ELA and Writing Work Make Sure You Have

4th Grade ELA and Writing Work Make sure you have... 1 ELA & Writing Work Packet 1 Math Work Packet

Penguins: Up Close and Personal

Penguins: Up Close and Personal by ReadWorks

A penguin is a type of bird that lives in water and on land. The black-and-white appearance of penguins is known as countershading, which is a form of camouflage that helps keep them safe in the water. Wild penguins are found only in the Southern Hemisphere. Most live within the polar region in very cold climates around Antarctica; however, some species of penguins live in warmer climates in South Africa, New Zealand, and some countries in South America. While there are over 17 different types of penguins, this passage will focus on only three: the emperor penguin, the king penguin, and the little blue penguin.

The biggest of all penguins, the emperor penguin, is almost three-and-a-half feet tall-that is almost as tall as the average first grader! And they can weigh up to 88 pounds. Incredibly, emperor penguins breed on the ice in Antarctica during winter. They face temperatures of -22

ReadWorks.org · © 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Penguins: Up Close and Personal degrees Fahrenheit and below. After the female lays an egg, the male keeps the egg warm and protects it for a period of two months-during which time he doesn't eat at all! The female makes a hunting trip for those two months, sometimes traveling up to 50 miles to reach the ocean. When she returns, she regurgitates food for the chick, and then the male goes and finds food for himself. In the wild, emperor penguins live 15 to 20 years. Also, they have the deepest dive of all birds: up to 1,850 feet!

The second-largest penguin is called the king penguin. A king penguin can weigh up to 30 pounds. During breeding, like the emperor penguin, a king penguin keeps its egg warm on its feet under a pouch of loose skin. However, king penguins tend to live in slightly warmer climates than emperor penguins; they choose beaches without snow or ice to lay their eggs. The king penguin has a very distinctive coloring, with orange highlights on its head, beak, neck, and upper breast.

A third type of penguin is called the little blue penguin, also known as the fairy penguin. These penguins get their name from both their small size and the color of their feathers, which are a light blue instead of black and white like many other types of penguins. Little blue penguins are the smallest of all penguin types, only growing up to a little over one foot tall. They weigh only two or three pounds! They like to live on sandy or rocky beaches, and they can only be found in Australia and New Zealand. They face threats from natural predators such as seagulls, seals, and sharks, and also from introduced predators such as cats, dogs, and foxes. Unlike emperor penguins and king penguins, little blue penguins build nests for their eggs. And while emperor penguin parents take two-month-long shifts protecting their young, little blue penguins take turns more often, switching every few days. Their eggs hatch after only 36 days, and their average lifespan is 6.5 years.

Penguins have evolved so that they can spend time both in water and on land-although they are much more graceful in the water than they are on land! (Look at how they waddle awkwardly on land and how they glide smoothly through the water.) While penguins cannot fly, they do have small wings called flippers that help them swim underwater. An interesting fact about penguins is that they can remain underwater for as long as 20 minutes at a time before coming up for air. They also get their food from the seas. Small fish and squid make up the bulk of their average diet. Penguins seem to have mastered the art of hunting-they catch their prey with their beaks and swallow them whole! Some penguins spend much of their lives in water, only coming to land to mate and rear their chicks.

Name: ______Date: ______1. What is a meaning of the word camouflage?

A. the police B. a bathroom C. a disguise

2. What is another meaning of the word camouflage?

A. either of the two large, flat, bones forming the back of the shoulder B. the reason for a court's judgment (as opposed to the decision itself) C. resemblance of an organism to its surroundings for avoiding detection

Please use each answer choice only once. Choose the one word that best completes the sentence.

3. _____ makes the insect hard to see on a plant.

A. camouflaged B. camouflage C. camouflaging

4. The quail's spots _____ her.

A. camouflaged B. camouflage C. camouflaging

5. The fur protects the bat because different colors and designs have the effect of _____ it from danger.

A. camouflaged B. camouflage C. camouflaging

6. Please write your own sentence using the word camouflage.

7. What would you like to remember about the meaning of the word camouflage so that you can use it when you write or speak?

Name: ______Date: ______1. Which penguin is the largest?

A. the king penguin B. the emperor penguin C. the rockhopper penguin D. the little blue penguin

2. What does the author describe in the passage?

A. types of penguins and their habitats B. why most penguins are found in Antarctica C. the reason why penguins cannot fly D. how to protect penguins from extinction

3. Not all penguins are black and white. What evidence from the passage supports this conclusion?

A. Countershading keeps penguins safe in water. B. Little blue penguins are the smallest type of penguin. C. Little blue penguins have blue feathers. D. Penguins mostly eat small fish and squid.

