assignment_returnWorksheet: Parts Of One Whole
Standard(s): RL.3.5

PART II. THE FIREBRAND IN THE FOREST

When the two women saw that the wolf had the firebrand, they were very angry, and straightway they ran after him.

"Catch it and run!" cried the wolf, and he threw it to the deer. The deer caught it and ran.

"Catch it and run!" cried the deer, and he threw it to the bear. The bear caught it and ran.

"Catch it and fly!" cried the bear, and he threw it to the bat. The bat caught it and flew.

"Catch it and run!" cried the bat, and he threw it to the squirrel. The squirrel caught it and ran.

"Oh, serpent," called the two old women, "you are no friend to the First Americans. Help us. Get the firebrand away from the squirrel."

As the squirrel ran swiftly over the ground, the serpent sprang up and tried to seize the firebrand. He did not get it, but the smoke went into the squirrel's nostrils and made him cough. He would not let go of the firebrand, but ran and ran till he could throw it to the frog.

When the frog was running away with it, the squirrel for the first time thought of himself, and he found that his beautiful bushy tail was no longer straight, for the fire had curled it up over his back.

"Do not be sorry," called the young First American across the pond. "Whenever a First American boy sees a squirrel with his tail curled up over his back, he will throw him a nut."

PART III. THE FIREBRAND IN THE POND

All this time the firebrand was burning, and the frog was going to the pond as fast as he could. The old women were running after him, and when he came to the water, one of them caught him by the tail.

"I have caught him!" she called.

"Do not let him go!" cried the other.

"No, I will not," said the first; but she did let him go, for the little frog tore himself away and dived into the water. His tail was still in the woman's hand, but the firebrand was safe, and he made his way swiftly across the pond.

"Here it is," said the frog.

"Where?" asked the young First American. Then the frog coughed, and out of his mouth came the firebrand. It was small, for it had been burning all this time, but it set fire to the leaves and twigs, and soon the First Americans were warm again. They sang and they danced about the flames.

This is from the work How Fire Was Brought to the First Americans by Cyrus MacMillian.

What are the bold parts of this selection called?

On the Road to Tattletown

On the road to Tattletown
What is this I see?
A pig upon a pedestal,
A cabbage up a tree,
A rabbit cutting capers
With a twenty dollar bill -
Now if I don’t get to Tattletown
Then no one ever will.

In the poem "On the road to Tattletown," who is depicted as cutting capers?

Read the passage. Then answer the question that follows.

I Don’t Want To Go

Emily zipped up her suitcase, sighed loudly, and then lugged it out to the SUV.

“Why do I have to go?” she asked.

“This is a family vacation,” replied her dad.

Sure it was, she thought. The idea of spending three entire days and nights sleeping in a tent out in the wilderness that was named after some long ago explorer did not appeal to her girly side. “Mom, can we stay…?”

Before she could finish, Emily’s younger brother came bolting through the door, his suitcase overflowing, and his momentum almost knocking her to the ground. “Let’s go, let’s go.”

Emily climbed into the backseat, her MP3 player blasting loudly, at least she had some piece of civilization left. As they drove for what seemed like forever, Emily enjoyed peering out the window. As they got farther and farther away from the city, she began to catch glimpses of rabbits, squirrels, and various birds that she wasn’t used to seeing.

The tall buildings and annoying noises of the city began to be replaced by a peaceful quiet. She turned her music off, but kept the ear buds in place, as she didn’t want anyone to know that she was enjoying the ride.

Finally, she saw the sign: Welcome to the Daniel Boone National Forest.

“Can we hike to the falls?” her brother asked.

She exited the vehicle, declared that she was ready for a walk. She had heard about Cumberland Falls, but had never actually seen it. Some of her classmates had mentioned that it was smaller, but a lot like Niagara Falls. She had no desire to let the others know she was excited, but she hoped her dad would say that they could go exploring.

