he dogsled race was about to begin.

Julie’s team of dogs was lined up

at the starting gate. Julie stood behind them. The air was so cold that she
could see her breath. Other teams were lined up, too, and the dogs were
excited. Julie kept her eyes on the clock. At exactly ten o’clock, she and
the other racers yelled, "Mush!" The dogs knew that meant "Go!" They
leapt forward and the race began!

Julie had trained months for this race, and she hoped she and her dogs
would win. Hour after hour, day after day, Julie’s dogs pulled the sled in
order to get in shape for the race.

Now, they ran over snowy hills and down into frozen valleys. They
stopped only to rest and eat. They wanted to stay ahead of the other
teams. The racers had to go a thousand miles across Alaska. Alaska is
one of the coldest places on Earth. The dogs’ thick fur coats helped keep
them warm in the cold wind and weather. In many places along the route,
the snow was deep. Pieces of ice were as sharp as a knife. The ice could
cut the dogs’ feet. To keep that from happening, Julie had put special
booties on their feet.

At first, the dogs seemed to pull the sled very slowly. They were still
getting used to the race. But on the third day out, they began to pull
more quickly. They worked as a team and passed many of the other
racers. Once, one of the sled’s runners slid into a hole and broke. Julie
could have given up then, but she didn't. She fixed it and they kept going.

When they finally reached the finish line, they found out that they had
come in first place! It was a great day for Julie and her dogs.

The author of "Julie’s Race" wrote

the story in order to

describe how dogs stay warm in

cold weather.
tell about a dogsled race.

explain how cold it can be in

winter.
entertain the reader with funny
stories about dogs.

Where does the dogsled race take place?

in Antarctica

on a track

in Alaska
 in a field

What happened BEFORE the dogs began running?

The dogs pulled the sled slowly.

Julie and the dogs lined up at

the starting gate.
The runner on Julie’s sled
broke.
The dogs pulled the sled over
hills and into valleys.

Read this sentence from the story.

Julie’s team of dogs was lined up at the starting

gate.

What does team mean?

friends and family

to join together

many dogs

a group working together

Why did Julie and her dogs win the race?

Use the story to explain your answer.

Why don’t the dogs freeze in the cold weather?

Julie puts special booties on

their feet.
They sleep by the fire at night.
 Their thick fur coats keep them
warm.
It doesn’t get very cold in
Alaska.

Read this sentence from the story.

The dogs’ thick fur coats helped keep them warm

in the cold wind and weather.

What does thick mean?

thin

hard

fat

skinny

What kind of person is Julie?

Use the story to help explain your answer.

From far out in space, Earth looks like a blue ball. Since water covers three-fourths of the
Earth’s surface, blue is the color we see most. The continents look brown, like small islands
floating in the huge, blue sea. White clouds wrap around the Earth like a light blanket. The
Earth is shaped like a sphere, or a ball. It is 25,000 miles around! It would take more than a
year to walk around the whole planet. A spaceship can fly around the widest part of the
sphere in only 90 minutes.

Even though spaceships have traveled to the Moon, people cannot visit the Moon without
special suits. The Moon has no air or water. Plants and animals can’t live there either.
Astronauts first landed on the Moon in 1969. After that, there were six more trips to the
Moon. They brought back Moon rocks, which scientists are still studying. There are holes, or
craters, all over the Moon’s surface. Scientists believe that meteorites smashed into the
Moon millions of years ago and formed the craters.

The Sun is the closest star to Earth. A star is a hot ball of burning gas. The Sun looks very
big because it is so close. But the Sun is just a medium-sized star. Billions of far-away stars
are much bigger than our Sun. The burning gases from the Sun are so hot that they warm the
Earth from 93 million miles away! Even though the Sun is always glowing, the night here on
Earth is dark. That’s because the Earth rotates, or turns around, every 24 hours. During the
day, the Earth faces the Sun. Then we see light. During the night, the Earth turns away from
the Sun. Then it faces the darkness of space.
Each day we learn more about the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun.

Why is blue the color we see most

when looking at Earth from outer
space?

Because most of the Earth is

covered in land.
Because the Sun’s rays
make the Earth look blue.
Because most of the Earth is
covered in water.
Because clouds wrap around
the Earth.

Read this sentence from the story.

Scientists believe that meteorites smashed into the

Moon millions of years ago and formed the craters.

What does formed mean?

hit

made

broke

stopped

Write one fact and one opinion from the article that
tells what the Earth looks like from outer space.

What causes daylight on Earth?

 The full Moon causes
daylight.
Daylight is caused by the
Earth facing away from the
Sun.
The heat of the Sun’s rays
causes daylight.
Daylight is caused by the
Earth facing toward the Sun.

Which of the following sentences BEST describes the

Sun?

The Sun looks small

because it is so far from
Earth.
The Sun is a ball of burning
gases that gives the Earth
heat and light.
The Sun is a small star.

The Sun is not as hot as it

looks.

Why did the astronauts bring rocks back from the

Moon?

Because they didn’t know if

they would return to the
Moon ever again.
Because they wanted to
prove that they went to the
Moon.
Because they wanted to
remember how the Moon
looked.
Because they wanted to
study them and learn more
about the Moon.

Describe some of the things we know about the moon.

Use the article to help support your answer.

What is the main idea of the article?

