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 S: India
The Mangrove Adventure: Saving the Sacred Peninsula
A young boy saves the sacred mangroves on a poverty-stricken peninsula from destruction by organizing a game of hide and seek with the village kids.
Talk about it 1. Why was the peninsula considered sacred by the Muslim community? 2. How did the young boy come up with the idea to save the mangroves? 3. What was the result of the kids playing hide and seek in the mangroves? 4. How did the story show that sometimes, simple solutions can solve big problems? 5. Can you think of any other ways the young boy could have saved the mangroves?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Laura Ingalls Wilder A Pioneers Life
Pete the Pioneer Poet: A Story of Hardship and Vivid Imagination
A pioneer named Pete overcomes hardships in the prairie and becomes known as the "Poet of the Prairie" through his vivid and memorable poems.
Talk about it 1. What inspired Pete to start writing poems? 2. Why do you think no one could remember Pete's poems after hearing them? 3. How did Pete overcome the hardships he faced in the prairie? 4. Do you think you could become a poet too, like Pete? 5. What lessons do you think kids can learn from this story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Life in Space
The Toy Launch Adventure: A Tale of Zero Gravity and Hilarious Chases
An astronaut and cosmonaut team up to launch a toy into space, but must chase it down and save it from crashing back to Earth due to gravity.
Talk about it 1. What type of toy did the astronaut and cosmonaut launch into space? 2. Why did they have to prepare for zero gravity before launching the toy? 3. How did they save the toy from falling back to Earth? 4. Why were the children on Earth so happy with the toy? 5. What lesson did Tim and Nina learn about launching toys into space?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Making Mosaics
The Artistic Adventures of a Magical Polymer
A young artist saves her magical Art Nouveau and Pictorial Realism painting with a special cure and a trowel, becoming famous for her unique and creative art.
Talk about it 1. Why did the young artist use a trowel to cure her painting? 2. What was special about the young artist's art? 3. How did the young artist feel when she saw the results of using the cure on her painting? 4. What would you have done if you were the young artist and your painting started to shrink? 5. Can you think of another way the young artist could have saved her shrinking painting?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Monkey Business
The Evolution of the Prosimian Monkeys: A Journey to the Old World
A troop of prosimian monkeys go on a journey to the Old World and gain opposable thumbs through evolution, becoming more like their anthropoid cousins.
Talk about it 1. What were prosimian monkeys known for? 2. What was different about the new monkey that joined the troop? 3. What did the prosimian monkeys learn about opposable thumbs? 4. Why did the prosimian monkeys go on a journey to the Old World? 5. What did the prosimian monkeys gain from their journey?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: National Parks
Fjord Folly: A Migration Misadventure
A flock of birds have a funny adventure while migrating back to their savanna home after visiting a fjord in the North and encountering penguins who mistake them for migratory fish.
Talk about it 1. What did the birds learn about diversity after their adventure at the fjord? 2. Why did the birds migrate to the fjord in the North? 3. How did the birds become friends with the penguins? 4. What happened when the penguins mistook the birds for migratory fish? 5. Why was the fjord not a suitable habitat for the birds?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Ostriches Giant Birds
Gizzard's New Friend: A Tale of Dominance, Adaptation and Friendship
A gizzard learns the importance of friendship over dominance when he befriends an omnivore juvenile in the savanna.
Talk about it 1. How did the gizzard initially feel about the omnivore? 2. What did the gizzard learn about being dominant? 3. How did the gizzard and the omnivore become friends? 4. Why was the gizzard happier at the end of the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Our Solar System
Fuelo and Meteoro: A Cosmic Adventure
A fossil fuel named Fuelo goes on a space adventure and befriends a meteorite turned meteor named Meteoro.
