Name: ____________________________________________
Spring Break Student Packet
Grade 4 Reading
Includes:
Independent Reading
Item Practice Review
Language and Editing
Answer Key
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PALM BEACH COUNTY
Department of Elementary Education
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
INDEPENDENT READING
Have your child read book of their choice each day for at least 45 minutes. Below are
some ways they can talk and write about what they have read.
Literature Text (e.g. Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Poetry,
etc.)
* Summarize the story using details and examples from the text.
* Describe the characters and how their actions contribute to the sequence of the events.
* From whose point of view is the text written? How do you know?
* Compare and contrast two stories. Your child may discuss characters, setting, events, etc.
* What is the possible theme? What are details in the text that support your thinking?
* What is a possible central message? What are details in the text that support your thinking?
* What word in the text was tricky for you? How did you solve it?
Informational Text (e.g. Nonfiction Books, Magazines, Websites, etc.)
* Summarize the text; include the main idea and key details.
* Explain events; include what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
* Describe how the author organized the text (e.g., sequence, compare/contrast, cause/effect,
problem/solution, main idea and reasons, description).
* What was the author’s purpose for writing this text? How do you know?
* What can you learn from the text features? How does the information you learned connect
with the text?
* What is an important detail from the text? How does it connect with the author’s message?
* I can conclude that _________ because _____________.
* How is the text structured?
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
ITEM PRACTICE REVIEW
Waiting at Live Oak
(The following poem is about waiting for a train at the Live Oak, Florida Junction. It was written in the 1800s.)
Of all the minor woes,
A mortal undergoes,
‘Tis waiting in shawl or cloack
Seven hours at Live Oak!
Waiting from nine to four,
Seven hours, sometimes more,
Amid box-cars and logs,
And music of the frogs.
Musquitos, bugs and fleas,
Vile dust or raging seas,
Inflict, by far, less pain,
Than waiting for a train.
Ye gods of Rome and Greece,
When Shall this waiting ceaseThis waiting in the cold and rain
For the Savannah train!
I’d much prefer to take
A ride o’er Great Salt LakeOr to the grand Ty-coon,
Than wait in rain or cold,
With minor woes untold,
Wrapp’d up in shawl or cloak,
Seven hours at Live Oak!
John Willis Menard
Black Poet
John Menard was born in
1838 in Illinois. During the
Civil War, he was a clerk in
the U.S. Department of the
Interior. In 1865, he moved to
moved to New Orleans, where
he became active in the
Republic Party. He served as
Inspector of Customs and
later as a Commissioner of
Streets. He also published a
newspaper, The Free South,
later named The Radical
Standard.
He was the first black elected
to the U.S. Congress. He was
elected from Louisiana in
1868 to fill an unexpired term.
Menard failed to overcome an
election challenge by the
loser. Congress refused to seat
either man.
In 1871, he moved to Florida,
where he was again active in
the Republican Party and
published the Island City
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
News in Jacksonville.
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
Use the poem, “Waiting at Live Oak” to answer the multiple choice questions
below.
1. What is the main purpose of each stanza in the poem?
a. To describe different aspects of waiting for a train to arrive.
b. To tell a different story about a time the narrator waited at the train
station.
c. To create drama.
d. To show the reader how interesting it is to wait for the train to arrive.
2. Which sentence contains the best evidence that this poem is written in first
person?
a. “Than wait in rain or cold”
b. “This waiting in the cold and rain for the Savannah train”
c. “I’d much prefer to take a ride o’er Great Salt Lake”
d. “Amid box-cars and logs, and music of the frogs”
3. What information can we get from the text box?
a. A brief biography of John Menard.
b. A look at what life was like for John Menard.
c. John Menard’s purpose for writing this poem.
d. What it was like to wait for the train in the 1800s.
4. Read the following sentence from the poem:
Wrapp’d up in shawl or cloak, Seven hours at Live Oak
What is the meaning of the word cloak?
a. A watch
b. A shoe
c. A coat
d. A train
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
Use the poem, “Waiting at Live Oak” to answer the open response questions
below.
