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 RAZ Vocabulary E: Getting Ready for School
The Great Backpack Burst Adventure
Timmy and Billy have a hilarious adventure trying to retrieve their scattered breakfast, pencils and papers after Timmy's backpack bursts open on the way to school.
Talk about it 1. What do you think Timmy and Billy learned from their adventure? 2. How do you think the squirrels felt about taking the pencils? 3. What would you have done if you were in Timmy and Billy's place? 4. What do you think was the most funny part of the story? 5. How do you think Timmy and Billy’s school day went after their adventure?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Grandparents Day
The Bitter Cake Party
A grandparent and grandchild bake a bitter cake and turn it into a fun party with friends and neighbors.
Talk about it 1. What did the grandparent and grandchild do while they were waiting for the cake to bake? 2. What happened when they realized the cake was bitter? 3. Why did they have a "bitter cake party"? 4. How did their friends and neighbors react to the bitter cake? 5. Why was the story called "The Bitter Cake Party"?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Hooray for the Farmers Market
The Amazing Village Show
A band of musicians, a gardener, a farmer, a baker, and an artist come together to put on an amazing show for the village, becoming famous throughout the land.
Talk about it 1. Who came up with the idea of putting on a show in the village? 2. What did each character in the story contribute to the show? 3. How did the villagers react to the show? 4. Why did the band, gardener, farmer, baker, and artist become famous? 5. Can you think of a name for the band of musicians?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: I Am Your New Plant
Sprout's Adventure: Growing Strong with Soil, Sunlight, and Love
A plant named Sprout grows tall and strong with the help of soil, sunlight, water, and love.
Talk about it 1. What did Sprout need to grow? 2. What did Sprout want to do after it grew strong? 3. How did Sprout spread joy and beauty? 4. What could you do to help a plant grow?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Id Like To Be
The Cosmic Cowboy Dancer: An Out of this World Adventure
A talented astronaut dances his way through space, becoming a pirate dancer, a mermaid court performer, and finally a legendary cowboy dancer.
Talk about it 1. What did the astronaut do when he met the pirate crew? 2. Why did the mermaids offer to make the astronaut their court dancer? 3. Why did the astronaut leave the pirate crew and mermaid kingdom? 4. What was the astronaut's dream? 5. What planet did the astronaut become a cowboy dancer on?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: In the Mountains
The Proud and Sly Stripe
Stripe, a small and proud striped creature, outsmarts a sly fox and becomes fast friends with him during their adventures in the forest.
Talk about it 1. What kind of animal is Stripe? 2. Who asks Stripe for help? 3. What was the sly fox up to? 4. What did Stripe and the sly fox find in the end? 5. How did Stripe prove to be strong and clever?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Lets Carve a Pumpkin
The Adventure of the Pumpkin Wizard
A pumpkin seed embarks on an adventure, discovers his secret power to draw light and becomes the most popular pumpkin carver in a village.
Talk about it 1. What was the pumpkin seed's secret power? 2. How did the pumpkin seed light up the dark places? 3. Why did people in the village ask for the seed's help? 4. How did the seed become known as the "Pumpkin Wizard"? 5. Can you think of another adventure the seed could go on next?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Maddy Loves to March
The Rooftop Parade Band
A band of musical animals become the hit of the parade by playing their instruments from the rooftop after they're locked out of their home.
Talk about it 1. What did the band do when they realized they forgot their drum? 2. How did the band become the hit of the parade? 3. What did the parade-goers think of the music coming from the rooftop? 4. Do you think the band learned a lesson from this experience? If so, what was it?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Make a Tree Friend
The Forest Friends and the Quest for the King
Six tree friends in a forest play a game to determine the "King of the Forest" but realize their unique qualities make them the best of friends.
Talk about it 1. How did the trees feel about playing the game "King of the Forest"? 2. Why did Birch, Maple, Willow, Pine, Oak and Elm decide to play a different game? 3. What did each tree do to try to become the King of the Forest? 4. What did the trees learn in the end? 5. How did the trees feel about each other after the game was over?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Making Pizza
The Adventures of Cheesy and the Magic Pizza Spread
Cheesy and friends have weekly pizza parties using a magical spread that makes anything taste like pizza.
Talk about it 1. What was Cheesy's favorite food? 2. What did Cheesy discover one day? 3. How did Cheesy and his friends make the pizza? 4. What made the pizza they made so special? 5. How did Cheesy and his friends feel after eating the pizza?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Places Plants and Animals Live
Jane's Grand Adventure
Jane goes on a world adventure, meets new friends and learns valuable lessons in "Jane's Grand Adventure".
Talk about it 1. Who was Jane and where did she live? 2. What did the dolphins show Jane how to do at the ocean? 3. What did the polar bear teach Jane in the tundra? 4. What advice did the wise old owl give Jane on the mountain? 5. What did Jane learn from her adventures?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Police Officers
The Mischievous Squirrel and the Determined Officer
Officer Bob solves a crime committed by a mischievous squirrel, with a little help from his friends, and restores peace to the town.
