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: driving 1
Speedy's Adventure on Cloverleaf Circle
Speedy the car goes on a bumpy but exciting journey through a secret alley, a clover-filled curve, a bridge, and an avenue, ending with a dance on Cloverleaf Circle.
Talk about it 1. What was the problem that Speedy faced in the beginning of the story? 2. What was the solution to Speedy's problem? 3. Who were the singing and dancing clovers in the story? 4. What did the clovers help Speedy do? 5. What did Speedy learn from his adventure on Cloverleaf Circle? 6. What other secret paths do you think Speedy will discover on his future drives?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: driving 2
Zoom's Road Adventure in Happyville
Zoom the car goes on an adventure exploring all the roads in Happyville, from the highway to the parkway, and finds that each road has its own special qualities.
Talk about it 1. Which road did Zoom enjoy the most and why? 2. Why did Zoom take the parkway on the way back home? 3. What did Zoom learn from his road adventure? 4. What was the scariest road for Zoom and why? 5. If you were Zoom, which road would you like to explore first and why?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: driving 3
Speedy the Snail: The Champion of the Roadway
Speedy the snail wins a race by taking a nap on the shoulder of the roadway and using his speed to zoom past the other creatures in the kingdom.
Talk about it 1. Why did Speedy want to participate in the race? 2. What was Speedy's secret weapon in the race? 3. How did Speedy feel when he realized all the other creatures were far ahead of him? 4. What did the other creatures think of Speedy after he won the race? 5. Do you think you could be like Speedy and never give up on your dreams? Why or why not?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: linear algebra 1
The Matrix Prince: A Magical Adventure in the Land of Matrices
The curious and adventurous Prince Max embarks on a quest to the kingdom of sorcerers, where he learns the magic of matrices and uses his newfound knowledge to solve problems and spread joy in his own kingdom.
Talk about it 1. What was Prince Max's favorite subject? 2. What was the magical kingdom that Prince Max was curious about? 3. What were some of the matrix concepts that Prince Max learned from the sorcerers? 4. How did Prince Max use his newfound knowledge to help others? 5. Can you think of any real-life situations where matrix magic might come in handy? 6. What do you think Prince Max might learn about matrices next? 7. What do you think is the most powerful magic of matrices, according to the story? 8. Can you think of any other magical powers you would like Prince Max to learn in the future?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: linear algebra 2
Zorbon's Matrix Adventure: Finding Independence in the Universe
Zorbon, a little alien, sets off on a journey through space using a special map, a projection matrix, and his newfound knowledge of math to find his way home and gain independence as a confident space explorer.
Talk about it 1. What was Zorbon's favorite snack while exploring space? 2. What was so special about the map Zorbon found? 3. How did Zorbon use the projection matrix to find his way home? 4. What did Zorbon learn about himself during his journey through space? 5. Why was Zorbon greeted as a hero when he returned home? 6. How did Zorbon's journey help him become a better space explorer? 7. What was the most exciting part of Zorbon's adventure for you? 8. Do you think you could be a space explorer like Zorbon? Why or why not?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: fish 1
The Brave and Talented Fish of the Ocean Olympics
A group of adventurous fish, led by Amberjack, embark on an expedition to the Ocean Olympics and each win in their own special way, becoming the bravest and most talented fish in the entire ocean.
Talk about it 1. Who led the group of adventurous fish in the story? 2. What did the group of fish find during their adventure? 3. Who won the first event in the Ocean Olympics? 4. What did each of the fish win in their own special way? 5. How did the group of fish become known in the ocean after their adventure?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: fish 2
The Fishy Pretend Game
A group of fish friends have a fun time pretending to be different types of fish, but eventually realize the importance of being themselves.
Talk about it 1. Who were the main characters in the story? 2. What was the fishy pretend game? 3. Who pretended to be a mackerel in the story? 4. What happened at the end of the story? 5. Why was it important for the fish to be themselves? 6. Can you think of a time when you pretended to be someone or something else? 7. How did the fish feel when they were playing the fishy pretend game? 8. What lesson did the fish learn from playing the game? 9. What do you think would happen if the fish continued to play pretend games? 10. Do you think it's more fun to be yourself or pretend to be someone else? Why?