4. Which of the following conclusions about penguin habitats is supported by the passage?

A. Penguins live only in Antarctica. B. Penguins cannot live in warm climates. C. Penguins live only in the Northern Hemisphere. D. Penguins can live in warm and cold climates.

5. What is this passage mostly about?

A. facts about penguins B. how penguins evolved C. what penguins eat D. where penguins live

6. Read the following sentences from the paragraph about king penguins.

"The second-largest penguin is called the king penguin. A king penguin can weigh up to 30 pounds. During breeding, like the emperor penguin, a king penguin keeps its egg warm on its feet under a pouch of loose skin. However, king penguins tend to live in slightly warmer climates than emperor penguins; they choose beaches without snow or ice to lay their eggs."

Why might the author mention emperor penguins in this paragraph about king penguins?

A. to distract the reader from the important information B. to hint that the emperor penguin is better than the king penguin C. to show how these two kinds of penguins are alike and different D. to indicate that emperor penguins and king penguins are the same

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

______penguins have small wings called flippers, they cannot fly.

A. Especially B. Therefore C. After D. Although

8. Emperor penguins breed in colder climates than king penguins. What evidence from the passage supports this statement?

9. According to the passage, what do little blue penguins build that emperor penguins and king penguins do not?

10. Compare and contrast two of the penguins described in the passage. Use information from the passage to support your answer.

Relative pronouns

Grade 4 Pronouns Worksheet

Relative pronouns Circle the relative pronoun. Underline the include who, whom, relative clause. whose, that, and which.

1. The movie that I bought at the store Relative clauses give more information about was about a lion. a word or idea.

2. My brother, whom I admire, decided to give me his old baseball glove.

3. I always have a difficult time with people who chew food with open mouths.

4. My mom said I could not go to the camp that I enjoyed so much last year.

5. We saw the teacher with whom we had spoken earlier.

6. My sister visited the hospital in which she was born.

7. The nicest person who I have ever met is my friend, Sabrina.

8. The teacher, whose students were in art class, went to speak to the principal.

9. Our favorite restaurant, which served delicious cookies, closed last week.

10. The song I wrote, which was amazing, is now on a TV show.

Reading & Math for K-5 © www.k5learning.com

Directions: Complete the apostrophe questions below.

When do we use apostrophes in our writing?

Name: ______Narrator and Point of View

n every story there is a storyteller, called a narrator. The narrator tells “Squire Trelawney, Doctor the actions, the characters and the setting of the story. In ﬁction, the Livesey, and the rest of these narrator is not the same as the author. An author creates a narrator. For gentlemen having asked me to I write down the whole particulars example, in Treasure Island the narrator who tell the story is Jim Hawkins, the son of an innkeeper. The author who wrote the book is Robert Louis about Treasure Island, from the Stevenson. Jim says in the ﬁrst lines of the book: beginning to the end...”

He goes on to mention that he is writing the story in the part in it. A third person narrator only uses he, she or it, 1700s. Robert Louis Stevenson was not born until 1850, and never me or I. Like a first person narration, the author still wrote Treasure Island in 1883. creates the narrator. An example of a third person narration is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum. There are two main types of narrators: first person and third person. A first person narrator is usually a part of the “When Dorothy stood in the doorway and looked around, story. This narrator uses I and me in the text. Treasure Island she could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every is a first person narration, or story told by Jim, who is a side.” character in the story and uses I and me. Another example The author uses she when talking about Dorothy, the main from the book: character. The only time that I or me is used in the story is in “I was standing at the door for a moment, full of sad conversations. thoughts about my father, when I saw someone drawing Remember: In first person, the narrator is usually a main slowly near along the road.” character and uses I and me. A third person narrator is the most common in fiction. This In third person narrations, the narrator is not a main narrator is not a character or at least not a main character. character and uses she, he, they or it. I and me is used only This narrator watches what goes on, but does not take a in conversations.

Below are some passages from books. Read them and write what type of narration it is: ﬁrst person or third person.

1. At half-past nine, that night, Tom and Sid were sent to bed, as usual. They said their prayers, and Sid was soon asleep. Tom lay awake and waited, in restless impatience. (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain)

2. There were six young colts in the meadow besides me; they were older than I was; some were nearly as large as grown-up horses. I used to run with them, and had great fun; we used to gallop all together round and round the ﬁeld as hard as we could go. (Black Beauty by Anna Sewell)

3. To begin my life with the beginning of my life, I record that I was born (as I have been informed and believe) on a Friday, at twelve o’clock at night. It was remarked that the clock began to strike, and I began to cry, simultaneously. (David Copperﬁeld by Charles Dickens)

4. Since his papa’s death, Cedric had found out that it was best not to talk to his mamma about him. When his father was ill, Cedric had been sent away, and when he had returned, everything was over... (Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett)

Point of View: Who Is Telling the Story?

