Yahaaa · Reading
Stories for the classroom
Short narratives that put vocabulary into a scene a learner can follow. 7,405 on the shelf, each with a discussion question.
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Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Cherokees
Timmy's Arrowhead Adventure
A young boy named Timmy discovers an ancient arrowhead on an embankment and with conviction, takes it home as a memento of his adventure with permission from the leader of his village.
Talk about it 1. What did Timmy find on the embankment? 2. Why did Timmy ask the leader of his village for permission to take the arrowhead? 3. How did Timmy feel about the arrowhead after he received permission to take it home?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Cherokees
The Descendant's Quest: Saving the Prosperous Civilization
A descendant of a great leader rallies the people of a prosperous civilization to exterminate nuisance creatures causing unsanitary conditions, restoring the city to its former glory.
Talk about it 1. What was the special constitution in the story? 2. What did the descendant find in the palace? 3. What was the problem in the city that the people were facing? 4. How did the descendant and the people solve the problem in the city? 5. How did the people react to the descendant's actions?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Cheyennes
The King's Battle for Sovereignty
A king on a horseback ride is overcome by a trance and must fight to retain his sovereignty from a sorcerer and return to his kingdom.
Talk about it 1. What kind of person was the king in the story? 2. How did the king feel when he was under the trance in the forest? 3. What did the sorcerer demand from the king? 4. How did the king feel after he defeated the sorcerer? 5. Why was the king more determined to protect his kingdom after his adventure in the forest?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Cheyennes
The Shaman's Infinite Power
A tribe led by a wise shaman overcomes a crisis of failed crops and starvation through his infinite powers and ceremony invoking the solstice.
Talk about it 1. How does the tribe feel about the shaman before the ceremony? 2. Why does the shaman call upon the solstice for help? 3. What happens during the ceremony that surprises the tribe? 4. How does the tribe feel about the shaman after the ceremony?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Ides of March
The Omen of Liberty: A Story of Conspirators and their Quest to Liberate the Land from Tyranny
A group of aristocrats, who form a secret group of conspirators, work to overthrow a dictator and liberate the people from his cruel reign, taking inspiration from an omen that appeared in the sky.
Talk about it 1. How did the people feel about the dictator's rule? 2. Why did the aristocrats form a secret group of conspirators? 3. What did the conspirators do to overthrow the dictator? 4. How did the people react after the dictator was killed?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Message
The Village's Call for Reinforcements: A Story of Courage and Liberation.
A small village facing an evil king's army, builds a bunker and calls for reinforcement, which helps them to defeat the king's army and liberate their village.
Talk about it 1. What did the villagers do when they were threatened by the evil king's army? 2. How did the villagers get help to defeat the evil king's army? 3. What happened when the reinforcements arrived to help the villagers? 4. How did the villagers feel after the evil king's army was defeated? 5. Why was the king of the nearby kingdom considered a hero by the villagers?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Message
The Prince and the Clandestine Dragon.
A curious young prince named Max finds and helps a dragon escape from a mad scientist's lair and brings him to justice with the dragon's help.
Talk about it 1. What qualities does Max possess that allowed him to help the dragon and bring the mad scientist to justice? 2. Why was the dragon tied up in the mad scientist's cabin? 3. Why did the dragon decide to stay with Max after they escaped the cabin?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Mystery of King Tut
The Devotion of the Monotheist Village
The Devotion of the Monotheist Village" is a story about a small village where the people were monotheists, built a temple to depict their god, mummified their leader to honor him, and found that his mummy was still in perfect condition despite the deterioration of everything else, and saw it as a sign of faith and protection from their god.
