Reading & Writing Skill Builders Reading & Writing

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources SUPER-FUN

Reading & Writing
Skill Builders

50 Motivating Reproducibles
That Reach & Teach Every Learner!

SCHOLASTIC

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Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources

Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the activity sheets from
this book for classroom use. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in
whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by
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Scholastic Inc., 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

Cover design by Mo Bing Chan

Cover illustration by Lori Osiecki

Interior design by Ellen Matlach Hassell for Boultinghouse & Boultinghouse, Inc.

Interior illustrations by Teresa Anderko, Heidi Chang, and Manuel Rivera

ISBN: 0-439-06065-6

Copyright © 1998 by Scholastic Inc.

All rights reserved.

Printed in the U.S.A.

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources Contents Appetite for April Fools . . . . . . . . . 31
My Summer Vacation . . . . . . . . . . 32
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Attack of the Massive Melon! . . . . 33

Mechanics and Usage . . . . . . . . 6 Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Grammar Cop and the case Be a Word Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
of the missing capital letters . . . . . . 6
PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES
CAPITALIZATION
It’s Greek to Me! WORD ROOTS . . . . . . 35
Grammar Cop and the Tasty Word Treats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Apology of Goldilocks . . . . . . . . . . . 7
PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES
POSSESSIVES
What’s an Eye Hat?. . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Grammar Cop and the Case
of the Big Bad Wolf . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 COMPOUND WORDS

ITS VERSUS IT’S A Ram Sang (Anagrams) . . . . . . . 38
VOCABULARY/SPELLING
Grammar Cop and the
Education of Snow White . . . . . . . . 9 Riddle Recipe SYNONYMS . . . . . . . . . 39
Hink Pink Riddle Recipe . . . . . . . . 40
YOUR, YOU’RE
SYNONYMS
Grammar Cop and the
Case of the Worried Elf . . . . . . . . . 10 A Beastly Puzzle VOCABULARY . . . . . 41
Two Left Feet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
THEIR, THEY’RE, THERE
SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS
Grammar Cop and the
Three Little Pigs’ Day in Court . . . 11 Catch a Word Worm VOCABULARY. . . . . 43

QUOTATION MARKS Rebuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Grammar Cop and a Tr + This! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Case of Monkey Business . . . . . . . 12 S + – i These!. . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

IDIOMS Say W + ?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Grammar Cop and the Case America S + – r. . . . . . . . . . 47
of the Emperor’s New Clothes . . . . 13
Reading Comprehension . . . . . 48
VERB TENSES
Zapped! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Finish Me! Stories . . . . . . . . . . 14 To Bee or Not to Bee? . . . . . . . . . . 50
Lights, Camera, Yapping!. . . . . . . . 52
Go to the Head of the Class . . . . . . 14 A Crayon Is Born. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Kids in the Goldfields . . . . . . . . . . 56
Super Silly Circus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Jackie Robinson: American Hero . . . 58
E. B. White: The Author
My Life as a ______ . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Who Spun Charlotte’s Web . . . . . . 60

Fright Night. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Reading Response . . . . . . . . . . 62

Gone to a Goofy Galaxy. . . . . . . . . 18 The Secret Soldier . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
OUTLINING/ORGANIZING IDEAS
A Funny Fairy Tale . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Pack Your Bags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Vote for Us! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Goofy Game Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 THINK WHILE READING

Hollyweird. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 What Do You Think? . . . . . . . . . . . 65
PREDICTING/SUMMARIZING
Seasoned Greetings . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Build a Story Pyramid . . . . . . . . . . 66
Nothing to Sneeze At! . . . . . . . . . . 24
Happy New You! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Goose on the Loose . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Downhill Disaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Oh, My Aching Heart! . . . . . . . . . . 28

Jungle Fever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Two at the Zoo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources Introduction

Make learning fun and kids will eat it up!

That’s what we’ve done in Super-Fun Reading and Writing
Skill Builders. The grammar, usage, mechanics, vocabulary,
reading-comprehension, and reading-response activities in this
book are so entertaining your students will clamor for seconds!
Here are a few of the things on the menu:
• Grammar Cop helps kids learn essential rules of grammar.
• Finish-Me! Stories teach parts of speech.
• Anagrams, Riddle, and Hink Pinks fortify students’

vocabularies.
• Rebuses tickle the funny bone as they build spelling skills.
• Reading Comprehension reproducibles provide a leg up

when it comes to test-taking.
• Graphic Organizers offer kids ready-to-go tools to organize

their thoughts and respond in meaningful ways to the books
they read.
Use these instant, irresistible activities anytime of the day—
from morning jump-starts to end-of-the day treats! Turn to
them to teach essential rules of grammar, extend mini-lessons,
enhance learning centers, or simply provide practice for kids
struggling with a particular skill.
No matter how you decide to use them, we guarantee that even
your choosiest students will enjoy—and benefit from—these
tasty morsels!

—the editors

4

Name Mechanics
and Usage:
Capitalization

Grammar Cop

and the case of the missing
capital letters

The person who wrote this letter didn’t really
understand the laws of capital letters. Can you help
Grammar Cop find the mistakes?

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources Dear cinderella and Prince Charming, Directions: Circle the
there must be a terrible mistake! the letters that should have
been capitalized. Hint:
stepsisters and I have not yet received an There are 19 mistakes.
invitation to your wedding. i keep telling
the stepsisters that the invitation will Remember these basic
arrive soon. i’m getting worried that our laws of capital letters:
invitation got lost. i hear you often have
problems with the unicorns that deliver the • Names
palace mail. Always capitalize
someone’s proper name.
I’m sure you intend to invite us! After (Example: Gina, Kenneth,
all, you were always my special favorite. Tyrone)
How i spoiled you! i let you do all the best
chores around the house. are you still mad • Places
about that trip to disney world? i don’t Always capitalize the
know how we could have forgotten you! name of the town, city,
anyway, florida is too hot in the summer. state, and country.
(Example: I live in Orchard
so cinderella, dear, please send along Beach, California, which
another invitation as soon as you can. i is in the United States.)
know how busy you are in your new palace.
if you need any cleaning help, i can send •I
one of your stepsisters along. they both Always capitalize the
miss you so much! letter I when it stands for
a person. (Example: I am
Best wishes, in fourth grade, and I’m
Your not really so wicked stepmother ten years old.)

• First letter
Always capitalize the first
letter of the first word of
a sentence.

5

Name Mechanics
and Usage:
Possessives

Grammar Cop

and the Apology of Goldilocks

Goldilocks feels guilty about messing up the home of
the three bears. She wants to make it up to them. But
she doesn’t understand the laws of possessive words.
Can you help Grammar Cop fill in the blanks?