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Story Common Nouns in English: fish 3
The Seafood Feast Adventure of Sardine and Friends
Sardine and his friends, Sole, Snapper, Scallop, Shark, Tilapia, Salmon, Pollock, Tuna, and Trout, go on a seafood feast adventure, make a new friend, and learn the value of sharing.
Talk about it 1. Who came up with the idea of having a seafood feast? 2. Who was in charge of the grill and who was the head chef? 3. How did Salmon, Tuna, and Trout get the seafood for the feast? 4. Who was the new friend that they made during the feast? 5. Why did Sardine and his friends learn the value of sharing? 6. What do you think would have happened if Sardine and his friends didn't help the giant Tuna catch some fish? 7. How would you describe Sardine's personality? 8. Who was your favorite character in the story and why? 9. Do you think the seafood feast was a success or not? Why? 10. Would you like to have a seafood feast like Sardine and his friends? Why or why not?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: coding 1
Coddy the Code Bug: A Floating Adventure in the Land of Computers
Coddy the Code Bug teaches the creatures of a computer-filled land about functions, keywords, arguments, blocks, integers, floats, data, and comments, helping them build their own programs and games.
Talk about it 1. Who is Coddy and what is he like? 2. What is the problem that Coddy solves for the other creatures in the story? 3. What is a float and an integer in coding? 4. Can you explain what a function is in the story? 5. What are keywords and arguments used for in coding? 6. How do blocks of code work in the story? 7. What is the importance of comments in coding? 8. What did the creatures do to show their gratitude to Coddy? 9. Can you think of a real-life situation where you might use the concepts Coddy taught the creatures? 10. How did the story end and what did the creatures learn from Coddy?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: coding 2
The CodeLand Adventure: When Sassy, Numbie, and Objecto Learned to Think Outside the Scope
Sassy, Numbie, and Objecto embark on a journey to find the perfect code snippet and learn the importance of thinking outside the scope in order to become CodeLand heroes.
Talk about it 1. Who were the three main characters in the story? 2. What was the task they were assigned to do? 3. Who did they meet on their journey to find the perfect code snippet? 4. What did they learn about writing code from Wisey, the code wizard? 5. Why did the people of CodeLand consider Sassy, Numbie, and Objecto heroes? 6. How can we apply the lesson from the story to our own lives? 7. What do you think the moral of the story is? 8. If you could go on an adventure with Sassy, Numbie, and Objecto, what type of coding task would you like to solve together?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: architecture 1
Gizmo the Gnome and the Balustrade Adventure
Gizmo the gnome's mischievous plan to add an arch, brackets, braces, balusters, and a belvedere to a castle's balconies and archways results in a kingdom filled with laughter and joy.
Talk about it 1. Who is Gizmo in the story? 2. What was Gizmo's plan to surprise the castle's inhabitants? 3. What was the outcome of Gizmo's plan? 4. What did the castle inhabitants think of Gizmo's prank? 5. What did Gizmo become known as after his prank? 6. How did the kingdom change after Gizmo's prank?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: architecture 2
The Whirlwind Adventure of the Gallerie Gang
The Gallerie Gang overcomes a chaotic, spinning cupola and frieze with laughter in "The Whirlwind Adventure of the Gallerie Gang".
Talk about it 1. Who are the Gallerie Gang and what kind of creatures are they? 2. What was the secret that the Gallerie Gang discovered in the palace? 3. What happened to the frieze and cupola when the mischievous fairy appeared? 4. How did the Gallerie Gang solve the problem of the spinning cupola and frieze? 5. What was the moral of the story? 6. Do you think laughter is the best medicine? Why or why not? 7. What would you have done if you were in the Gallerie Gang's place? 8. Do you think the Gallerie Gang and the mischievous fairy will remain friends forever? Why or why not?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: architecture 3
Spritz the Sprite's Castle Caper
Spritz the mischievous sprite learns the importance of using his magic for good when his pranks lead to unintended consequences and he transforms projection faces into floating roundels to bring joy to the town.