Talk about it 1. What was the villagers' belief about their god? 2. Why did the villagers mummify the village leader's body? 3. What happened to the temple after the storm? 4. How did the villagers react when they found the leader's mummy was still in perfect condition? 5. What lesson did the villagers learn from this experience?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Mystery of King Tut
The Protruding Ears of Ramses: A Story of Discovery and Legacy
An archaeologist discovers a mysterious artifact of Ramses, a powerful pharaoh, and with the help of his descendants, embalms the statue, and puts it in a tomb, but also makes a replica of it to continue her research, shedding new light on the dynasty of ancient Egypt.
Talk about it 1. Why was the archaeologist excited about the discovery of the statue of Ramses? 2. What was unusual about the statue of Ramses? 3. How did the archaeologist determine that the statue was not made of gold? 4. Why did the descendants of pharaoh Ramses want to embalm the statue? 5. How did the agreement between the archaeologist and the descendants of Ramses help to preserve the artifact for future generations?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Nobel Prize
The Pacifist Hero: Timmy's Adventure in Radioactivity
A young boy named Timmy who is interested in psychiatry uses his pacifist approach and knowledge to help remove a radioactive rock from his village with the help of a laureate, becoming known as the "Pacifist Hero.
Talk about it 1. What made Timmy different from the other children in his village? 2. How did Timmy feel about the radioactive rock he found in the forest? 3. Why did Timmy go on a journey to find the laureate? 4. How did Timmy become known as the "Pacifist Hero"?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Nobel Prize
Building a Better Future: The Story of Sarah, the Engineer
Sarah, an engineering student, joins a committee to build a school in a village controlled by the Taliban, using her knowledge of economics and physics to make a difference in the lives of children there.
Talk about it 1. What was Sarah interested in when she was a young girl? 2. What did Sarah study in college? 3. What did Sarah do while she was in college? 4. What was the goal of the committee Sarah joined in college? 5. How did Sarah feel when the school was finished and the children in the village could go to school?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Olympics Past and Present
Timmy's Transformation: A Tale of Steroids, Terrorists, and Finding One's True Character
The story is about a boy who takes steroids to stand up to bullies, but it ultimately changes his character and leads him to join terrorist group, but he overcomes the effects of steroids and returns to his true character.
Talk about it 1. How did Timmy feel about himself before he drank the potion? 2. What changed in Timmy's behavior after he drank the potion? 3. How did the other kids and their parents react to Timmy after he drank the potion? 4. Why did the terrorists approach Timmy and ask him to join their group? 5. What did Timmy learn about true strength by the end of the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Olympics Past and Present
The Wisdom of the Symbols: A Story of an Archaeologist's Triumph
An archaeologist, Alex, discovers a mysterious procession of symbols that contain a motto, which ultimately proves to be more valuable than his competitor's discovery, and discredits his competitor's association with Nazi ideologies.
Talk about it 1. What was the main conflict in the story? 2. Why did Alex's discovery become more significant than Max's? 3. What was the message that Alex uncovered in the symbols? 4. How did Max's actions impact his reputation in the field of archaeology?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Queens Loss Part I
The Gaudy Palace: A Lesson in Quality over Speed.
The king of a peaceful kingdom, who focused on speed over quality while building a palace, learns the importance of attention to detail and true beauty after the palace is completed and met with disappointment from the people.
Talk about it 1. What was the problem with the king's palace? 2. Who did the king call upon to help with the palace renovation? 3. Why was the king initially happy with the palace after it was completed? 4. What did the people of the kingdom think of the palace after it was completed? 5. What lesson did the king learn about building and renovating the palace?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Queens Loss Part I
The Membrane of Slough
The village of Slough is trapped by a mysterious membrane and have to work together to dissipate it and find their freedom.
Talk about it 1. What do you think the membrane was meant to test? 2. How did the villagers react when they first saw the membrane? 3. Why did some of the villagers think they were being punished? 4. What did the wise old man say about the membrane? 5. How did the villagers work together to dissipate the membrane?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Queens Loss Part II
Lily and the Vex: A Tale of Courage and Determination
A curious and adventurous girl named Lily sets out on a quest to defeat the torturous vex and restore peace to the forest.
