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 N: Horseshoes Arent Just for Good Luck
The Horseshoe Crab's Funny Molting Adventure
The Horseshoe Crab's Funny Molting Adventure" is a story about Harold and Archie, who use discarded larva shells to protect themselves from a disease and become known as the "Larva Shell Heroes".
Talk about it 1. Why was Archie feeling down? 2. What did Harold suggest Archie do to stop the disease from eroding him? 3. What happened when Harold and Archie went for a swim in the ocean? 4. How did Harold and Archie become known as the "Larva Shell Heroes"? 5. Why did the disease never return after Harold and Archie put on the larva shells?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: Introducing the Penny
The King's Double-Sided Strike
A king's coins became popular when his relief was put on both the obverse and reverse sides after being blank on the reverse.
Talk about it 1. Who came up with the solution for the blank reverse side of the king's coins? 2. Why did the king wear a headdress in the story? 3. What was the king's reaction when he saw the coins for the first time? 4. What was the worker who came up with the solution declared by the king? 5. What happened to the coins after the worker's solution was implemented?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: Lets Make Snowflakes
The Intricate Snowflake Adventure
A little girl discovers a live snowflake that leads her on an intricate and magical adventure.
Talk about it 1. What was the little girl's name? 2. What was the little girl's favorite hobby? 3. What did the little girl notice while she was working on her crochet project? 4. What kind of adventure did the snowflake lead the little girl on? 5. How did the little girl feel about the snowflake? 6. Did the little girl make anything special after her adventure with the snowflake? 7. What did the snowflake teach the little girl?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: Luna Has Nothing to Wear
Stretch and the Search for the Perfect Outfit: A Galaxy Adventure
A little figure named Stretch goes on a journey to find the perfect outfit for his swelling muscles and helps his alien friends create elastic clothes that fit all shapes and sizes.
Talk about it 1. What was Stretch's problem at the beginning of the story? 2. Who did Stretch meet on his journey? 3. What did Stretch and his friends do together? 4. How did Stretch and his friends feel at the end of the story? 5. How can you relate to Stretch's problem of finding clothes that fit?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: Making Rice
The Creative Chef: A Stir-Fry Adventure with Mr. Wok
A chef named Mr. Wok uses a spatula and measuring cup instead of a strainer to make the best stir-fry in the village.
Talk about it 1. Why did Mr. Wok use a spatula and measuring cup instead of a strainer? 2. How did the villagers react to the dish? 3. What do you think would have happened if Mr. Wok used a strainer? 4. Can you think of another kitchen tool that could be used in place of a strainer? 5. What do you think was the secret ingredient in Mr. Wok's stir-fry that made it so delicious?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: Memorial Day
The Giggly Flag: A Soldier's Honorable Joke".
A soldier's practical joke of replacing a solemn symbol of honor with a brightly colored polka-dotted flag becomes a new tradition that brings joy to everyone who sees it.
Talk about it 1. How do the soldiers feel about Sal's joke at first? 2. Why do the soldiers decide to keep the new flag as a symbol of honor? 3. What does the flag represent to the soldiers now? 4. How does the new flag change the tradition of raising it every morning? 5. What is the moral of the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: Mount Rushmore
The Granite Memorial: A Tale of Overcoming Challenges and Preserving History
A sculptor during the Great Depression creates a memorial by overcoming challenges and preserving a sacred granite piece near a waterway to teach future generations the importance of preserving natural heritage.
Talk about it 1. Why did Jack want to create a memorial? 2. What was the problem with the granite piece Jack found? 3. How did Jack solve the problem of moving the granite? 4. Why did the Sioux tribe consider the granite piece sacred? 5. What did Jack learn about preserving natural heritage? 6. How did Jack's memorial teach future generations about overcoming challenges and preserving history?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: Owen and the Tortoise
Tim the Carefree Tortoise: A Nostril Adventure
A carefree tortoise named Tim gets swept away by a tsunami and overcomes a blockage in his nostril to continue his adventurous spirit.
Talk about it 1. What do you think Tim felt when he was surrounded by debris and cresting waves? 2. How did Tim solve the problem of the seaweed blocking his nostril? 3. What do you think Tim learned from his experience in the tsunami? 4. Have you ever been in a situation where you had to use your quick thinking to solve a problem? Can you share your story with us?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: Persephone A Greek Myth
The Tempting Pomegranate and the Barren Goddess
A barren goddess learns to resist temptation and the power of a mother's love to reclaim her former life.
Talk about it 1. What did the goddess Pom want more than anything? 2. What did the god of fate offer to Pom in exchange for her resisting eating a magical pomegranate? 3. What did Pom do when she was tempted by the pomegranate? 4. How did Pom's child help her return to her former life as a goddess? 5. What did Pom learn about temptation and love from this experience?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: Raven and the Flood
The Wise Old Man and the Fertile Flood
A wise old man teaches a village to respect and survive with nature's power during a massive flood in their fertile land.
Talk about it - What did the villagers do to survive the flood? - Why did the wise old man tell them to respect nature? - How did the villagers work together to survive? - What did the villagers learn from the flood experience?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: Sammy Stuffit
The Fancier's Boxcar Adventure
A selfish fancier learns the importance of sharing and kindness through a wild boxcar adventure.
Talk about it 1. What happened to the fancier when he tried to put all of his stuff in the boxcar? 2. What did the fancier learn on his adventure? 3. How did the fancier change after his adventure? 4. Why was it important for the fancier to share his stuff with others?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: Spare the Turkey
Veggie's Delicious Dressing: A Thanksgiving Tale
A vegetarian saves a Thanksgiving potluck by cooking his famous dressing and becomes the star of the show.