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources Dear Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and Baby Bear, Directions: Wherever you
I owe you guy an apology. I didn’t mean to see a box, decide whether
the word needs an ’s, an s’
get my germ all over everyone porridge and or a plain s. Write your
break Baby Bear chair. I didn’t say to myself, “I answer in the box.
think I’ll head to the bear cottage and mess up
their stuff.” I had been hiking through the wood , Remember these basic
gathering rock for my science project. I had laws of possessives:
stuffed all the rocks into my jacket pocket. When
I sat down in Baby Bear chair, the rock • Singular possessive (’s)
weight caused me to crush the chair. Use ’s when you want to
show that something
To make it up to you, I would like you to come to belongs to someone or
my family house for dinner. I have a new chair something. (Example: That
for Baby Bear. (I used all my baby-sitting money to is Bozo’s clown wig.)
pay for it.) Please let me know if you can come.
• Plural possessive (s’)
Love, Use s’ when something
Goldilocks belongs to more than one
person. (Example: Those are
P.S. I’ll be serving some of my the clowns’ wigs.)
parent homemade honey.
• Plural noun (s)
Use a plain s when you
simply want to show that
there is more than one of
something. (Example: There
are lots of clowns in town.
They are all wearing wigs.)

6

Name Mechanics
and Usage:
Its Versus It’s

Grammar Cop

and the Case of
the Big Bad Wolf

The wolf from “Little Red Riding Hood” is trying to tell
his side of the story. But he doesn’t really understand
the difference between its and it’s. Can you help
Grammar Cop fill in the blanks?

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources I’m the wolf from “Little Red Riding Hood.” You Directions: The word its or
it’s belongs in each of the
probably know me as the guy who ate Grandma. I’m boxes. Choose the correct
word and write it in.
here to tell you all a big lie.
Remember these basic
Every bedtime story needs bad guy. But I laws of its and it’s:

didn’t eat Grandma. I didn’t dress up in Grandma’s • It’s
It’s is a contraction of “it
nightgown and chase Little Red Riding Hood. I is.” A contraction is made
up of two words that are
didn’t get killed by a hunter. a big mistake. joined by an apostrophe.
The apostrophe shows
very simple. I was walking through the where one or more letters
have been left out.
woods. I saw a basket with lid (Example: It’s time for
lunch.)
open. I peeked inside and saw some cookies. I took
• Its
just one cookie. Its is the possessive form
of “it.” The word its shows
All of a sudden, someone yelled, “Hey! Put that that “it” owns something.
(Example: The squirrel
cookie back! mine!” dropped its acorn.)

I looked over, and there was a little girl wearing a

red cape and hood. She ran over and started yelling

at me. She looked so scary! So I dropped the cookie.

crumbs flew behind me. I ran all the way

home.

Little Red Riding Hood was so mad about her

cookie. She started telling everyone that I had tried

to eat her up. all lies. You have to believe me.

So the next time someone tells you the story of

“Little Red Riding Hood,” tell my side of the story.

7

Name Mechanics
and Usage:
Your, You’re

Grammar Cop

and the Education
of Snow White

Snow White has left the seven dwarfs’ cottage. She
wants to explain her disappearance, but she doesn’t
really understand the difference between your and
you’re. Can you help Grammar Cop fill in the blanks?

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources Dear Dwarfs, Directions: The word your
or you’re belongs in each
probably wondering why I left. I have to of the boxes. Choose the
correct word and write it in.
admit I have gotten tired of strange habits.
Remember these basic
It seems like if not sneezing, then laws of your and you’re:

sleeping or acting grumpy. • Your
Your is the possessive
Also, it turned out that the prince wasn’t for me. form of you. Use it when
you are talking about
As I said to him, “ really nice, but I don’t something that belongs to
the person with whom you
want to sit around castle all day while are speaking. (Example: I
really like your new jeans.
off slaying dragons.” Where did you get them?)

The other day, I took a good look in the mirror. • You’re
You’re is a contraction of
Sure it said, “ the fairest of them all.” But it “you are.” Here’s a tip:
Whenever you write you’re,
also said, “Plan for future. What about read over the sentence and
substitute you are for
education? career?” you’re. If the sentence
makes sense, you’ve made
That was it. “Snow,” I said, “say good-bye to the right choice. (Example:
I always tell people that
dwarfs. going back to school.” you’re my best friend.)

I hope I haven’t hurt feelings. I

appreciate kindness. all very

generous. But for now, on own.

friend,
Snow White

8

Name Mechanics and
Usage: Their,
They’re, and There

Grammar Cop

and the Case of the Worried Elf

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources Santa’s head elf is worried. But he doesn’t know the
difference among their, they’re, and there. Can you
help him? Fill in the right word in the blanks.

Directions: The word their, they’re, or there belongs in
each of the boxes. Choose the correct word and write it
in.

Dear Santa, Remember these basic
laws of their, they’re,
is a problem with some of the elves. and there:

acting very lazy. I know that Christmas isn’t • Their
Their is the possessive
until the end of December. But the elves aren’t ready. form of they. You use it
when you want to say that
Many of them can’t even find tools. I caught something belongs to a
group of people. (Example:
a group of doll-making elves playing with They went sledding, but
they forgot their mittens.)
Barbies. I saw some of the candy makers having a
• They’re
sword fight with candy canes. I inspected They’re is a contraction of
they are. (Example: Mindy
sleeping area, and I must tell you it’s a and Jessica are best
friends. They’re always
disgusting mess down . I found candy together.)

wrappers and soda cans everywhere. • There
There is a place. It is the
Santa, I know that the elves are a good bunch. opposite of here.
(Example: Australia is far
all very sweet and nice. But like a away. I wonder if I’ll ever
go there.) There is also a
bunch of kids. We must ask them to improve pronoun used to introduce
a sentence. (Example:
work habits. We must make sure There is someone at the
door.)
ready for the big day. We need to make them

responsible for cleaning up all of garbage.

Most of all, we must make them understand that

Santa’s elves! Let’s hope they get the

message.

Very sincerely

Rocko, your head elf

9

Name Mechanics
and Usage:
Quotation Marks

Grammar Cop

and the Three Little Pigs’
Day in Court

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources The Three Little Pigs are trying to prove their case
against the Big Bad Wolf. But they don’t know the
rules for using quotation marks. Can you help
Grammar Cop by adding the quotation marks in their
story?

