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 W: Nelson Mandela
The Penguins' Journey to Equality
A group of penguins protest against segregation and censorship and successfully achieve equality through reconciliation and colonizing a new island.
Talk about it 1. Why did the penguins feel they were treated unfairly? 2. How did the penguins protest their treatment? 3. What was the solution the penguins found to live in equality and dignity? 4. Can you think of a real-life example where a minority group had to fight for their rights? 5. What does the word "reconciliation" mean?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: Ocean Quiz
The Brave Little Fish and the Trench of Fun
A brave little fish discovers the trench in the ocean is a place of fun and adventure, bringing together all the creatures in the abyssal zone to sing, dance, and play.
Talk about it 1. Why were the fish intimidated by the trench? 2. What did Fin find when he explored the trench? 3. How did the creatures in the abyssal zone react to Fin's singing and dancing? 4. How did Fin become famous in the ocean? 5. What is the moral of the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: Otzi the Iceman
The Acupuncture Princess and the Preserved Tattooed Corpse
A young girl named Lily discovers a tattooed, well-preserved corpse in a glacier and learns the art of acupuncture from a wise shaman to become known as the "Acupuncture Princess.
Talk about it 1. Who was Lily and what did she discover in the glacier? 2. What did the scientist find out when carbon dating the corpse? 3. Who taught Lily about acupuncture and why? 4. Why did Lily become known as the "Acupuncture Princess"? 5. What do you think the tattoos on the corpse symbolized?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: Pirates and Privateers
The Rowdy Privateer and the Cursed Cutlass".
A privateer named Cooper buys a cursed cutlass from a black market and becomes rowdy until he follows advice to caulk the cutlass and return it to the sea.
Talk about it 1. Why did Cooper buy the cutlass from the black market? 2. What happened to Cooper after he bought the cutlass? 3. How did the crew help Cooper return to his old self? 4. What lesson did Cooper learn from this experience? 5. Do you think it's okay to buy things from the black market? Why or why not?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: Robin Hood and the King
The Ere's Brazen Jest
A cunning ere learns the consequences of his actions after being caught for playing a brazen jest and stealing food from friars in the nearby abbey.
Talk about it 1. What did the ere do to the friars? 2. How did the friars catch the ere? 3. Why was the ere ashamed of his actions? 4. How did the ere change his ways? 5. What lesson did the ere learn from his experience?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: Ships of Discovery
The Adventures of Bouncy the Catamaran
A catamaran named Bouncy sets sail on a journey to find scurvy-free oranges, meets a grumpy caravel named Crabby and wins him over with her positive attitude and sense of humor.
Talk about it 1. What did Bouncy do to make Crabby happy? 2. Why did Bouncy set sail on her journey? 3. How was Bouncy different from other ships? 4. What happened to Bouncy and Crabby at the end of the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: The Black Stones
The Translucent Talisman Quest
The Apache tribe embarks on a quest to find a new powerful obsidian talisman, but with a mischievous search engine leading them astray, they must use their quick thinking and teamwork to turn the situation around and create a brand new one.
Talk about it 1. Why did the tribe's original talisman start to lose its power? 2. How did the warriors feel when they realized the translucent obsidian rock wasn't the same as the old talisman? 3. What did the warriors have to do to turn the situation around and create a new talisman? 4. How did the Apache tribe change after the quest for the new talisman? 5. What can you learn from the story about teamwork and problem solving skills?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: The Buffalo Soldiers
Bob the Buffalo: A Hero in the Frontier
Bob the buffalo overcomes discrimination and proves his worth by protecting fellow animals, becoming a hero in the frontier.
Talk about it 1. Why did Bob want to join the group of animals? 2. What was Bob's reaction to racism and discrimination? 3. How did Bob prove that buffalos are just as capable as any other animal? 4. What is the message of the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: The Buffalo Soldiers2
The Ants' Reunion Picnic
An ants regiment reunites with a similar colony they thought they lost and celebrates their reunion with a picnic.
Talk about it 1. How do the ants feel when they find out the picnic tables are taken? 2. Why are the two regiments of ants similar to each other? 3. What do the ants do to celebrate their reunion? 4. Why is it important to have a good relationship with others?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: The Olympics Past and Present
The Out-of-This-World Archaeological Reunion
An international group of archaeologists have a reunion, and an alien archaeologist joins in and wins the competition.
Talk about it 1. Why did the archaeologists have a reunion? 2. What was the reaction when the alien archaeologist arrived? 3. Why did the archaeologists eventually let the alien participate in the ceremony? 4. How do you think the alien archaeologist won the competition? 5. Do you think it's important to be friends with people from different places?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: The Olympics Past and Present2
The Spectator's Spectacular Steeplechase: A Steroid-Powered Horse Saves the Sacred Site of the City-State from a Terrorist Threat
A steroid-powered horse saves a sacred site in a city-state from a terrorist threat by winning a spectacular steeplechase race.
Talk about it 1. What made the horse a superhero? 2. Who threatened to destroy the sacred site and why? 3. How did the horse defeat the terrorist? 4. What was the reward for the horse's bravery? 5. Why do you think the city-state was peaceful before the terrorist came?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: The Smithsonian Institution
The Monkey's Monument Adventure
A mischievous monkey steals a monument symbolizing diversity, but returns it after being entertained by a dance party.