Talk about it 1. What qualities did Lily possess that helped her on her quest? 2. Why did the vex act the way they did before Lily gave them the potion? 3. What lesson can we learn from Lily's journey and victory over the vex?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Queens Loss Part II
Hope in the Aftermath of the Tsunami
A small island community, devastated by a tsunami, is brought back to life through the positive energy emanating from one of its members, who encourages the others to rebuild their homes and lives together.
Talk about it 1. How did the islanders feel when they saw the damage caused by the tsunami? 2. What did the islander do to spread hope among the community? 3. How did the island change after the islanders worked together to rebuild their homes?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Red Baron
The Synchronizer: Ending the Stalemate
The Synchronizer" is a story of a wise old general who helped two armies to synchronize their watches and charge forward at the same time, ending a stalemate and bringing peace to the land.
Talk about it 1. What made the old general's plan successful? 2. Why did the soldiers on both sides start to respect the old general? 3. How did the synchronizing of the watches contribute to the end of the war?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Red Baron
Jack the Ace: A World War I Tale of Courage and Determination
A young aviator named Jack and his squadron, known as the best in the air, outsmart a new more maneuverable enemy during World War I and Jack becomes a hero.
Talk about it 1. Who was Jack and what was his job during the war? 2. What was the new enemy plane like and how did Jack defeat it? 3. How was Jack received after the battle and what was his legacy? 4. What did Jack learn from the battle and how did it shape his future?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Zoo of Extinct Animals
Tim's Internship: A Lesson in Humane Treatment
A young boy named Tim learns the importance of being humane during his internship at an animal shelter and takes action when he witnesses another intern violating the shelter's rules to ensure the animals are treated with care and kindness.
Talk about it 1. What did Tim learn about being humane? 2. Why did Tim talk to the shelter manager about the other intern's behavior? 3. How did Tim make a difference in the lives of the animals at the shelter?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: The Zoo of Extinct Animals
Saving the Media: A Conservation Story
The story is about experts working to save a fictional animal called Media from extinction through captive breeding and conservation efforts in a compound in the high ground.
Talk about it 1. What was the problem the Media was facing in the story? 2. Who was called to help solve the problem? 3. What was the cause of the Media's decline? 4. What steps did the experts take to help increase the Media's population? 5. How did the experts educate the local people about conservation?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: Vikings
The Exiled Prince and the Byrnie of Courage
An exiled prince learns to make a byrnie and use it to reclaim his throne and rule justly.
Talk about it 1. What was the reason for Prince Alex being exiled from his kingdom? 2. How did Prince Alex feel when he was wandering the land after being exiled? 3. How did Prince Alex's life change after he learned blacksmithing from the old blacksmith? 4. How did Prince Alex regain his throne and what was the significance of the byrnie he made?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: Vikings
The Shipwright's Journey: From Exile to Hero
A young shipwright, Bjorn, with a fearsome reputation for his reckless behavior and a fierce temper, is exiled from his village, but with determination and a willingness to change, he manages to overcome his past and become a hero by using his shipbuilding skills to protect his new village from bandits.
Talk about it 1. What was Bjorn's problem in his village? 2. Why did people fear Bjorn wherever he went? 3. What did Bjorn vow to do to change his ways? 4. How did Bjorn use his shipbuilding skills to help the village during the attack?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Z: Volcanoes
The Adventure of Geothermia: Saving a Land from Seismic Destruction
The creatures of Geothermia use geothermal energy to protect their land from seismic activity caused by tectonic plates and learn the importance of taking care of their environment and preserving the creatures from extinction.
Talk about it 1. What is Geothermia and what kind of creatures lived there? 2. What caused the ground to shake in Geothermia? 3. What was the wise old owl's plan to protect Geothermia? 4. What happened to some of the creatures in Geothermia? 5. What did the creatures of Geothermia learn about taking care of their environment?
Open reading