No Snow Required. What do you get when you cross a snowboarder, a skateboarder, and a mountain biker? A mountainboarder, of course!

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1 No Snow Required No Snow Required What do you get when you cross a snowboarder, a skateboarder, and a mountain biker? A mountainboarder, of course! Mountainboarding is an extreme sport that is becoming very popular these days. It involves racing downhill or doing tricks on an oversized skateboard. Mountainboarders practice their sport on dirt roads, in sand dunes, on grassy ski slopes, in skate parks, and even on BMX tracks. "Basically, this is for guys who like to play in the dirt," Don Baker, a mountainboarder from San Jose, California, told The New York Times. Snowboarders Jason Lee and Patrick McConnell invented mountain-boarding in the summer of Both were bored because of the lack of snow. When the boredom got too much for them, the pair took wheels from wheelbarrows and dollies and fastened them to plywood planks. In that instant, mountainboarding was born. The boards have big inflatable wheels in the back. The rider uses a front wheel to steer. The board is also equipped with shock absorbers and brakes. Different kinds of boards, including dirt boards and all-terrain boards, are available. Every August, racers and tricksters travel to Colorado to battle in the U.S. Open Mountainboarding Championships. Since 2005, mountainboarding has taken off. "Mountainboarding is happening all over the world," Lee, now a seven-time national mountainboarding champion, told Senior Edition. "It's easier to learn than snowboarding or skateboarding. And you don't even need a mountain." Copyright 2007 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission.weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.

2 No Snow Required - Explicit Information Questions Name: Date: 1. Jason Lee is a mountainboarder who A. invented his own sport. B. has been a national champion 7 times. C. knows snowboarder Patrick McConnell. D. all of the above. 2. Mountainboarding A. takes place only on a mountain. B. involves wheelbarrows. C. is exactly like skateboarding. D. involves racing downhill on an oversized skateboard. 3. Based on how mountainboarding came into being, you could say that A. boredom can have lucky results. B. without snow, mountainboarding cannot be practiced. C. it took about 5 years for mountainboarding to become popular. D. for mountainboarding, you need a grassy ski slope. 4. The U.S. Mountainboarding Championships take place in A. San Jose, CA. B. skate parks. C. BMX track facilities. D. Colorado. 5. What are the similarities and differences between a skateboard and a mountainboard?

3 Snow Day Fever Snow Day Fever by W.M. Akers Snow stuck to Ned's window in bunches-like clumps of cotton in a washing machine's lint trap. The sun was coming up slowly, and the sky had a strange reddish, purple tinge that could only mean one thing: a snow day. Ned eased open his window, coughing from the effort, and stuck a ruler into the powder. "Four inches," he said. "Four!" As he said it, he heard cheers from downstairs. The school superintendent must have a ruler too, he thought. Jamie and Ellen were glued to the local news, and they must have just heard that school was cancelled. What he wouldn't give to be down there sharing in the good news. Ned pressed his knuckles to his forehead. It didn't feel hot to him. He raided his closet and came out with all the heaviest clothes he could find. He tugged on two or three sweaters, a pair of sweatpants and snow pants, and as many hats as his head could hold. "I am going outside to play," he said. "Oh no you're not," said his mother from the hallway. She sounded much more confident than he did, and he knew he couldn't beat her. He felt too tired to even argue. He took off his hats and cast them on the floor, defeated. Ned's school district got one snow day a year, if they were lucky. Usually it came in February after the worst of the winter weather was behind them. The weatherman would forecast two inches, the sky would probably provide only half an inch, and the superintendent would cancel class anyway. Ned's mother said they were being timid, but Ned knew better. Those halfhearted snow days came out of pity for the children stuck in class. Even the superintendent was a child once, and he knew how important a snow day could be. It's not often that the whole world decides to take a break, that even grown ups go out and play, that children are called crazy if all they want to do is stay inside. A snow day is a rare and beautiful thing, something special, something not to be missed. "Unless you have a temperature of 103 degrees." "102.7, Mom. It's only " "I'm rounding up." ReadWorks.org 2015 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.