One day the Three Little Pigs—Hambone, Porky, Directions: Add quotation
and Daisy—agreed that Wolf had bothered them long marks to the story.
enough. I hate to be a pig, Daisy said, but I think we
should sue him. Remember these basic
laws for quotation marks:
A few weeks later, they went to court. The
courtroom was packed with other animals. • Direct quotes
Put quotation marks around
What’s the problem? asked the judge. words that someone is
Wolf won’t leave us alone, said Hambone. He actually saying. (Example:
keeps blowing down our houses. “Are you positive,” Bill’s
Porky said, He turned my house into a pigsty! mother asked, “that you
The judge asked Wolf if the charges were true. want to put turnips on your
They’re all hogwash, said Wolf. I’m not guilty. sandwich?”)
The judge said that he didn’t know what to
believe. Do you have witnesses? he asked the pigs. • Indirect quotes
The pigs looked at the other animals for help. But Don’t put quotation marks
they all said that they were scared of Wolf. around words that
The pigs were losing hope when a flea jumped out summarize what someone
of Wolf’s fur. I saw everything, she said. The pigs are said. (Example: Bill said
telling the truth. Wolf is a real beast! that he likes to eat turnips
What a relief, Daisy said. Maybe now we’ll all live at every meal.) Tip: Phrases
happily ever after! such as said that or
reported that are often
good clues that you don’t
need quotation marks.)

10

Name Mechanics
and Usage:
Idioms

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources Grammar Cop

and a Case of Monkey Business

An idiom is an expression that means something different
from what its words literally mean. For example, if you
have a frog in your throat, that doesn’t mean that you
have swallowed a little green animal! It means your voice
is scratchy and you sound like a frog when you talk. Can
you help Grammar Cop understand the idioms below?
Directions: Circle the correct animals in the following idioms.
Then write what the idiom means. Check your answers in a dictionary.
1. raining (rats/cats) and (dogs/pigs)

2. making a mountain out of a (mole/ant)hill

3. a (fly/goat) in the ointment

4. a (whale/fish) out of water

5. (fox/wolf) in (sheep’s/elephant’s) clothing

6. crying (alligator/crocodile) tears

7. (bats/birds) in your belfry

8. you can’t make a silk purse out of a (cow’s/sow’s) ear

9. (snake/rabbit) in the grass

10. (ducks/birds) of a feather flock together

11

Name Mechanics
12 and Usage:
Verb Tenses

Grammar Cop

and the Case of the
Emperor’s New Clothes

The emperor doesn’t know if he’s coming or going!
He doesn’t know what he has done, what he is doing
now, and what he will do later. Can you help Grammar
Cop choose the right tense?

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources 1. There will be a big parade next Directions: Decide whether
week. each underlined verb is in
the past, present, or future
2. I have nothing to wear. tense. Write it in the blank.

3. I asked the tailors to make me Remember these basic
a new cloak. laws of tenses:

4. They promised to make the • Past
best cloak the villagers had The past tense of a verb
ever seen. tells that something already
happened. (Example: I
5. The tailors are working day and walked to school this
night cutting and sewing. morning.)

6. The cloak is finished! • Present
The present tense of a verb
7. I tried it on, and something was tells that something is
very strange . . . happening now. (Example: It
is raining today.)
8. But the tailors assured me
that the townspeople will be • Future
amazed. The future tense of a verb
tells that something will
9. After the parade, all the people happen in the future.
said they had never seen (Example: Tomorrow I will
anything like my new cloak. play soccer.)

10. I tried to find the tailors to
thank them, but they had left
town.

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and Go to the
ask him or her to tell you Head of the Class
the parts of speech under
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of
speech, and your partner
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

1. Being back at school is . Today I
ADJECTIVE
1

into class, as ever.
2. 23
PAST-TENSE VERB
All the teachers were sitting at the kids’ desks!
3.
ADJECTIVE “Good morning, !”

4. 4 5
ADJECTIVE
they hollered . “Teach us about
5.
YOUR LAST NAME 6

6. !”
ADVERB
7

7. I tried to take roll call, but 8
PLURAL NOUN
was reciting the Pledge of in
8. 9
YOUR TEACHER’S NAME
.
9.
NOUN 10

10. ran in apologizing,

11

FOREIGN LANGUAGE “ ! I’m sorry! My

11. 12 13
YOUR PRINCIPAL’S NAME
ate my homework.”
12.
EXCLAMATION
“We’re late for our field trip to the Museum of
13.
ZOO ANIMAL
,” someone shouted.
14. PLURAL NOUN
14
15.
VERB I could barely keep up. I hope to get to

at my regular desk tomorrow.

15

13

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and Super Silly Circus
ask him or her to tell you
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources the parts of speech under
the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of
speech, and your partner
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

1.
YOUR CITY

2. Over the summer, the circus came to
ADJECTIVE

3. . Not just any
YOUR LAST NAME
1
4. 2
NOUN
circus, it was the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and
5.
ADJECTIVE Circus! My favorite performer was

6. 3
VERB + ER
the tamer who was fearless and
7.
ADVERB 4

8. . The tightrope 6
VERB
5

9. teetered 7 above the stage,
NUMBER
looking like she was about to .
10.
8

PLURAL NOUN We saw a -foot-tall man juggling

11. 9
NOUN
while wearing a
12. 11
10

BODY PART on his . All day we ate

13. 12

PLURAL NOUN , peanuts, and popcorn

14. 13

ADJECTIVE until we felt . It really was

15. 14
ADJECTIVE ENDING IN EST
the show on earth!

15

14

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and My Life as a
ask him or her to tell you
the parts of speech under 13
the blanks below. You give
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources a word for each part of
speech, and your partner
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

1.
YOUR FULL NAME

2.
NOUN

3. My name is , but my friends
ADJECTIVE
1
4.
ANIMAL HOME call me . I was born in a

5. 2
ADJECTIVE
. Life was
6.
VERB 34

. I had to every
7. 56
NUMBER
day at o’clock. As a teenager,
8. 7
NOUN
I worked at the local market for
9. 8
PLURAL UNIT OF TIME
several . That’s where I first learned
10.
VERB 9

11. how to . After graduating from the

10

ADJECTIVE School, I went on to become the

12. 11
ADJECTIVE ENDING IN EST
world’s . The
13. 12
NOUN 13

14. townspeople were so proud that they changed the

YOUR LAST NAME school’s name to the Institute
15
15. 14

PLURAL NOUN for .

