tiaciworks'' Slavery in the North olava tive- Sojourner Truth In 1806, 9-year-old Isabella Baumfree and her family lived on the property of Charles Ardinburgh of Ulster County in New York. When Ardinburgh died, Isabella found her mother in tears. "Mau-mau, what makes you cry?" Isabella asked. "Oh, my child, I am thinking of your brothers and sisters that have been sold away from me," her mother replied. Soon after, Isabella too was separated from her mother. She was auctioned-along with other slaves, horses, and cattle-and purchased for $100. She was sold again and again, from master to master, until she was emancipated in 1828. Students of history know Isabella better by the name she chose as an adult-sojourner Truth. Truth was an abolitionist. She spoke out against slavery. But what some people ma.y not know is that Truth was one of thousands of slaves who were bought, sold, and forced to do labor in the North. ReadWorks.org 2017 ReadWorkse, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 2007 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.
Real-Works' Slavery in the North "Many people are surprised when you talk about slavery in the North," Alan Singer, a professor of education at Hofstra University, told Senior Edition. "We associate slavery with the South, even though the biggest importer of slaves-after South Carolina-was New York City." Historians are beginning to bring slavery in the North into the spotlight. The New York Historical Society recently presented an exhibition on slavery in that state. Singer, who travels the country to talk to students about slavery in the North, wants people to remember that slavery was a national institution. The slave trade helped finance the Industrial Revolution in many major Northern cities, such as Boston and New York City. The Industrial Revolution was a period of rapid growth in the use of machinery in the early 1800s. Many U.S. businesses got their start with profits from slave-produced goods and the slave trade. It's important to understand how slavery affected the entire country, because its effects linger through discrimination, Singer says. "Kids see slavery as something that happened in the deep past," he told Senior Edition. "I want children to know that we still live with the effects of that slavery society." Read Works.org e 2017 Read Works, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 2007 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.
RdadWorks' Slavery in the North - Comprehension Questions Name: Date: 1. According to the passage, what might some people not know about Sojourner Truth? A. She was a slave in the North. B. She was emancipated in 1828. C. She was sold for 100 dollars. D. She was an abolitionist. 2. According to the passage, what was one effect of slavery in many major Northern cities? A. Slavery slowed the growth of many U.S. businesses in the Northern cities. B. Slavery put an end to the Industrial Revolution in the Northern cities. C. Slavery stopped the growth of machinery in the Northern cities in the 1800s. D. Slavery helped finance the Industrial Revolution in the Northern cities. 3. Historians are trying to draw attention to slavery in the North. What evidence from the passage best supports this statement? A. Thousands of slaves were bought, sold, and forced to do labor in the North. B. Kids see slavery as something that happened a long time ago, according to Singer C. The New York Historical Society presented an exhibition on slavery in that state. D. Industrial Revolution was a period of rapid growth in the use of machinery in the early 1800s. 4. What can you conclude about Sojourner Truth after reading the passage? A. She knows Alan Singer. B. She was shy and quiet. C. She lives in New York. D. She was outspoken. 5. What is the main idea of this passage? A. The Industrial Revolution began in the early 1800s. B. Sojourner Truth was emancipated from slavery in 1828. C. Alan Singer is a professor of education at Hofstra University. D. Historians are teaching people about slavery in the North. ReadWorks.org 2017 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.
ReadWorks Slavery in the North - Comprehension Questions 6. Read this sentence from the passage: "We associate slavery with the South, even though the biggest importer of slaves-after South Carolina-was New York City." As used in this sentence, what does the word "associate" mean? A. explain B. judge C. mourn D. connect 7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below. Many people associate slavery with the South, says Alan Singer. slavery was in the North too, A. but B. for C. because D. until 8. According to Alan Singer, why are many people surprised when we talk about slavery in the North? 9. How did slavery in the North impact the Industrial Revolution? 10. Explain whether it is important for organizations like The New York Historical Society to teach people about slavery in the North. Use information from the passage to support your answer. ReadWorks.org 2017 Read Works, Inc. All rights reserved.
4111\6 ea Works " Music Scores Ausic S ores Photos com Learning to play music is linked to improved academic test scores. Got music? Learning to play music is linked to improved academic test scores. More than 200 second graders were studied. Some were trained on piano keyboard and math software. Others used only the software. After six months, the piano players scored higher on math tests. It seems that making music taps into parts of the brain involved with reasoning, say researchers. Musical middle and high school students score well too. The College Entrance Examination Board compared students with no music background to student musicians. Students in music programs scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on math. UCLA examined the test scores of 25,000 students in grades 8 to 12 over a period of 10 years. Researchers found that students with a high interest in instrumental music scored higher in math knowhow than did others. Can't Get that Song Out of My Head Do you "want some baby back ribs"? Is it "a small world after all"? "Gimme a break." Some advertising jingles and songs really stick with you. The sheer repetition of the words and music has something to do with it. But musicians are even more likely to have a hard time getting a tune out of their heads. Doctors say that's because musicians' brains are hooked up in a special way. Some people are really wired for sound. Psychologists have even identified a condition in which people experience "musical hallucinations." These hallucinations cause people to hear songs playing in their heads. Many times the tunes are familiar; other times, they're new. Composers report experiencing "piped-in" sound before creating their masterpieces. The parts of the mind that are busy when listening to music are the same that become active when hearing your own private song. So it could be that regions of the brain search for a song-and make their own when none is available. ReadWorks.org 2017 Read Works, Inc. All rights reserved. 2012 Read Works, Inc. All rights reserved. Article: Copyright 2009 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Used by permission.
