Non-fiction: Escaping Mount Pinatubo
Escaping Mount Pinatubo
On June 15, 1991, Mount Pinatubo erupted on Luzon, an island in the
Philippines. The volcano left behind a deadly blanket of lava and volcanic
ash. Casey Kline interviewed her mother, Cora Kline, who lived on Luzon.
Casey Kline: What was it like to see a volcano erupt?
Cora Kline: It was scary. At first, powerful earthquakes began shaking the
ground. As the volcano was erupting, it was spitting thick ashes into the air.
Then volcanic ashes began falling on everything. Around noon, it was dark
like midnight. We didn't see the sun until 6 a.m. the next day. I heard
thunder and saw lightning on that long, dark "night." Volcanic tremors shook
my apartment. There was no electricity. Fortunately, we still had running
water.
Casey: Could you see any lava?
CK: No. I lived near Subic Bay, which is about 20 miles away from the
volcano.
Casey: What did you see the next day?
CK: I saw devastation and collapsed buildings from the thick ash on the
roofs. Many people were injured.
Casey: What was it like with so many volcanic ashes?
CK: The ashes were knee-deep. It was hard to walk, and it was hard to
breathe. The ashes would stick to your hair and your skin ... everything! I
asked my sister to go to the post office, and she came home covered head
to toe in ashes! Motor vehicles and bicycles couldn't get through. It took
months to clean up.
Casey: Was it hard to buy food after the eruption?
CK: Yes. Some stores were open, but the prices doubled. There were very
long lines at the grocery stores!
Casey: Why didn't you evacuate?
CK: I believed I lived far enough away from the volcano that I wouldn't be
affected that much. As long as the lava couldn't harm me, I would stay.
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Non-fiction: Escaping Mount Pinatubo
Casey: How scared were you?
CK: I was very, very scared. When it turned dark at noon, I thought it was
going to be the end of the world!
What Casey Learned
Ashes can be very heavy! Mother Nature can be either sweet and
forgiving or wild and restless, but she can also be unpredictable.
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Article: Copyright © 2008 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved.
Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.
Used by permission.
Questions: Escaping Mount Pinatubo
Name:
______
Date: _______________________
1. Which of the following correctly describes the volcanic ashes after the eruption?
A
B
C
D
The
The
The
The
ashes
ashes
ashes
ashes
covered everything.
were beautiful.
only blocked the streets.
all fell into Subic Bay.
2. “Which of the following is described first in the text?
A
B
C
D
why it was hard to buy food after the eruption
why Casey’s mother couldn’t see any lava
what it is like to see a volcano erupting
how scary it is to be near a volcanic eruption
3. It can be inferred from the passage that
A
B
C
D
the citizens on the island of Luzon helped each other after the eruption
the volcano did a great deal of damage to the island of Luzon
food was very expensive on the island of Luzon for years after the eruption
the volcano erupting was a big surprise to the people who lived on the island of
Luzon
4. Read the following sentences and answer the question below: “Casey: Why didn't you
evacuate? CK: I believed I lived far enough away from the volcano that I wouldn't be
affected that much.”
In these sentences the word evacuate most nearly means
A
B
C
D
to
to
to
to
leave a dangerous place
travel a far distance
feel seriously hurt
talk very loudly
5. This passage is mostly about
A
B
C
D
the excitement of seeing a volcanic eruption
buying food after a volcanic eruption
one person’s experiences during a volcanic eruption
ways to escape a volcanic eruption
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Escaping Mount Pinatubo
6. Why couldn’t Casey’s mother see any lava after the eruption?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Why do you think the prices doubled at the grocery stores after the volcano erupted?
Use evidence from the passage to support your answer.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes
the sentence.
The ashes were knee deep ____________ it was hard to walk and breathe.
A but
B although
C however
D so
9. Answer the questions based on the sentence below.
Many people were injured because of the volcanic eruption on Luzon, an island in the
Philippines.
Who? many people
(were) What? __________________________________________________________
Why? ________________________________________________________________
Where? ______________________________________________________________
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Escaping Mount Pinatubo
10. Read the vocabulary word and definition below and complete questions 10a, 10b,
and 11.
Vocabulary Word: erupt (e ● rupt): to have a sudden explosion.
10a. Read the five sentences below and underline the word erupt in each sentence.
1. Volcano scientists spend years waiting for a volcano to erupt so that they can
study it.
