Summary

A summary of a story recounts it in a succinct way and includes only the most important information, ideas, or details. It may include supporting details to the main idea as well as the sequence of the story (e.g. beginning, middle, end or chronological order).

Christmas in Germany

Frohe Weihnachten! In other words, Merry Christmas! During the Christmas season in Germany, the streets are filled with beautiful decorations, songs of cheer, and the smell of delicious gingerbread cookies. Families celebrate by participating in holiday activities, like visiting the markets, baking treats, or singing carols. Many other cultures have…

Rachel Carson, Environmentalist

Rachel Carson ran home from school. “Mom! Mom!” Mom stood on the front porch. “What’s wrong, Rachel?” “They’re digging up the meadow. There are trucks and men all over.” Rachel paused to catch her breath. “Our beautiful meadow. It’s being destroyed.” Mom gave Rachel a hug. “Yes, honey. It’s called…

Amur Tigers: Big Cats in Crisis

Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, are interesting animals. They are the biggest cats in the world. A full-grown Amur tiger can weigh over 600 pounds. Unlike lions that live in groups, tigers are solitary animals, meaning they live alone. Tigers also have very good eyesight and hearing. Its…

A Winning Smile

Gina walked slowly toward the school building. Her stomach fluttered with butterflies. Today she was starting school in a new town. Hopefully, she would make some new friends, too. She turned around and waved to her parents, and they gave her a thumbs up; if they only knew how nervous…

Dreaming Inside the Box: The Art of Joseph Cornell

When you think of the vast amount and variety of art created throughout history, you might also think that the people who created those works of art must have spent years as students in art school or as apprentices to other artists. You may even see them as members of…

Ninjas!

Kevin was the kind of kid who couldn’t sit still for very long. He was sometimes forgetful, too. He often left a messy trail behind him, although he didn’t mean to. It was no fun being scolded by his parents, so sometimes Kevin stretched the truth a little. “Who put…

Echo the Christmas Parrot

The little girl reached high up on her tip toes. She opened the mailbox and carefully put her letter inside. Happy, Lucy skipped back home, sure that Santa would be able to help her. ****************   At the North Pole, it was getting very busy. All the elves were working…

Grace Wants a Bike

Grace watched out the window as her friend Mia rode up on a new green bike. “Grace! Come out and see my new bike,” yelled Mia. Grace grabbed her sweater and raced out the door. “Mia, that’s a gorgeous bike. I saw it in McGregor’s store. I asked my mom…

First American Woman in Space: Sally Ride

Sally Ride was the first woman astronaut from the U.S. to go into space. She flew two missions on the space shuttle. One was in August 1983, and the other was in October 1984. Both times she flew as a member of the crew of the space shuttle Challenger. Sally…

Going to St. Ives

St. Ives is a place in Great Britain. This poem is a riddle. See if you can find the answer. Kits is a short word for kittens. —————————————- As I was going to St. Ives I met a man with seven wives. Every wife had seven sacks, Every sack had…