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 L: A Heros Name
The Sign Making Saint and His Protégé
The Sign Making Saint and His Protégé" is a story about a famous saint who teaches a boy the art of sign making and how he goes on to earn his own nickname and fame for his heroic deeds.
Talk about it - Who is Nick the Quick? - How does the young boy become famous? - What is the name of the young boy in the story? - Why do people come from far and wide to see Nick the Quick? - What are the heroic deeds that Nick and Sign Man perform in the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Anna and the Painted Eggs
The Magic Pysanky Egg Fair Adventure
A magical music box leads villagers on a dance through a market fair to learn how to make beautiful pysanky eggs.
Talk about it 1. What was special about the pysanky eggs in the story? 2. Who led the villagers on a dance through the market fair? 3. What did the villagers find when they opened the music box? 4. How did the villagers use the kistka they found in the music box? 5. What was the result of the villagers learning to make pysanky eggs?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: At Jacobs House
The Interfaith Friendship of Max and the Priest.
A Jewish boy and a Roman Catholic priest form an unlikely friendship through their mutual love for religion and learning.
Talk about it 1. Why did Max want to fix the mezuzahs in his village? 2. What was the priest doing inside the church when Max heard the shofar blowing? 3. How did Max and the priest become friends? 4. What did they learn from each other? 5. Can you think of a time when you made a new friend who was different from you?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Big Machines
The Super Construction Squad: A Tale of Machine Ingenuity
A group of construction machines team up to build a playground and save the day by creating their own helicopter to deliver the final shipment of cargo.
Talk about it 1. What was the problem in the story and how did the machines solve it? 2. Can you name all the machines in the story? 3. How did each machine help build the playground? 4. Why was the passenger on the container ship important to the story? 5. If you were one of the machines, which one would you want to be and why?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Bigger Than a Monster Truck
The Bucket's Brave Adventure in the Gigantic Mine".
A small bucket travels through a mine truck, uses its bravery and determination to climb a gigantically deep mine, and finds treasure.
Talk about it 1. Why did the bucket want to travel the world? 2. What was the first vehicle the bucket saw? 3. How did the bucket feel when he saw the mine? 4. What did the bucket have to use to climb the mine? 5. What did the bucket find at the end of his adventure?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: China
The Talking Bamboo: A Wetland Adventure
A talking bamboo enlists the help of ancient civilizations in a wetland to save its kingdom from an evil sorcerer.
Talk about it 1. What was the problem in the kingdom of bamboos? 2. Who helped the talking bamboo? 3. What did the ancient civilizations learn from their adventure with the talking bamboo? 4. Why was the talking bamboo important to the story? 5. How did the people of the wetland feel when they first saw the talking bamboo?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Colonial Life
The Science Mill Adventure: Healing the Hospital with Bicycle-Powered Medicine
A science teacher, kids and a neighbor use a bicycle-powered churn, a mill, and herbs to make medicine and save the hospital in their neighborhood.
Talk about it 1. What does the science teacher want to do in the story? 2. How does the neighbor help the kids and the science teacher? 3. What were the kids making with the churn and the mill? 4. Why was the neighborhood having trouble with their local hospital? 5. What happened to the people at the hospital after they got the medicine made by the kids and the science teacher?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Crocs and Gators
Scaly and Endangered's Fierce Feast Adventure
Scaly and Endangered, a friendly reptile and endangered crocodile, go on a hilarious adventure to find food and outsmart a fierce alligator.
Talk about it 1. Why was Endangered having trouble finding food? 2. What did Scaly and Endangered do to get the food guarded by the alligator? 3. How did they trick the alligator into giving them the food? 4. How were Scaly and Endangered different from each other? 5. What kind of adventures do you think Scaly and Endangered went on next?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Deep in the Ocean
The Underwater Adventure: Discovering New Species in the Arctic Depths
A submersible crew discovers a new world of marine life in the Arctic by studying bacteria evolved from heat of an underwater volcano.
Talk about it 1. What was the submersible crew studying in the Arctic? 2. How did the bacteria evolve into new species? 3. What did the submersible crew do when they got too close to the volcano? 4. Why did the crew decide to stay and study the bacteria instead of leaving? 5. Can you think of other ways heat can affect marine life?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Diabetes and Me
The Misadventures of Diabeter Dan: Clearing the Contagion Confusion!
A story about a diabetic named Dan who learns that diabetes is not contagious and how to manage it by monitoring his blood sugar levels and insulin intake.
Talk about it 1. Why did Dan think that diabetes was contagious? 2. How does Dan regulate his blood sugar levels? 3. What did the doctor explain to Dan about the cause of diabetes? 4. What did Dan learn at the end of the story? 5. Why is it important to monitor your blood sugar levels if you have diabetes?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Eggys Easy Out
The Pitcher and Catcher's Silly Signals
A pitcher and catcher use funny signals to win a baseball game, becoming the best duo in the league.
Talk about it 1. What was the new rule that the coach told Mitt to follow? 2. Why did the catcher start making funny signals? 3. How did Mitt feel about the silly signals? 4. Why do you think the pitcher and catcher won the game? 5. What is the lesson we can learn from this story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Fantastic Flying Machines
Bob the Brave Blimp: A Flying Adventure
Bob the blimp becomes a flying superhero while on a mission with troops and a space shuttle to deliver supplies.
