Yahaaa · Reading
Stories for the classroom
Short narratives that put vocabulary into a scene a learner can follow. 7,463 on the shelf, each with a discussion question.
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Story Common Nouns in English: construction 12
Penelope's Painted Castle
Penelope transforms her room into a castle through her imaginative use of pigment, pilasters, piles, pitch, planks, plaster, plates, and ply.
Talk about it 1. What inspired Penelope to paint her room like a castle? 2. How did Penelope make her pilasters look like marble? 3. What did Penelope use to make the floor smooth? 4. How did Penelope decorate her castle walls? 5. What did Penelope learn from painting her room?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: construction 11
The Magic of a Penny and a Pedestal
A little girl named Penny finds a penny at the pedestal of a magical statue and goes on a journey to the most beautiful place in the world, learning the true meaning of beauty and kindness.
Talk about it 1. What did Penny wish for when she found the penny at the pedestal? 2. What did the statue tell Penny was the most beautiful place in the world? 3. What did Penny promise to do after her visit to the beautiful place? 4. What did the statue teach Penny about the true meaning of beauty? 5. Why was Penny's journey to the beautiful place a magical one?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: construction 11
Max the Handyman: A Patio Adventure
Max, a young boy, fixes a peeling panel, a notch, an offset outrigger, and builds a partition on his patio, becoming known as the handyman in his village.
Talk about it 1. What was wrong with the panel of Max's house? 2. What did Max do to fix the panel and the outrigger? 3. What did Max use to fill the notch in the panel? 4. How did Max become known as the handyman in his village? 5. What can you learn from Max's story about fixing things yourself?
Open reading -
Story Common Adjectives in English: size 1
The Adventure of Tim and the Giant
An average-sized man named Tim goes on an adventure to find the biggest creature of all, a giant who grants his wish for a kinder and happier world.
Talk about it 1. Who is Tim and what does he do in the story? 2. What is the biggest creature Tim finds on his adventure? 3. What does Tim wish for when he meets the giant? 4. How does the world change after Tim's wish is granted? 5. Why is Tim grateful to the giant? 6. What lesson did Tim learn from his adventure?
Open reading -
Story Common Adjectives in English: taste 2
Lily's Magic Dish: A Tale of Nine Tastes
Lily creates a dish with all the tastes of plain, salty, savory, sour, spicy, sweet, tangy, tart, and zesty and becomes famous as the "Flavor Queen" in her village.
Talk about it 1. What was Lily's goal when she started cooking in her kitchen? 2. How did Lily make her dish taste sour? 3. What happened when the villagers tasted Lily's dish at the fair? 4. How did Lily become known as the "Flavor Queen"? 5. Can you name all the different tastes that Lily's dish had? 6. How do you think the children felt when they tasted Lily's magic dish for the first time? 7. How did Lily's dish make the villagers feel? 8. What do you think would have happened if Lily didn't add the ginger to make the dish zesty? 9. Can you think of any other ingredients that Lily could have added to her dish to make it even more special?
Open reading -
Story Common Adjectives in English: colors 4
The Adventure of Heather and the Golden Forest
Heather discovers a nugget of gold in the forest and returns it to its source, a golden tree, to restore the beauty and color to the surrounding gray landscape.
Talk about it 1. Why did Heather set off on a journey to find more gold? 2. What did Heather find in the hidden cave? 3. How did Heather's actions affect the forest? 4. What did Heather learn about preserving the beauty of the world? 5. Do you think Heather will continue to have adventures and explore new places? Why or why not?
Open reading -
Story Common Adjectives in English: colors 4
Fuchsia's Colorful Adventure
Fuchsia embarks on a journey through a magical land of colors and returns with a collection of beautiful gems and hues, earning her recognition as the bravest and most adventurous person in her village.
Talk about it 1. What was Fuchsia's goal in her journey? 2. What colors did Fuchsia discover in the desert? 3. What did Fuchsia find in the hidden cave? 4. How did the villagers react to Fuchsia's discovery? 5. What made Fuchsia known as the bravest and most adventurous person in the village?
Open reading -
Story Common Adjectives in English: physics 4
The Flexible Robot: A Lesson in Adaptability
A rigid robot learns the importance of flexibility and adaptability when measuring a volumetric box.
Talk about it 1. Why was Rigid having trouble measuring the volumetric box? 2. What did the wise old robot suggest Rigid do to solve his problem? 3. How did Rigid feel after he became more flexible? 4. What did Rigid learn from this experience? 5. Can you think of a time when being too rigid was a problem for you? How did you solve it?
