the same thing as the underlined
word. Use the rest of the sentence to
help find the correct meaning of the word.
1. ...made fun of, not only by the ducks,
but by all the poultry.
A. vegetables B. birds C. clouds
2. The turkey, who fancied himself really
an emperor...
A. ran B. dressed C. believed
3. ...puffed himself out like a vessel in
full sail.
A. ship B. cake C. goose
4. ...became quite red in the face
with passion...
A. sunrise B. rain C. anger
5. was quite miserable because he was
so ugly and laughed at...
A. calm B. unhappy C. hungry
6. ...even his brothers and sisters were
unkind to him...
A. mean B. helpful C. asleep
7. ...would say, Ah, you ugly creature, I
wish the cat would get you.
A. door B. animal C. apple
8. So at last he ran away, frightening the
little birds...
A. writing B. feeding C. scaring

Earthquakes: Movement of the Earths

Crust
Word Meanings
Earthquakes are the shaking and moving of the
ground when energy is released in waves. These
waves are called seismic waves.
These waves are similar to ocean waves, which
move through water. Seismic waves, however,
move through the ground. Most earthquakes are
caused by the movement of large sections of the
Earths crust, called plates. The place where two
plates meet is called a fault. Faults look like large
cracks in the ground. If the two plates move in
different directions, they build up energy at the
fault line. When enough energy builds up, the
stress on the fault becomes too great and it
ruptures. This releases the energy and the
ground starts to shake. Earthquakes can also be
caused by other natural events, such as
landslides and volcanoes. Manmade earthquakes
happen because of nuclear testing and mining
explosions. The first movement of an earthquake,
called the main shock, is often followed by
smaller ground trembles, called aftershocks.
These aftershocks are the plates settling into
their new position.
Aftershocks can continue for days after the main
shock. There are an estimated 500,000
earthquakes around the world each year. Most
are so mild they are only recorded on scientifi c
instruments. Only about 100,000 can be felt by
humans. Of these, only about 19 a year cause
major damage. Major earthquakes in populated
areas can cause huge destruction. Buildings
collapse, roads and bridges buckle and crack,
and electrical and gas lines break and cause fires.
If the earthquake happens in the ocean, it makes
a series of huge ocean waves called a tsunami.
The tsunami travels until it finally reaches land,
where it causes large flooding. Scientists are
searching for ways to predict earthquakes. They
study the historical patterns of earthquakes and
monitor the movement of the plates with seismic
equipment. While they cannot predict an exact
date of a future earthquake, they have a better
understanding of when earthquakes are more
likely to happen.

Circle the correct meaning for each of the following

words from the passage.
1. ruptures
a. joins
b. forms a new plate
c. breaks
2. destruction
a. panic
b. damage
c. worry; concern
3. collapse
a. fall down
b. catch fi re
c. explode
4. predict
a. prevent; stop
b. know a future event
c. study; examine

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

For each scene below, write what you think

will most likely happen next.
1. Alice was carrying a large clothes basket from the bedroom
down the stairs to the laundry room. She struggled under the
weight of the basket. She wished her younger brothers would
help her. Instead, they were playing. She had heard them
throwing a baseball in the house earlier. She had told them to
go outside. They had gone to the backyard, but they had left
the baseball on the stairs.

_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________

2. Winston stood at the store counter. It was hard to make a

decision. On the one hand, he had just enough money to buy
the new game he wanted so badly. However, he had come to
the store to buy his mothers birthday present. If he bought her
present, he would have to wait another week to have enough
money for the game. As he looked at the game, he
remembered that his mother made his favorite soup when he
was sick. He also thought about how proud she was when he
won the relay race. His mind was made up.
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

3. It had been a beautiful sunny day. Now George saw the

clouds begin to roll in. The gentle breeze
of the day started blowing steadily. In the distance the blue sky
was now a dark, angry purple. Far away, but coming closer,
George saw something that scared him. He ran to the house to
tell his mother that they needed to get into the storm cellar
right away.
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

4. My arms are quite strong. _____________

5. Thats very common. _________________
6. Is he alive? ________________
7. Is she awake? _______________
8. The people are very poor. ____________
9. Its quite a narrow road. ______________
10. Its a noisy place. ____________________
READ THE STORY BELOW AND WRITE THE
CONCLUSION
Elwin and Allorah ran through the caves, trying to
escape the troll. They knew there must be some
way out of the maze of chambers. They could
almost smell the fresh air. It would be welcomed
after so long underground. As the turned a corner,
they entered a large cavern. It was lit brightly with
crystal fi re. They saw clearly three separate
wooden doors. On one was written B. Lowe Ater.
The middle one had Comb U. Stion written on it.
The last one said Splen Ded Glen.
A tiny elf glided toward them. Its high voice rang
through the cavern. You are looking for escape, it
said. One of these doors will lead you to safety. I
am forbidden from telling you which one. I can tell
you this: one door leads to the bottom of the sea,
one into a blazing fire and one to a grassy meadow.
Each door is logical to its end. You must decide
quickly, as the troll will find you very soon. Good
luck. With that, the elf glided away into the corners
of the cavern. Elwin and Allorah knew immediately
which door to pick.
Write the ending of the story. Explain which door
Elwin and Allorah picked and how they knew it
was the correct door.
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________

_________________________________________________

LETS CHECK SOME PREPOSITIONS

Position of adjectives
Adjectives usually go before a noun. They can also go after
be. Its a quiet village. The village is quiet. You cant use
alive, awake and asleep before a noun. The man is alive. NOT
an alive man

True or false? Write T or F.

The

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

River Nile is very narrow. __F__

Elephants are very strong.
Julius Caesar is still alive.
America is a poor country.
People are noisy at football matches.
Toyota cars are common in Japan.
Dictionaries are useless.
Pasta is unusual in Italy.
Some people talk when theyre asleep.

Write the opposite of the bold word.

Theyre

very rich. __Poor___

1. Its a quiet town. __________
2. Its a useless knife.__________
3. The gardens quite wide.__________