Plants and animals can’t live

on the Moon.
Without the Sun we would
have no heat or light.
We know a lot about the
Earth, Moon, and Sun, but
there is still more to learn.
From outer space, the Earth
looks tiny, even though it is
thousands of miles around.
Autumn is the season that falls between summer and winter. There are many
changes that begin in this fascinating season. Days become shorter. Leaves of
trees turn from green to vibrant red, yellow and orange. Trees need sunlight to keep
their leaves a lively green. Without sunlight leaves turn colors. The grass is no
longer blanketed with dew but with frost, almost every morning, as temperatures
reach the freezing point. Animals start storing up a food supply to last through the
long winter months. These changes occur as we adjust from the heat of the summer
to the chill of the winter.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:

1. Autumn occurs between summer and which other season?

a. January b. spring
c. winter d. solstice

2. Which of the following changes may occur during Autumn?

a. days become shorter b. it becomes very hot

c. days become longer d. there is more sunlight

3. Why do leaves change color during Autumn?

a. they don't get enough oxygen b. they don't get enough light
c. they don't get enough water d. they get too much oxygen

4. What do animals begin to do to prepare for the end of Autumn?

a. store extra body fat b. eat less

c. shed fur d. turn colors

When Bobby turned six, his mom and dad had a birthday party for him. Twenty of
his closest friends joined in the party. Everyone wore birthday hats and had birthday
cake. The birthday cake was colored blue and white, which are Bobby's favorite
colors.As the day went on, the children played kickball in the back yard. Bobby
played first base, Sally played outfield, and Bobby's dad was the pitcher.At the end
of the party, Bobby asked his parents if he could have next year's birthday at the
zoo. His parents agreed and everyone cheered.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:

1. How old is Bobby today?

a. three b. five
c. six d. ten

2. About how many people came to Bobby's birthday party?

a. five b. seven
c. ten d. twenty

3. Which of the following is a color that Bobby really likes?

a. blue b. green
c. yellow d. brown

4. What game did the party members play?

a. pin-the-tail b. hide and go seek

c. baseball d. kickball

5. What position did Bobby's dad play in the game?

a. first base b. pitcher

c. shortstop d. outfield

6. Where could you go to find Bobby's next birthday party?

a. school b. the elk's hall

c. the kickball stadium d. the zoo

Carpenters are involved in the construction of many

different types of structures such as bridges or large
buildings. Some carpenters change employers each time
they finish a construction job. The duties of a carpenter
differ just about each time the accept employment. In most
cases, carpenters work in many different locations hundred
miles away each year.

Carpentry is a very strenuous outdoor profession.

 Carpenters endure climbing, bending, and heavy laborious
work. Often they put themselves at risk of injury working
with sharp tools and they work in areas where it is all too
easy to fall or slip.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:

1. Which of following may a carpenter do in a normal day of work?

a. type letters b. package and ship mail

c. answer phones d. help build a bridge

2. What is unique about a Carpenters job?

a. They do the same thing all day.

b. They something different each new job they receive.

c. They always work for the same person throughout their career.

d. They wear sandals.

3. What is one skill that would handy to have if you were a Carpenter?

a. typing b. cooking
c. wood working d. sewing

4. Write three words that describe a Carpenter:

1. _______________________________

2. _______________________________

3. _______________________________

Savannah and Charlotte worked real hard all summer to prepare for the end of
summer picnic. Savannah grew tomatoes and green peppers in her garden.
Charlotte lives on a farm and since the spring has been growing corn, lettuce, and
grapes.

A week before the picnic both girls harvested and packed their produce. They
decided that all of their hard work deserved a reward. They charged others for their
produce. Savannah charged one dollar for one tomato or green pepper. Charlotte
charged one dollar for a head of lettuce, fifty cents for an ear of corn, and five cents
for a grape.
 ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. Savannah grew ________ for the end of summer picnic.

a. tomatoes b. corn
c. lettuce d. apples

2. Charlotte grew ________ for the end of summer picnic.

a. tomatoes b. corn
c. lettuce d. both b & c

3. Where does Charlotte live?

a. Mattydale b. on a farm
c. in the circus d. on a boat

4. If you were to go to the picnic and purchase 3 tomatoes and 3 ears of corn from
the girls, how much would it cost?

a. $1.50 b. $3.50
c. $4.00 d. $4.50

5. If you were to go to the picnic and purchase 1 tomato, 1 pepper, 2 ears of corn,
and 4 grapes from the girls, how much would it cost?

a. $2.20 b. $2.50
c. $3.20 d. $3.50

The colony of Massachusetts established the first post office within the United
States in 1639. In 1789 Congress authorized the postal service under the U.S.
Constitution. At the time, the nation had 75 local post offices and delivered mail over
an area of 1875 mi.

Today, the postal service is an independent agency responsible for postal regulation
and delivery. The Postal Services main responsibilities are the collection and
delivery of printed material and hard goods. The Postal Service also issues
domestic and foreign money orders. In a single year, the Postal Service handles
more than 160 billion pieces of mail.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:

1. What U.S. State is credited with the Invention of the post office?
a. New Hampshire b. Maine
c. Massachusetts d. New Jersey

2. About how long was it between when the first post office was in operation and
when the U.S. congress authorized the postal service?

a. 50 years b. 75 years
c. 100 years d. 150 years

3. How can you send and receive money through the post office?

a. with a postal money order b. with postal crazy bucks

c. with a postal check d. with a postal decoder ring

4. The post office handles just over 160 _________ pieces of mail a year.

a. thousand b. million
c. billion d. trillion