ReadWorks Operation Song Music Scores You see super cool TV surgeons cranking the tunes while they work. Did you ever wonder if the music had any effect on patients? Researchers wondered, so they put patients and music to the test. A team of researchers studied groups of surgery patients. All patients had parts of their bodies numbed. They were all given a device to control the amount of pain-relieving sedative they received. All were awake through the process. The patients were divided into three categories. One group brought their favorite CDs and listened through headphones. The second group heard "white noise," or background noise meant to drown out other sounds. The last group heard only operating-room noise. The result? Patients who listened to music used less sedation' Those who listened to their favorite songs were calmer. The effect may be because the music blocked out the noises of the operating room, say doctors. Source: Yale University, American University of Beirut Medical Center ReadWorks.org 0 2017 Read Works, Inc. All rights reserved. 2012 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved. Article: Copyright 2009 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Used by permission.
radwoyks Music Scores - Comprehension Questions Name: Date: 1. Which parts of the brain does making music tap into? A. the parts involved with advertising B. the parts involved with reasoning C. the parts involved with moving D. the parts involved with sleeping 2. What is a possible effect of learning to play music? A. wanting some baby back ribs B. having parts of your body numbed C. getting a tune out of your head D. improving your academic test scores 3. Playing music most likely has an impact on a person's brain. What evidence from the text supports this conclusion? A. "[M]usicians are even more likely to have a hard time getting a tune out of their heads. Doctors say that's because musicians' brains are hooked up in a special way." B. "The College Entrance Examination Board compared students with no music background to student musicians." C. "In the absence of music, some people hear songs playing in their heads. Many times the tunes are familiar: other times, they're new." D. "Did you ever wonder if the music had any effect on patients [in surgery]? Researchers wondered, so they put patients and music to the test." 4. What is one positive effect that listening to music may have on people? A. It may help students perform better on social studies exams. B. It may help students perform better on physical tasks. C. It may help patients in surgery stay calmer or use less sedation. D. It may help surgeons perform difficult operations more quickly. 5. What is the main idea of this text? A. Playing and listening to music can affect a person in many ways. B. More than 200 second graders were trained to play the piano. C. A team of researchers studied groups of surgery patients. D. Some people hear songs playing in their heads, even in the absence of music. ReadWorks.org 2017 Read Works, Inc. All rights reserved.
ReadWorks' Music Scores - Comprehension Questions 'ditin 6. Read these sentences from the text. "UCLA examined the test scores of 25,000 students in grades 8 to 12 over a period of 10 years. Researchers found that students with a high interest in instrumental music scored higher in math knowhow than did others." Based on these sentences, what does the word "examine" mean? A. to change or adjust slightly B. to copy or imitate C. to study closely and carefully D. to increase or improve 7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence. The parts of the brain that are busy when listening to music are the same parts that become active when hearing one's own private song., it is possible that these regions of the brain make up those private songs when none are available. A. Although B. Therefore C. Unless D. Despite 8. What do some people hear when they experience "musical hallucinations"? 9. The College Entrance Examination Board compared the test scores of students with no music background to the scores of student musicians. What did they find out about the test scores of these students? 10. How might a musician experience life differently than someone who does not play or listen to music? Support your answer with evidence from the text. ReadVVorks.org 2017 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.
Wild Goose by Curtis Heath He climbs the wind above green clouds of pine Honking to hail the gathering migration. And, arching toward the 5 south, pulls to align His flight into the great spearhead formation. He'll find a bayou land of hidden pools, 10 And bask amid lush fern and water lily Far from the frozen world of earthbound fools Who, shivering, maintain 15 that geese are silly. ReadWorks.org 2017 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.
ReadWor Wild Goose - Comprehension Questions Name: Date: 1. Which direction is the goose flying in the poem? A. east B. south C. north D. west 2. What does the first verse of this poem describe? A. the weather around the goose's home B. the landscape of the goose's home C. the goose's movements in flight D. the goose's physical features 3. The people who "maintain that geese are silly" are suffering in cold weather. Which word or phrase from the poem best supports this conclusion? A. "bayou" B. "earth-bound" C. "shivering" D. "fools" 4. How can the land where the goose is headed best be described? A. cool and dry with lots of tall trees B. warm and wet with lots of plant life C. hot and dry with little water D. very cold and frozen over 5. What is this poem mostly about? A. the science of how geese and other birds fly B. the frozen landscape of cold northern lands C. the migration of geese to places with warmer weather D. the reasons why people think geese are silly creatures ReadVVorks org 2017 ReadWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.
