Informational READING Passages

informational READING passages

ready Full of Rigorous, STAAR Formatted Items Covers Revised TEKS

GRADE 5

Reading Informational Book

STUDENT EDITION

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Grade 5 Reading Informational Texts

Fenn's Treasure 7 Miracle on the Hudson 12 Treehouses 18 A Super Cool Sport 23 The Snow Queen, Defrosted 29

Problem or Solution 34 Start Your Own Club 40 The Sweetest Attraction in Vegas 46 Campfire Corn 51 The Shark Lady 56

The Fairytale Castle 61 Jim Abbott 66 The History of Alliteration 71 The Legend of King Arthur and Camelot 76 The Myth of Perseus and Medusa 81

How an Eclipse Saved Christopher Columbus 86 Fred Urquhart: Butterfly Tracker 92 Calling for Cell Phones in School 98 Ice Cream Trucks 103 How Footballs Are Made 108

Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question. Then fill in the answer on your answer document.

Fenn's Treasure

1 What's more exciting than the thought of buried treasure? According to legend, pirates buried their booty to keep it safe until they could return for it. One famous pirate is Captain William Kidd. He is known to have buried treasure off the coast of New York. However, this treasure was discovered long ago. Most other tales of buried pirate treasure are just myths. But what if there was a real treasure chest that people could search for today? A man named Forrest Fenn wondered the same thing.

2 Forrest Fenn (born August 22, 1930) is an art collector and author. When he was just nine years old, he found his first arrowhead. It inspired him to discover and collect things from that time on. In 1972, he and his wife opened an art gallery. It soon became a huge success. Forrest Fenn used his new fortune to collect even more art and artifacts.

3 Then in 1988, Forrest Fenn found out he had cancer. Doctors gave him only a 30% chance of living more than three years. Fenn decided that he needed to do something with the treasure he had collected over the years. His treasure meant a lot to him. He knew he could sell it or pass it on to his family. But he wanted to do something more exciting with it. He wanted to leave a legacy.

4 Fenn started with a very old cast bronze treasure chest worth $25,000. Then he selected some of his most valuable and meaningful treasures to go inside the chest. He included many precious gemstones, including diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and green jade. Fenn also added rare jewelry, like a 17th century Spanish ring. Of course, it wouldn't have been a true treasure chest without some gold. Fenn included 265 gold coins and two enormous gold nuggets that weighed “well over a pound each.” In total, he filled the chest

with around 20 pounds of treasure worth up to $4 million!

5 At age 80, Forrest Fenn hid the treasure chest. He did not tell his family where he was going. He simply loaded the chest into his car and drove to the mountains. It took him two trips to carry the bronze treasure chest and its contents to his secret hiding place. Once there, Fenn hid the treasure somewhere above ground.

6 So where could Fenn's treasure be? Forrest Fenn has given several clues on the Today show. First, he says that the treasure is hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is not in Idaho or Utah, so it is likely in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, or Montana. Next, the treasure is at least 5,000 feet above sea level. So, the hike to the secret hiding spot is a long trek. Third, the treasure is not stashed in a manmade structure. This rules out barns, sheds, outhouses, and other buildings. Finally, Fenn says that the hiding spot has a special meaning to him. Some treasure hunters think this points to Yellowstone National Park.

7 Forrest Fenn also published a poem with nine clues. The poem talks about waterfalls, woods, and more. But its best-known clue mentions a “house of brown.” Is it the last name of a person? Is it a place in the river where brown trout gather? Or is it something else altogether? So far, the answer is still unclear. “If a person will think, they can find the chest,” says Fenn.

8 Today, Fenn's treasure is still waiting. Around 20,000 people own the book that contains Fenn's poem of clues. Many other people study blogs or blindly hike mountain trails in hopes of finding Fenn's famed chest. Not even Forrest Fenn's family or friends know where the treasure lies. Since he beat his battle with cancer, he enjoys watching other people experience “the thrill of the chase.” For now, he hopes to keep the adventure alive. “In 2,000 years, I hope somebody finds that chest,” says Forrest Fenn. “Does that not get you excited?”

1 In paragraph 2, the word artifacts means –

A useless objects B paintings C natural objects D manmade objects

2 The word precious in paragraph 4 means –

A valuable B breakable C popular D shiny

3 Which word means the opposite of the word enormous in paragraph 4?

A Massive B Immense C Miniature D Average

4 Why is the information in paragraph 3 included?

A To show that Forrest Fenn has lived an exciting life B To help the reader relate to Forrest Fenn C To explain why Forrest Fenn hid his treasure D To describe the treasure that Forrest Fenn had

5 What is the main idea of paragraph 4?

A It took many years for Fenn to collect his different treasures.

B The Spanish ring was the oldest piece that Fenn put into the treasure chest.

C Fenn likes to create riddles for people to figure out.

D Fenn included many different valuable items in his treasure chest.

6 Read this sentence from the selection.

“If a person will think, they can find the chest,” says Fenn.

What can the reader conclude about Fenn's treasure from this sentence?

A Finding the treasure will require good luck. B Finding the treasure will require a lot of manpower. C Finding the treasure will require Fenn's help. D Finding the treasure will require careful consideration.

7 The author wrote this article most likely to –

A provide an overview of Forrest Fenn's treasure B explain how to find Fenn's treasure C list Forrest Fenn's accomplishments D compare Forrest Fenn to a pirate

8 Which statement best supports the idea that Forrest Fenn wants someone to find his treasure?

A It took him two trips to carry the bronze treasure chest and its contents to his secret hiding place.

B Forrest Fenn has given several clues on the Today show.

C “If a person will think, they can find the chest,” says Fenn.

D Not even Forrest Fenn's family or friends know where the treasure lies.

9 Which of these is the best summary of the selection?

A Forrest Fenn became a collector. Then he found out he had cancer. He filled a bronze chest with gems, gold, and other treasures.

B Forrest Fenn became a collector. When he found out he had cancer, he hid a treasure chest full of valuables. He has given out several clues, but the treasure has not yet been found.

C Forrest Fenn became a collector. He hid a treasure chest full of gold. Then he wrote a poem with nine clues to the treasure's location.

D Forrest Fenn became a collector. He hid his treasures in the Rocky Mountains north of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

10 By the end of the selection, what can the reader conclude about Forrest Fenn?

A He is a greedy person. B He is a liar. C He enjoys mysteries. D He has a poor memory.

INFORMATIONAL READING PASSAGES Grade 5

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