15

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and Fright Night
ask him or her to tell you
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources the parts of speech under
the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of
speech, and your partner
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

Last time I went to a Halloween party, it was

1. ADJECTIVE really . One boy wore a
2. NOUN
3. 1
4. BODY PART
5. FARM ANIMAL on his .
6. PLURAL NOUN 23
7. PLURAL FOOD
8. A girl was walking a 4 on a leash!
9. YOUR NAME
10. VEGETABLE Another kid was putting 5 in his
11. ADJECTIVE
12. mouth! We played games. First we bobbed for
13. NOUN
14. PAST-TENSE VERB . Then we wanted to make a
PAST-TENSE VERB
6
PLACE
ADJECTIVE -o’-lantern, but we had no

7

pumpkin, just a . We started to

8

carve it, and a 9 10

jumped out! One of my friends .

11

We all 12 away, but it followed us!

Then it swallowed my friends. I hid in the

. When I came out, the thing had

13

left. I felt 14 that my friends were

gone. At least I got all the candy!

16

Name Finish Me!
Story

Don’t read this story yet! Gone to a Goofy Galaxy
Give it to a partner and
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources ask him or her to tell you One morning,
the parts of speech under
the blanks below. You give 12
a word for each part of
speech, and your partner and I were waiting for the school bus. Somehow, we
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

1. ADJECTIVE accidentally got on a flying 3 headed
2. FRIEND’S NAME
3. to the planet . When we landed,
4. NOUN
5. TEACHER’S LAST NAME 4
6.
7. ADJECTIVE we noticed the 5 sky. Soon, we were
8. ADJECTIVE
9. surrounded by the 6 beings who lived
10. NOUN
11. VERB there. Each had a 7 where its head
12. BODY PART
13. NOUN should have been. I saw one creature teaching its
14. NOUN
YOUR TOWN OR CITY baby how to 8 with its nose!
FRIEND’S NAME
VERB All of a sudden, two beings grabbed us by the

. They took us to the beautiful

9

, where their leader lived. She

10

gave me a 11 to bring back to

. I didn’t have any gift to exchange,

12

so I gave the leader 13 instead.

Finally, to celebrate our friendship, we all began

to .

14

17

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and A Funny Fairy Tale
ask him or her to tell you
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources the parts of speech under
the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of
speech, and your partner
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

1. Once upon a time, a 1 princess
2.
3. ADJECTIVE named Snow 2 lived with her
4. NOUN
5. , wicked stepmother, the queen.
6. ADJECTIVE
7. ADJECTIVE 3
8.
9. NOUN One day the queen asked, “ 4 mirror
10. PAST-TENSE VERB
11. ADJECTIVE ENDING IN Y on the , who is the fairest of them
12. ADJECTIVE ENDING IN Y
13. TEACHER’S LAST NAME 5
14.
NOUN all?” When the mirror answered “the princess,”
ADJECTIVE
ADJECTIVE the queen flew into a rage. Snow got so scared that

NUMBER she and hid in the house of some
ADVERB
6

dwarfs names Sneezy, Dopey, ,

7

, and . The clever

8 9

queen disguised herself as an old 10

and gave Snow a poisoned 11 apple.

Snow took one bite and fainted! Thank goodness a

handsome, 12 prince came by. He
times. Wouldn’t you
kissed Snow 13 ever after!

know it? They lived 14

18

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and Vote for Us!
ask him or her to tell you
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources the parts of speech under I’m and I’m running for
the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of 1
speech, and your partner
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

class president. My 2 running mate,

1. , is running for class .
YOUR NAME
3 4
2.
ADJECTIVE We have some pretty ideas for

3. 5
YOUR PARTNER’S NAME
making our class the in this school.
6
4.
NOUN If elected, we’ll quickly get a friendly

5. 7
ADJECTIVE
as our class mascot. Then we’ll demand that

6. class replace math class. We
ADJECTIVE ENDING IN EST
8
7.
NOUN promise to get lots of really yummy

8. 9
NOUN
and served in the cafeteria.
9.
PLURAL NOUN 10

We’ll also make sure that 11 lets

10. PLURAL ANIMAL

11. us instead of doing homework.
YOUR TEACHER’S NAME
12

Best of all, we pledge to recruit 13

12. celebrities to join our class. So don’t be surprised
VERB

13. to find sitting next to you.
NUMBER GREATER THAN 1 leaders,

14. 14 15

FAMOUS PERSON If you want two fun and

15. ADJECTIVE

vote for us!

19

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and Goofy Game Day
ask him or her to tell you
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources the parts of speech under
the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of
speech, and your partner
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

1. NOUN Yesterday in gym class we were playing
2. FRIEND’S NAME
3. ball. 2
4. ADJECTIVE
5. NOUN 1
6.
7. EXCLAMATION was the captain of our 3 team,
8. PAST-TENSE VERB
9. TEACHER’S LAST NAME and my position was back.
10. PRINCIPAL’S LAST NAME
11. 4
12. ADVERB
13. VERB ENIDNG IN ING “33, 28, 57 !” The ball
14.
15. ADJECTIVE 5
ARTICLE OF CLOTHING
through the air. 7
ADVERB
NOUN 6

PAST-TENSE VERB passed to , who fumbled

8

. I grabbed the ball and started

9

. The players
10 11

came at me, trying to grab my .

12

I ran as 13 as I could all the way to

the zone. I a
14 15

touchdown!

20

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and Hollyweird
ask him or her to tell you
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources the parts of speech under
the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of
speech, and your partner
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

1. FRIEND’S NAME The book “ 1 and the
2. ADJECTIVE
3. ADVERB Mango” is being made into a
4. NUMBER
5. 2
6. PLURAL BODY PART
7. UNIT OF TIME movie. Guess who is playing the mango? I am and
8. ADJECTIVE
9. NOUN ! My costume is 4
10. EXCLAMATION
11. 3
12. PAST-TENSE VERB
13. VERB ENDING IN ING feet wide, and just my 5 stick out
14.
YOUR STREET at the bottom. The first 6 of
ADJECTIVE
MOVIE STAR filming was a disaster. When the 7

crew pushed me onto the set, I began rolling wildly.

Soon I was spinning like a 8 out of

control. The director screamed, “ 9 !”

as I through a wall. I started

10

down .
11 12

juice from my costume

13

squirted everywhere. I finally landed—right on top

of !

14

21

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and Seasoned Greetings
ask him or her to tell you
the parts of speech under Dear ,
the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of 1
speech, and your partner
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources writes it in the blank. holidays to you! I hope
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and 2
reads the story aloud.