The narrator tells what happens in a story. Sometimes it is a character in the story, or sometimes it is someone else who does not take part in the story. There are two main types of narrators: ﬁrst person and third person.

In third person narrations, the narrator is not In ﬁrst person narrations, the narrator is a main character and uses she, he, they or it. The usually a main character and uses I and me. words I and me are only used in conversations.

Below are some passages from books. Read them and write what type of narration it is: ﬁrst person or third person. The brieﬂy explain your reasons.

1. My father had a small estate in Nottinghamshire: I was the third of ﬁve sons. He sent me to Emanuel College in Cambridge at fourteen years old, where I resided three years, and applied myself close to my studies... (Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift) 2. Mr. Sherlock Holmes, who was usually very late in the mornings, save upon those not infrequent occasions when he was up all night, was seated at the breakfast table. I stood upon the hearth-rug and picked up the stick which our visitor had left behind him the night before. (The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) 3. Mary asked no more questions but waited in the darkness of her corner, keeping her eyes on the window. The carriage lamps cast rays of light a little distance ahead of them and she caught glimpses of the things they passed. (The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett) 4. Phileas Fogg was seated squarely in his armchair, his feet close together like those of a grenadier on parade, his hands resting on his knees, his body straight, his head erect; he was steadily watching a complicated clock which indicated the hours, the minutes, the seconds, the days, the months, and the years. (Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne) 5. At ﬁrst I hated the school, but by and by I got so I could stand it. Whenever I got uncommon tired I played hookey, and the hiding I got next day done me good and cheered me up. So the longer I went to school the easier it got to be. (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain) 6. Poor Jo would gladly have gone under the table, as one thing after another was tasted and left; while Amy giggled, Meg looked distressed, Miss Crocker pursed up her lips, and Laurie talked and laughed with all his might, to give a cheerful tone to the festive scene. (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott)

The Simple Physics of Soccer

The Simple Physics of Soccer by ReadWorks

Everyone knows that kicking a soccer ball causes it to roll across the grass. But what makes this happen? What is required to make the ball move faster? What's the difference, in other words, between passing the soccer ball to a teammate and shooting for the goal?

Kicking a ball may seem simple, but physicists spent years trying to figure out why objects move the way they do. What they discovered is that kicking a soccer ball requires applying force to the surface of the ball. The greater the force, the faster the ball will go, and the further it will travel. How much force you apply to the ball, that is, will often determine whether you score a goal or not.

The combination of force and distance equals what is called "work." In this case, we don't mean the noun form of work, like a job. We are talking about work as a verb, as a form of action. Work can be taking out the trash or cleaning dishes in your house. Furniture movers work by carrying chairs and tables out of one apartment and into another. If the first apartment is on the second floor and the second apartment is on the fourth floor, carrying the furniture into the second apartment will require about twice as much work as the first.

Keep in mind that force and work are not the same things as energy. Energy comes in several forms. But the best way to understand it is as something that creates the ability to do work. ReadWorks.org · © 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. The Simple Physics of Soccer

When someone says, "I don't have any energy," what do they usually mean? Often, they mean they don't have the strength or motivation to work.

Without energy, it is hard to play soccer or lift furniture. In fact, it may even be difficult to get out of bed. Energy is what allows us to do work. The more energy we have, the more work we can do.

Mathematicians use the following simple equation to define the meaning of work: force x distance = work. The heavier an object is, in other words, the more force it exerts in the form of gravity. Picking an anvil up off the ground requires more energy than picking up a feather. If you're interested in building muscles, though, keep in mind that lifting heavier things will make you stronger over time. And the stronger you are, the more likely you are to win at soccer.

Name: ______Date: ______1. What is a meaning of the word exert?

A. to try hard B. spring back C. to clear up

2. What is another meaning of the word exert?

A. to conquer B. put to use C. put to use

Please use each answer choice only once. Choose the one word that best completes the sentence.

3. She _____ a great deal of influence over him

A. exert B. exerted

4. The would _____ every effort to succeed

A. exert B. exerted

5. Please write your own sentence using the word exert.

6. What would you like to remember about the meaning of the word exert so that you can use it when you write or speak?

Name: ______Date: ______1. Which sport does the passage use to examine physics?

A. baseball B. football C. hockey D. soccer

2. What does the author describe in the passage?

A. how to score a goal in soccer B. the relationship between work, force, and distance C. physics experiments that led to important discoveries D. different types of energy

3. A soccer ball will travel a greater distance the harder it is kicked. What evidence from the text best supports this statement?

A. Physicists spent years trying to figure out why objects move the way they do. B. Kicking a soccer ball requires applying force to the surface of the ball. C. The greater the force, the faster the ball will go, and the further it will travel. D. How much force you apply to the ball will often determine whether you score a goal or not.

