IXL | Read along with realistic fiction

Listen and read along with the first part of the story.

Grandma's Origami

"I brought you a dragon," Grandma announced when Kenji opened the door.

"Whoa!" Kenji said, his eyes wide. He touched the sharp folds of green paper that formed the dragon's tail.

"I used my magic powers to make it," she joked.

Kenji laughed. His grandmother was teasing him. When Kenji was little, he had believed his grandmother had magic powers. She could turn a piece of paper into a bird, a cat, a butterfly—anything!

But now Kenji was older. He knew Grandma was doing origami, the Japanese art of folding paper. People in Japan had been doing origami for hundreds of years. But Kenji could not imagine anyone making origami animals as beautiful as his grandmother's origami.

"I have another surprise for you today," Grandma said. "Let's go to the kitchen."

How does Kenji feel about his grandmother? Look for clues in the story.

He can't understand why she does origami.

He loves watching her do magic tricks.

He admires how well she does origami.

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Learn with an example

question

Listen and read along with the first part of the story.

Nineteen Hours to India

May tried to look past Dad, out the small airplane window. But it was too dark to see much.

It was almost midnight. May and Dad had just boarded their flight to India to visit Aunt Kalkie. This would be May's first time meeting her in person. Until now, May had only talked to Aunt Kalkie in video chats.

The pilot addressed the passengers. "Welcome! We'll be taking off soon. Get some rest. In a little over nineteen hours, we'll be in Mumbai!"

May closed her eyes and tried to make herself comfortable. But questions kept darting around her mind. Would Aunt Kalkie be happy to see her? What would her home be like? What if May did not like the food Aunt Kalkie served? May hugged Jumpy, her stuffed rabbit.

Finally, May fell asleep.

Why are so many questions going through May's mind? Look for clues in the story.

She is nervous about meeting her aunt.

She is excited about flying on an airplane.

She is confused by all the information her dad has given her.

key idea

Sometimes a story doesn't explain everything that you need to know. You have to make a guess using details from the story.

solution

May is meeting her aunt in person for the first time. She is wondering what it will be like. People are often nervous when they meet someone for the first time.

So, you can tell why so many questions are going through May's mind. She is nervous about meeting her aunt.

$Confetti$

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Questions
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SmartScore
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Teacher tools

Work it out

Not feeling ready yet? These can help:

V.2Use actions and dialogue to understand characters

SS.1Use context to identify the meaning of a word

FF.1Read along with fantasy

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