Open reading -
Story Common Adjectives in English: physics 4
The Radiant Discovery: A Tale of Progressive and Quantum Physics
Max and his friends harness the power of a radioactive rock to create a new, progressive and quantum energy source that changes their world forever.
Talk about it 1. What was Max's favorite subject in school? 2. What did Max and his friends discover that changed their world? 3. What kind of machine did Max and his friends build to harness the power of the radioactive rock? 4. What happened to the energy when it passed through the rectilinear device? 5. How did the energy source change the lives of the people in the land? 6. How did Max and his friends become known in their world? 7. Can you think of any real-life examples of progressive or quantum physics? 8. What do you think might have happened if Max and his friends had not discovered the radioactive rock?
Open reading -
Story Common Adjectives in English: shape 1
The Round Dam: A Story of Hope and Resilience
A young boy named Jack saves his village from a drying river by building a round dam with a sturdy tree, becoming a hero and symbol of hope.
Talk about it 1. Why did the villagers start to worry about the rivers in their village? 2. What was Jack's idea to solve the problem with the rivers? 3. Why did the villagers choose to make the dam round? 4. How did the villagers feel after the dam was completed and the river was full again? 5. How did Jack become a hero in the village?
Open reading -
Story Common Adjectives in English: shape 1
Chunky's Charming Creation
Chunky, a round and friendly resident, builds a unique, chunky building in Squareville, teaching the residents to embrace their differences and celebrate their individuality.
Talk about it 1. What is the name of the town in the story? 2. What is Chunky's shape like? 3. How did the residents of Squareville feel about Chunky when he first moved there? 4. What did Chunky build in Squareville? 5. How did the residents feel about Chunky's building after it was built? 6. What did the residents of Squareville learn from Chunky? 7. Can you think of a time when you felt different from others? How did you feel about it? 8. What can we learn from Chunky's story about embracing differences and celebrating individuality?
Open reading -
Story 1000 basic English words: T 3
The Three Brave Friends and the Misunderstood Threat
Three friends go on an adventure to find the source of a rumored threat in the forest and discover that it was just a lost, friendly creature.
Talk about it 1. Who are the three friends in the story and what did they do? 2. What was the rumored threat in the forest? 3. How did the three friends react to the rumored threat? 4. What did they find when they approached the monster? 5. What did the three friends learn from their adventure? 6. What was the monster's real intention in the forest? 7. How did the three friends help the monster? 8. How did the story end? 9. What is the moral of the story?
Open reading -
Story 1000 basic English words: T 3
The Fruits of Thought: A Lesson in Different Ways of Thinking
A little girl named Lily learns about different ways of thinking from a wise tree in the forest and realizes the importance of staying curious and open-minded.
Talk about it 1. What are the different fruits on the tree in the story and what do they represent? 2. What kind of person does Lily realize she is? 3. Why is it important to be curious and open to new ideas? 4. Can you think of a time when you had to make a quick decision or a time when you took your time to make a decision? 5. How can we continue to grow and learn new things?
Open reading -
Story 1000 basic English words: S 7
Sarah's Soup and Space Adventure
Sarah goes on a space adventure with aliens after helping them make soup and discovers the best soup in the universe.
Talk about it 1. Where did Sarah hear the strange sound from? 2. What did Sarah find in her backyard? 3. What did Sarah help the aliens make? 4. What did Sarah learn about the universe on her trip? 5. What did Sarah promise to the aliens before she left?
Open reading -
Story 1000 basic English words: S 7
The Soft-Hearted Son: A Story of Sorry and Serenity
The story is about a soft-hearted son named Sam who learns the importance of apologizing and making things right, and how being kind and considerate can bring happiness to himself and others.
Talk about it 1. Why did Sam feel sorry after breaking someone's window? 2. What did Sam's dad tell him about apologizing and making mistakes? 3. How did Sam's friends and people around him react to his kindness and effort to make things right? 4. Why do you think it's important to say sorry when we do something wrong? 5. How can being soft-hearted and apologetic bring happiness to ourselves and others?
Open reading -
Story 1000 basic English words: S 4
Silent Signals: A Little Bear's Recovery
A little bear named Benny becomes sick and his friends give him space to rest, learning the importance of signaling each other and keeping noise levels low for those in need of rest.