4. What is the difference between passing the ball to a teammate and shooting a goal?

A. the amount of force applied to the ball B. the way that the ball rolls C. the distance the ball has to travel D. it is more difficult to pass the ball

5. What is this passage mostly about?

A. geometry B. biology C. physics D. chemistry

6. Read the following sentences: "Everyone knows that kicking a soccer ball causes it to roll across the grass. But what makes this happen? What is "required" to make the ball move faster?"

What does required mean?

A. allowed B. needed C. ordered D. stopped

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

The tired soccer player does not have any energy left; ______, he is unable to do any more work.

A. however B. finally C. specifically D. therefore

8. Define "work."

9. Why does carrying furniture up four flights of stairs require twice as much work as carrying furniture up two flights of stairs?

10. Imagine three different soccer players are shooting at the goal. Player A has a lightweight ball and is close to the goal, Player B has a heavy ball and is close to the goal, and Player C has a heavy ball and is far from the goal. Which player will need the most energy to score a goal, and which player will need the least energy? Support your answer using the text.

Progressive verb tenses

Grade 4 Verbs Worksheet

Hint: Write the past, present, and future “Progressive and “Continuous progressive forms of the verb. tenses are the same.

Verb Past progressive Present progressive Future progressive

play was playing is playing will be playing

write

remember

think

stop

keep

hurt

listen

take

see

have

say

become

Reading & Math for K-5 © www.k5learning.com

Auxiliary verbs

Grade 4 Verbs Worksheet

Hint: Choose the correct auxiliary verb. An auxiliary verb is a verb that helps the main 1. The teachers ______planning a field verb of the sentence.

trip. ( is / am / does / are )

2. Our car ______make a strange sound. ( is / am / does / are )

3. My friend ______having a party. ( is / am / does / are )

4. ______your parents have a lot of friends? ( Is / Do / Does / Are )

5. ______your dog eat a lot of food? ( Is / Do / Does / Are )

6. My mom ______cook dinner. ( in / doen / aen / don )

7. The school ______closing on Friday. (is / am / do / are )

8. What ______your cats like to play? ( is / am / do / are )

9. ______your friends in the fourth grade? ( Is / Do / Does / Are )

10. Erin ______studying French this year. ( in / doen / aen / don )

11. We ______like going to bed early. ( in / doen / aen / don )

12. Ricky ______dancing in the next show. ( is / am / does / are )

Reading & Math for K-5 © www.k5learning.com

A Funny Old Ballpark

A Funny Old Ballpark by W.M. Akers

Have you ever seen a baseball stadium with a hill in it? In Nashville, Tennessee, there used to be a ballpark called Sulphur Dell. It was one of the strangest ballparks in history.

In most ballparks, the right field fence is about 330 feet from home plate. In Sulphur Dell, it was only 262 feet-which made it very easy to hit home runs, if you hit the ball to just the right spot. That's pretty odd, but not half as weird as the hill in the outfield. It sloped up in front of the right field fence, until it got to about 22 feet high!

Skip Nipper, a historian who wrote about Sulphur Dell in his book Baseball in Nashville, calls the stadium "quirky." He likes to tell a story about a player named Phil Weintraub, who had some trouble with the outfield hill in 1934.

"A hard line drive came his way," says Nipper, "and he ran down the hill and reached down to catch the ball and missed it. It went between his legs. He turned around, went up the hill to catch it, and once again it went between his legs. When he finally got it, he threw it over the third baseman's head."

In baseball, when a player makes a mistake, he's charged with an "error." It's pretty bad if a player makes more than one error in a game, but on that play, Phil Weintraub made three!

A lot of great players came through Sulphur Dell, including Bill Dickey, Honus Wagner, and the sultan of swat himself: Babe Ruth. When Ruth came to town, the whole city was excited. The state Senate even made a special resolution, allowing them to leave the Capitol early so they could all go to the game. Back then, you couldn't watch players on TV, and they didn't want to miss their chance to see Babe Ruth. Ruth was in the outfield when he played there in 1934, Nipper says, and "almost broke one of his legs" running on it.

But even though the ballplayers didn't like hills, the people of Nashville loved their ballpark. They called it "the Dell." Nipper started going to games at the Dell when he was a child. His father would take him, and so would his grandfather.

"My dad would take me and my cousin or my brother," he says, "and we would sit on the first base side, so we could see that right field hill. And my grandfather would not let us go to the concession stand until the seventh-inning stretch. He wanted us to watch the game."

One of the greatest games ever played at the Dell was on July 11, 1916. A pitcher named Tom Rogers was on the mound for the Tennessee Volunteers. They called him Shotgun Rogers, because he threw the ball so fast. That night, he pitched better than he ever had. He did something that's only happened a few dozen times in all of baseball history: he threw a perfect game. That means that, in nine innings of play, nobody on the opposing team got a hit. Nobody got a walk. Nobody even got to first base!