Talk about it 1. What was Spritz's plan for the castle? 2. What happened when the projections appeared not just on the castle but also in the town? 3. What did Spritz do to fix the problem he caused? 4. How did the town react to Spritz's solution? 5. What lesson did Spritz learn from this experience? 6. What do you think would happen if Spritz continued to play pranks without considering the consequences? 7. If you were Spritz, what would you have done differently? 8. Can you think of a time when you made a mistake but found a way to make it right? 9. How do you think we can use our actions to make the world a happier place? 10. What can we learn from Spritz's story about using our powers for good?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: software 1
The Adventures of the Bug-Busting Friends: A Lesson in Coding
A group of friends work together to fix a persistent bug in their app, learning the importance of containers in the process.
Talk about it 1. What was the problem that the friends were facing with their app? 2. Who did they ask for help to fix the bug? 3. What did they learn about coding in the end? 4. Why was a container important in this story? 5. What was the lesson the friends learned in the end?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: software 2
The Adventures of Programo: Saving the Land of Programs
Programo, a clever program, sets out on a journey to fix the incorrect outputs from the input devices in a magical kingdom called the Land of Programs and becomes known as the greatest programmer in the kingdom.
Talk about it 1. Why did the villagers need Programo's help? 2. What was the problem with the input devices in the village? 3. How did Programo find the solution to the problem? 4. What did Programo do to fix the code and the input devices? 5. What was the result of Programo's efforts? 6. How did the villagers react to Programo's solution? 7. What did Programo become known as in the Land of Programs? 8. Why is it important to validate data before storing it in a variable? 9. Can you think of a real-life example of when data validation is important? 10. Do you think you would like to live in the Land of Programs? Why or why not?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: writing 1
Ant and the Enchanted Anthology: A Mischievous Adventure
Ant, a mischievous antagonist, goes on a mission to collect a rare enchanted anthology but learns a valuable lesson about the power of stories.
Talk about it 1. What is the main character's name and what is he like? 2. What is the main character's assignment and why is it important? 3. Who warned the main character about the anthology and what did they say? 4. What happened when the main character took the anthology? 5. How did the main character escape the allegories and analogies that came to life? 6. What did the main character learn from his adventure? 7. Do you think the main character changed after his experience with the anthology? If so, how? 8. Can you think of another way the main character could have escaped the allegories and analogies? 9. How did the main character's own story become part of the enchanted anthology? 10. If you could choose one of the stories from the enchanted anthology, which one would you choose and why?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: writing 2
The Foxy Reporter: Breaking the Canon of Boring News Stories
Foxy, a young and energetic journalist, overcomes the pressure to follow the rules of good writing and creates a wildly creative and humorous news story that becomes a hit and earns him recognition as the most creative reporter at "The Daily Tail.
Talk about it 1. What was the problem that the reporters at "The Daily Tail" faced? 2. How did Foxy come up with a solution to the problem? 3. What was the biggest challenge that Foxy faced when writing the story? 4. What did Foxy do to make the story unique and interesting? 5. What did Professor Hoot think of Foxy's story? 6. How did Foxy's story break the canon of what was considered a good story? 7. What did Foxy do to make sure nobody could copy his story? 8. Why was Foxy considered the most creative reporter at "The Daily Tail"? 9. What can we learn from Foxy's story?
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Story Common Nouns in English: writing 3
The Adventure of the Formatting Fairies
A group of friends embark on a quest to find the formatting fairies and fix their mischievously mixed up book.
Talk about it 1. What was the different format for each chapter of the book written by the friends? 2. What happened to the friends' book when they went to the bookstore to check? 3. What did the friends do when they found out that their book was not formatted properly? 4. Who did the friends finally find on their quest to fix their book? 5. Why did the formatting fairies mix up the words in the friends' book? 6. What did the friends and the formatting fairies do together to fix the book? 7. Why was the book written by the friends a huge success?
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Story Common Nouns in English: writing 4
The Tale-Telling Contest: A Storybook Adventure
The Tale-Telling Contest" is a whimsical story about a group of classic storybook characters who come together to create funny and creative tales using elements such as motifs, parables, and parodies.
