Here s Your Sample Packet...and, thanks for your interest in this product! mportant nformation This sample packet contains all of the materials for one of the guidedpractice reading tests, for a total of five pages. The full, registered version comes with the same, five-page assets for all 10 guidedpractice reading tests, yielding 50 pages of instructional resources to use with your kids. Procedure The procedure for using these materials is entirely up to you. After all, it s your classroom, and you re in charge. What follows is just a recommendation nothing more. Recommendation 1. Begin each packet with the Visualization Activity. This will allow students to become familiar with the text and to see in their minds eye the relationship of the topics, details, and/or events. There are 10 unique graphic organizers in the full, registered version. 2. ntroduce the nstructional Exercise so that students will have a built-in reference for learning the terms and concepts associated with the passage and questions. 3. Administer the Comprehension Test for summative evaluation. f they have completed the prior two pages, they should have little difficulty in achieving an acceptable score. 4. Finally, the two Enrichment Puzzles included for each packet serves the purpose of reinforcing the terms and concepts learned. Thanks Again truly appreciate your taking the time to download this resource. f you like what you see, the full, registered version is just a click away. Best wishes always and thanks for all you do for our kids!
Test Packet 1: Hard as Nails nstructor s nformation Reading Level of the Passage Flesch-Kincaid 7.2 Lexile Level Grades 6-8* *Note As returned by Online Lexile Analyzer Common Core Standards Grade 6 RL.6.1, RL.6.3, RL.6.5, RL.6.6 Grade 7 RL.7.1, RL.7.3, RL.7.6 Grade 8 RL.8.1, RL.8.2, RL.8.10 Multiple Choice and Short Answer Keys 1 B Baltimore sometime in the 1900 s 2 A Autobiography-the author writes about himself 3 C Baltimore may be a better place to live. Return to the Table of Contents Crossword Key 2 P 5 S 10 4 R 1 D E A P E R 3 B O Y M A E S O L U T O N 6 C T 7 C E A M L T 8 A U T O B O G R A 9 P H Y T S R S R N F E R E N C E O N T B G L E M 4 C His family needed the money. Word Search Key 5 C 6 A 7 B 8 D 9 B N/A 10 A N/A He felt happy and important spreading the news. Too many papers to sell makes it difficult He hides the extras and pays for them himself. His boss. Deems provides the papers to sell. Graphic Organizer Key 1 The circumstances at the beginning are described in detail. 2 The author s new job and his attitudes/feelings about it 3 The problem is presented along with the resolution N Q S Q N B B U H Q M Q L G K X B R B A L T M O R E E Y N R S U G K N K P D W Y T B A F E R X X D X J G O X U M E S K S N G V D E E M S A Q W R O T E P M R B Z R X K N B P M E L Y T W L B D Y P M B U R C C N U N T A M O A E E C L O H Z C C T Q B X Y M P L S B M B J J E R N E D N S O N L C A U S E E O O G Q F Q S T E H C V K P E N N L U R O E M O D A R J F E D C F R T S Q R C P R O Y Q E F P B A U T O B O G R A P H Y U R 2
Name Date Class Period Directions: Read the passage below, then write the purpose of each numbered paragraph in the areas marked with the matching paragraph number. Then, write 6 supporting details for each paragraph in the connected boxes. Visualiza on Ac vity by Russell Baker 1 There were several reasons for moving to Baltimore. For one, there were people my mother knew in Baltimore, people she could go to if things got desperate. And desperation was possible, because the moving would exhaust her savings, and the apartment rent was twenty-four dollars a month. She would have to find a job quickly. My sister Doris was only nine, but was old enough for an after-school job that could bring home a few dollars a week. So as soon as it was legal, went into newspaper work. 2 The romance of it was almost unbearable on my first day as trudged west along Lombard Street, then south along Gilmore, and east down Pratt Street, with the bundle of newspapers strapped to my hip. imagined people pausing to admire me as performed this important work, spreading the news of the world, the city, and the racetracks onto doorsteps, through mail slots, and under door jambs. had often gazed with envy at paperboys; to be one of them at last was happiness sublime. 3 Very soon, though, discovered drawbacks. The worst of these was Deems. Though had only forty customers, Deems sent papers for forty-five. Since was billed for every paper left on Wisengoff s corner, had to pay for the five extra copies out of income or try to hustle them on the street. hated standing at streetcar stops yelling, Paper! Paper! at people getting off trolleys. Usually, if my mother wasn t around to catch me, stuck the extras in a dark closet and took the loss. 1 1 2 1 3 1 3
Name Date Class Period Directions: Read the passage below, then answer the questions at the right. Match the symbols on the questions with the matching symbols in the Study Notes to find information about the answers. nstruc onal Exercise by Russell Baker There were several reasons for moving to Baltimore. For one, there were people my mother knew in Baltimore, people she could go to if things got desperate. And desperation was possible, because the moving would exhaust her savings, and the apartment rent was twenty-four dollars a month. She would have to find a job quickly. My sister Doris was only nine, but was old enough for an after-school job that could bring home a few dollars a week. So as soon as it was legal, went into newspaper work. The romance of it was almost unbearable on my first day as trudged west along Lombard Street, then south along Gilmore, and east down Pratt Street, with the bundle of newspapers strapped to my hip. imagined people pausing to admire me as performed this important work, spreading the news of the world, the city, and the racetracks onto doorsteps, through mail slots, and under door jambs. had often gazed with envy at paperboys; to be one of them at last was happiness sublime. Very soon, though, discovered drawbacks. The worst of these