4 Snow Day Fever "That's math class talk. I don't have to go to school today. No math!" "Fine, no math. And no snow pants either. Get back in bed and eat your soup." "Soup for breakfast?" "Soup for sick kids." "I feel fine, Mom. Really! I can go out and play just for a little while." "You don't look fine. You're clammy. You're sweating." "Probably because of all the soup I've had to eat!" "Eat up, Ned, and get some sleep. I'll be back later. I'm taking Jamie and Ellen to the park." Ned watched his little brother and sister squeeze into their snow gear and waddle out the front door. He choked down his soup, burning his tongue to spite his mother. He was angry. He was frustrated. He was...very, very tired. Ned woke up, his soup at his side, snow still falling outside his window. He wasn't sweating. He wasn't clammy. He was feeling pretty good! His hand shot out from under the blankets and jammed the electric thermometer into his mouth. After a few tense minutes, the answer came back: 99.8 degrees. Better. Much better! "Mom! My fever broke! Can I go outside now?" "When you get to 98.6 degrees, you can go outside." Ned pulled on his pants, sweaters and hats. He waddled downstairs, the thermometer clutched in his hand. He crept into the kitchen, as sneaky as someone wearing four layers could be, and filled a glass with ice water. The thermometer beeped as it slid into the water. "You can see the thermometer, Mom!" he shouted. "I'm in the kitchen. Ninety-eight-point-six, right on the nose." Ned heard his mother coming down the hall. The thermometer wasn't finished taking a reading yet, but there wasn't time to wait. He jammed it into his mouth just as she came around the door. It beeped, finished, and he handed it to her. ReadWorks.org 2015 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.

5 Snow Day Fever "See?" he said. "Oh dear. Oh dear, Ned-we have to get you to the hospital!" "What?" The digital display told the story. Ned had a temperature of 48.7 degrees-cold enough to be legally dead. "Oh sweetheart, you must be the first kid ever who cheated to make his temperature lower." Defeated, Ned started tugging off his hats, until he felt his mother's hand stop him. "Let's go outside," she said. "For a lie that lousy, you deserve a fifteen minute snowball fight." ReadWorks.org 2015 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.

6 Snow Day Fever - Comprehension Questions Name: Date: 1. What does Ned conclude when he hears cheers from downstairs at the beginning of the story? A. At least four inches of snow has fallen. B. School is cancelled. C. School is not cancelled. D. His mom will let him go outside. 2. What main problem does Ned face? A. He can't find enough warm clothes to play outside. B. He has a temperature of 98.6 degrees. C. He is sick with a fever, so his mother won't let him play outside in the snow. D. His soup is so hot it burns his tongue. 3. Ned is desperate to play outside in the snow. What evidence from the text supports this conclusion? A. "She sounded much more confident than he did, and he knew he couldn't beat her." B. "Ned's mother said they were being timid, but Ned knew better." C. "He wasn't sweating. He wasn't clammy. He was feeling pretty good!" D. "Oh sweetheart, you must be the first kid ever who cheated to make his temperature lower." 4. Why does Ned's mother finally let him play outside? A. He promises to eat more soup and take a rest afterwards. B. She feels sorry for him. C. His temperature finally falls to 98.6 degrees. D. She takes him to the hospital, and he feels better.

7 Snow Day Fever - Comprehension Questions 5. What is the main idea of this passage? A. Ned is so sick that if he goes outside, his temperature could drop. B. Ned wants to have a snowball fight outside rather than go to math class. C. Ned tries to convince his mother he is well enough to play outside so he won't miss the snow day. D. Ned is so excited about the snow day that he forgets he is sick with a fever. 6. Read these sentences from the text. "He was angry. He was frustrated. He was... very, very tired." Why does the author include a pause in the last sentence? A. to emphasize how tired Ned feels B. to emphasize how angry Ned feels C. to show how confused Ned is D. to show how quietly Ned is speaking 7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence. Ned's fever is not completely gone, his mother lets him have a snowball fight outside. A. On the contrary B. Even though C. Specifically D. For example 8. What does Ned want to do when he learns school is cancelled?