Talk about it 1. Who is Fuelo in the story? 2. What is a meteoroid? 3. What did Fuelo learn about space? 4. Why did Meteoro become a meteorite? 5. What kind of adventures did Fuelo and Meteoro have together?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Penguins
The Waddling Guardians of the Antarctic: A Tale of Pollution, Conservation and Algae
A colony of penguins in Antarctica learns about conservation and fights pollution, ultimately saving their home with the help of a new species of algae.
Talk about it 1. How did the penguins learn about conservation and insulation? 2. What was causing the pollution in the water? 3. How did the new species of algae help the penguins? 4. What can we learn from the penguins about protecting our environment?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Searching for the Loch Ness Monster
The Treasure Hunt of Peg Leg and Scour
A pirate and his pet parrot go on an adventure to find treasure with the help of a myth-debunking leprechaun.
Talk about it 1. What was the pet parrot's name in the story? 2. What was the secret device the pirate and parrot found on the island? 3. Who got stuck in the peat bog? 4. What did the leprechaun offer to do for Peg Leg and Scour? 5. Why didn't Peg Leg and Scour mind that the treasure was just a myth?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Seven Wonders of the Modern World
The Monkey Bridge Adventure
An engineer named Bob builds a suspension bridge that becomes a landmark known as the "Monkey Bridge" after he saves it from swaying caused by mischievous monkeys.
Talk about it 1. What did the engineer, Bob, build? 2. Why did the bridge start swaying? 3. How did Bob solve the problem with the bridge? 4. What happened to the bridge after Bob fixed it? 5. What is the new name of the bridge?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Snakebite
The Tale of Slippy the Snake: A Venomous Adventure
A little snake named Slippy gets stung by a strange insect, becomes paralyzed and unconscious, but with the help of a skin graft and the healing power of his own body, he becomes the fastest and most agile hunter in the forest.
Talk about it 1. What happened when Slippy got stung by the strange insect? 2. How did the other animals in the forest try to help Slippy? 3. What happened to Slippy's skin after he woke up? 4. Why was Slippy known as the fastest and most agile hunter in the forest? 5. Did Slippy ever forget about the day he was paralyzed by the strange insect's venom?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: The Hidden Room
Combby's Bizarre Adventure
A comb named Combby immigrates to Bizarreville, becomes the most charitable and well-groomed comb, and discovers that the residents are aliens communicating with combs.
Talk about it 1. What was Combby's initial goal when he received the beckoning from Bizarreville? 2. Why was everyone in Bizarreville so intense about grooming and combs? 3. What was the key to fitting in and being accepted in Bizarreville? 4. What did Combby reveal about Bizarreville to others? 5. How did Combby become known as the most charitable and well-groomed comb in Bizarreville?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: The International TShirt Contest
Searcher's Phenomenal Journey: The Rise of a Search Engine in the World of Internet Currency
Searcher, a search engine, becomes a phenomenal success using WebCoins and a solid strategy in the World Wide Web.
Talk about it 1. Who is Searcher and what is his goal in the story? 2. What did Searcher discover about the Internet and its secrets? 3. How does Searcher overcome the challenges he faced during his journey? 4. What is WebCoins and how does it play a role in Searcher's success? 5. What lesson can we learn from Searcher's journey?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: The Trouble with English
Max's Language Adventure: Embracing Diversity in Expression
Max learns to embrace the diversity of language expression after being confused by accents and idioms in France.
Talk about it 1. What was Max's initial experience with the French language in France? 2. Who helped Max understand the diversity of language expression? 3. How did Max feel after speaking with different accents and idioms in French? 4. What did Max learn about language from the old man? 5. How did Max change his perspective on language by the end of the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Tsunamis
Timmy's Tsunami Adventure
A young boy named Timmy experiences a tsunami and grows up to study earthquakes to help prevent such devastating events.
Talk about it 1. What is a tsunami and how is it caused? 2. How is the magnitude of an earthquake measured? 3. What is a fault and what role does it play in earthquakes? 4. Why was Timmy and the town ordered to evacuate? 5. What did Timmy grow up to do and how does it relate to the tsunami he experienced as a child?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Two Kettles
The Quahog Wizard of Nasump
A little boy in a village called Nasump becomes famous for his creative cooking techniques after wrapping a quahog in leaves and twigs instead of deerskin.