1. the weather has been 3 and the food
2.
3. FRIEND’S NAME . I also hope you get 5
4. ADJECTIVE
5. ADJECTIVE 4
6. ADJECTIVE
7. NUMBER presents, especially that 6 you’ve
8. NOUN
9. been asking for!
10. PLURAL FOOD
11. ANIMAL I’ve been very busy. I tried to learn how to cook
12.
13. BODY PART cranberry , but they tasted terrible.
14. ADJECTIVE
15. 7
NOUN
ADJECTIVE Even my pet 8 wouldn’t eat them.
MOVIE STAR
I also went sledding down Killer Mountain, and—
ADVERB
YOUR NAME this is the bad part—I bruised my .
It really hurts.
9

My parents have been just 10 ,
11 and
though. They helped me build a
12
in the backyard. It was really

looks like 13 !

Yours ,

14

15

22

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and Nothing to Sneeze At!
ask him or her to tell you
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources the parts of speech under
the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of
speech, and your partner
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

1. ADJECTIVE Be , everyone! Winter is flu
2. ADJECTIVE
3. 1
4. VERB
5. ADVERB season. Take care of yourself so you don’t get
6.
7. NOUN . Whenever you 3
8. NOUN
9. ADJECTIVE 2
10. VERB ENDING IN ING
11. NOUN outside, make sure you are dressed .
12. NOUN
13. NUMBER 4
14. NOUN
NOUN Button up your , and always wear
OCCUPATION
5

a to keep warm. Be sure not to go

6

out when your hair is .

7

You can tell you are getting sick when your

nose starts 8 and you have a

ache. If you think you have a

9

fever, take your temperature. Put a thermometer

in your and leave it there for

11 10

to eat lots of minutes. It’s also a good idea
Remember, a
12 noodle soup.
14 a day keeps the
13

away!

23

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and Happy New You!
ask him or her to tell you
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources the parts of speech under
the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of
speech, and your partner
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

1. I just made the 1 New Year’s
ADJECTIVE ENDING IN EST
resolution ever! I promised to clean up my very
2.
ADJECTIVE room. I started under my bed,

3. 2
PLURAL NOUN
where I found some smelly . I also
4.
ADJECTIVE 3

5. found my long-lost collection of 4
FAMOUS PERSON
posters. I for joy!
6. 56
PAST-TENSE VERB
I shoved them all in my closet, which got so full
7.
ADJECTIVE that a box of

8. 7 8
PLURAL NOUN
fell on my . “ ,”
9.
BODY PART 9 10

10. I muttered . I took everything out

11

SILLY SOUND and tried to stuff it into my dresser.

11. 12

ADVERB Well, the dresser was full of

12. 13

ADVERB . What could I do but put

13. 14

ADJECTIVE everything in the only space left—under my bed.

14. PLURAL NOUN

15. See, keeping resolutions isn’t hard at all when

ADJECTIVE you’re as as I am!

15

24

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and Goose on the Loose
ask him or her to tell you
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources the parts of speech under My friend 1 must be the great-
the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of
speech, and your partner
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

1. great-great-great-grandchild of Mother Goose.
2.
3. FRIEND’S NAME My friend had a party last week. Besides me, the
4. COLOR
5. NOUN guests were Little Boy , Peter Peter
6.
7. ADJECTIVE 2
8. ADJECTIVE
9. PLURAL INSECT Eater, and a
10.
11. VERB 34
12. VERB
13. VERB woman who lived in a shoe. For dinner, we had
14. ADJECTIVE
15. NUMBER four and twenty 5 6
NOUN
NOUN baked in a pie. When the pie was opened, we all
ADJECTIVE
FRIEND’S NAME began to . Then we played games

7

like -around-a-rosy and here we

8

round the berry
9 10

bush. We sang a song of 11 pence

and danced to tunes like “Rock-a-bye Baby, on

the Top” and “Twinkle, Twinkle,

12

Little .” The party ended after three

13

mice ran by and

14 15

jumped over the moon.

25

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and Downhill Disaster
ask him or her to tell you
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources the parts of speech under For winter break I had the
the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of
speech, and your partner
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

1. vacation! We went skiing on
ADJECTIVE ENDING IN EST
1

2. Mount 2 . I took
ADJECTIVE
3

3. the lift straight to the top. My
NOUN
4

4. were on, my goggles were in
NOUN
5

5. place, and I was ready to . The
PLURAL ARTICLE OF CLOTHING
6

6. snow was perfectly , so I started
VERB
7

7. going really fast. Soon, I was zooming down the
ADJECTIVE
mountain faster than a speeding .
8.
NOUN 8

9. I couldn’t stop! , I tried to grab
ADVERB
9

10. onto a tree, but then a 10 jumped

ANIMAL onto the back of my skis. We to

11. 11

PAST-TENSE VERB the ground and started tumbling and rolling,

12. ADJECTIVE

13. turning into a giant 12 snowball!

ADVERB At the bottom, we crashed into the lodge and

14. ADJECTIVE

landed 13 , right in front of the
trip!
fireplace. What a
14

26

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and Oh, My Aching Heart!
ask him or her to tell you
the parts of speech under Dear ,
the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of 1
speech, and your partner
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources writes it in the blank. I have watched you from afar for many
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

1. now. I can be silent no longer.
FRIEND’S NAME
2

The time has come to tell you how I feel. I think

2. you’re really smart and .
PLURAL UNIT OF TIME
3
3.
ADJECTIVE Whenever you are near me in

4. 4
VERB ENDING IN ING
class, I feel inside. I think you
5
5.
ADJECTIVE might be the person I have ever

6. 6
ADJECTIVE ENDING IN EST
met. You are the apple of my .

7. 7
BODY PART
If you want to find out who I am, meet me at 3:30

8. behind Principal ’s office. I’ll be the
CELEBRITY’S LAST NAME
8
9.
NOUN one wearing the on my head. Until

10. 9

PLURAL NOUN then, please accept this bunch of as

11. 10
ADVERB
a sign of my affection.

12. ADJECTIVE

Yours 11 ,
12 admirer
13. Your
ADJECTIVE ENDING IN ER 14 and

14. P.S. It is to
VERB

13

lose than never to love at all.

27

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and Jungle Fever
ask him or her to tell you
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources the parts of speech under
the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of
speech, and your partner
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

1.
PAST-TENSE VERB

2.
PIECE OF CLOTHING

3. I up this morning and saw a
PAST-TENSE VERB
1
4.
ADJECTIVE lion wearing my . I thought I was

5. 2
NUMBER
dreaming, so I my eyes. Suddenly,
3
6.
ADJECTIVE a noise came from the kitchen.