8 Snow Day Fever - Comprehension Questions 9. How many snow days does Ned's school district get? 10. Apart from school being cancelled, why are snow days so important to Ned? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

9 Let It Snow! Let It Snow! WR News talks to an award-winning snowflake expert. Most people stay indoors during a snowstorm, but Kenneth Libbrecht is not most people. When flurries start drifting down from the sky, the scientist heads out into the cold. He takes his camera with him. Outside, Libbrecht waits for snowflakes that are just right. Finally, he spots the glittery ice crystals he's been waiting for. As the snowflakes fall, Libbrecht catches them. Then he points his camera and shoots. Kenneth Libbrecht Libbrecht caught these cool crystals on camera. The scientist's shiny snapshots recently earned him an award. The award is given to top science photographers around the world. Libbrecht takes pictures of snowflakes to learn more about their shapes. The crystals form when water vapor, or steam, in a cloud freezes. Every snowflake grows into a hexagon. That is a six-sided shape. However, no two snowflakes look the same. Experts are not sure why. To solve the mystery, Libbrecht has traveled to snowy places around the world. He has taken pictures of snowflakes in Canada, Alaska, and Vermont. He takes his research back to his science lab. That is in California. Libbrecht has collected nearly 10,000 snowflake images, or pictures. He spends most of the winter studying them. The scientist's outdoor adventures are far from over, though. Libbrecht continues to journey to other snowy places to take more photos. Copyright 2009 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.

10 Let It Snow! "I really enjoy... watching the snow fall and trying to see what I can find," he told WR News. "It's a bit of a treasure hunt." Meet the Snow Man Read to learn about scientist Kenneth Libbrecht's snowy side. Kenneth Libbrecht WR News: How do you take pictures of snowflakes? Kenneth Libbrecht: When I find a good one, I'll [catch it] using a little paintbrush. I then stick it under my microscope and take a picture. WR News: What advice do you have for kids who want to study snowflakes? KL: You don't need a lot of fancy equipment. With a simple magnifying glass on a snowy day, you can really see quite a bit if you just stop and look. Copyright 2009 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.

11 Let It Snow! - Comprehension Questions Name: Date: 1. What does Libbrecht use a paintbrush for when he is photographing snowflakes? A. He uses a paintbrush to paint snowflakes. B. He uses a paintbrush to make snow shapes. C. He uses a paintbrush to catch snowflakes. D. He uses a paintbrush to draw on his camera. 2. What does the text describe? A. how images are captured by cameras B. how a snowflake forms C. Libbrecht's education D. different examples of science photography 3. Weekly Reader News asked Kenneth Libbrecht what advice he has for kids who want to study snowflakes. This was his reply: "You don't need a lot of fancy equipment. With a simple magnifying glass on a snowy day, you can really see quite a bit if you just stop and look." Based on his reply, what might Libbrecht think about studying snowflakes? A. He thinks it is a mysterious experience. B. He thinks it is a boring experience. C. He thinks it is relatively easy. D. He thinks it is relatively hard. 4. Read the following quote from Kenneth Libbrecht: "I really enjoy watching the snow fall and trying to see what I can find. It's a bit of a treasure hunt." Why does Kenneth Libbrecht use the phrase "treasure hunt"? A. to suggest he is looking for something hidden B. to suggest he is searching for something valuable C. to suggest he wants to find snowflakes made of gold D. to suggest he just really enjoys what he does

12 Let It Snow! - Comprehension Questions 5. The primary purpose of this passage is to describe A. the best pictures ever taken of snowflakes B. the places around the world with the most snow C. the reasons that no two snowflakes look alike D. the work of a scientist who studies snowflakes 6. What has Libbrecht done to learn why no two snowflakes look the same? 7. What word might the author use to describe Kenneth Libbrecht? Be sure to explain your answer with evidence from the text. 8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. Kenneth Libbrecht plans to visit lots of snowy places he wants to take more pictures of snowflakes. A. but B. although C. if D. because

13 Let It Snow! - Comprehension Questions 9. Use the word "expert" in a sentence.