By 1963, the old ballpark wasn't so popular anymore. Teams stopped playing baseball there, and eventually Sulphur Dell was torn down. It had been around for almost 100 years.

In 1978, a new team came to town: the Nashville Sounds. They built themselves a brand new ballpark called Greer Stadium. A lot of famous players have played there: Don Mattingly, Ryan Braun, Rick Ankiel-even Michael Jordan, when he was playing baseball. The Sounds played at Greer Stadium through the 2014 season. A new ballpark called First Tennessee Park was built for The Sounds. It opened its doors in 2015, and it is located right beside the state Capitol, on the spot of land Sulphur Dell once stood.

Where does Skip Nipper think they should have built First Tennessee Park? He doesn't care.

"I'm a baseball fan," he says. "I'm going to go wherever they play."

Name: ______Date: ______1. What is a meaning of the word quirky?

A. common B. usual C. odd

2. What is another meaning of the word quirky?

A. plain B. normal C. weird

Please use each answer choice only once. Choose the one word that best completes the sentence.

3. Together, they had so many _____ that folks just let them be.

A. quirky B. quirks

4. He had a _____ way of walking.

A. quirky B. quirks

5. Please write your own sentence using the word quirky.

6. What would you like to remember about the meaning of the word quirky so that you can use it when you write or speak?

Name: ______Date: ______1. What was Sulphur Dell?

A. a baseball B. a historian C. a ballpark D. a meeting place for state senators

2. What does this passage describe?

A. This passage describes the career of baseball stars like Babe Ruth, Don Mattingly, and Ryan Braun. B. This passage describes a strange old ballpark and some of the things that happened there. C. This passage describes the reasons that some people want to build a new ballpark next to the state Capitol in Tennessee. D. This passage describes the different players on the Nashville Sounds.

3. Sulphur Dell was a strange ballpark.

What evidence from the passage supports this statement?

A. "In most ballparks, the right field fence is about 330 feet from home plate. In Sulphur Dell, it was only 262 feet-which made it very easy to hit home runs, if you hit the ball to just the right spot." B. "A new ballpark called First Tennessee Park was built for The Sounds. It opened its door in 2015, and it is located right beside the state Capitol, on the spot of land Sulphur Dell once stood." C. "One of the greatest games ever played at the Dell was on July 11, 1916. A pitcher named Tom Rogers was on the mound for the Tennessee Volunteers." D. "A lot of great players came through Sulphur Dell, including Bill Dickey, Honus Wagner, and the sultan of swat himself: Babe Ruth. When Ruth came to town, the whole city was excited."

4. Based on the information in the passage, how did baseball fans feel about Sulphur Dell?

A. Baseball fans hated Sulphur Dell and almost never went to games there. B. Baseball fans loved Sulphur Dell and were excited about going to games there. C. Baseball fans did not care much about Sulphur Dell one way or the other. D. Baseball fans did not like Sulphur Dell at first but started liking it more in the 1960s.

5. What is this passage mainly about?

A. what watching a baseball game at Sulphur Dell was like for Skip Nipper B. what it means for a pitcher to throw a perfect game C. what made Sulphur Dell a strange and special ballpark D. how the right field fence in Sulphur Dell made it easy to hit home runs

6. Read the following sentence: "By 1963, the old ballpark wasn't so popular anymore. They stopped playing baseball there, and eventually Sulphur Dell was torn down."

What does the word ballpark mean?

A. a hill in the outfield of a baseball stadium B. a fence that is about 310 feet from home plate C. a baseball game in which no player gets a hit D. a place where baseball is played

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

Sulphur Dell was eventually torn down, ______it had once been popular and loved by baseball fans.

A. although B. because C. before D. especially

8. According to the passage, what was weird about the outfield at Sulphur Dell?

9. Describe the trouble Phil Weintraub had with the outfield hill in 1934.

10. Was Sulphur Dell a good place or a bad place for baseball games? Explain your answer using evidence from the story.

Fragment, sentence or run-on?

Grade 4 Sentences Worksheet A sentence forms a

complete thought. Is the phrase a fragment, sentence, or run-on?

Fix the fragments and run-ons. A fragment does not

form a complete

thought. Fragment 1. Because we lost the game. The team was upset because we lost the game. A run-on sentence is where two complete ______2. The dog chased the three cats. thoughts are stated without correct ______punctuation. ______3. My parents help me. ______4. We bought the new chair with our credit card. ______5. She taught the lesson she gave a test. ______6. He wants to go to school he wants to get a job. ______7. While he was reading the book. ______8. I failed the test I dd d. ______9. The salesman wearing the red tie. ______10. Te a a g e dd a e ed. ______

Reading & Math for K-5 © www.k5learning.com

Auxiliary verbs

Grade 4 Verbs Worksheet

Hint: Choose the correct auxiliary verb. An auxiliary verb is a verb that helps the main 1. Our principal ______working hard. verb of the sentence.

