Blizzard Bag - Day 1
6th Grade Language Arts
This assignment can be completed in one of two ways (online OR print format). See the directions for each
below:
1. Study Island online (recommended):
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Sign in to www.studyisland.com
Students know their usernames and passwords to log in to study island and should have their
username and password written in their agenda.
Once you log in you will click on the blue bar that should reflect your core.
Your next screen will look something like this. You will need click on the topic
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Then you will complete the assignments that appear. You will need to complete 10 questions in
each section in order for the assignment/blizzard bag to be complete.
2. Print the PDF format of the Study Island lesson:
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Print lesson that is attached below and complete the assignment via paper/pencil format.
If you do not have a printer then you can record your answers from the PDF format on a loose
leaf sheet of paper and turn that in for credit.
3. If the above are not possible:
If you are unable to complete the blizzard bag online or have troubles printing, you will be able
to get the print version of the blizzard bag when we return to school.
If you have any questions while completing the lesson feel free to email your
Language Arts teacher:
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Team 6-1: Mrs. Malcom – [email protected]
Team 6-2: Mrs. Ebbing – [email protected]
Copyright © 2015 Edmentum - All rights
Name: ___________________________________
Figurative Meanings
Core: _______
1.Directions: Select the correct text in the passage.
Which of the bolded sentences contains a metaphor? Highlight the answer
Building a Strong Body Image
As kids become teenagers and start going through puberty, it can be hard for them to deal with all
the changes their bodies are going through. It is important that teens be taught the importance of
building not only strong and healthy bodies but also strong and healthy body images.
Because of society's emphasis on being thin, studies have found that many teens develop poor
self-esteem when they start going through puberty. When a body is growing, weight gain can
sometimes happen quickly, but some teens do not understand what is happening and panic. They
may try to eat less, which will get in the way of the body's development. Bodies are race cars and
need to be cared for in order to perform well. If teens treat their bodies like rental cars, though,
trouble will arise. Unlike rental cars, bodies cannot be returned, and teens who try to combat a poor
body image by starving themselves will disrupt their development.
These days, kids as young as seven or eight are going on diets. Yes, obesity is a real problem,
and it should be addressed. Sometimes, young kids may need to change their eating habits for the
sake of their overall health and quality of life. However, many kids who are perfectly healthy are trying
to diet too. Kids need to be taught that healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes, like fruit
off a tree. No two apples look exactly the same, and neither do any two bodies.
2.Directions: Select the correct text in the passage.
Which of the bolded sentences contains figurative language? Highlight your answer.
The Bull
Even though I had spent my whole life in New York City, I'd always been fascinated by bull riding.
Other kids in my class talked about wanting to be professional football or basketball players
when they grew up. I wanted to be a professional bull rider. Anytime I saw that bull riding would be
coming on the TV, I got as excited as a kid at Christmas. I would post a note near our TV, letting my
family know that I would be using the TV at a specific time. No one else in my family liked bull
riding, so I would watch with Bullhorn, my pet hermit crab. Bullhorn never complained about
watching bull riding.
Today, finally, another event was coming on the TV. I hadn't seen any bull riding in weeks! Fifteen
minutes before the event was scheduled to start, I went up to my room to take Bullhorn out of
his cage. Bullhorn wasn't there! I emptied out his cage and even looked around my room to see if he
had escaped, but I couldn't find him. My room seemed to be laughing at me, as if to say, "What?
Can't find your friend? I know where he is!"
I gave up and went downstairs. Bullhorn was on the couch in a brand new cage! The inside of the
cage was a miniature version of a rodeo, and Bullhorn even had his own tiny cowboy hat. There was
also a plate with some cookies and a glass of milk. I sat down and turned on the TV. The plush
couch pillows hugged me to say hello. I'm pretty sure Bullhorn smiled.
Copyright © 2015 Edmentum - All rights
from Eva's Visit to Fairy-Land
by Louisa May Alcott
The cool waves' gentle plashing against the boat, and the sweet chime of the lily-bells, lulled little
Eva to sleep, and when she woke it was in Fairy-Land. A faint, rosy light, as of the setting sun, shone
on the white pillars of the Queen's palace as they passed in, and the sleeping flowers leaned
gracefully on their stems, dreaming beneath their soft green curtains. All was cool and still, and the
Elves glided silently about, lest they should break their slumbers. They led Eva to a bed of pure white
leaves, above which drooped the fragrant petals of a crimson rose.