Looking around her, she saw huge mountains that seemed to tower above the river below. This was much different from the small subdivision that she called home. Just maybe the next three days wouldn’t be so bad. As she removed her ear buds, she smiled, as a small deer crossed the pathway several hundred feet in the distance.

At the age of twelve that was the first live deer that she had ever seen. Wow, this is really amazing. “Let’s take that walk, Dad.”

“Really?” he asked.

What made Emily decide to ask her dad to go for the nature walk?

Read the story and answer the question.

Everything in nature follows a pattern. Circles, lines, spirals, and angles are repeated to make a design or a pattern. Patterns in nature are not just pretty adornments. They do serve a purpose that has helped nature survive and flourish.

Have you ever taken a close look at a beehive? Well, not too close or you might get stung! The natural pattern in beehives is so perfect that it seems to be computer designed. The hives are made up of layers and layers of cells. Each cell has perfectly equal six sides or hexagons. Why would bees build six-sided cells, not circular or box shaped ones? That is because the bee is a genius at geometry and architecture! Six-sided cells use up every bit of space and allow bees to get maximum space for storing honey. Hexagons also use the least building material because all the six sides are common to other cells. The bees don’t waste space, material or effort. Aren’t they smart insects?

What is the main purpose of the first paragraph of this passage?

Read the story and answer the question.

Long ago, in a country far away from here, there lived a man who was very dissatisfied with the size of his house. He felt crowded and cramped, elbow to elbow with his wife and their five children. At last he could stand it no longer, and went to see his rabbi.

“It’s miserable in my house. There is no room to turn around! What shall I do?”

“I have just the solution for you,” the rabbi said. “You must move the cow into the house with you.”

“What? That will make a dreadful situation even worse!”

The rabbi shrugged. “Do you want my advice or don’t you?”

“I do want your advice!” said the unhappy man.

“Then you must do exactly as I tell you. Come back next week and let me know what happened.”

In a week, the man returned to the rabbi’s office. “My life is even more miserable than before. My house is so crowded that none of us can turn around. We are stumbling over each other! Please help me!”

“Well,” said the rabbi, “I know the solution, but you must do exactly as I say.”

“Anything!” said the man.

“You must move the pig into the house along with the cow.”

“Surely you’re joking,” said the man. “There is no room for the cow, let alone the pig!”

“You asked for my advice,” said the rabbi. “And now you must do as I tell you.”

The man sighed “All right.”

The next week, the man returned. “Rabbi, my house is unbearable. No one could endure the mooing of the cow, the pig’s oinks, the complaining of my wife, and the squabbling of the children!”

“Then there is one more thing to do,” said the rabbi. “Move the goat into the house with you.” The man did not answer, but sighed as he walked out the door. “I know, I know. I’ll be back next week.”

When the man returned the next week, the rabbi asked if there had been any improvement in his living situation. “You must be joking!” the man said. “No one has ever lived in as much misery as I am experiencing with the bleating of the goat, the oinking of the pig, the mooing of the cow, the squabbling of the children, and the complaining of my wife! It’s beyond human endurance.”

“Then there is only one thing left for you to do,” said the rabbi. “You must bring the chickens into the house with you.”

As the man slumped wearily out the door, the rabbi thought he detected tears in the poor man’s eyes.

The next week, when the householder came to the rabbi’s door, the rabbi asked how things were going at the house. “It’s a madhouse,” replied the man. The chickens squawk, the goat bleats, the pig oinks, the cow moos, my children squabble, and my wife complains.”

“Then you must move all of those animals out of the house and back into the barnyard where they belong!” said the rabbi. “Come back to see me next week.”

When the next week rolled around, the man was whistling as he approached the rabbi’s door. “Well?” asked the rabbi. “How is your living situation now?”

The man smiled. “It is like heaven, Rabbi. Just my wife and our children in our cozy cottage! It is wonderful to have such peace! I am perfectly content.”

What change is the householder experiencing as more and more animals move into the house with him?