7. 4
ADJECTIVE
monkeys and a
8.
PLURAL NOUN 56

rhinoceros were sitting on top of the kitchen table

9. eating .
PLURAL BODY PART
8
10. 7

ADVERB “We brush our after every meal,”

11. 9

TEAM SPORT they said . I looked outside and

12. 10

FRIEND’S NAME saw elephants playing using

13. 11
PIECE OF SPORTS EQUIPMENT
as the !
12 13
14.
ADJECTIVE
Now I know the true meaning of,
14

“It’s a jungle out there!”

28

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and Two at the Zoo
ask him or her to tell you
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources the parts of speech under
the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of
speech, and your partner
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

1. The whole thing was an accident. My friend
2.
3. FRIEND’S NAME and I just wanted to spend a
4. ADJECTIVE
5. YOUR TOWN 1
6.
7. FRIEND’S NAME day at the Zoo.
8. NOUN 23
9.
10. ANIMAL Who knew that 4 would slip
11. ADJECTIVE
12. on a 5 and bump into the
13. NOUN
14. VERB cage? The door sprang open, and
15. NOUN
ADJECTIVE 6
FRIEND’S NAME
ADJECTIVE the creature inside, which was
VERB
NOUN 7

eating a , ran out of the cage. It

8

went nuts! I’ve never seen an animal 9

like that before! The zookeeper came out with a giant

to catch the

10 11

beast. The zookeeper’s eyesight wasn’t good. He

caught 12 instead. Don’t worry—
cage
my friend now lives in a
13
and can 14
with a 15 all day long, or even play
.

29

Name Finish Me!
Story

Don’t read this story yet! Appetite for April Fools
Give it to a partner and
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources ask him or her to tell you All morning on April 1st, we tried to play tricks
the parts of speech under
the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of
speech, and your partner
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

1. on our teacher, who only said , “Just
ADVERB you wait.”
1

2.
YOUR TEACHER’S NAME

3. At lunchtime, 2 yelled, “Food fight!”
ADVERB

4. , threw a
FRIEND’S NAME
34

5. cream pie that way. The teacher
NOUN
5

6. ducked, and the pie hit 6 in the face!
YOUR PRINCIPAL’S NAME

7. “Yee ha!” the principal yelled and threw a tray of
NOUN

8. spaghetti and 7 balls! Before long,
ADJECTIVE

9. eggs and ham were flying! The janitor
PLURAL FRUIT
8

10. started throwing very ripe . Soon, we

PLURAL NOUN 9

11. were covered with macaroni and 10 or had

PLURAL NOUN

12. peanut butter and 11 coming out of our ears.

FEMALE MOVIE STAR

13. Finally, , our principal’s mom,

PAST-TENSE VERB 12

14. in. When sauce hit
13 14
ADJECTIVE

her in the nose, she hollered, “ENOUGH!” The fight was

over. Even principals have to listen to their mothers.

30

Name Finish Me!
Story
Don’t read this story yet!
Give it to a partner and My Summer Vacation
ask him or her to tell you
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources the parts of speech under
the blanks below. You give
a word for each part of
speech, and your partner
writes it in the blank.
Then he or she writes the
words in the story and
reads the story aloud.

1. What a 1 summer I had at Camp
2.
3. ADJECTIVE ! I played tricks
4. ANIMAL
5. 23
6. BODY PART
7. LIQUID on everyone. Once, I replaced everyone’s shampoo
8.
9. PLURAL NOUN with . Next, I put big 5
10. ADJECTIVE
11. NOUN 4
12. ADJECTIVE
13. NOUN in their backpacks and daddy legs
14. ADJECTIVE
15. 6
VERB ENDING IN ING
EXCLAMATION in their food! But then the tables turned. One night
NUMBER
after we told spooky 7 stories, I fell
VERB ENDING IN ING
NOUN asleep feeling scared and . A sound

8

like a loud 9 woke me. I thought I

saw a ghost
10 11

toward me! You could hear me screaming

“ !” from miles
12 13

away! Someone turned on a flashlight, and I saw

everyone 14 and laughing. The ghost
flapping in the wind. The
was a 15
31
joke was on me.

Name Finish Me!
Story

Don’t read this story yet! Attack of the Massive Melon!
Give it to a partner and
ask him or her to tell you I decided that I was going to grow
the parts of speech under
the blanks below. You give the garden in the world. I used a
a word for each part of
speech, and your partner 1
writes it in the blank.
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources Then he or she writes the to dig holes in the backyard, then I
words in the story and
reads the story aloud. 2

1. spread seeds and 3 all around. Pretty
ADJECTIVE ENDING IN EST
soon, my garden started looking . I had
2.
NOUN 4

3. planted 5 seeds, but a watermelon
PLURAL NOUN
started out of the ground! It grew
4. 6
ADJECTIVE
and grew. This watermelon became bigger than
5.
NOUN ! Mom said we should eat it before

6. 7
VERB ENDING IN ING
it turned . So every day I climbed
7.
FAMOUS PERSON 8

up a , then leaped
8. 9 10
ADJECTIVE
to the top of the melon and cut off huge pieces.
9.
ADVERB We made watermelon shakes, peanut butter and

10. watermelon sandwiches, and with
NOUN

11. 11

FAVORITE FOOD watermelon sauce. I’ve eaten almost nothing but

12. NUMBER

13. melon for the last 12 months! Mom

BODY PART said, “Don’t look a gift horse in the .”

14. 13
VERB
I sure learned a lesson: Don’t bite off more than you

can !

14

32

Name Prefixes and
Suffixes

Be a World Builder

The shapes below are building blocks. Cut out the shapes and build as many
houses as you can. There is one rule: Each house must spell a word, using a
base word (roof). But not every house has to look like the example. Some
houses have two floors or no chimney. Keep a list of all the words you build.

EXAMPLE: The chimneys are prefixes: re en

en un dis pre
joy
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources
able The roofs are base words: courage
play
= enjoyable joy like
Each floor is a suffix: view
kind

ly able ment

ous er ness

BONUS: Use at least five of your words to write a story about one of the houses you
built. For example, you could write about what happens in the house called enjoyable.

33

Name Word Roots

It’s GREEK to Me!

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources How is an astronaut like
an ancient Greek?

a. They both wear long robes.
b. They both love Greek myths.
c. They both have Greek names.

THE ANSWER: c. Many English words contain Greek roots.
Take the word astronaut, for example. Astro is Greek for
“star.” Naut means “sailor.” So astronaut means “star sailor.”

