Yahaaa · Reading
Stories for the classroom
Short narratives that put vocabulary into a scene a learner can follow. 7,459 on the shelf, each with a discussion question.
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Story RAZ Vocabulary D: Clouds
The Adventures of Jumbo the Fuzzy Teddy Bear
A man brings a jumbo, fuzzy teddy bear to life, leading to a series of comical events at work.
Talk about it 1. Why did the man bring the teddy bear to work? 2. How did the coworkers react to the bear? 3. How did the man save the day? 4. Why did the man never bring the bear to work again? 5. What would you have done differently if you were in the man's shoes?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: Country Places
Spot the Artist: A Fun Day on the Farm
A farmer turns his shed into a barn and an artistic horse named Spot adds laughter to the farm with his drawings.
Talk about it 1. Why did the farmer turn his shed into a barn? 2. What was the reaction of the other animals to Spot's drawings? 3. How did Spot become known as the artist of the barn? 4. What do you think would happen if Spot stopped drawing in the shed? 5. In your own words, describe what Spot's drawings look like.
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: Dollars and Cents
The Adventures of Half Dollar, Penny, Quarter, Nickel, Dime and Dollar
A group of coins go on an adventure to find hidden treasure and make a grumpy dragon laugh to get it.
Talk about it 1. Who were the main characters in the story? 2. What did the coins do when they encountered a river on their adventure? 3. Why did they need to make the dragon laugh? 4. How did they divide the treasure among themselves? 5. What was the outcome of the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: Frog Is Hungry
Freddie the Fly-Loving, High-Hopping Frog
A green frog named Freddie who loves to eat, fly and hop is granted three wishes by a tiny fairy after almost eating it.
Talk about it 1. What did Freddie want to eat? 2. What did the fairy offer instead of being eaten? 3. What were Freddie's three wishes? 4. What was Freddie known for after his wishes were granted? 5. How did the story end for Freddie?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: Getting Around the City
Carl's Adventure with the Ferry
A car named Carl goes on an adventure with a ferry and explores an island with friendly animals.
Talk about it 1. Why did Carl go on an adventure? 2. What mode of transportation did Carl use to start his adventure? 3. Who did Carl meet on the island? 4. What did Carl and the ferry do on the island? 5. How did Carl feel about his adventure with the ferry?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: Give Them Back
Benny the Easter Bunny's Sneaky Egg Hunt Adventure
Benny the Easter Bunny accidentally takes all the eggs for himself, but makes it right by hiding them in silly places for a sneaky and challenging egg hunt.
Talk about it 1. Why did Benny feel sorry? 2. How did Benny make it right? 3. How were the kids feeling at the beginning of the story? 4. Why did Benny hide the eggs in silly places? 5. What did the kids learn in the end?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: Hobbies
The Collectors' Creative Adventures
Some friends turn their love of collecting into a creative and relaxing hobby by writing stories about their possessions.
Talk about it 1) What do the friends collect as their hobby? 2) How do they turn their hobby into a creative activity? 3) How do they relax while still enjoying their collections? 4) Why do they start writing stories about their possessions? 5) Can you think of any other hobbies that can be combined with writing to make it more fun?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: I Like My Hair
The Wild Hair Adventure of Straight and Braids
A customer named Straight and Braids go on a wild hair adventure after getting unexpected haircuts at Curly's Coiffures and realizing that being different is not so bad.
Talk about it 1. Why did Straight and Braids go to Curly's Coiffures? 2. What was Straight's initial reaction when he saw his new haircut? 3. How did Braids react to Straight's haircut? 4. How did Straight and Braids feel about being different in the end? 5. Can you think of other ways to embrace being different?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: Lily the Cat
Mittens' Bouncy Stroll
A curious cat named Mittens turns a comfy couch in the park into a fun, jumpy adventure for all the animals.
Talk about it 1. What did Mittens do when she first saw the couch in the park? 2. Why did Mittens chase the squirrels away? 3. How did Mittens turn the couch into a fun adventure? 4. Who joined Mittens for the bouncy game? 5. What did Mittens do every time she took a stroll in the park?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: Marias Halloween
The Trickster Ghost and the Spooky Pumpkin
A ghost named Casper tricks Halloween trick-or-treaters with a spooky pumpkin and a spider.
Talk about it 1. What did Casper do to trick the Halloween trick-or-treaters? 2. What was special about the pumpkin Casper used? 3. How did the children react when they saw the spider? 4. What happened after Casper became known as the trickster of Halloween?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: Mud Balls
Squiggles' Mud Castle Adventure
A mischievous creature named Squiggles creatively mixes mud and dry leaves to build a sandcastle, but learns that sometimes things don't turn out as planned.
Talk about it 1. What did Squiggles do when he couldn't find sand to build a sandcastle? 2. How did Squiggles turn the mud into sand? 3. Why did Squiggles' sandcastle collapse in the rain? 4. What do you think is the moral of the story? 5. Can you think of other creative solutions for building a sandcastle without sand?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: My Neighborhood
The Bored School Kids' Neighborhood Adventure
Bored school kids embark on a magical adventure in their neighborhood, discovering strange sights and meeting a friendly witch.