5. How does the narrator feel about waiting at the Live Oak train station? Use
details from the text to support your answer.
6. What is the main idea of this poem?
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
The Old Stone House
W.M. Akers
1
On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed, and the
Revolutionary War was about to begin. Seven weeks later, on August 22nd, 1776, the
British Army invaded New York. The British chose to attack Brooklyn, a village across
the East River from Manhattan. General George Washington‘s army was located in this
village. The Patriot forces were ready to fight, but they were badly outnumbered. The
British had about 20,000 soldiers. The Americans had fewer than 13,000.
2
The battle started on August 27th, when British soldiers raided a watermelon
patch, and were fired upon by American troops. The Americans retreated northward,
fighting as they went. The British surrounded the Americans, who fled across the
Gowanus Creek. To keep back the British, they left behind a group of soldiers from
Maryland: just a few hundred Americans to hold off 2,000 Redcoats (British Army
soldiers).
3
British were fighting from in front of the Old Stone House—a farmhouse built
in 1699. The Marylanders attacked the house six times. Nearly all of them were
killed or captured. As he watched from a nearby hill, General Washington said,
"Good God! What brave fellows I must this day lose." Because of the sacrifice of
the Marylanders, the rest of the American army was able to escape. Had it not
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
been for the fighting at the Old Stone House, the war could have been lost that
morning.
4
The Revolution survived, and so did the Old Stone House. The family home
of the Vechte family was sold to the Cortelyous in 1783. In the late 19th Century,
it served as the clubhouse for the baseball team that would later be named the
Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1897, the house was destroyed and buried. Thirty years
later, it was dug up and rebuilt by the New York City Parks Department.
5
"Eighty percent of the house," said Old Stone House Executive Director
Kimberly Maier, "is original material.”
6
On the outside, the house looks just as it did in 1699. On the inside, there is
an exhibit about the Battle of Brooklyn and the men who died there. There are
uniforms like the soldiers would have worn, maps of the battle, and a diorama of
the fighting around the house. Six thousand children come every year to learn
about the house. Maier and her staff teach them not just about the battle, but
about what life was like in the 18th century.
7
"You couldn't just go to the grocery store," she said. "You just had one
dress, because you had to weave it and cut the cloth and sew it together. The
chores were so much more than just making your bed."
8
Maier said that school children are most surprised when they learn what
playtime was like in the 18th century. To kids today, 18th century fun looks a lot
like work.
9
"Kids would start out by helping in the garden, or helping to churn butter,"
Maier said.
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
10
Children would do basic weaving, or help in the kitchen. As they got better
at these tasks, they would learn more advanced tasks. Eventually, they would be
as good as a grown‐up. When they played outside, they didn't have rubber balls.
Instead, they used an inflated pig's bladder.
11
Outside the Old Stone House is a park. A few years ago, it was rebuilt. It has
swings, fountains, and jungle gyms. Children play there every day—and they don't
have to use a butter churn.
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
Use the story, The Old Stone House to answer the multiple choice questions
below.
1. The Old Stone House played an important role in the American Revolution.
What evidence from the passage supports this conclusion?
A) “The British surrounded the Americans, who fled across the Gowanus
Creek.”
B) “Had it not been for the fighting at the Old Stone House, the war could
have been lost that morning.”
C) “The British chose to attack Brooklyn, a village across the East River from
Manhattan, where General George Washington had his army.”
D) The Marylanders attached the house six times. Nearly all of them were
killed or captured.”
2. According to the passage, how did General George Washington feel about
the Marylanders?
A)
B)
C)
D)
He was proud of how brave they were.
He was disappointed that they didn’t help the Patriots.
He was proud when they decided to play baseball.
He was impressed with the butter they churned.
3. What do the children who go to the Old Stone House learn?
A)
B)
C)
D)
They learn about the battle.
They learn about life in the 18th century.