A DIRECTIONS: All of the word roots to the left are
Greek. Take a root from column A and combine it
tele = at a distance with a root from column B to make eleven words.
photo = light
sym = together 1.
astro = star 2.
micro = small 3.
bio = life 4.
5.
B 6.
7.
phone = sound 8.
phony = sound 9.
pathy = feeling 10.
graphy = writing 11.
logy = word or study
scope = aim or target

BONUS: Look up the following words in the dictionary: decathlon, helicopter,
kindergarten, parachute, porcupine, stegosaurus. On a separate sheet of paper,
write what their roots mean and what languages they come from.

34

Name Prefixes and
Suffixes

Tasty Word Treats

After a long night of trick or treating, it’s fun to unload your
sack and see what’s inside. The three candies below are full of
prefixes, base words, and suffixes. Take one part from each
candy to make a new word. Write the six words in the blanks.

Prefixes Base words Suffixes
Base words can stand
Prefixes attach to the on their own. Suffixes attach to the
front of a word and give end of a word to change
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources it a new meaning. its meaning.

de appear able
dis en courage ance ed

mis light ful
re un like ly ment

mark
spell

35

Name Compound Words

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources What’s an Eye Hat?

Koko is a very special gorilla. She can
communicate with her human friends.
She understands more than 100 spoken
words, and she is an expert (for an
animal!) in sign language—both
understanding signs and making them.
Koko sometimes invents her own signs.
She also puts together two or more
words to describe a new word.

Draw a line from each word
in the left column to
Koko’s definition in
the right column.

1. mask a. white-tiger
2. ring b. bottle-match
3. zebra c. bad-mad-you
4. monster d. finger-bracelet
5. Pinocchio doll e. surprise-devil
6. lighter f. eye-hat
7. insult g. my-cold-cup
8. ice-cream cone h. elephant-baby

BONUS: Make up your own Koko-like compound
words and challenge a friend to define them.

36

Name Vocabulary
/ Spelling
east
A Ram Sang (ANAGRAMS)
seat
eats An anagram is a word or phrase made by rearranging the letters
teas in another word or phrase. See how many anagrams you can
sate make for each of the words below. (The first one is done for you.)
Each word has at least two anagrams. Remember that some
letters often go together, such as st or ea. Also, some letters can
make more than one sound, for example the c in cat and face.

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources taps acre

pools tales shape

snap plate times

BONUS: Find all the words you can using letters from Tyrannosaurus rex.
For example, run and sat.

37

Name Synonyms

Riddle Recipe

Follow the recipe below to make up riddles
to challenge a friend.

1. Pick a subject: pig

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources 2. Make a list of synonyms 5. hPaumt tbhuelahncbea,chkaomnn: esia
related words: These are your riddle answers.
and

wseHhuoniobrcndgjytes,c:c.lsAotwpctieahndneeis,aha,oeuiolnrprukasy,o,hbuaaomfodinki,cdmtairobuenodlaau,rttseyy,ndooauunrt 6. tNhoewanmsawkeer’uspdeyofiunritrioidnd:le using

3. How do you take a pig
to the hospital?
Take oafnfythweorfdirsfrtolmetttehre, lelisatv:inhga:mam Answer: in an hambulance
Drop

4. aLmisbt uwloarndcse,thaamt nbeesgiian with am: What ldooseysouitscamlleimt worhye?n
a pig

Answer: hamnesia

Now make up you own riddle.

38

Name Synonyms

Hink Pink Riddle Recipe

Follow the recipe below to make up hink pinks to challenge a friend.

1. Make a list of pairs of words that Now make up you own hink pink.
rhyme. Choose one rhyming pair to
Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources be your riddle answer:
soggy froggy
glad lad
happy pappy

Hint: A rhyming dictionary is helpful.

2. Make up a riddle question. Make a
list of words that have the same
meaning as each word in your
rshaymmeinmg eaannsiwnegr.a(rWe ocradlsledwisthyntohneyms.)
They do not have to rhyme. The
synonyms will become part of your
riddle question.

soggy froggy
wet amphibian
damp toad

Hint: A book called a thesaurus is
full of synonyms.

3. Pick one word from each column and
make up your riddle question:

What do you call a wet amphibian?
or

What do you call a damp toad?

Answer: a soggy froggy!

39

Name Vocabulary

A Beastly Puzzle

How many three- and four-letter animal names can you find in this
puzzle? Words can be spelled by moving from letter to letter along
the lines connecting the circles. For example, you can form the word
DOG by starting at the D, moving southwest to the O and then north
to the G. There are six more animals names in the puzzle.

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources AR
G

ED
BOF

CI
W

NL

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

BONUS: There are lots of other words in this puzzle that aren’t names of animals.
Find as many as you can.
40

Name Synonyms and
Antonyms

Two Left Feet

These shoes are all mixed up! You can pair them off. Each shoe contains a
word that is a synonym for a word on another shoe. Synonyms are words
that have the same or almost the same meaning. Put each pair of shoes
together by coloring them the same color. Use a different color for each pair.

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources sensible popular enormous rich

wealthy good-looking primitive massive

early reasonable favorite attractive

Lace up those synonym shoes! Each of the shoelaces has a word that is an
antonym for a pair of shoes above. Antonyms are words that have the opposite
meanings. Color each lace the same color as the pair of shoes that is its opposite.

foolish needy

ugly little
unwanted modern

BONUS: Create antonym socks. Challenge a friend to match them to the shoes.

41

Name Vocabulary

Catch a Word Worm

Are you an early bird? Catch this worm! Starting from the top—the
worm’s head—connect the worm’s body parts until you reach its tail.
Don’t leave any spaces. You can connect only parts that form words
when stuck together. You can move left, right, down, or diagonally.
The first two are done for you.

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources for down let beg pre card dis
all power ful rain in pare own
over friend new to self bee quen
do frog day out much way car
four light tray pie pet under
teen pin push go fight take tow
work house cake see field truck ring
cave book less trip tie around seat
man skate on phone belt ate
from end near water line bug June
ice us job knee up jar tree
pick board off hill crumb pig at
ant rim side beach fall dance tack
lock walk
farm

BONUS: Make a list of all the other words you can find by connecting two body parts.
42

Name Rebuses

Tr + This!

A rebus (re + ) is a sentence or phrase that uses letters,

pictures, and symbols instead of words. Can you figure out each

rebus below? The first one is done for you.

1

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources h + gold – g = hold y + orange – ange = your horn – n + sevens – ven = horses
hold your horses
2

Answer

3

Answer

4

Answer

BONUS: Make up a rebus for this sentence: A bird in the hand is worth two in the
bush. Challenge a friend to solve it.

43

Name Rebuses

S + – i These!

A rebus (re + ) is a sentence or phrase that uses letters, pictures,

and symbols instead of words. Can you figure out each rebus below? The

first one is done for you. Hint: All of these rebuses contain animal words.