Talk about it 1. What did the students do when they found the library closed? 2. How did the students feel about the strange man walking his pet elephant? 3. What did the friendly witch offer the students? 4. How did the students get back to the classroom in time for the final bell? 5. What lesson did the students learn from their adventure?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: My New School
Speedy's Adventure in a New Country
A curious car named Speedy sneaks onto a preschool bus to visit a new country and learns valuable lessons while trying to return home.
Talk about it 1. Why did Speedy want to go to a new country? 2. How did Speedy feel when he was stuck in the new country? 3. How did Speedy get back home? 4. What did Speedy learn from his adventure? 5. Why was Speedy grateful for every opportunity to learn and explore new countries?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: Nothing Scares Me
Title: The Adventures of George the Gorilla Pirate and His Broccoli-Loving Ghost Buddy
A brave gorilla sets sail with a crew of ghosts and vampires to find treasure, but they encounter a scary ghost pirate who becomes their broccoli-loving friend.
Talk about it 1. Why did George want to become a pirate? 2. Why was the crew scared of the pirate ghost? 3. Was the ghost pirate really scary or was he friendly? 4. What was the ghost's favorite food? 5. Did George and the ghost pirate keep their treasure or did they share it?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: Our Good Night Story
Ben's Night of Magic Wishes
A curious buddy named Ben learns a lesson about choosing his books carefully when a book of magic spells leads him on a wild adventure.
Talk about it 1. What did Ben wish for when he first discovered the magic spell book? 2. What did Ben realize about the magic spells as the night went on? 3. What lesson did Ben learn about choosing his books carefully? 4. Can you think of any other adventures that Ben might have gone on with his magic spells? 5. How do you think Ben felt at the end of the story, when the spells stopped working?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: Senses
Squeaky's Sensational Adventure
Squeaky goes on an adventure to regain its lost senses with the help of creatures in the forest.
Talk about it 1. How did Squeaky regain its senses? 2. Who did Squeaky meet on its adventure? 3. What did Squeaky learn about its senses? 4. Why was the forest magical? 5. What did Squeaky do with its senses after its adventure?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: Silent e
Max's Search for the Meaning of Change
A curious cat named Max goes on a journey to discover the meaning of the word "change.
Talk about it 1. What did Max initially think about the word "change"? 2. How did Max try to change himself? 3. Who helped Max understand the true meaning of change? 4. How did Max feel about himself at the end of the story? 5. What did you learn about the word "change" from this story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: Sky High
The Bumpy and Mossy Adventure of Gogo and Miki
A gorilla and a monkey become friends through a wild and bumpy adventure in the mossy jungle.
Talk about it 1. Why did Gogo want to go on an adventure in the jungle? 2. What happened when Gogo and Miki started jumping from tree to tree? 3. How did the other monkeys react when they saw Gogo and Miki rolling down the hill? 4. How did Gogo and Miki become friends? 5. What did you learn about friendship from this story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: Swamp Music
The Quiet Band of the Swamp
A musical band of swamp animals learn to balance their love for music with respect for the peace of the swamp.
Talk about it 1. What kind of animals were in the band? 2. What happened when the band played music too loudly? 3. Who helped lift the fallen tree from the swamp? 4. Why did the band need to play quietly from then on? 5. What can we learn from this story about respecting others and the environment?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: The Busy Pond
The Adventures of the Clever fish, frog, turtle and duck
A clever fish, a big-bellied frog, a slow turtle, and a swift duck team up to outwit hungry catfish and find hidden treasure in a pond.
Talk about it - What obstacles did the four friends face in their adventure? - How did the friends outwit the catfish to get the treasure? - Why was the frog having trouble jumping from lily pad to lily pad? - Can you think of a story where you and your friends go on an adventure to find something special?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: The Mitten
The Warmth of Friendship: A Tale of Benny the Rabbit and His New Friends
A cold and lonely rabbit finds friendship and warmth with a fox, ant, bear, and blue jay on their journey to escape the cold.
Talk about it 1. Who is Benny and what does he want? 2. How does the fox help Benny find warmth? 3. Who else joins Benny and the fox on their journey? 4. What message does the story teach about friendship and warmth?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: The Sky Is Falling
The Flying Bear and Other Silly Tales
Benny the bear's failed attempt to fly turns into a comedy of errors and earns him the title of the funniest bear in the forest.
Talk about it 1. How does Benny feel about his attempt to fly? 2. What do the other animals think of Benny's joke? 3. What do you think is the moral of this story? 4. Who is your favorite character in the story and why? 5. If you could be any animal in the story, which one would you choose and why?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: The Team
Winning with the Wild Team
Batter the Bat and Catcher the Cat help their animal baseball team beat Sneaky Snake and win the game.
Talk about it 1. Why was Batter the Bat famous? 2. How did Catcher the Cat save the game? 3. What did Sneaky Snake learn from playing against the animal team? 4. Who was named MVP of the game?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary D: To the Store
Max and the Magic Toy: A Story of Adventure and Wishes
A pet named Max has his wishes granted by a genie and goes on adventures while wearing special shoes, carrying his toy, food and coat.
Talk about it 1. What did Max wish for from the genie? 2. How did Max use his shoes to travel the world? 3. Why did Max carry his toy, food, and coat with him on his adventures? 4. Can you think of a place you would like to go with Max? 5. What would you wish for if you had three wishes from a genie?
Open reading