School District of Palm Beach County Elementary Curriculum Spring Practice Grade Three Reading
Grade 3 Spring Practice Read Gone from the Patio and then answer questions 1 through 5. Gone from the Patio Ana and Rosa walked home from school together. The girls put their books inside, and went outside to find their mother. She was in the garden. I m glad to see you two. I need your help in this vegetable garden, she announced. Ana liked to work in the garden. She liked planting seeds and picking garden vegetables. She liked eating spinach from the garden. Ana took off her shiny new silver ring because she didn t want to get it dirty. She put it on the patio table for safekeeping, where she would get it later. Ana and Rosa worked in the garden until dinnertime. When Ana remembered that her ring was on the patio she exclaimed, Oh, I almost forgot my ring. I d better get it before it s dark. But when she went outside, it was missing. She looked under the table and in the grass, but she couldn t find her ring. Mom and Rosa came to help. Rosa looked in the flowerpot. Mom looked under the chairs. The ring was nowhere to be found. Ana was sad. She wanted her pretty ring back. The next day was Saturday. Dad went outside to read. He took his car keys and his money out of his pocket. He put them on the table. The keys looked shiny in the morning sun. Later, when Mateo came outside, he and Dad played soccer. When Dad went to get his keys and money, the keys were gone. He looked under the table and all around the patio. He called Mateo and Mom and Ana and Rosa. He asked, Have you seen my keys? No one had seen the keys. The family could not figure out what had happened to them. They had no idea where they were. Later, Dad was washing the car. Mateo decided to help him. He took off his shiny watch because he didn t want to get it wet. He put it on the patio table. He and Dad had the car clean in no time! When Mateo went to get his watch, it was gone!
Mateo looked around. No one was in the yard. Who took his watch? He called Mom and Dad and Ana and Rosa. My watch is gone! he yelled. The whole family began looking for the watch. They looked under the table and in the flowerpot. They looked all around the patio, but they could not find the watch. Everyone had a different opinion about what happened to the missing items. Mateo s angle, or point of view, was that someone was playing a practical joke. He did not think the joke was funny. Everyone in the family worried about their missing things. Where was Ana s ring? Where were Dad s keys? Where was Mateo s watch? The family stopped worrying because there was work to do. Mateo cut the grass while the girls watered the flowers. Dad and Mom cooked dinner. Monday morning was bright and sunny, so Rosa and Ana walked to their school. Mateo rode to his school with Dad. Mom decided to sit on the patio and sew some bright brass buttons on a jacket. When the phone rang, Mom went inside to answer it. When she returned, one of the buttons was gone. That night, the family decided that too many things were gone from the patio. They had to figure out what happened to them. Ana said, My ring is gone from the patio. Dad, said, My paper money stayed there. Mom said, My brass button is gone. Mateo said, No one was in the yard but us. Rosa said, Maybe a person didn t take them. Could it be an animal? The family made a plan. Dad put a shiny coin on the patio table, and then everyone went inside. They peeked through the patio doors to see what would happen. Before long, a crow flew over to the patio. It hopped on the table and walked around. Then it saw the coin. It picked the coin up and flew into the big tree in the yard.
So a crow had taken the things! Mateo remembered something he had read about crows. He explained, Crows like shiny things. But where did the crow take them? Mom saw the crow in the tree. Dad got a ladder and climbed up next to the tree, and the crow flew away. Dad found a nook between a branch and the tree trunk. He noticed something shiny, so he looked closer. There he saw the ring, watch, car keys, button, and coin. The family laughed. They had better be careful with their shiny things from now on!
