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 X: The Labors of Hercules
Frank's Fruitless Climb: A Tale of Caution and Laughter
Frank the feathered creature learns a lesson in caution after mistakenly climbing the wrong tree in search of a magical fruit tree.
Talk about it - Why did Frank want to climb the tree? - What was Frank's goal? - How did Frank feel when he reached the top? - What lesson did Frank learn from his climb? - Why was Frank laughing at the end of the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: The Labors of Hercules2
The King's Quest for Temporary Immortality
A king's quest for immortality leads him to a magical pyre that grants temporary strength, but his subjects play a trick on him, causing him to appreciate the simple things in life.
Talk about it 1. What did the king want to achieve? 2. How did he get temporary immortality? 3. Why did the king's subjects play a trick on him? 4. What did the king learn from the experience?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: The Panama Canal
The Canal of Commerce: A Tale of Ingenuity and Morale
A wise old man solves a village's malaria problem by transforming their canal into a thriving hub of commerce through his investment and the ingenuity of creative engineers.
Talk about it 1. What was the problem facing the village? 2. Who came to help the villagers and how did he do it? 3. How did the villagers feel after the canal was transformed? 4. What did the old man invest in? 5. Why was the canal transformed into a hub of commerce?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: The Reef
The Lieutenant's Monkey Business Adventure
A naturalist named Lieutenant investigates strange rigging near a poisonous plant and discovers it's just monkeys playing tricks, leading to a humorous adventure.
Talk about it 1. What was Lieutenant's job? 2. Why did the villagers believe the rigging near the poisonous plant was cursed? 3. What did Lieutenant find when he investigated the rigging? 4. How did Lieutenant react to what he found? 5. Can you think of a different ending to the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: The School Versus James Holt
The Fun-Filled Forest Trial".
A group of animals hold a trial for a rabbit accused of stealing carrots, but end up having too much fun participating to stop the process.
Talk about it 1. Why did the judge declare the rabbit innocent? 2. What was the evidence presented in court? 3. Did anyone believe the rabbit was guilty? 4. What made everyone have fun during the trial? 5. What lesson can kids learn from this story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: The Stanley Cup Hockeys Greatest Prize
Goalie Gus and the Dynasty Daredevils: A Hockey Playoff Adventure
A hockey team's superstar goalie, Goalie Gus, saves the day and leads the Dynasty Daredevils to victory in the playoffs.
Talk about it 1. Who was Goalie Gus and what was his position on the hockey team? 2. How did he become a hero in the quarterfinals? 3. What was Goalie Gus's plan to stop the opposing player from scoring? 4. How did the crowd react when Goalie Gus made the save? 5. Who won the championship in the end?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: The Story of Immigration
Adventures of the Ethnic Animals: Overcoming Legal Impediments to Reach Their Destination
A group of diverse animals navigate legal challenges during immigration to reach a magical new land.
Talk about it 1. Why did the animals have to go through a legal process to enter the new destination? 2. How did they overcome the immigration problem? 3. What kind of rules and regulations did the authorities impose? 4. What did the animals find in the new land that made them happy? 5. Can you think of any other obstacles the animals might have faced on their journey?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: The Transcontinental Railroad
The Uniting Laborers: A Journey to Financial Stability
Laborers unite to complete a task and find financial stability in a land of wealth through determination and teamwork.
Talk about it 1. Who is the main character in the story? 2. Why did the settlers want to find a land of wealth? 3. What kept the settlers determined to complete their task? 4. How did the settlers achieve financial stability in the end?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: The Wonderful World Series
Hop the Easter Bunny Champion: A tale of a Record-Breaking Feat
A new bunny named Hop enters a professional caliber league of Easter Bunnies and becomes the champion by breaking the record for the most intricate egg display in league history.
Talk about it 1. What was Hop's feat in the Easter Bunny league? 2. How did Hop's egg display make the other bunnies feel? 3. What was the outcome when Hop presented his egg display at the championship? 4. How did Hop become known as the Easter Bunny Champion?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: Up From Slavery
Flax the Farmer: A Plantation Autobiography with a Surprising Effect
A flax farmer writes his life story on a plantation and becomes a famous author, surprising the overseer and spreading a positive effect.
Talk about it 1. Why did the overseer laugh when Flax asked to write his autobiography? 2. How did Flax feel when he received the letter from the publisher? 3. Why do you think Flax's story had a positive effect on others? 4. What lesson can we learn from Flax's persistence in writing his book?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: Whale Sharks Giant Fish
Planky the Brave: The Adventure of a Vulnerable Plankton
A vulnerable plankton named Planky migrates and with the help of a predator starts a plankton protection agency to save his endangered species.
Talk about it 1. What made Planky vulnerable? 2. Why did Planky decide to migrate? 3. How did Planky and Fang work together to save the plankton population? 4. Why do you think it's important to protect endangered species? 5. Can you think of any other ways Planky could have protected himself from predators?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: What Makes You You
Gene's Adventure: The Quest for Dominant Traits
A young gene learns to embrace his recessive traits and pass them down to his offspring in "Gene's Adventure: The Quest for Dominant Traits".
Talk about it 1. What is a recessive gene and why did Gene want to be dominant? 2. How does heredity work? 3. What did Gene learn about traits and genetics by the end of the story? 4. Why was it important for Gene to embrace his recessive traits?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: Wildlife Rescue
Flit's Forest Quarantine Adventure
Indigenous bird Flit, devastated by quarantine in the forest, is saved by veterinarian Dr. Chirp, ambassador bird Feather and fledgling ornithologist Peck with a special incubator that grows Flit's favorite foods.