They learn about the battle and life in the 18th century.
They learn about the park outside of the Old Stone House.
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
4. Read the following sentences:
“The Patriot forces were ready to fight,
but they were badly outnumbered. The
British had about 20,000 soldiers. The
Americans had fewer than 13,000.”
What does the phrase “they were badly outnumbered” mean?
A)
B)
C)
D)
There were far more British soldiers than American soldiers.
There was no way for the American soldiers to win.
The Americans couldn’t count the number of British soldiers.
The American soldiers were better than the British soldiers.
Use the passage, The Old Stone House to answer the Open Response questions
below:
5. Why is it important for children to visit the Old Stone House? Use evidence
from the passage to support your answer.
6. When people are faced with a challenge it is important to remember that
the biggest and strongest aren’t always the winners. What details from the
passage support this idea?
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
Remember to Call!
By James Folta
“Ugh, there's flour everywhere!”
1
Sylvia pulled a book out of her bag and a big cloud of white flour
puffed out. Coughing, Sylvia waved her hand in front of her face to clear it
out. Her cat, Cyrus, hopped up on the table and swatted its paw through
the flour in the air.
2
Sylvia put the book down on the table and brushed the flour from
the cover. Sylvia had just started a new job. Sylvia was a baker and she had
just been hired at a new bakery to bake for them. She came in and baked so
the bakery would always have lots of food to sell. She worked very hard
and she was sometimes messy. When she came home, she was always
covered in flour.
3
Her boss was a man named Jason. He owned the bakery. He taught
Sylvia where all the ingredients were in the kitchen. He showed her how to
work the ovens. He made sure she had all the recipes. Her first few days,
Jason and Sylvia worked together at the bakery. Jason made sure Sylvia was
doing a good job and everything was all right.
Sylvia was doing well at her new job.
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
4
On the last day that Jason trained Sylvia, he told her: “If you have any
questions, please ask me! You can call me any time, with any question. I
don't want any problems, so I would prefer that you ask many questions.”
5
The problem was that Sylvia didn't like asking questions. She didn't
want to bother Jason or embarrass herself. She thought: “I can figure
anything out all by myself. I don't want to bother Jason with questions. I
won't have to ask too many questions.”
Remember to Call! Sylvia decided she wouldn't ask and would just do her
best. She would figure things out on her own and not bother Jason with
questions.
6
One day, Sylvia was cleaning up the store while some bread was
baking in the oven. She mopped the floors, wiped all the crumbs and flour
off of the counters, and cleaned out the old things from the refrigerator.
When she was taking the garbage out, she didn't remember whether or not
Jason had told her to clean out the garbage cans with a hose. The cans
were a little dirty inside from all the trash.
7
“Should I call Jason and ask?” she thought. “I'd better not, I don't
want to bother him.”
8
So she decided to leave the garbage cans outside while they were
still dirty. She went back inside to finish baking. She went home and didn't
worry about the garbage cans.
The next day, while Sylvia was having breakfast and petting her cat, she got
a phone call from Jason.
9
“Sylvia! You forgot to clean out the garbage cans!” Jason said.
10
“Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't remember if I was supposed to or not,” she
said.
11
“Well, raccoons got into the trash cans and made a big mess! I've
been cleaning it up all morning,” he said. Sylvia gasped. She felt terrible.
12
“I'm so sorry, Jason! I hope it's not too bad,” she said.
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
13
“It's not that bad, just a little messy. Please just ask me next time, so
we don't have a problem like this.” Jason said, and then he hung up the
phone.
14
Sylvia felt very bad. She kept eating her breakfast and thought about
the raccoons. She hoped they were not too messy.
15
The next day at work, Sylvia was supposed to make a lot of blueberry
muffins. She mixed up the batter and scooped it out into the tins. She
heated the oven up and put the tins into the oven. She went over to see
how long they needed to cook. But she had accidentally dripped batter
onto the recipe card and couldn't read how many minutes it was supposed
to cook.
