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This Native American
story gives one explanation of how the moon was formed. Read the story
and then answer the questions that follow. |
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Snowball Moon |
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1 |
Once
far to the north, the winter nights were long and cold and dark. They
were so dark that the little woodland animals could barely gather enough
food to survive the winter. No matter how fast they scurried about for
nuts and seeds, the darkness came quickly. Finally, Squirrel decided
that something must be done. First she visited the field mice. |
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2 |
“Oh,
it’s a terrible problem,” said Father Mouse. “We have so many
children to feed, and the winter nights are so dark.” |
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3 |
“Don’t
worry,” said Squirrel. “I will help you.” |
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4 |
So
Squirrel went to see Porcupine and ask him if he had trouble finding
food during the long dark winter. |
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5 |
“Oh,
yes,” said Porcupine. “But it has always been this way. There is
nothing to be done.” |
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6 |
“I
don’t agree,” said Squirrel. “There is always something to be
done.” |
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7 |
“It’s
best to leave things as they are,” said Porcupine. With a shake of his
quills, he waddled off through the snow. |
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8 |
So
Squirrel decided to ask Owl. Owl rested by day and sailed through the
woods at night, with eyes bigger than all the other animals’. Maybe
Owl knew a way to bring light to the winter forest. |
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9 |
Squirrel
climbed high in Owl’s maple tree and waited for Owl to wake up. |
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10 |
“What
is it Squirrel?” asked Owl. |
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11 |
“We
small woodland animals need to hunt by darkness as well as day. The
northern winter nights are far too dark for us. It would only take a
little light to help us see.” |
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12 |
Owl
hunched his feathery head into his shoulders to think. He thought all
day long, while Squirrel shivered on the windy branch. Finally, he said
in his owly, hooting voice, “I will talk to the Sky Father and see if
he can bring the stars closer in the winter.” |
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13 |
Happily,
Squirrel twitched her tail and raced down the tree to her burrow.
Several days later, Owl stopped at Squirrel’s doorstep. |
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14 |
“Tell
your small friends that the Sky Father will bring the stars closer. But
first, he must clear all the clouds from the sky. Prepare for a terrible
blizzard.” And Owl flew off. |
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15 |
So
the animals gathered all the nuts and berries and seeds they could. Then
they huddled in a hollow log and watched the huge storm clouds gather
overhead. |
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16 |
For
three days, the Sky Father piled storm clouds in the sky, stacking them
in huge towers. The animals shivered below, waiting. On the third day,
the storm broke. A blizzard howled through the woods. The animals were
frightened, all except Squirrel. |
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17 |
When
the storm died away, a huge snowdrift blocked the hollow log. The
animals could see nothing but gray shadows. They were disappointed,
thinking more hunger and darkness awaited them. |
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18 |
“Wait
here,” said Squirrel. “I will tunnel out and see if the stars are
closer.” |
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19 |
Squirrel
scrabbled up and up. Finally, she reached the top and her head popped
out. She gasped in surprise. The winter stars hung so low in the evening
sky, it seemed she could almost touch them. |
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20 |
A
large, antlered moose stepped forward and bowed his head. |
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21 |
“I
have been sent to help you,” he said. “If you little animals will
gather all the snow you can and push it into a giant snowball, I will
carry the snowball in my antlers across the highest mountain ridges,
where it will shed light on even the darkest winter nights.” |
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22 |
And
so, with the help of the moose and the Sky Father, the little animals
made the first moon. And, despite the cold, the animals are happy in the
winter when the stars come close and the moon shines bright like snow in
the sky. |
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In paragraph 19, what
does gasped mean? A.
made a loud noise |
R-3-3.2
(use context) Item
Type: MC - related to passage Alignment
to GLE R-3-3.2: Shows breadth of vocabulary knowledge through
demonstrating understanding of word meanings or relationships by … Selecting
appropriate words to use in context Depth
of Knowledge: Level 2 - Use context
cues to identify the meaning of unfamiliar words |