Talk about it 1. Why did Benny start to feel sick? 2. How did Benny's friends help him when he was feeling sick? 3. What did Benny's friends learn about taking care of each other? 4. What is the importance of silence and signaling to each other? 5. How did Benny feel after he woke up from his nap?
Open reading -
Story 1000 basic English words: S 4
The Brave Shopper: Sarah's Adventure at the Shoe Shop
A little girl named Sarah shows bravery by stopping a robber at a shoe store and is rewarded with a pair of shoes.
Talk about it 1. Why did Sarah want to buy new shoes? 2. How did Sarah help stop the robber? 3. What did the shopkeeper give Sarah as a reward? 4. How did Sarah feel after her adventure at the shoe shop? 5. What did Sarah learn from her experience at the shoe shop?
Open reading -
Story 1000 basic English words: P 2
Per's Journey to Perfection
Per, a perfectionist, embarks on a journey to find the perfect place, but learns that true happiness comes from being a kind person and helping others.
Talk about it 1. What did Per learn about perfection? 2. How did Per become known as the kindest person in the village? 3. Why was Per happier after he started helping others? 4. What do you think is the most important lesson that Per learned on his journey? 5. How can you be a kind and helpful person in your own community?
Open reading -
Story 1000 basic English words: P 2
Pepper the Peacemaker: A Story of Art and Harmony
A little girl named Pepper uses her art skills to bring peace to a group of arguing people and becomes known as the "Peacemaker" in her village.
Talk about it 1. How did Pepper feel when she saw the people fighting in the field? 2. What did Pepper do to bring peace to the situation? 3. What did the people do to thank Pepper for her artwork? 4. Why was Pepper known as the "Peacemaker" in her village? 5. How do you think you could use your own talents to bring happiness to others?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: construction 4
The Treasure Hunt of Darby: A Story of Curiosity and Discovery
A curious young boy named Darby discovers a hidden treasure room through his determination to solve the mystery of symbols carved into a doorjamb.
Talk about it 1. Why was Darby interested in the symbols on the doorjamb? 2. How did Darby try to find information about the symbols? 3. What did Darby discover about the door and the symbols? 4. How did Darby get into the treasure room? 5. What did Darby do when he found the treasure room? 6. How did Darby feel when he found the treasure room? 7. What did Darby become known as after his discovery? 8. What do you think Darby learned from his adventure? 9. What would you have done if you were in Darby's shoes? 10. Do you think there are still hidden treasures waiting to be discovered? Why or why not?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: construction 4
Chirpy's Adventure in the Core of the Building
Chirpy the cricket goes on an adventure in the core of a building and learns about the different parts and functions of the building's infrastructure.
Talk about it 1. What is condensation and where did Chirpy first see it in the story? 2. What is a conduit and what does it do in the building? 3. What did Chirpy find in the core of the building? 4. What is a damper and what did Chirpy learn about it? 5. What did Chirpy see on the roof of the building and on the walls? 6. How did Chirpy get back to his burrow? 7. What did Chirpy learn from his adventure in the building?
Open reading -
Story 1000 basic English words: J
Jenny's Jumping Journey
A girl named Jenny starts selling homemade jelly to earn money to join a jumping club and becomes known as the "jumping jelly girl.
Talk about it 1. What did Jenny want to do? 2. How did Jenny earn money to join the jumping club? 3. What did people think of Jenny's jelly? 4. What was Jenny known as after she joined the jumping club? 5. How did Jenny feel after she joined the jumping club?
Open reading -
Story 1000 basic English words: G 2
Goldie's Journey to Meet the God
Goldie, a good goat, sets out on a journey to meet a powerful god and learns valuable lessons about cherishing loved ones along the way.
Talk about it 1. What is Goldie's wish for the god? 2. Why does Goldie feel sad when she sees the grave? 3. Why was the god impressed by Goldie's kindness and compassion? 4. What did Goldie learn from her journey to meet the god? 5. How did the villagers remember Goldie after her journey?
Open reading -
Story 1000 basic English words: F 6
Fruit, Fun, and a Funny Future
Lily, a fruit-loving girl, uses her imagination to give her room a makeover and dreams of a fun and exciting future filled with new fruits.
Talk about it 1. What is Lily's favorite food? 2. What did Lily do to make her room look different? 3. What did Lily dream about for her future? 4. Why is it important to have fun and use your imagination? 5. What can you do to make your own room more fun and exciting?
Open reading