"You can look at the bright colors till the light fades, and then the rose will sing you to sleep," said
the Elves, as they folded the soft leaves about her, gently kissed her, and stole away.
Long she lay watching the bright shadows, and listening to the song of the rose, while through the
long night dreams of lovely things floated like bright clouds through her mind; while the rose bent
lovingly above her, and sang in the clear moonlight.
3.Directions: Select all the correct answers.
Read the following sentence from the passage.
A faint, rosy light, as of the setting sun, shone on the white pillars of the Queen's palace as they
passed in, and the sleeping flowers leaned gracefully on their stems, dreaming beneath their soft
green curtains.
In what two ways does the figurative language impact the meaning and tone of the passage?
a) It adds to the sad tone of the passage.
b) It shows that Eva is dreaming.
c) It adds to the frightening tone of the passage.
d) It adds to the magical tone of the passage.
e) It shows how Fairy-Land is different from the real world.
Cat-Sitting
by Tirzah Tyler
Janine slowly opened the front door and stepped inside her friend Sylvia's apartment. She
remembered Sylvia's warning about her cats always trying to escape to the outdoors, but Janine did
not see any cats.
After she closed the door, silence slapped her in the face. Confused, Janine asked, "Am I in the
right apartment? Where is everybody?"
Suddenly, a striped orange cat galloped toward Janine like a racehorse. He made a high-pitched
meow that made Janine wonder if maybe he were a seagull in disguise.
"Ah, you must be Tiger," Janine said. "I'm here to feed you while Sylvia is on vacation. Wait a
minute. Where's your sister Tobie?"
Tiger meowed in reply.
"Ah, that's right. Tobie is the shy one, isn't she?"
Tiger meowed and rubbed the side of his stocky body against Janine's leg.
"I guess if Tobie's hiding somewhere, I won't get to meet her, will I?" Janine asked Tiger while she
bent down and petted his fluffy orange fur.
Tiger's purr was a chainsaw that sliced through the air.
Janine spent the next 15 minutes putting fresh food and water into the cats' bowls and cleaning
out their litter box. "I need to go now, Tiger," she told the cat who had become her new friend. "Say
hello to Tobie for me, OK?"
Tiger meowed.
Janine opened the front door and shrieked when a cat suddenly ran inside. Startled, Janine
swished around and saw a black-and-white cat meow at her. "Oh, my goodness," she said. "You are
Tobie, I presume?"
Tobie meowed angrily in reply. Tiger sniffed one of her ears and licked the top of her head.
"How in the world did you get outside?" Janine asked Tobie. "Never mind—I don't really want to
know. How about if you stay inside from now on, and we keep this a secret from Sylvia?"
Both cats meowed in reply.
4. Which sentences from the passage match each type of figurative language?
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
____________Suddenly, a striped orange cat galloped toward Janine like a racehorse.
____________Tiger's purr was a chainsaw that sliced through the air.
____________After she closed the door, silence slapped her in the face.
Tina stood at the top of her staircase with an imaginary microphone in her hand. Her blond hair was a
silk sheet flowing down her back. Tina's dream was to one day become a famous singer. When she
was alone in the house, she would often stand at the top of the stairs and pretend the she was
making her grand entrance onto a concert stage. With her eyes shining like diamonds, Tina took a
few steps down the stairs and began singing at the top of her lungs. For her, there were a million
people at the bottom of the stairs screaming her name. As she continued singing, her voice grew
louder. Tina did not even hear the front door open or see her parents walk in with bags of groceries
hanging from their hands.
"Hey Miss Superstar, come help us unload the groceries," Tina's dad said.
Tina's eyes flew open, and red roses appeared on her cheeks. Although Tina wanted to be a
famous singer one day, she was shy about singing in front of other people—including her parents.
She felt like a rabbit wanting to find a burrow to crawl into, but she managed to muster up the strength
to look at her parents and to go to the car to carry in the rest of the groceries.
5. Tina's eyes flew open, and red roses appeared on her cheeks.
Based on the context, what does the sentence above tell the reader about Tina?
A. She is happy that her parents are home.
B. Her dad has brought roses home for her.
C. She is embarrassed and starts blushing.
D. A fever is causing her cheeks to turn red.
6. Her blond hair was a silk sheet flowing down her back.
What does the sentence above tell the reader about Tina?