1

mitts – m = it’s radio – dio + lightning – light = raining

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources =c + hats – h = cat d + frogs – fr = dogs

it’s raining cats and dogs

2

Answer

3

Answer

4

Answer
BONUS: Make up a rebus for this sentence: When I go to sleep, I like to count sheep.
Challenge a friend to solve it.

44

Name Rebuses

Say W + ?

A rebus (re + ) is a sentence or phrase that uses letters, pictures, and

symbols instead of words. Can you figure out each rebus below? The first one

is done for you. Hint: All of these rebuses stand for famous sayings.

1

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources l + book – b = look bee + four = before you sleep – s = leap
look before you leap

2

Answer

3

Answer

4

Answer

BONUS: Make up a rebus for this saying: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
Challenge a friend to solve it.

45

Name Rebuses

America S + – r

A rebus (re + ) is a sentence or phrase that uses letters, pictures, and

symbols instead of words. Can you figure out each rebus below? The first one

is done for you. Hint: All of these rebuses stand for songs about America.

1

this l + hand – h = land is

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources y + oar = your l + and = land

“This Land Is Your Land”

2

Answer

3

Answer

4

Answer

BONUS: Make up a rebus for this song: “You’re a Grand Old Flag.” Challenge a friend
to solve it.

46

Name Reading
Comprehension

Zapped! by Emily Costello

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources Getting struck by lightning is serious. Lightning-strike
victims don’t just get up, shake themselves off, and go
home.
A bolt of lightning is powerful. It can contain billions of volts of
electricity—enough to flash on all the lights in a medium-size
town. If you were hit by all that energy, bad things would happen:

• Lightning’s heat would instantly turn your sweat to steam. That
steam could burn your skin and blow off your clothes and
shoes.

• Electricity would race through your eyes, ears, nose, and
mouth. It would cloud your vision and burst your eardrums.

• The explosive force of lightning could break your bones.

• Your muscles—including your heart—could stop working.

Each year, about 100 people in America die from lightning
strikes. Another 400 Americans are struck but live. That sounds
like a lot of people. But more than 270 million people live in the
United States. That means that only one out of every 540,000
Americans get struck every year.

Want to be extra sure you’re not one of them? Here are some
ways to avoid getting zapped:

• Stay inside a solid building during severe thunderstorms. You’ll
also be safe in a car, as long as it isn’t a convertible.

• Avoid metal pipes, appliances, and the telephone during a
storm—don’t take a shower or use your computer. Lightning
can travel through metal and wires.

• If you must stay outside during a thunderstorm, keep away
from high places, water, and tall objects. They attract lightning.

• If you can’t find shelter, crouch down to make yourself as short
as possible.

The best advice? The safest place to be during a thunderstorm
in inside reading a good book.

47

Name Reading
Comprehension

A Stormy Riddle

Read the article on page 48. Then fill in the circle next to the best answer or ending
for each sentence. Use your answers to solve the riddle at the bottom of the page.

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources 1. This article is mostly about 6. Which is safest during a
thunderstorm?
⅜ A. how many people live in America.
⅜ B. driving a car in a storm. ⅜ V. a swimming pool
⅜ C. what causes thunderstorms. ⅜ W. a tall tower
⅜ D. getting struck by lightning. ⅜ X. a tent
⅜ Y. a solid building
2. Lightning is powerful because it
7. In the article, it is clear that a
⅜ E. comes from far away. convertible is a
⅜ F. flashes.
⅜ G. makes rain fall. ⅜ Z. sofa.
⅜ H. contains a lot of energy. ⅜ A. truck.
⅜ I. comes in bolts. ⅜ B. toy car.
⅜ C. car with a top that folds down.
3. Getting hit by lightning can ⅜ D. car that is broken.

⅜ J. give you special powers. 8. In the United States, people are struck
⅜ K. seriously injure or kill you. by lightning
⅜ L. make you crave pizza.
⅜ M. make your hair curl. ⅜ E. rarely.
⅜ F. often.
4. If you are caught outside during a ⅜ G. only when they are in cars.
thunderstorm, you should ⅜ H. only when the sun is out.
⅜ I. only in cities.
⅜ N. climb a mountain.
⅜ O. stay away from water. 9. The author of the article thinks it is
⅜ P. stand under a tree.
⅜ Q. stand up as tall as you can. ⅜ J. boring to watch lightning.
⅜ K. fun to get struck by lightning.
5. Each year, lightning kills ⅜ L. exciting to drive in a storm.
⅜ M. silly to be afraid of nature.
⅜ R. 1 person. ⅜ N. smart to be safe.
⅜ S. 100 Americans.
⅜ T. 400 Americans.
⅜ U. 540,000 Americans.

Match the number under each line below to one of the questions you just answered.
Write the letter of your answer on the line to solve the riddle.

Why did the man drive during a lightning storm?

His car !
988181
524735
48

Name Reading
Comprehension

Super-Fun Reading & Writing Skill Builders © Scholastic Teaching Resources To Bee or Not to Bee?
by Emily Costello

W here have all the honeybees gone? Last summer was
less “buzzy” than usual. That’s because not many
honeybees were humming around. What happened? No one
knows for sure, but scientists have several theories based
on facts they’ve observed.

Some scientists think the cold winter last year killed a
lot of the bees. Unlike most insects, bees usually live
through the winter. They spend the cold months inside their
warm hives, eating honey. Last winter was extra long and
cold. The bees might have run out of food before spring.

But Michael Amspoker, a scientist and beekeeper, says
that honeybees in America have a bigger problem than cold
weather. A mite that is harmful to bees has invaded the
United States from other parts of the world.

The mite, called the Varroa (va-RO-uh) mite, is a “flat
little bean-shaped critter that lives on the bees’ bodies,”
Amspoker says. The mites live by sucking the bees’ body
fluids. That weakens—and probably kills—the bees.

The mites are bad news for humans, too. Bees pollinate
plants that produce many foods that humans eat. Bees also
make honey and wax that humans use.

Scientists are fighting to save the honeybees. They have
a secret weapon! A type of bee called the Yugo bee knows
how to fight off the Varroa mites. The Yugo bees come from
an area in Europe that was once Yugoslavia. They pick the
mites up with their legs and crush them in their jaws.

Scientists will help American beekeepers introduce the
Yugo queens into honeybee colonies here. Those Yugo
queens should lay eggs that will hatch into a new
generation of bees. Scientists hope that those baby bees will
take after their mothers and know how to kill Varroa mites.

Will the scientists’ experiment work? Wait until spring.
Then see if you hear more buzzing.

49