( is / am / does / are )

2. My house ______have three bedrooms. ( is / am / does / are )

3. My parents ______going to a restaurant. ( is / am / do / are )

4. ______your cat like to play with yarn? ( Is / Do / Does / Are )

5. _____ your friends want to come over to play? ( Is / Do / Does / Are )

6. My grandparents ______visit us. ( in / doen / aren / don )

7. The bus drivers ______driving on Monday. ( is / am / do / are )

8. What ______Randy like to do? ( is / am / does / are )

9. ______your teacher helping you read? ( Is / Do / Does / Are )

10. Carl and Harry ______writing their book reports. ( in / doen / aren / don )

11. She ______run very fast. (in / doen / aren / don )

12. Sophia and Erin ______talking about their favorite classes. ( is / am / do / are )

Reading & Math for K-5 © www.k5learning.com

Energy for Life - StepRead2

Energy for Life by ReadWorks

ENERGY IS IMPORTANT

We use a lot of energy to live. Energy makes it possible for us to play, study, and eat. We use energy to make machines work. We also use it to make electricity. Energy was even used to make the blacktop and balls you play with at recess. And a lot of energy was needed to grow and prepare the food for your lunch! These examples show that energy is very important to life.

ENERGY THAT WILL NOT LAST FOREVER

A lot of energy comes from oil, coal, and natural gas. These are called fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are made by nature and take millions of years to form. We've used them for hundreds of

Unfortunately, fossil fuels are non-renewable. That means we cannot restore them or make new ones. So once we use them up, we cannot get more. We use these fuels faster than nature makes them. And when we burn them to make energy, they let out gases that hurt the environment.

We need to get fossil fuels out of the earth in order to use them. We do this by drilling, mining, and pumping them out from the ground using special tools and processes. Doing all this helps us to generate, or make, the energy we need. But these tools and processes need fossil fuels to work in the first place. Also, they can hurt the land where the fossil fuels are found.

ENERGY THAT WON'T RUN OUT

There are forms of energy that are renewable. That means that they won't run out, no matter how much we use them. These kinds of energy also come from nature. But they don't hurt the environment as much as fossil fuels. The tools and processes for making renewable energy don't use up any of that energy, unlike the ones for getting fossil fuels.

One form of renewable energy is solar energy. That is energy from the sun. We can use solar panels to collect sunlight. These panels turn that sunlight into electricity. Some solar energy power plants can make electricity even when the sun isn't shining. They do this by saving up the energy in batteries.

Another form of renewable energy is wind energy. We generate this kind of energy using wind turbines. Wind turbines are like huge pinwheels. They have blades that turn when the wind blows. When the blades turn, electricity is created. Some wind energy power plants also can save the energy in batteries. That way they can make electricity even when the wind isn't blowing.

A third form of renewable energy is hydropower. This is energy created by falling and running water. It has been around for a long time. A simple watermill on a stream can create energy from water. And so can a huge dam in a big river! Hydropower is a great source of renewable energy.

RENEWABLE ENERGY CAN HAVE BAD EFFECTS ON EARTH

If we used more renewable energy, we would not have to use fossil fuels as much. This could be good for the earth. Still, renewable energy also can have bad effects on the earth. Here are some examples.

Solar power plants are usually built in deserts where there is lots of strong sunshine. But the deserts are filled with plants and animals. Building solar power plants there can have bad effects on the plants and animals in the area.

Wind energy power plants are called wind farms. They can have hundreds or thousands of turbines. This can take up a lot of land. All of those turbines can affect birds, bats, and other animals in the area.

Hydropower plants can also change the environment around them. Many hydropower plants use dams to create electricity. Dams can block fish from swimming where they want. This can affect how and where fish lay their eggs. Dams can also stop working. When this happens, they can cause huge floods. Also, if the weather is dry for a long time, a hydropower plant might not be able to produce much electricity!

These examples show how renewable energy can affect the environment. But if we carefully plan where renewable energy power plants go, we can make sure they don't have a big bad impact. And we can make sure to get the most out of their good effects.

IN THE FUTURE

Almost everything we do needs energy. It's important to know where our energy comes from and how it is made. And it's important to know how it affects the environment. As technology gets better, we can balance our use of fossil fuels with renewable energy. In this way, we can make the earth a healthier planet.

Name: ______Date: ______1. What is a meaning of the word dependence?

A. a living organism characterized by voluntary movement B. a remark that calls attention to something or someone C. the state of being dependent upon another

2. What is another meaning of the word dependence?

A. the state of relying on or being controlled by someone or something else B. the process of taking food into the body through the mouth (as by eating) C. the inner surface of the hand from the wrist to the base of the fingers

Please use each answer choice only once. Choose the one word that best completes the sentence.