16
She thought that she should call Jason and ask, especially after the
raccoons the other day. But she was embarrassed that she had spilled on
the recipe. She didn't want to bother him.
17
So Sylvia looked at some other recipes and guessed that 40 minutes
would probably be enough time. She set a timer and waited. When she
took the muffins out of the oven and popped them out of the tin, they were
rock hard! She tried biting into one of them. They were so dry that she
could barely taste the blueberries.
18
“Oh no,” she said, “they're ruined!” Just then, Jason walked in. Sylvia
didn't know he was coming back to the store that day.
19
“What's ruined?” Jason asked.
20
“These blueberry muffins. They are too hard, and I can't taste any of
the berries. Sorry,” she said.
21
“Sylvia! You should have asked,” Jason shouted. He was very angry. “I
told you not to be afraid to ask. Now we have all these bad muffins that I
have to throw out!”
22
Jason angrily took the tin of muffins and dumped them in the trash.
23
“I'm sorry, Jason, I'll ask next time,” Sylvia said shyly.
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
24
When Sylvia got home that night, she was very upset. Her cat jumped
on her lap but she was too grumpy to play with it. She kept messing things
up at the bakery! And only because she didn't want to ask questions.
25
The next day, Sylvia went in extra early. She took out her keys to
unlock the door, but the door was already open. She peeked her head in
the door and heard someone rustling around in the back. Someone was in
the store! Maybe it's Jason, Sylvia thought. But maybe not! Sylvia was
scared because she thought it could be a robber. She didn't want to go
inside. She didn't know what to do!
26
“Maybe I'll just come back later,” she thought. That would be easier
than asking what to do.
She could just walk away. But she had promised herself that she would ask
questions if she
didn't know what to do. She took out her cell phone and called Jason.
27
“Hello?” Jason said. He sounded sleepy.
28 “Jason!” Sylvia whispered, “I don't know what to do. The door is
unlocked and I can hear someone in the back of the store.”
29
“Okay, Sylvia. I'm going to call the police. I'll come down to the
bakery very soon. Wait there and be careful!” Jason hung up the phone.
30
Sylvia waited around the corner from the bakery until the police
showed up. She waited outside with one of the police officers while two
others went inside. Jason showed up after and they all waited outside,
trying to see through the bakery windows. There was shouting inside the
store and Sylvia heard some bread trays clatter to the ground. Soon the
two officers came out, holding a short man between them. Sylvia was
shocked. It had been a robber!
31
“We caught him trying to open up the cash register,” the officer said.
The robber was angry and looked at Sylvia.
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
32
“Why did you have to come in early? You should have just left me
alone!” he said to her. The officers put him in the police car. Jason turned
to Sylvia and gave her a big hug.
33
“Thanks for calling,” Jason said, “if you hadn't called, we would have
been robbed. Do you see now why you have to always ask questions?”
Sylvia blushed.
34
“Yes, I do. I would have just walked away!” she said. “I guess it is
always better to ask.”
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
Use the passage, Remember to Call to answer the Multiple Choice questions
below:
1. After Sylvia helps catch a robber, the author writes that “Jason turns to
Sylvia and gives her a big hug.”
Why does the author include this detail?
A)
B)
C)
D)
Jason is angry that she called him.
Jason is relieved that she is not the thief.
Jason is grateful to her for remembering to call.
Jason is impressed by her detective abilities.
2. Which statement correctly summarizes the passage?
A) Sylvia owns a bakery and trains Jason, but he ends up being a thief. Sylvia
calls the police and they arrest him.
B) Sylvia is a baker who makes blueberry muffins to feed the raccoons. She
loves animals and wants them to eat the great food that she makes. Jason
is not happy with her.
C) Sylvia got a new job as a baker. Jason, her boss, encourages her to ask
questions. Sylvia messes up a couple of times, but finally called Jason when
she heard a noise in the bakery early in the morning. The police came and
arrested a robber.
D) Sylvia works as a detective. She keeps messing up but at the end she
catches a robber in a bakery.
