week 23

Type your name in the box below. A Little Kindness by Willow Sanders 1 Raj had only been in the small town of Forestville for a week, and already he had made an enemy. For some reason, his neighbor, Ms. Washington, didn't like him. Whenever he was outside while she was pruning her roses, she'd tell him to stay away from her flowers, even though he wasn't near them. When he kicked his soccer ball or dribbled a basketball in the driveway, she'd tell him to keep the noise down. It seemed like whenever Ms. Washington looked at Raj, she was frowning. 2 Raj was outside texting his friends from the city when his mother joined him, sitting beside him on the stairs by the front door. 3 "There's a problem with Ms. Washington," his mother said. "She's lost her cat, Ebony." 4 "I haven't seen him," Raj said. 5 "Well, Ms. Washington lives alone except for Ebony, and Ebony is an indoor cat. He can't live outside." 6 "That's Ms. Washington's problem, then." 7 "Raj, that's not very nice." 8 "She's not very nice," he said. 9 "She is, I promise. She's just not used to children. Before we moved in, there weren't any children on the block. She's worried you'll do something bad or get in her way." 10 "But I won't." 11 "She doesn't know that." 12 "Well, Ms. Washington can look for her cat by herself." 13 Raj's mother gently pulled his phone out of his hand and put it in her pocket. "Now that I have your attention, imagine if I lived alone and lost my cat, my only companion. Would you help me?" 14 "Of course." 15 "If you'd help one person, you should help another. Kindness shouldn't be limited to a few people, and it especially shouldn't be limited to people you like." 16 Raj sighed. He wished his mother wasn't right, but he knew she was. Looking for Ms. Washington's cat was the right thing to do. He got up and started walking around the neighborhood to search for Ebony. He knocked on his neighbors' doors and asked them to check their backyards. He looked under cars and in empty doghouses. After nearly an hour, he finally found Ms. Washington's black cat hiding behind someone's flowerpot. He crouched down and extended his arm. The cat mewed and then approached the boy, sniffing him before rubbing his head against Raj's hand. 17 "Let's take you home," Raj said. 18 Raj took Ebony back to Ms. Washington's house. When he knocked on her door, he heard what sounded like a woman crying. 19 "Ms. Washington," Raj said. "I found your cat." 20 The door flung open, and Ms. Washington stood in the doorway. She looked tired and very distressed. Raj was happy he had looked for the cat. He was glad he could make her feel better. He handed Ebony over to Ms. Washington, who grabbed the cat and began to stroke his long black fur. 21 "I've been frantic about Ebony," she said. "And now you've brought him back to me." 22 "It wasn't hard," Raj said. "He came right to me." 23 "He did? Usually Ebony isn't good with strangers." 24 She lowered Ebony to the ground, and the cat sauntered over to Raj, wrapping his body and tail around his legs. 25 "Raj," Ms. Washington said, "have you ever noticed that animals have a better sense of a person's character than most people do?" 26 He shook his head. "Not really." 27 "Well, it's true. Why don't I fix you a plate of brownies to thank you for bringing Ebony back to me? You can tell me all about where you and your mother moved from." 28 Raj was hungry, and while his mother was a great mother, she didn't like to cook. She especially didn't like to bake. Homemade brownies sounded delicious. 29 "That would be great, Ms. Washington." 30 As he walked into her home, he realized Ms. Washington wasn't his first enemy in his new neighborhood. She was his first friend. 1. Which three statements would be included in a summary of the passage? Raj likes to play basketball and soccer. Ms. Washington realizes she is wrong about Raj Raj finds the cat and returns him to Ms. Washington. Ms. Washington enjoys pruning roses. Ms. Washington does not trust children Raj's age. Raj and his new neighbor do not get along. 2. Which is a theme of the passage? It is important to be kind to everyone. Some people do not know how to be friendly. Animals often understand more than people do. Connecting with old friends makes a move easier. Beauty Is in the Eye of ...by Faith Frances Berlin1I saw a fairy dancingon my coverlet last night.I peeked, with one eye open,and the moon was very bright.5My mama says it was a mothattracted to the light.Oh no. I saw a fairyon my coverlet last night.coverlet: a light bedspreadFrom “Beauty Is in the Eye of …” by Faith Frances Berlin, Spider, February 1, 2000 3. What does the speaker's mother think the fairy really is? the moonlight a fairy a moth the coverlet 4. Which is a theme of the poem? It is important to have faith in your beliefs. Moonlight attracts many strange creatures. Fairies and moths look alike. Fairies are playful creatures, DogsCliff had three dogs of his own and knew all the dogs on his street. One morning, his dogs acted strangely when they heard the postman. They growled as the postman froze in terror. Cliff quieted the dogs and introduced himself to the new postman. The postman said he'd had the same experience at several houses, and he seemed upset about delivering the rest of the mail. Cliff had plenty of time before work, and he knew every dog on the street. He offered to walk with the postman on his street. The postman thought that was a great idea, but what about the dogs on the rest of the streets? 5. What is the postman's problem at the beginning of the selection? He has too much mail to deliver in one day. He doesn't have enough time to pet the dogs. He hasn't met Cliff's neighbors before. The neighborhood dogs are growling at him.