Talk about it 1. Who were the characters in the story? 2. What was the goal of the tale-telling contest? 3. Who wrote a parable and what was it about? 4. Who wrote a parody and what was it about? 5. Why did the characters decide that they were all winners? 6. Can you think of a metaphor or motif that you could use in your own story? 7. What do you think is the most important part of a story (plot, pace, narrative, etc.)? 8. How do you think the story would be different if it was written as a myth or a novel instead of a tale-telling contest? 9. What lesson did you learn from this story? 10. Can you think of another story that you could write a parody of?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: phones 1
The Techies' Race to Success: The Story of the Speedster App
A group of technological creatures called the Techies work together to create the best app ever, the Speedster App, which uses an accelerometer, antenna, and analog signal to measure running speeds and becomes a huge success.
Talk about it 1. What was the main goal of the Techies in the story? 2. How did the Techies come up with the idea for their app? 3. What was the name of the app that the Techies created? 4. How did the app measure running speeds? 5. What was the result of the activation of the app at the celebration? 6. Why did the Speedster App become so popular? 7. Who were the heroes in the story? 8. Can you think of any other creative uses for an accelerometer and antenna?
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Story Common Nouns in English: phones 2
Snap's Storage Solution: A Tale of Codecs and Carriers
Snap, a digital camera, signs a contract with DataByte for unlimited storage but experiences slow download times and poor coverage until he switches to a smaller codec recommended by a DataByte technician.
Talk about it 1. What was Snap's problem in the story and how did he solve it? 2. What is a codec and why was it important for Snap? 3. Why did Snap sign the contract with DataByte? 4. Who helped Snap solve his problem and how did they help him? 5. What can you learn from Snap's story about digital storage and contracts? 6. Why do you think the technician recommended a smaller codec to Snap? 7. What do you think would have happened if Snap didn't switch to the smaller codec?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: phones 3
The Adventures of Ping and the Modem: Winning the Latency Game
A curious packet named Ping teams up with a modem to win a game of delivering messages while avoiding latency in the digital world.
Talk about it 1. Who is Ping and what is his mission in the story? 2. What is Latency and why is it a problem for the packets? 3. Who is the captain of Ping's team and what does he do to help deliver the message? 4. What is the problem that Ping and the modem face while delivering the message and how do they solve it? 5. How do Ping and the modem win the game and become the best of friends? 6. What do you think the message being delivered in the story was about? 7. Can you think of any other challenges that Ping and the modem might face in their future adventures?
Open reading -
Story Common Nouns in English: phones 4
The Adventures of Tappy the Talking Tap
Tappy the Talking Tap becomes famous for his special abilities and chooses a lucky subscriber to be his best friend, spreading joy and laughter with every touch.
Talk about it 1. What special abilities does Tappy have? 2. Why did Tappy decide to have a contest? 3. What did people have to do to enter the contest? 4. Who became Tappy's best friend in the end? 5. How did Tappy spread joy and laughter to everyone who used him? 6. What do you think was the best part of Tappy's adventure? 7. If you could have a talking tap like Tappy, what kind of abilities would you want it to have? 8. Do you think you would be a good friend to Tappy? Why or why not?
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Story Common Nouns in English: machine learning 1
The Adventures of Bayes and the Nuts: A Tale of Bagging, Bias, Accuracy, Batch, and Boosting
The Adventures of Bayes and the Nuts" is a fun and creative story about a group of animals who learn about Bayes Theorem, Bagging, Bias, Accuracy, Batch, and Boosting through a game of guessing where nuts are hidden in the forest.
Talk about it 1. What is Bayes Theorem and why was it important for the animals to learn about it? 2. What was the game that Bayes came up with to teach the animals about accuracy and bias? 3. How did the animals improve their accuracy from the first round to the final round of the game? 4. What did the animals learn about working together as a batch? 5. How did the feedback Bayes gave the animals help them reduce their bias and improve their accuracy? 6. Can you think of a real-life scenario where reducing bias and improving accuracy is important? 7. What did the animals learn about Bayes Theorem and numbers in the end?
Open reading