Read Works The Boy and a Wish The Boy and a is Gramash was born healthy and strong. But his mother let out a scream when she first saw him. His father put a blanket in the window so that no one could see this strange-looking child. His elderly aunt took a look at him and whispered to his parents, "I will find some help for him. Just don't let anyone in to see him." She set off in search of an old woman who lived in a cave above the lake. She found the crone seated by an open fire in the cave, weaving a mat with wool and thin reeds. "Do something for the babe," the aunt pleaded. The old woman replied, "There is nothing the matter with him. He will grow strong and smart. He is just different." Still, she agreed to do what she could. "But," she added, "wishes shouldn't always be granted." Then she began to mix some dust and gold in a stone plate. Finally, she said, "Sprinkle this on his head. It will not make him like others. But it will make being different easier." The aunt returned to the small cottage. As she let the magic dust drift onto his head, the baby's cries could be heard. The boy himself became invisible, though his mother could still feel him in her arms. The years passed. Gramash grew in his own way, as his brothers and sisters came into the world. Each of them learned about him in their own time. Sometimes Gramash made himself known by taking a toy or moving a plate. Sometimes he sang. If he was in a good mood, he'd do someone's chores. If he was angry, he'd undo work they had done. One day, as he took a long walk, he came upon a cave. "Come in, Gramash," said an old voice. Gramash was astounded. "You can see me?" he asked. "Of course," she replied. ReadWorks.org 2017 Read Works, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 2007 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.
ReadWort. The Boy and a Wish - Genre Questions Name: 1. This unusual story is Date: A. a tall tale. B. science fiction. C. biography. D. fantasy. 2. What in the story points to the theme: "It's okay to be different."? A. the crone says, "There is nothing the matter with him...he's just different." B. the crone says, "He will grow strong and smart. He's just different." C. the magic dust didn't make Gramash like other people; it just made him invisible D. all of the above. 3. A detail that gives a clue to the genre of this story is A. Gramash was made invisible. B. the story is about one boy's life. C. Gramash was born different. D. Gramash's family was startled by his appearance. 4. Which of the following parts of the story tells the reader that the story is fiction? A. A crone is weaving a mat with wool. B. Gramash was born healthy and strong. C. A crone grants the wish of Gramash's aunt. D. Gramash finds a cave. 5. What do you think will happen to Gramash after he meets the crone? ReadWorks.org 2017 Read Works, Inc. All rights reserved.
Aunt Melba Aililt me b a Everyone's got at least one crazy relative, the skeleton in the closet, the One Who Is Not To Be Emulated. In my family, it's Aunt Melba, the clairvoyant, the black sheep, and former trapeze artist. Every Thanksgiving, when the whole family gathers at my grandmother's house in Indiana, Aunt Melba steals the show. This is particularly interesting since she never actually shows up. But no one can talk about anything else, so she might as well have a chair at the table. She rules by remote control, from Alaska, where she's living now on a fishing boat that rests on dry land. Family gatherings used to be fun when I was younger--seeing all the cousins, even if I had to pay for the privilege with pinches on the cheeks from aunts and slaps on the back from uncles, who always comment about how much I've grown. (If their enthusiasm for my growing were matched in inches, I'd be ten feet tall.) But lately, the cousins, who are mostly a few years older than I am, have stopped coming, since they've gotten married and, for some reason, all wind up at their other relatives' houses for Thanksgiving. Aunt Melba is a letter writer. Not an e-mailer, but someone who writes in long hand on the backs of store fliers. (She's not into wasting paper, so she saves everything.) She writes not to tell us what she's up to, but, rather, to report on what we've been doing. "It's good to hear that Allie is pursuing her studies in agricultural science" is on the reverse of "Codfish Cakes! $2.99 a pound! Free Coleslaw!" I wonder why advertisements always contain exclamation points and how she always knows what my cousins and I are doing, since no one claims to talk to her. ReadWorks.org 2017 Read Works, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright 2007 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.
ReadWorks' Aunt Melba - Comprehension Questions ame: Date: 1. How does Aunt Melba communicate with her family? A. by calling them on the phone B. by writing letters C. by going to family gatherings D. by e-mailing 2. How does the author describe Aunt Melba? A. as a role model everyone greatly admires B. as the black sheep of the family C. as someone who is painfully shy D. as a person who is extremely boring 3. Which of the following conclusions about the author is supported by the passage? A. She no longer thinks family gatherings are fun. B. She hopes to host Thanksgiving the following year. C. She wants Aunt Melba to start attending family gatherings. D. She wishes she were getting married like her cousins. 4. Read this sentence from the passage: "'It's good to hear that Allie is pursuing her studies in agricultural science' is on the reverse of 'Codfish Cakes! $2.99 a pound! Free Coleslaw!' In this sentence, the word pursuing means A. chasing after a goal B. imagining or inventing C. collecting one's thoughts D. waiting patiently ReadVVorks.org 2017 Read Works, Inc. All rights reserved.