3. How warm or cold it is outside _____ on how much sunlight reaches Earth.

A. independence B. depend C. depending D. independent E. depends F. dependent G. depended

4. Kauai was an _____ royal land until it became a part of the kingdom of Hawaii in 1810.

A. independence B. depend C. depending D. independent E. depends F. dependent G. depended

Name: ______Date: ______1. What is a meaning of the word generate?

A. to produce B. to live in C. spring back

2. What is another meaning of the word generate?

A. foster the growth of B. to think or suppose C. to bring into being

Please use each answer choice only once. Choose the one word that best completes the sentence.

3. In addition, everyone is part of a _____.

A. generators B. generations C. generate D. generated E. generating F. generation G. generator

4. Now later _____ enjoy the fruit of that mistake.

A. generators B. generations C. generate D. generated E. generating F. generation G. generator

11. What would you like to remember about the meaning of the word dependence so that you can use it when you write or speak?

Name: ______Date: ______1. What do people use energy for?

A. People use energy to cause massive floods. B. People use energy to create more oil and coal. C. People use energy to play, study, and live. D. People use energy to minimize sustainable benefits from the sun.

2. What does the passage compare and contrast with fossil fuels?

A. The passage compares and contrasts playing, studying, and eating with fossil fuels. B. The passage compares and contrasts coal mines and natural gas wells with fossil fuels. C. The passage compares and contrasts Washington State with fossil fuels. D. The passage compares and contrasts forms of renewable energy with fossil fuels.

3. Humans use energy from several different sources.

What evidence from the passage supports this statement?

A. People use energy to play, study, eat, make basketballs, and generate electricity. B. People use energy from natural gas, oil, coal, the sun, wind, and water. C. Wind turbines can affect birds, bats, and other wildlife around them. D. When a dam that produces hydropower fails, it can cause massive flooding.

4. What is true of all types of energy discussed in the passage?

A. They are all non-renewable. B. They are all renewable. C. They all have some negative impacts on the earth. D. None of them has any negative impacts on the earth.

5. What is this passage mainly about?

A. the importance of energy and where energy comes from B. watermills, dams, and other forms of hydropower C. planting, growing, harvesting, transporting, and cooking food D. the different ways children play and study

6. Read the following sentences: "Fortunately, there are forms of renewable energy out there. They also come from nature and don't harm the environment as much as fossil fuels. Furthermore, they aren't consumed to produce energy, so we can use them again and again."

What does the word renewable mean?

A. harmful to the environment B. able to be used more than once C. produced by falling and running water D. made in the United States of America

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

Wind is a form of renewable energy; ______, oil is not renewable.

A. for example B. particularly C. soon D. on the other hand

8. Where does hydropower come from?

Boxcar Tommy and the Racer Gang Go Wild by ReadWorks

Boxcar Tommy lives in an abandoned train car outside of town. Every morning, his pet poodle Pepper licks his face until he wakes up from the tickles. Tommy is an orphan. He doesn't have any relatives, but he is thankful to have Pepper.

Tommy and Pepper get their lunch and dinner for free. Mrs. Wilson, the owner of the General Store, makes them sandwiches. Tommy requests custom sandwiches. Last week, he asked for one he called the "Pepperoni Surprise"-a grilled cheese sandwich with pepperoni inside and Cheez Whiz all over the top. It has become his favorite.

Sometimes, Mrs. Wilson likes Tommy's ideas so much that she offers his sandwich creation to customers. She calls it the "Boxcar Special."

Today, Tommy didn't get a sandwich. He didn't get to the store. That's because it's the day of the big Soapbox Derby, in town. Tommy built his own car from pieces of junk that Pepper found around the scrap yard.

Now Tommy and Pepper are headed down to Main Street with their race car in tow. The car is a hodgepodge of wood and other materials. One side is painted blue and yellow. It says: "Boxcar Tommy 'n' Pepper."

The car isn't very pretty or sturdy, but it belongs to Tommy, and he loves it.

There are only four contestants in the race today: Tommy and the Williker triplets. The three identical boys are not very nice, but their father owns most of the town.

Once everyone found out that the Williker triplets were going to compete in the Derby, no one else bothered to enter. Instead, they all placed bets on which one of the Williker triplets would win.

Now Tommy and Pepper have joined the race, and not a single person believes they can win.

Tommy and Pepper arrive at the starting line and set up their homemade car. People laugh. Tommy overhears them making fun of him.

"Ain't that the little boy who lives by the train tracks?"

"Sure is. Why on earth would he even want to enter?"

"Gonna be embarrassing when he loses."