Now answer numbers 1 through 5. Base your answers on the story Gone from the Patio. 1. Read the sentences from the article. When Ana remembered that her ring was on the patio she exclaimed, Oh, I almost forgot my ring. I d better get it before it s dark. Which word has the SAME base word as exclaimed? A. example B. exclamation C. excluded D. exhaled 2. Which sentence from the story BEST describes what is happening in the illustration on the last page of the story? F. Crows like shiny things. G. It hopped on the table and walked around. H. They peeked through the patio doors to see what would happen. J. Dad got a ladder and climbed up next to the tree, and the crow flew away. 3. Read this sentence from the article. They had better be careful with their shiny things from now on! If care means caution, what does careful mean? A. not cautious B. full of caution C. able to have caution D. one who is cautious 4. What is the purpose of the illustrations on the first page? F. to show what Mom likes to wear G. to show the items that disappeared H. to show what Dad needs to drive his car J. to show where they looked for the missing items
5. What is the theme of the story? A. Birds can be tricky animals. B. Don t let birds in your back yard. C. Everything is not always as it seems. D. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Grade 3 Spring Practice Read Swimming Lessons and then answer questions 1 through 5. Swimming Lessons There it was at the bottom of my sock drawer: my polka-dot swimsuit. Just looking at it made my belly flutter. I was afraid of swimming pools. I was afraid of everything about swimming pools: the water, the deep end, and, most of all, the diving board. The only time I had fun in my swimsuit was when I splashed around in the baby pool with my little sister. But this summer, my mom was making me take swimming lessons. She said, Yumi, it s time that you learn to swim. I put my swimsuit in a bag with my sunscreen, my favorite striped towel, and an apple. I felt grown-up packing my bag, but I was still nervous. Would I have to jump off that diving board? Downstairs, my mother was waiting. Hurry up, Yumi, she called. I want you to be on time for your fist lesson. I slipped on my sandals and met her downstairs. It was the middle of summer, and it was miserable outside. The weatherman on television said it was 98 degrees outside. I didn t want to be bored inside all day. Still, I worried. What if the other kids knew how to float? What if they were brave enough to duck their heads under water? I did not want to be different. Can I please stay home, mom? I begged one more time, hoping she would change her mind. No, no, no, she said, with a stern look on her face. You will enjoy going to the pool if you know how to swim. One day, you ll thank me. My mom was always saying, One day, you ll thank me. She said it when I complained about eating vegetables. She said it when she made me take piano lessons.
At the pool, I changed into my swimsuit. While I was changing, I tried to imagine that I was a fish. Then I tried to imagine that I was a shark. If only I were a water animal! But I looked nothing like a water animal. I was an animal with a ponytail and legs that preferred to be on land. I wiggled my toes for good luck (one of my funny habits) and headed for the pool. I was glad to see my class was far away from the diving board. You must be Yumi, the teacher said cheerfully. We ve been waiting for you. The class was already in the water. I noticed that everybody s hair was wet. My heart skipped a beat. The teacher handed me a kickboard and said, Join us in here. Luckily, I did not have to jump in the pool because there was a ladder on the wall. I slowly climbed down into the cool water. My hands tightly held the railing. I had to admit it, the chilly water felt good on my feet. I took a deep breath and slowly dipped my body into the water. All the while, I was whispering to myself, I am a fish. I am a fish. I am a fish.
Now answer numbers 1 through 5. Base your answers on the story Swimming Lessons. 1. Read these sentences from the story. If only I were a water animal! But I looked nothing like a water animal. I was an animal with a ponytail and legs that preferred to be on land. What does Yumi mean when she says she preferred to be on land? A. She spends most of her time on land. B. She likes land more than she likes water. C. She can move faster on land than in water. D. She would like to change into a water animal. 2. What is the purpose for the illustration on the first page of the story? F. to show what Yumi looks like G. to show how new learning is fun for Yumi H. to show an activity Yumi complained about J. to demonstrate how Yumi likes to do many activities 3. Why does the author include an illustration of the shark on the second page of the story? A. to show what Yumi imagined herself to be B. to show the reader what a shark looks like C. to demonstrate to the reader how Yumi swims D. to show why Yumi was nervous to get into the pool
4. Read this sentence from the story. My hands tightly held the railing. If tight means firm, what does tightly mean? F. to make firm G. able to be firm H. one who is firm J. in a way that is firm 5. What is the theme of this story? A. Power can be given and taken. B. Learning something new can be scary. C. Everyone is responsible for their own actions. D. You can do anything if you put your mind to it.