A. She enjoys brushing her long, blond hair.
B. Her hair is smooth, straight, and long.
C. She has a silk sheet hanging from head.
D. Her back is very straight when she stands.
7. She felt like a rabbit wanting to find a burrow to crawl into, but she managed to muster up the
strength to look at her parents and to go to the car to carry in the rest of the groceries.
What is the meaning of the underlined phrase in this sentence from the passage?
A. Tina is hoping her parents have brought a pet rabbit home for her from the store.
B. Tina is worried that her parents are mad that she is singing so loudly in the house.
C. Tina wants to go outside to look for a little hole in the ground where she can hide.
D. Tina wants to be alone because she is shy and does not want to face her parents.
Making the Grade
I was paired up with Parker, the class clown, for the animal reports we had to present in science.
Parker was known not only for being intelligent but also for rarely turning in his homework. I had the
feeling that I would be doing most of the work.
Mrs. Gonzi told us to plan times after school and on weekends to work on the reports with our
partner. Each time I tried to get together with Parker to work on the project, Parker always had an
excuse. Trying to get together with him was like pulling teeth. Finally, he agreed to meet at my house
at noon on Saturday afternoon. I waited and waited until 1:00 p.m. I couldn't help it when I began
pacing back in forth across the living room while periodically peeking out the window to see if Parker
might be walking toward my house. There was no sign of Parker anywhere. To add fuel to the fire, the
phone just kept ringing when I tried calling him to see where he was. The project was due on
Tuesday, so I decided to start without Parker. I worked on it the rest of Saturday and finally finished
late Sunday evening. I was so tired from working all weekend that I hit the sack right after I finished
the project. It didn't take me long to fall asleep.
On Monday in class, Parker asked if we could meet after school to do the project. I told him that I
had already done it. Out of frustration, I also told him that he would not be off the hook because I
would be letting Mrs. Gonzi know that I did the project all on my own.
8. What does off the hook mean in this passage?
A. punished by the teacher
B. bothered with extra homework
C. released from responsibility
D. included in group projects
9. The idiom to add fuel to the fire means
A. to make a bad situation worse.
B. to call someone on the phone.
C. to pour gasoline onto a fire.
D. to wait for someone to show up.
10. If a person hits the sack, it means he or she
A. goes to sleep.
B. recycles a sack.
C. finishes a project.
D. hits a punching bag.
Root Words and Affixes
1. Identify the meaning of the suffix underlined within the following word: maturation
A. full of
B. without
C. process of
D. capable of
2. Because the crowd became lawless, the mayor ordered the police to stop the rally.
What is the meaning of the word lawless?
A. with the law
B. in the law
C. of the law
D. without law
3. Even though his performance in the race was substandard, Rico still performed well in the hurdles.
What is the meaning of the word substandard?
A. below normal
B. better than normal
C. normal
D. good enough
4. If I don't put my keys and wallet on the nightstand, I know I will misplace them, and that means trouble.
What is the meaning of the word misplace?
A. to take a wrong step
B. to put something in the wrong place
C. to find something that is lost
D. to put something in a safe place
5. There was a rally after school to protest the administrators' censorship of the school's newspaper.
What is the meaning of the word censorship?
A. the condition of not being censored
B. the condition of being censored
C. not to censor
D. adding to censor
6. Suzie got angry at me because she misunderstood my words.
What is the meaning of misunderstood?
A. not able to stand
B. an extreme dislike
C. wrongly understood
D. missing each other
7.
Jeff read his letters from Gloria and thought about their time at school fondly.
The suffix of the word fondly means
A. with fondness.
B. of fondness.
C. without fondness.
D. fearing fondness.
8. After writing a very detailed letter to his uncle, Tom also included a postscript to tell his uncle that
he hoped to hear from him soon.
What is the meaning of postscript?
A. to write at the same time
B. to write after
C. not to write
D. to write before
9. The trader for the company got into trouble for offering discounts when she didn't have the
permission to do so.
What is the meaning of the word trader?
A. one who trades
B. not to trade
C. one who can't be trusted
D. trading after
10. Doug's dog Roscoe had an extraordinary ability to sense when a storm was approaching.
What is the meaning of the word extraordinary?
A. wanting
B. with ordinary
C. below ordinary
D. beyond ordinary
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