The Williker boys pull up to the starting line next. They all have identical cherry-red race cars. They're made of molded metal, and they look just like real cars.

"Well," thinks Tommy, "they may have nicer cars, but they didn't make them themselves!"

The sun gleams off the Williker triplet's shiny cars, almost blinding Tommy. Tommy's car doesn't reflect the sun at all.

On Your Mark...

The race is starting! Tommy pulls his goggles down over his eyes and adjusts Pepper's scarf.

Get Set...

"You'll never beat us!" the triplets yell and jeer. "You're a nobody!"

GO!

A nobody? Tommy can't believe what he's just heard. He's so taken aback by the insult that he forgets to leave the starting line.

A single tear falls down his cheek. It leaves a line in the dirt on his face.

"I'm just a no one," he thinks to himself.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he sees Mrs. Wilson from the General Store. She's in the crowd with a banner. She's cheering him on!

The sign says: GENERAL STORE SUPPORTS BOXCAR TOMMY AND PEPPER!

"Go Tommy!" Mrs. Wilson yells, cupping her hands to her mouth. "My favorite sandwich fan!"

Tommy suddenly gets a second wind. He pedals with all his might and tries to catch up. Pepper licks his face in encouragement.

Suddenly, the triplets' cars all swerve and crash into each other. There was a sand trap on the course! The sun reflected off the fronts of their glimmering cars and they weren't able to see the trap.

But Tommy sees their mistake from behind and rides around them. He's passed them now! There's the finish line!

Close...closer...almost there. Boxcar Tommy is the winner! The crowd goes wild with applause.

Mrs. Wilson runs up to the finish line and lifts Tommy out of his car, giving him the biggest hug he's ever received.

"You did it, Tommy! I always believed in you!"

Tommy doesn't know what to say. As far as he knew, the only living being who loved him was Pepper.

"I made you your favorite," Mrs. Wilson says. And she hands him a Pepperoni Surprise.

Name: ______Date: ______1. What is Tommy competing in?

2. What is the main event in the story?

3. Mrs. Wilson makes Tommy and Pepper free sandwiches for lunch and dinner. She comes to the race with a banner and cheers Tommy on. And when Tommy wins the race, she gives him the biggest hug he's ever received and tells him that she has always believed in him. Based on this evidence, what conclusion can you draw about how Mrs. Wilson feels about Tommy?

4. How does Mrs. Wilson's support make Tommy feel?

5. What is the main idea of this story?

6. Read the sentences and answer the question.

"'You'll never beat us!' the triplets yell and jeer. 'You're a nobody!'

"GO!

"A nobody? Tommy can't believe what he's just heard. He's so taken aback by the insult that he forgets to leave the starting line."

What does the phrase "taken aback" mean in the text?

Think back on the first day of 4th grade, some of you were shy, some were excited, most of us were really tired, but overall everyone was nervous. Do you wish someone who had been in 4th grade already could have given you some words of wisdom and made you laugh?? I want you to think back on the school year, write a personal narrative describing your favorite memory and why it stood out amongst the other school days. You can exaggerate or make it silly, but be sure it is something encouraging for a future 4th grader! When they come in next year they too will be nervous, and we want to give them your stories to cheer them up and help the feel a little more comfortable in 4th grade!

Prompt: Thinking back on the school year, write a personal narrative describing your favorite memory and why it stood out amongst the other school days.

Day 1: Plan your characters and setting. - Characters: Who was most important in your story? Will you use real names or change names to keep the real people a secret? - Setting: Where did your story take place? Was it in our classroom? On the recess fields? In electives?? At lunch??

Day 2: Plan your plot & Quick Draft - Plot: What happened in your story? Will it be funny? Suspenseful? A mystery? - Quick Draft: Time yourself and write for 20 minutes. Just write what happened, don’t worry about spelling or grammar just write!!

Day 3: Revise and Publish - Reread your quick write, where can you add details? Where can you fix spelling or be more clear? - Publish your piece! o Write your story with neat handwriting and draw a picture to match the story

Describe Your Characters

Name of your first character:

What will your What will your How will your character look like? character do? character feel?

Name of your second character (if needed):

What will your What will your How will your character look like? character do? character feel? Describe Your Setting

Where will your story take place? When will your story take place?

What does your setting LOOK like?

What does your setting SOUND like?

What does your setting FEEL like?

What does your setting SMELL like?

What does your setting TASTE like? Map Out Your Story

4 What is the most dramatic part of your story (this will help lead to the resolution)?

3 What event(s) happen once the problem is known?

5 How does the solution start taking place?

2 What is the problem your character(s) face?

6 How was the problem resolved?

1 Who are your characters and where is your setting? Quick Draft Your Story

1 First…

2 Next…

3 Then…

4 Suddenly…

5 Afterwards…

6 Finallly…

______