3. Why doesn’t Sylvia like asking questions?
A)
B)
C)
D)
She didn’t want to bother Jason or embarrass herself.
She was nervous that Jason would fire her.
Jason told her not to ask questions.
Sylvia loves asking questions.
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
4. What is the lesson that Sylvia learns by the end of the story?
A)
B)
C)
D)
It’s better to ask questions than to make mistakes.
You should try your best to figure things out on your own.
Controlling your anger is important when you have a job.
When you are at work, you shouldn’t make messes.
Use the passage, Remember to Call to answer the open response questions
below:
5. What is the theme of the passage? Use details from the passage to support
your thinking.
6. How would you describe Jason as a boss? Use details from the passage to
support your thinking.
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
Digitally Speaking Activity
Purpose: Summarize an audio or multimedia presentation and determine the
central message.
You will need: • Exit Card (to be completed during the activity) • Video or Audio
Clip (choices below)
Directions:
1. Watch the video (or listen to the audio presentation) with a friend or family
member.
2. Retell what happened (use words like “in the first part”, “in the middle”, “at the
end”…) and discuss what it is mostly about.
3. Watch the video again and identify the key details, jotting the bullets on the
Exit Card.
4. Watch the video again, thinking, “What is the big idea/ central idea?” Then
write that in the box of the Exit Card.
5. Discuss “How did the filmmaker show us this central idea?” (consider setting
choices, music choices, interview choices, repeated words/repeated phrases,
repeated symbols)
Digitally Speaking Exit Card
Key Details:
 ____________________________
 ____________________________
 ____________________________
Big/Central Idea:
__________________________________________________________________
How did the filmmaker show us this central idea?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Original Goldie Blox Commercial- YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0NoOtaFrEs
Earth Day 1st Place Speech by Kid Soultravelers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW-C2PGehYc
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education
LANGUAGE AND EDITING
Choose the correct word or phrase to fill in each blank in the passage. For each
blank, fill in the circle before the word or phrase that is correct.
Literature Text 1
1. Mrs. Thatcher had an announcement for her fourth grade class. The 30 boys
and girls listened closely, a little worried about what she might say. Most of the
times Mrs. Thatcher “had an announcement,” things did not turn out so well for
the class. She announced tests, upcoming fire drills, homework that needed
__________ [Ⓐ two Ⓑ too Ⓒ to Ⓓ toot] be done over vacations, and other
activities the students just simply did not enjoy taking part in, even though they
all knew those things were just part of going to school.
2. Mrs. Thatcher, __________ [Ⓐ whom Ⓑ who Ⓒ whose Ⓓ which] looked like a
gray-haired giant to the fourth graders, stood in front of the class silently in her
large, heavy shoes. All of the students were waiting patiently for the
announcement, but Mrs. Thatcher stayed silent a few moments longer. It was
almost as though she knew the kids were expecting bad news, so she seemed to
keep them waiting on purpose to worry them more.
Informational Text
3. "I cried when I saw my house,” Chakia Boutte told WR News. The 12-year-old's
New Orleans neighborhood looks different from the way it looked a year ago
[2005]. Chakia points to a block of homes that were damaged when __________
[Ⓐ Hurricane Katrina Ⓑ hurricane Katrina Ⓒ hurricane katrina Ⓓ Hurricane
katrina] hit the Gulf Coast. "All these houses used to be __________ [Ⓐ “fixed
up," Ⓑ fixed up," Ⓒ fixed up" Ⓓ fixed up] she says. Chakia's own home flooded
in the storm last year [2005].
4. More than 1,300 people died in the storm, and many more lost their homes.
Hurricane Katrina is the costliest __________ [Ⓐ natral Ⓑ naturel Ⓒ natraul
Ⓓ natural] disaster in American history. Relief and recovery costs from the storm
are nearing $100 billion.
Created March 2016, Spring Break Student Packet
Copyright © 2016 by School Board of Palm Beach County, Department of Elementary Education