Talk about it 1. What was Bob's initial wish? 2. How did Bob help the troops and space shuttle during their mission? 3. What made Bob a superhero in the end? 4. Why did the helicopter stop flying? 5. What do you think would have happened if Bob didn't help the helicopter?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: George Washington Carver
The Gold Farmer: A Tale of Respect and Friendship
A Congress Professor and a slave turned soil into gold, became friends and changed the way crops were grown.
Talk about it 1. Why did the slave agree to help the Congress Professor at first? 2. How did the machine turn soil into gold? 3. What happened at the end of the Civil War? 4. What happened to the slave after he became rich and famous? 5. How did the Congress Professor and the slave change the way crops were grown?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Goldilocks and the Other Three Bears
Porky and the Knock-Knock Wolf: A Porridge Tale
A little pig named Porky and a grumpy old wolf form an unlikely friendship over a game of knock-knock and a love of porridge.
Talk about it 1. Why was Porky groaning and whining when he heard a knock on the door? 2. What did the wolf want when he came to visit Porky? 3. How did Porky and the wolf solve the problem of not having enough porridge for both of them? 4. What did Porky and the wolf start to do every time the wolf came over? 5. What can we learn from the story about friendship?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Gobble's Groaning Porridge Adventure
Gobble, a turkey, discovers he loves eating porridge despite his groans, after trying different breakfasts and returning to porridge as his favorite.
Talk about it 1) Why did Gobble groan after eating porridge? 2) Who came to Gobble's door and why? 3) What did Gobble try for breakfast instead of porridge? 4) How did Gobble feel about eating porridge again? 5) What lesson did Gobble learn from this story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: How to Make Ice Cream
The Magic Mixture: A Tasty Adventure with Vanilla the Little Chef
A little chef named Vanilla creates the most delicious treat ever with the help of a secret magic mixture recipe.
Talk about it 1. What did Vanilla forget to add to her creation? 2. How did the mixture change after Vanilla added the magic recipe? 3. Why do you think Vanilla was so excited about her creation? 4. Can you think of any other toppings Vanilla could add to her treats? 5. What do you think the magic mixture tasted like?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: How We Measure
A Tall Giraffe's Distance Adventure with Kangaroo Karen
A tall giraffe and a kangaroo work together to measure distance while overcoming the giraffe's height with English lessons.
Talk about it 1. What was George the giraffe's favorite thing to measure? 2. What happened when George tried to measure the distance? 3. How did George and Karen the kangaroo solve their problem? 4. What did George learn in the end?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Im the Guest
The Polite Snake and the Hissy Cat
A polite snake named Hissy shows bravery and makes friends at a tea party by outsmarting a mean cat with a surprise hiss.
Talk about it 1. Why was Hissy invited to the tea party? 2. How did the cat treat Hissy at the party? 3. What did Hissy do when the cat tried to squeeze him? 4. Why did everyone want to be friends with Hissy after the party? 5. What lesson did Hissy teach the cat?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Introducing Planet Earth
Pingo's Tilted Adventure at the South Pole
Pingo, a penguin from the North Pole, has a dream about going on an adventurous journey to the tilted South Pole where he learns about the equator, latitude and longitude, and realizes it was just a dream.
Talk about it 1. Where did Pingo live at the beginning of the story? 2. What did Pingo want to explore in the story? 3. What did Pingo learn about the Earth's geography? 4. How did Pingo end up back in his igloo? 5. Did Pingo have a real adventure or was it just a dream?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Jane Goodall
The Chimpanzee Whisperer in Africa
A scientist becomes known as the "Chimpanzee Whisperer" in Africa after discovering a special species of apes that can use tools and talk.
Talk about it 1. What surprised the scientist about the chimpanzee? 2. Why did the chimpanzee agree to let the scientist study them? 3. How did the scientist become known as the "Chimpanzee Whisperer"? 4. What was the special species of apes in Africa able to do?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Jessica Loves Soccer
Title: "The Invisible Coach: A Neighborhood Soccer Championship Tale
A new coach in a neighborhood turns invisible during a championship soccer game and becomes the referee, bringing joy and fun to the children's games.
Talk about it 1. How did the children feel about the new coach before he became invisible? 2. What happened during the championship game that made the coach disappear? 3. How did the children react when they realized the coach was now invisible? 4. What changed in their neighborhood championship games after the coach became invisible? 5. Why do you think the coach became invisible?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Joeys Stop Sign
The Animal Show: A Fun Accomplishment with a Petition and a Microphone
A group of animals use research, a microphone, signatures, and teamwork to put on a successful show.
Talk about it 1. What did the animals want to accomplish? 2. Why did they sign a petition? 3. What was the majority of the animals' agreement about? 4. How did the animals prepare for the show? 5. How did the animals feel about what they accomplished?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Kenya
The Crop Protectors and the Rare Wishing Plant
A tribe of crop protectors goes on a journey to find a rare wishing plant guarded by a fierce lion, making friends and bringing peace and prosperity back to their village.
Talk about it 1. What did the tribe wish for when they found the rare plant? 2. How did the Crop Protectors protect their crops from danger? 3. Who helped the tribe find the rare plant? 4. Why did the lion agree to join the journey back to the village? 5. How did the tribe and the lion become friends?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary L: Marias Family Christmas
The Great Navidad Drape Contest
A family holds a creative decoration contest to solve their disagreement over a giant drape, and the little brother wins with his idea to turn it into a giant present.
Talk about it 1. What was the disagreement between the family and their relative about the drape? 2. How did the family solve their disagreement? 3. Who won the decoration contest and what was their idea for the drape? 4. What lesson did the family learn from this experience? 5. Can you think of any other creative decoration ideas for Navidad?
Open reading