Talk about it 1. Why was Officer Bob determined to solve the crime? 2. What made it difficult for him to catch the culprit? 3. How did Officer Bob finally solve the crime? 4. Who helped Officer Bob and why was it important? 5. What did you learn from Officer Bob's story about being a good police officer?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Shapes in Tide Pools
The Tide-Turning Adventure of Chuck, the Starfish, and Sammy
A crab, starfish and snail team up to overcome a tide on their way back to the shore.
Talk about it 1. What kinds of creatures did Chuck, the starfish and Sammy encounter along their journey? 2. Why did Chuck want to help the starfish? 3. How did they return to the shore? 4. What was the outcome of their adventure? 5. What do you think the trio learned from their experience?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Shoes Men Wear
The Great Shoe Swap Adventure
All the shoes in a store switch jobs for a day to learn to appreciate each other's unique qualities.
Talk about it - What did the flip-flops want to be? - What did the sneakers become? - Did the shoes like their new jobs? - What did they learn at the end of the day?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Shoes Women Wear
The Adventure of the Comfortable Shoes
A group of shoes go on an adventure to find the most comfortable place in the world and use their unique strengths to return home.
Talk about it -What did each type of shoe contribute to the adventure? -How did they decide on the most comfortable place in the world? -What did they learn about teamwork and cooperation?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Sloth Wants to Snooze
Snooze the Sloth's Adventure: The Day She Forgot to Wake Up
Snooze the Sloth overslept and missed the rainforest party, but learned the importance of setting her alarm and having fun with friends.
Talk about it 1. Why was Snooze feeling sad at the end of the story? 2. What did Snooze forget to do that caused her to oversleep? 3. How did Snooze feel about missing the rainforest party? 4. What lesson did Snooze learn by the end of the story? 5. How can you make sure you never miss out on anything important like Snooze did?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Stop Snoring
The Snore-Squeeze Accordionist: A Lullaby with Style
A young girl discovers a bear who loves to snore loudly while she plays the accordion, and they put on a snore-squeeze style show for all the animals in the forest.
Talk about it 1. What is Lulu's favorite instrument? 2. How does the bear feel about Lulu's music? 3. What do the animals in the forest think of the snore-squeeze style? 4. Why did the bear fall asleep to Lulu's music? 5. What is the name of the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: The Boy Who Cried Wolf
The Sheep's Tricky Truth
The sheep outwit a lying wolf by telling the truth and escaping his grasp.
Talk about it 1. Why did the sheep help the wolf when he said he was lost? 2. Why did the sheep follow the wolf to his home? 3. How did the sheep escape from the wolf's plan to eat them for dinner? 4. Why was it important for the sheep to tell the truth about the wolf?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: The Four Seasons
Jack's Seasonal Adventure
A little boy named Jack goes on a magical journey through the seasons with the wind, embracing each for its unique magic.
Talk about it 1. What did Jack love about winter? 2. What did the wind promise Jack? 3. What are some things that Jack did in each season? 4. How did Jack feel about each season after his journey? 5. What lessons did Jack learn about the seasons?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: The Vet
The Broken-Shell Comedy Show
A turtle with a broken shell, a rabbit with big paws, and a horse with strong hooves put on a comedy show to break the turtle's fever.
Talk about it 1. Why did Timmy fall and break his shell? 2. What did the doctor say about Timmy's condition? 3. How did Timmy's friends cheer him up? 4. How did Timmy's broken shell help in the comedy show? 5. Who else enjoyed the comedy show at the end of the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Tiny Tugboat
The Great Tug and Blast Adventure of Timmy and Sammy
Tugboat Timmy gets stuck and with the help of submarine Sammy, they free themselves with a big tug and blast.
Talk about it 1. What happened to Timmy at the beginning of the story? 2. How did Sammy try to help Timmy? 3. What did Timmy and Sammy do to finally get unstuck? 4. What did the other boats do when Timmy and Sammy got unstuck? 5. What happened to Timmy and Sammy at the end of the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Too Much Work
The Mischievous Monkey and the Stripe-less Tiger: A Jungle Adventure
A tiger named Fluff goes on a jungle adventure to find his missing stripes, which were taken by a mischievous monkey, leading to the two becoming best friends.
Talk about it 1. Why do you think the monkey took Fluff's stripes? 2. How did Fluff feel when he noticed his stripes were missing? 3. What did Fluff do to get his stripes back? 4. How did Fluff and the monkey become best friends? 5. Do you think it was right for the monkey to take Fluff's stripes? Why or why not?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: What Is in the Box
Ellie's Clumsy Adventure: Turning a Tear into a Treat
Clumsy Ellie turns an accidental tree tear into a picnic blanket, making a memorable moment with her friends.
Talk about it 1. What did Ellie do to the tree while playing hide and seek with her friends? 2. How did Ellie feel after she tore down the tree? 3. What did Ellie try to do to fix her mistake? 4. What did Ellie end up doing with the leaves instead? 5. How did Ellie turn a mess into a memorable moment?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary E: Whats In That Pouch
The Great Outback Adventure of Joey and Friends
Joey the kangaroo, a wallaby, a koala, and a bilby have an entertaining time inside his pouch while hiding from the sun.
Talk about it - Who was Joey? - What did Joey have that the wallaby, koala, and bilby needed? - How did they all fit into Joey's pouch? - What did they do while inside the pouch? - How did they become friends?
Open reading