Talk about it 1) Why did the monkey steal the monument? 2) How did the town try to get the monument back? 3) What was the little girl's solution to getting the monument back? 4) What happened at the end of the event? 5) How did the monkey become a beloved member of the town?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: The University of Arizona College of Science Biosphere 2
The Air Pressure Wizard: A Tale of Inspiration and Data
A curious creature named Zigs uses his knowledge and data to improve the ecosystem and becomes known as the "Air Pressure Wizard.
Talk about it 1. What inspired Zigs to learn about the ecosystem? 2. How did Zigs use the data he collected to improve the biome? 3. What was the membrane in the machine used for? 4. What factors were important to regulating air pressure and oxygen levels? 5. Why was Zigs admired by the other creatures in the biome?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: The University of Arizona College of Science Biosphere 22
The Sweet Solution: An Adventure in Climate Care
A group of animals use natural services to balance the biosphere and find a magical tree made of ice cream cones to help them forget about changing climate and global warming.
Talk about it 1. What did the animals do to help with the changing climate? 2. What did Sam find when he was gathering nuts? 3. How did the animals feel about the magical tree? 4. Why was it important for the animals to take care of the environment? 5. How does this story teach us about global warming and the importance of natural services?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: The World of NASCAR
Speedy and the Little Bird with a Paintbrush
Speedy wins a NASCAR race with the help of a little bird who paints a new logo on his car.
Talk about it - What did Speedy realize was missing before the race? - How did Speedy's car perform in the race? - Who helped Speedy get a new logo for his car? - Why was everyone amazed at Speedy's car during the race? - What did Speedy become known as after the race?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: The Yanomami Deep in the Amazon
The Dung Oasis
A group of nomads turn a dung-fertilized oasis into a successful and happy settlement for millennia.
Talk about it 1. Why were the nomads so happy about the oasis? 2. What did the nomads use to create their own oasis? 3. What did the nomads learn about resources from this experience?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: Threats to Our Atmosphere
Milo's Mission: Cleaning Up the Atmosphere
A tiny molecule named Milo saves the atmosphere from global warming by discovering a solution to decompose pollutants.
Talk about it 1. What was the problem that Milo was trying to solve? 2. How did Milo find a solution to decompose the pollutants? 3. What did Milo and his friends do to clean up the atmosphere? 4. What did Milo learn about global warming and fossil fuels? 5. Why is it important to keep the atmosphere clean?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: To Drill or Not to Drill
The Geologist's Adventure in the Tundra
A geologist saves endangered animals in the tundra by creating a fuel-efficient migration route to preserve their independence.
Talk about it - What was the problem in the tundra that Sam the geologist needed to solve? - How did Sam help the endangered animals in the tundra? - What was the solution Sam came up with to save the animals from becoming extinct? - How do you think the animals felt after they got their independence? - Why is it important to preserve the tundra for future generations?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: Vikings
Bjorn the Berserker Finds His Purpose
Bjorn, a former berserker, learns the ideals of democracy and peace at a monastery and sets sail to spread these messages while overcoming his reckless past.
Talk about it 1. Why was Bjorn exiled from his settlement? 2. What did the monks teach Bjorn? 3. How did Bjorn change after his time at the monastery? 4. Why did Bjorn build a ship? 5. How did Bjorn overcome his reckless past?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary W: What is Water Worth
Rain Dance in the Land of Precipitation
A group of creatures learn to rely on nature instead of technology to predict the weather and ensure their crops survive.
Talk about it 1. How did the creatures in the story predict the weather before they created the machine? 2. Why did the creatures become worried when the machine predicted sunny skies for a month? 3. What did the creatures learn about relying on technology to predict the weather? 4. How do you think the creatures felt when they went back to their old ways of predicting the weather? 5. What can you do to help protect the environment and ensure that there is enough precipitation for everyone?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: American Football
The Ants' Ultimate Game
A platoon of ants learns the importance of teamwork in a football game, where they must vie to dominate and score in the end zone.
Talk about it 1. What was the ultimate goal of the offense team? 2. Who came up with the new strategy that helped the ants win the game? 3. Why was working together important in this story? 4. How did the spectators feel about the game? 5. What did the ants learn from playing football?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: Body Art
Bella's Blemish: Embracing Individuality
A tribe learns to embrace their individuality through the story of a member with a unique blemish.
Talk about it 1. What were the beliefs of the tribe about unique traits? 2. How did Anya help Bella embrace her individuality? 3. Why did the other members of the tribe start to embrace their own unique traits? 4. What lesson did they learn by the end of the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: Body Art2
Porky's Pigment Passages: A Prehistoric Adventure of Style and Spirit
A young pig named Porky proves his worth and earns permanent status in his prehistoric tribe by showing his unique style and spiritual strength through a rite of passage using rare pigment.
Talk about it 1. What was the rite of passage that Porky had to go through? 2. How did Porky show his unique style and spiritual strength? 3. Why was it important for Porky to prove his worth in the tribe? 4. What message does the story convey about the importance of individuality and perseverance?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: Brazil
The Toxic Dictator and the Water Cycle”
A toxic dictator learns to protect the environment and restore the water cycle on their sugarcane plantation after a visit from a Catholic priest.
Talk about it 1. Why was the ecosystem suffering on the sugarcane plantation? 2. What did the Catholic priest tell the dictator about? 3. How did the water cycle change after the dictator changed his ways? 4. What was the former dictator's new nickname? 5. What can we learn from the story about the environment and our actions?
Open reading