Talk about it -What did Veggie do when he found out there was no food for him at the potluck? -Why was Veggie's dressing so special? -What did the villagers ask Veggie to bring to future potlucks?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: Sparkys Mystery Fortune
Lily's Fortune Cookie Adventure
Lily solves a mystery and discovers something breathlessly while cracking open her fortune cookie at a restaurant.
Talk about it 1. What was inside Lily's fortune cookie? 2. What was the mystery that Lily discovered in the restaurant? 3. How did Lily solve the mystery? 4. What did the restaurant owner give to Lily as a reward? 5. What do you think will be in Lily's next fortune cookie?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: The Buffalo Hunt
Envy the Buffalo's Stampede Adventure
Buffalo named Envy tries to become a stampede leader, but learns caution and wisdom after leading the herd into a deep ravine.
Talk about it 1. What did Envy want to do in the story and why? 2. What was Envy's mistake when leading the stampede? 3. How did the other buffalo react to Envy's misadventure? 4. What did Envy learn from his experience leading the stampede? 5. Why is caution and wisdom important, especially when leading others?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: The Day I Couldnt Breathe
The Wheezy Adventure of Billy and His Inhaler".
A wheezy little boy learns the importance of always having his inhaler close by through a panic-filled adventure.
Talk about it 1. What did Billy do when he realized his inhaler was empty? 2. Who appeared to help Billy when he was feeling short of breath? 3. Why is it important to always have an inhaler with you? 4. What did Billy do to make sure he never forgot the importance of his inhaler? 5. What lesson did Billy learn from this adventure?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: The Fishing Derby
The Secret of the Enormous Fish: A Tale of Determination and Patience.
A determined bird named Tweety uses his grandfather's secret to catch the biggest fish in the lake and becomes known as the greatest fisherman.
Talk about it 1. What was Tweety's goal when he went fishing? 2. How did Tweety catch the enormous fish? 3. Why was everyone amazed by Tweety's catch? 4. What was the secret that helped Tweety catch the fish? 5. What did Tweety become known as after catching the big fish?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: The Force of Water
Ravi the River: A Journey of Life and Nutrients
Ravi the river brings life to the floodplain with her nutrients and sediment, and becomes a delta celebrated by the animals as a hero.
Talk about it 1. What did Ravi the river collect from the soil and tributary streams? 2. Why were the animals living in the floodplain scared when Ravi overflowed her banks? 3. What did the animals realize about Ravi after she overflowed her banks? 4. How did Ravi become a delta? 5. Why did the animals throw a party for Ravi?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: The Mystery Wind
The Angel's Golden Touch of Charity
The Angel's Golden Touch of Charity" is a story about a town that received a special power to turn anything they touched into gold and used it for good deeds, bringing joy and delight to everyone.
Talk about it 1. Why do you think the townspeople decided to do a good deed every day? 2. What do you think the angel was pleased with in the townspeople? 3. What was the special wish the townspeople made? 4. How did the townspeople use their power of turning things into gold? 5. Why did the town become known as a happy place?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: The Shepherd and the Fairy
Max the Practical Rabbit's Magic Transformation
Max, a practical rabbit, overcomes his embarrassment of living in a threadbare burrow by using a fairy's magic to transform his appearance and become just as content as all the other animals in the forest.
Talk about it 1. What made Max feel embarrassed in the beginning of the story? 2. How did Max feel after he transformed his clothes with the fairy's magic? 3. Why do you think Max was content at the end of the story? 4. Have you ever felt ashamed of something, like Max did in the story? 5. What would you wish for if you met a fairy like the one in the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: The UpDown Boy
The Ceiling of Imagination
A young adventurer named Slurp discovers a magical ceiling powered by imagination and embarks on a journey of discovery.
Talk about it 1. What is the magical land in the story made of? 2. What does Slurp discover about the ceiling? 3. How does Slurp make the ceiling real? 4. What kind of adventures does Slurp go on after discovering the ceiling? 5. What lesson does Slurp learn about imagination?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: Totem Poles
The Leaning Memorial: A Chipmunk's Tale
A carver creates a unique mortuary pole that becomes a totem of a chipmunk, bringing joy and laughter to a Native American village.
Talk about it 1. Why did the villagers agree to the carver's idea of a mortuary pole that also served as a totem pole? 2. What happened to the memorial pole as the carver was carving it? 3. How did the villagers react when they found out what caused the pole to lean? 4. Why did the villagers decide to leave the memorial pole as is? 5. Can you think of another animal that could have caused the pole to lean in this story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: Watching Earth from Space
Earth's Adventure: Saving the Planet
A little planet named Earth learns about the effects of pollution and deforestation and joins forces with its inhabitants to find solutions and live happily ever after.
Talk about it 1. Why was Earth's climate changing? 2. What did the satellite tell Earth about humans? 3. How did the creatures on Earth help solve the problem? 4. Why is it important to use cleaner energy sources? 5. What can you do to help protect the environment?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: Weird Bird Beaks
The Magic of Friendship: A Tale of the Extinct Bearded Barbet
Friends use their magic to bring a bearded barbet back to life and show the power of friendship.
Talk about it 1. What did the bearded barbet tell his friends? 2. What did the group of birds do to bring the bearded barbet back to life? 3. What was the result of their efforts? 4. Why is friendship important in the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary N: What Lives in This Hole
The Quest for the Elusive Salamander
A group of animal researchers embark on a journey to find the elusive salamander and learn about the world around them along the way.
Talk about it 1. Who are the main characters in the story? 2. What kind of animal is a puffin? 3. What does the naked mole rat do in the story? 4. What was the goal of the animal researchers in the story? 5. Who joined the animals on their quest? 6. What did the animals learn about the salamander at the end of the story?
Open reading