2. The President was worried that war might erupt in the Middle East.
3. The actor made a funny joke and the crowd erupted into laughter!
4. The student erupted in anger when she was teased about her haircut.
5. The audience erupted in applause when the play was over.
10b. Which image shows something erupting?
11. Would you want to be near a volcano that is about to erupt? Why or why not?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Teacher Guide & Answers: Escaping Mount Pinatubo
Teacher Guide & Answers
Passage Reading Level: 600
Featured Text Structure: Sequence – the writer provides an order of events or steps in a process
Passage Summary: This text describes the experiences of Cora Kline, who is interviewed by her
daughter Casey, during the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Ms. Kline describes the events of the eruption
and what happened afterwards.
1. Which of the following correctly describes the volcanic ashes after the eruption?
A
B
C
D
The ashes covered everything.
The ashes were beautiful.
The ashes only blocked the streets.
The ashes all fell into Subic Bay.
2. Which of the following is described first in the text?
A
B
C
D
why it was hard to buy food after the eruption
why Casey’s mother couldn’t see any lava
what it is like to see a volcano erupting
how scary it is to be near a volcanic eruption
3. It can be inferred from the passage that
A
B
C
D
the citizens on the island of Luzon helped each other after the volcano
the volcano did a great deal of damage to the island of Luzon
food was very expensive on the island of Luzon after the volcano
the volcano erupting was a big surprise to the people who lived on the island of Luzon
4. Read the following sentences and answer the question below: “Casey: Why didn't you evacuate? CK: I
believed I lived far enough away from the volcano that I wouldn't be affected that much.”
In these sentences the word evacuate most nearly means
A
B
C
D
to leave a dangerous place
to travel a far distance
to feel seriously hurt
to talk very loudly
5. This passage is mostly about
A
B
C
D
the excitement of seeing a volcanic eruption
buying food after a volcanic eruption
one person’s experiences during a volcanic eruption
ways to escape a volcanic eruption
6. Why couldn’t Casey’s mother see any lava after the eruption?
Suggested answer: Casey’s mother couldn’t see any lava because she lived too far away from the
volcano.
1
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Teacher Guide & Answers: Escaping Mount Pinatubo
7. Why do you think the prices doubled at the grocery stores after the volcano erupted? Use evidence
from the passage to support your answer.
Suggested answer: The prices probably doubled because many stores couldn’t open, so there was less
food. The owners of the stores that did open likely decided to charge more for what food there was, since
customers had fewer choices.
8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.
The ashes were knee deep ________ it was hard to walk and breathe.
A but
B although
C however
D so
9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below.
Many people were injured because of the volcanic eruption on Luzon, an island in the Philippines.
Who? Many people
(did) What? were injured
Why? Because of the volcanic eruption
Where? On Luzon, an island in the Philippines
10. ReadWorks recommends that you teach this vocabulary word to the whole class out loud using the
four steps listed below.
Vocabulary word: erupt
Step 1: Introduce the word
a. Teacher writes the word on the board and divides it into syllables: (e●rupt)
b. Teacher says: “This word is erupt. What is the word?” [All students reply together out loud:
“erupt.”]
Step 2: Provide a child-friendly definition
a. Teacher says: “Erupt means to have a sudden explosion.”
b. Teacher says: “It can be the explosion of a volcano, or it can be something happening suddenly,
but it means to have a sudden explosion. In the passage, the volcano erupted on Luzon and
injured many people.”
c. Teacher says: “What is the word?” [All students reply together out loud: “erupt.”]
Step 3: Practice the word
Teacher provides examples and additional opportunities to repeat the word. Read the first sentence out
loud to your students. Begin reading it again and when you come to the vocabulary word prompt students
to say the vocabulary word out loud. Then, finish reading the sentence out loud to your students.
2
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Teacher Guide & Answers: Escaping Mount Pinatubo
10a.
1.
Volcano scientists spend years waiting for a volcano to erupt so that they can study it.
2.
The President was worried that war might erupt in the Middle East.
3.
The actor made a funny joke and the crowd erupted into laughter!
4.
The student erupted in anger when she was teased about her haircut.
5.
The audience erupted in applause when the play was over.
Step 4: Check for understanding
This step can be completed as a whole class activity or as an independent practice.
10b. Which image shows something erupting?
11. Would you want to be near a volcano that is about to erupt? Why or why not?
Suggested answer: No because it would be very dangerous from the heat and the flowing lava. One
would most likely get killed.
Suggested Additional Vocabulary: devastation, injured, evacuate, restless, unpredictable
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