Talk about it 1. What was Flit's favorite food? 2. Why was the forest put under quarantine? 3. Who helped Flit during the quarantine? 4. What was Peck's special tool to help Flit? 5. How did Flit feel at the end of the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: Your Road to the White House
The Rock, Paper, Scissors Politician
A politician named Pat wins an election by playing rock, paper, scissors and becomes known as the "Rock, Paper, Scissors Politician".
Talk about it - What do you think about Pat's solution to the tie in the election? - How do you think the other politicians and delegates felt when they heard Pat's solution? - Do you think this solution would work in real life elections? - Do you think it's fair to use rock, paper, scissors to decide the winner of an election? - Can you think of another creative solution to break a tie in an election?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary X: Zoos Pro or Con
The Quacking Curator: A Tale of Exotic Conservation
A curator with controversial ideas about conservation in an exotic jungle becomes known as the "Quacking Curator" after the animals put a spell on him, but continues to work hard to save a rare bird and educate the animals about preserving their ecosystem.
Talk about it 1. Why did the animals in the jungle not like Carl's ideas about conservation at first? 2. How did the animals teach Carl a lesson? 3. What did Carl do to save the rare bird species from becoming extinct? 4. Why do you think it was important for Carl to continue educating the animals about preserving their ecosystem? 5. What was your favorite part of the story and why?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Y: 911 A Dark Day
The Brave Sacrifice: A Chaos-Busting, Hijack-Stopping Adventure
A group of friends use debris as a sacrifice to stop hijackers from taking over their memorial park, using bravery and laughter to save the day.
Talk about it 1. What was the chaos the friends heard outside? 2. Why were the friends scared to stop the hijackers? 3. How did the friends use the debris to stop the hijackers? 4. Why did the hijackers run away? 5. Why was the plan silly but effective?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Y: Arrows
Biff the Code Talker and the 500-Year-Old Joke
Biff, a veteran Choctaw Code Talker, uses humor to decipher an ancient script and learns the importance of not taking life too seriously.
Talk about it 1. How did Biff use his skills as a Code Talker to decipher the ancient script? 2. Why was the scientist using carbon dating on the script? 3. Why was Biff surprised when he finally deciphered the script? 4. What did Biff learn about life from the ancient script? 5. Why is it important to not take life too seriously?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Y: Basketball
Benny the Rabbit's Phenomenal Dribble Defense
Benny the Rabbit uses his dribbling skills to turn his offense into a defense, leading the deer team to victory against the lions in a competitive basketball league.
Talk about it 1. What was Benny's strategy in the basketball game? 2. How did Benny turn his offense into a defense? 3. What happened to the lions when they tried to defend against Benny? 4. Who was the most valuable player in the league after Benny joined the deer team?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Y: Battling for Independence
The Rebel Patriot: A Tale of Morale, Independence, and Self-Governance
A group of Patriots, led by Rebel, fight for independence and better representation in their self-governing colony, ultimately succeeding with the help of an ally.
Talk about it 1. Why did the Patriots feel they were not well represented in the government? 2. What did Rebel do to fight for better representation and independence? 3. What was the Loyalists' initial reaction to Rebel's petition? 4. How did the morale of the Patriots change by the end of the story? 5. What can we learn from the story about self-governance and standing up for one's beliefs?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Y: Biomimicry
Gilly and the Glaring Fossil Fuel
A little organism named Gilly leads the way to clean up a fossil fuel mess and restores balance in the ecosystem.
Talk about it 1. What problem did Gilly and her friends face in the ecosystem? 2. How did they solve the problem? 3. Why was antifreeze a better choice than fossil fuel? 4. How did the plants benefit from the change? 5. What can we learn from Gilly's story about taking care of our environment?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Y: Born on Sable Island
Fluffy's Adventure: A Journey Through the Dunes to Civilization
A young foal named Fluffy goes on an excursion to explore the world beyond his isolated dune in the desert, but learns to appreciate the peace and solitude of his sandbar.
Talk about it 1. What was Fluffy's goal in going on an excursion to the world beyond his sandbar? 2. What obstacles did Fluffy face during his journey? 3. How did the other horses react when they saw Fluffy for the first time? 4. Why did Fluffy finally decide to go back to his isolated dune? 5. What did Fluffy learn about himself and the world after his excursion?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Y: Condors Giant Birds
The Talon Tickle Team-Up
A group of raptors with sharp talons and a vulture find peace by sharing food after the raptors tickle the vulture with their talons.
Talk about it -What did the vulture do that caused problems for the raptors? -How did the raptors solve the problem with the vulture? -Why do you think the raptors decided to work together with the vulture instead of fighting? -What would you have done if you were one of the raptors in the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Y: Elephants Giant Mammals
Ellie the Elephant's Green Thumb Adventure
Ellie, an oversized elephant with a talent for manipulation and intelligence, learns the importance of allomothering and becomes known for her green thumb while migrating with a herd of elephants.
Talk about it 1. Why did Ellie live in an ivory tower? 2. How did Ellie manipulate objects? 3. What did Ellie learn about allomothering? 4. How did Ellie become known for her green thumb? 5. What was the wise matriarch's role in the story?
Open reading -
Story RAZ Vocabulary Y: Fast Forward to the Future
The Putrid Flaming Cannibal: A Scientist's Misadventure in the Fourth Dimension
A scientist's attempt to comprehend the fourth dimension leads to a primitve cannibal flourishing into a putrid, flaming monster.
Talk about it 1. What did the scientist try to do in the laboratory? 2. What happened when the scientist poured the fluorescent substance on the primitive cannibal? 3. Why did the scientist run out of the laboratory? 4. What did the scientist learn from this experience? 5. Why was the scientistmesmerized by what he saw at first?
Open reading