Talk about it 1. Why did Timmy wrap the quahog in leaves and twigs instead of deerskin? 2. What made Timmy famous in the village of Nasump? 3. What would have happened if Timmy had used deerskin to wrap the quahog? 4. How do you think Timmy's friends felt about his new nickname, "Quahog Wizard"? 5. Can you think of another creative solution for Timmy to wrap the quahog?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Volcanoes
Vera the Volcano's Lava Blast
A group of animals throw a party for a grumpy, dormant volcano named Vera to stop her lava blast.
Talk about it 1. Why did the volcano, Vera, start to pour out lava? 2. How did the animals react to the lava blast? 3. What did the animals do to make Vera happy? 4. Was Vera happy after the party thrown by the animals? 5. Would you like to attend a party with a volcano? Why or why not?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Voyagers in Space
Title: "Zapp the Probe's Interstellar Adventure
Zapp the Probe discovers a group of aliens playing cosmic hopscotch while exploring the interstellar space using its advanced plasma instrument.
Talk about it 1. What was Zapp's mission? 2. How did Zapp discover the magnetic field? 3. What did Zapp find as the source of the magnetic field? 4. What was unique about Zapp? 5. Do you think Zapp will continue to explore the universe with a smile on its face and a twinkle in its eye? Why or why not?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: What the Boys Found
Mitty's Masterpiece Discovery
A mysterious creature named Mitty follows her instincts to discover a hidden room filled with glittering jewels, becoming the richest creature in the forest.
Talk about it 1.What is Mitty's method for exploration? 2.What is Mitty's discovery in the forest? 3.Why does Mitty consider her discovery to be a masterpiece? 4.What does Mitty's discovery mean for her future?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Whats in a Name
Arrow the Archer and the Stolen Barrel
A cunning archer named Arrow uses his wit and skills to retrieve a stolen barrel and earn the title "Arrow the Archer and the Barrel Retriever".
Talk about it 1. Why did the ruler ask Arrow to retrieve the barrel? 2. How did Arrow overcome the obstacles he encountered on his quest? 3. What did Arrow do to trick the ancestor into giving him the barrel? 4. Why was Arrow given the title "Arrow the Archer and the Barrel Retriever"? 5. What lesson did you learn from this story about being clever and cunning?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Wheeling the Snake
The Taunting Goat's Ominous Birthdays: A Sarcastic Twist on a Village Tradition
A mischievous goat transforms a tradition of taunting on birthdays into a celebration of joy and cleanliness by embracing an ominous cloud of irrigation water.
Talk about it 1. Why did Billy the goat love to harass and make fun of others? 2. How did Billy feel when the irrigation water started gushing out on him? 3. What changed Billy's mind about the irrigation water? 4. How did the tradition of taunting on birthdays transform into a celebration? 5. How did Billy's behavior impact the other animals in the village?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Wild and Wacky World of Wigs
Sir Toupee and His Quest for the Perfect Wig
A wealthy nobleman's obsession with fashion leads to his realization that true beauty comes from within.
Talk about it 1. Why do you think Sir Toupee was obsessed with wigs? 2. What did Sir Toupee learn at the end of the story? 3. How would you feel if you lost something you were obsessed with? 4. Do you think it's more important to look good on the outside or feel good on the inside?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary S: Woolly and Fang
Twirl and the Crystalline Crevasse Delicacy
A group of birds find a new home on an isolated island and enjoy the sweet crystalline nectar from its crevasses.
Talk about it 1. What did Twirl do to find the crystalline nectar? 2. What happened when Twirl tried to fly out of the crevasse with nectar in his beak? 3. How did the group of birds make the isolated island their home? 4. Why did the migration path change in the story? 5. What was the most important part of the story?
Open reading