was Deems. Though had only forty customers, Deems sent papers for forty-five. Since was billed for every paper left on Wisengoff s corner, had to pay for the five extra copies out of income or try to hustle them on the street. hated standing at streetcar stops yelling, Paper! Paper! at people getting off trolleys. Usually, if my mother wasn t around to catch me, stuck the extras in a dark closet and took the loss. S The setting of the story is the time, place, and circumstances of the events that take place. G 2 types of nonfiction deal with the author s life story: Autobiography is the life story told by the author. Biography is the life story told by someone else. An inference is a conclusion the reader makes about meaning based on the evidence presented in the story. nferences help the reader understand when the meaning is not directly stated. Study Notes C Cause is an event that forces another event to happen. For example, if you hold your breath for too long, you are forced to breathe in air. Holding your breath too long causes you to breathe in. P The problem in a story is the challenge or struggle that a character is forced to struggle with. R The resolution is what the character does to solve a problem that he or she has run into. Think about the Text S 1. What is the setting of this passage? G 2. What genre of writing is this and why? 3. Why has this family moved to another city? C 4. What caused the author to find work as a paperboy? D 5. What evidence shows how the author feels about his new job? P 6. What problem comes up for the author in the last paragraph? R 7. How does the author solve this problem? 8. How is Deems related to the author and how do you know? 4
Comprehension Test by Russell Baker There were several reasons for moving to Baltimore. For one, there were people my mother knew in Baltimore, people she could go to if things got desperate. And desperation was possible, because the moving would exhaust her savings, and the apartment rent was twenty-four dollars a month. She would have to find a job quickly. My sister Doris was only nine, but was old enough for an after-school job that could bring home a few dollars a week. So as soon as it was legal, went into newspaper work. The romance of it was almost unbearable on my first day as trudged west along Lombard Street, then south along Gilmore, and east down Pratt Street, with the bundle of newspapers strapped to my hip. imagined people pausing to admire me as performed this important work, spreading the news of the world, the city, and the racetracks onto doorsteps, through mail slots, and under door jambs. had often gazed with envy at paperboys; to be one of them at last was happiness sublime. Very soon, though, discovered drawbacks. The worst of these was Deems. Though had only forty customers, Deems sent papers for forty-five. Since was billed for every paper left on Wisengoff s corner, had to pay for the five extra copies out of income or try to hustle them on the street. hated standing at streetcar stops yelling, Paper! Paper! at people getting off trolleys. Usually, if my mother wasn t around to catch me, stuck the extras in a dark closet and took the loss. 1. What is the setting of this passage? A. Baltimore B. Baltimore during the 1900 s C. Baltimore sometime after 2000 D. There is not enough information to tell. 2. What genre of writing is this? A. autobiography B. biography C. fiction D. poetry 3. Since the author is narrating, readers. A. do not know when this story is taking place. B. know only a few characters thoughts. C. only see and experience what the author sees. D. know all of the characters thoughts. 4. Since the author is narrating, he is able to. A. tell things his main character doesn t know. B. distance himself from the action. C. relate his personal opinions. D. remain hidden as a person. 5. Why has this family moved to another city? A. They want to live somewhere new. B. They will be closer to Deems and Wisengoff. C. Baltimore may be a better place for them to live. D. The narrator has been hired as a paperboy. 6. What caused the author to find work? A. His family needed money. B. Baltimore needed paperboys. C. The author s mother could not work. D. According to the law, he had to work. 7. Having a new job made the author feel. A. desperate B. important C. angry D. superior 8. What problem develops for the author? A. He is not given enough papers to sell. B. He cannot remember what streets to go to. C. He cannot get off the trolley to sell papers. D. He is given too many papers to sell. 9. More than likely, who is Deems? A. the narrator s friend B. the narrator s boss C. the narrator s customer D. the narrator s sister 10. How does the author solve the problem? A. He hides the papers and pays for them himself. B. He sells all the extras on corners and trolleys. C. He gives them away on Gilmore Street. D. He hopes the missing money is not discovered. 5
Name Date Class Period Directions: Solve the puzzles below. The vocabulary list for the Word Search Puzzle is ALSO the solution list for the Crossword Puzzle. Reinforcement Ac vi es by Russel Baker BALTMORE CAUSE CLOSET DEEMS NFERENCE AUTOBOGRAPHY PAPERBOY PROBLEM RESOLUTON SETTNG N Q S Q N B B U H Q M Q L G K X B R B A L T M O R E E Y N R S U G K N K P D W Y T B A F E R X X D X J G O X U M E S K S N G V D E E M S A Q W R O T E P M R B Z R X K N B P M E L Y T W L B D Y P M B U R C C N U N T A M O A E E C L O H Z C C T Q B X Y M P L S B M B J J E R N E D N S O N L C A U S E E O O G Q F Q S T E H C V K P E N N L U R O E M O D A R J F E D C F R T S Q R C P R O Y Q E F P B A U T O B O G R A P H Y U R 2 3 4 1 Across 2 the first job the author had 4 how the problem is solved 8 The writer writes about his or her life. 10 a conclusion a reader makes given evidence in the text 5 6 7 10 8 9 Down 1 More than likely, this person is the author's boss. 3 a city where a family's life may be better 5 the time and place of the action in the passage 6 an event that forces another event to occur 7 part of the resolution of the problem 9 a conflict or struggle that the author has 6