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Man of Mystery

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Man of Mystery Non-fiction: Man of Mystery Man of Mystery David Blaine: Part Magician, Part Daredevil Been buried alive: He's done it. Lived in an ice tomb: He's done that, too. Stood high above New York City on a narrow pillar: David Blaine has been there, done that. Some people say Blaine is a modern Houdini. Harry Houdini was a famous magician in the early 1900s. His tricks and great escapes amazed people. When he was 5, Blaine saw a picture of Houdini doing a stunt. That image stuck with Blaine. It made him want to learn magic. "You don't get into magic. Magic gets into you," Blaine wrote in his new book, Mysterious Stranger: A Book of Magic. Street Magic Blaine grew up in Brooklyn, New York. His mother raised him by herself. Blaine's first deck of cards was old and yellowed. Blaine treasured the cards. He thought their old age made them magical. As a young child, Blaine once did a card trick for a neighbor. Blaine did not know the man. The trick stunned the neighbor. It made the man smile. Blaine loved the way his magic made the man feel. Now, at 39, Blaine still does what he calls "street magic." He walks up to strangers on the street and shows them magic tricks. Blaine has made a career out of doing magic. He used to perform his tricks at parties. Now he does TV specials. Great Feats Blaine does more than simple magic tricks. He also does some very risky stunts. In 1998, Blaine let himself be buried alive. Blaine spent a week in a coffin. He survived on a little water and oxygen from a tank. 1 © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Article: Copyright © 2003 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Used by permission. Non-fiction: Man of Mystery A few years later, Blaine encased himself in a huge block of ice. He stayed in his icy tomb for two and a half days. Last year, Blaine reached new heights. He spent 35 hours standing on a pole 83 feet high. To end the stunt, he fell down onto a tall pile of cardboard boxes. What makes Blaine do such crazy stunts? Perhaps Blaine's report of the crowd at his buried-alive stunt says it all. "I saw something truly incredible.... I saw every race, every age group, and every religion gathered together smiling. That made everything worth it. I saw magic." 2 © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Article: Copyright © 2003 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Used by permission. Questions: Man of Mystery Name: ____ Date: __________________ 1. What was the crowd’s reaction to David Blaine’s stunt of being buried alive? A They were confused and worried. B They were all smiling and together. C They were stunned and upset. D They were amazed and interested. 2. Which of the following does the author describe last in the passage? A The author describes some difficult tricks performed by David Blaine. B The author describes some similarities between David Blaine and Harry Houdini. C The author describes David Blaine’s first deck of magic cards. D The author describes some TV specials that Blaine has done. 3. The passage implies that A David Blaine will probably move back to Brooklyn some day B David Blaine could die doing one of his risky stunts C David Blaine wanted to learn magic from a young age D David Blaine likes being in very high places 4. Read the following sentences: “Blaine does more than simple magic tricks. He also does some very risky stunts.” As used in this sentence, stunt means A an exciting story B a fun activity C an important decision D a dangerous action 5. The primary purpose of this passage is to describe A David Blaine and his magic card tricks B David Blaine and his childhood in Brooklyn C David Blaine and his career as a magician D David Blaine and his first deck of cards 1 © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Questions: Man of Mystery 6. Why do some people say that “David Blaine is a modern Houdini”? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ 7. What event in David Blaine’s childhood probably inspired him to grow up to be a magician? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ 8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. ____________ David Blaine and Harry Houdini are both famous magicians, Harry Houdini is no longer alive. A However B Although C Before D So 9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below. David Blaine does magic tricks on the street because he loves seeing people smile. Who? David Blaine (does) What? ____________________________________________________ Where? _________________________________________________________ Why? ___________________________________________________________ 2 © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Questions: Man of Mystery 10. Read the vocabulary word and definition below and complete questions 10a, 10b, and 11. Vocabulary Word: encased (en · cased): completely enclosed or covered by something. 10a. Read the sentences below and underline the word encased. 1. His broken arm was encased in a caste made of plaster. 2. The dinosaur fossil was encased in rock for millions of years before it was discovered. 3. Ice encased the trees and power lines after the winter storm. 4. The ancient Egyptian king was encased in a tomb with all his jewels. 5. Sausage meat encased in puff pastry is called a sausage roll. 10b. Which of these images shows something that is encased? 11. Is this picture an example of something that is encased? Why or why not? ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 3 © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Teacher Guide & Answers: Man of Mystery Teacher Guide & Answers Passage Reading Level: Lexile 630 Featured Text Structure: Descriptive – the writer explains, defines or illustrates a concept or topic Passage Summary: This passage describes the life and work of David Blaine, a famous magician. Blaine does street magic and TV specials, performing amazing tricks and risky stunts. 1. What was the crowd’s reaction to David Blaine’s stunt of being buried alive? A They were confused and worried. B They were all smiling and together. C They were stunned and upset. D They were amazed and interested. 2. Which of the following does the author describe last in the passage? A The author describes some difficult tricks performed by David Blaine. B The author describes some similarities between David Blaine and Harry Houdini. C The author describes David Blaine’s first deck of magic cards. D The author describes some TV specials that Blaine has done. 3. The passage implies that A David Blaine will probably move back to Brooklyn some day B David Blaine could die doing one of his risky stunts C David Blaine wanted to learn magic from a young age D David Blaine likes being in very high places 4. Read the following sentences: “Blaine does more than simple magic tricks. He also does some very risky stunts.” As used in this sentence, stunt means A an exciting story B a fun activity C an important decision D a dangerous action 5. The primary purpose of this passage is to describe A David Blaine and his magic card tricks B David Blaine and his childhood in Brooklyn C David Blaine and his career as a magician D David Blaine and his first deck of cards 6. Why do some people say that “David Blaine is a modern Houdini”? Suggested answer: People compare David Blaine and Harry Houdini because they are both famous magicians who do risky tricks and stunts. Houdini was famous in the early 1900s and Blaine is famous in the present day. [paragraph #2] 1 © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Teacher Guide & Answers: Man of Mystery 7. What event in David Blaine’s childhood probably inspired him to grow up to be a magician? Suggested answer: When David was a child, he did a card trick for a neighbor that he did not know, and loved seeing how happy the man was experiencing the magic. Today, Blaine still loves making people happy with his magic. [see paragraphs #7 & #16] 8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. ____________ David Blaine and Harry Houdini are both famous magicians, Harry Houdini is no longer alive. A However B Although C Before D So 9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below. David Blaine does magic tricks on the street because he loves seeing people smile. Who? David Blaine (does) What? does magic tricks Where? on the street Why? because he loves seeing people smile 10. ReadWorks recommends that you teach this vocabulary word to the whole class out loud using the four steps listed below. Vocabulary Word: encased Step 1: Introduce the word a. Teacher writes the word on the board and divides it into syllables: (en-cased) b. Teacher says: “This word is encased. What is the word?” [All students reply together out loud: “encased.”] Step 2: Provide a child-friendly definition a. Teacher says: “encased means to be completely enclosed or covered by something.” b. Teacher says: “The author describes the block of ice that David Blaine was encased in for two and a half days as his icy tomb, meaning he was completely enclosed or covered in this ice room.” c. Teacher says: “What is the word?” [All students reply together out loud: “encased”] Step 3: Practice the word Teacher provides examples and additional opportunities to repeat the word.
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