2

Grade

Reading Level L

Comprehension

STORIES INCLUDED
The Night Artist
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
A Hairy Problem
What Ben Accomplished
How do they Get the Chocolate in?
… and 5 more!

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Grade 2 Reading Comprehension

Level L Workbook

by K5 Learning

© K5 Learning 2020

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the author. Permission is granted to
reproduce this material to be used with one (1) teacher's students by virtue of the
purchase of this book. In other words, one (1) teacher may make copies of these
worksheets to be used with his/her students. Permission is not given to reproduce the
material for resale.
____________________________________________

Please visit store.k5learning.com for more workbooks from K5 Learning.

 Level L Reader

Table of Contents

Introduction & Tips ............................................................................................................... 1

List of Vocabulary Words .................................................................................................... 3

Stories & Exercises:

The Night Artist ........................................................................................................................... 4

Martin Luther King Jr. Day ........................................................................................................ 11

Megan’s Babysitting Lesson...................................................................................................... 18

How Do They Get the Chocolate In? ......................................................................................... 25

A Hairy Problem ........................................................................................................................ 32

Big Kid Cup ............................................................................................................................... 40

Who Invented School? .............................................................................................................. 48

Our Day at the Animal Shelter ................................................................................................... 55

Niagara Falls ............................................................................................................................. 61

What Ben Accomplished ........................................................................................................... 67

More from K5 Learning ....................................................................................................... 74

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 Level L Reader

Introduction & Tips

Welcome to our series of levelled reading workbooks. Each workbook contains a
number of texts. Each text is followed by exercises designed to reinforce literacy skills
including reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling and writing. The books include
both fiction and non-fiction passages and explore a wide range of topics in social
studies, nature, history, science and more.

Our readers are “leveled” from A to Z based on a number of factors related to text
complexity such as vocabulary, average word size and sentence length, amount of
repetitiveness of words and sentence structures and subject matter complexity.

Early reading levels use short simple words and sentences in big fonts in a highly
repetitive manner. Stories relate to subjects young children are familiar with. Each
successive level introduces greater reading challenge.

About K5 Learning

K5 Learning provides thousands of free worksheets and affordable workbooks for

children in kindergarten to grade 5.

We work with award-winning teachers to create materials in support of independent

learning.

Our aim is to help parents help their kids develop their reading, math and study skills.
Visit us at www.k5learning.com.

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 Level L Reader

Some tips on using our leveled readers

 Review the vocabulary words on the first page of each story with your student.
Ask your child to read these words and talk about what they mean.

 Ask younger students to read the stories out loud and use their finger to point to
words as they read from left to right. Help them as needed.

 Ask younger students to also read the directions of the exercises out loud.
Remind them to use complete sentences when answering.

 Ask older students to look up words they don’t know in a dictionary.

 Point out punctuation; for example, when there is an exclamation mark ask
them to reread the sentence using more enthusiasm.

 Review your student’s work and guide him or her through any answers that are
not correct.

 Discuss the stories, the characters, the topics, the settings, the pictures –
anything about the text to make it more interesting, relevant or fun.

 Monitor your student’s progress and adjust reading levels as needed.

 Keep the reading fun!

Other books in this series

This book is one of a series of levelled reading workbooks. The levelled reading
approach makes it easy for parents to find appropriate materials for their kids.

The books range from Levels A-C (kindergarten) to Levels X-Z (grade 6).

The books can be purchased and downloaded exclusively from the online bookstore at
K5 Learning store.k5learning.com.

Questions & Feedback

If you have any questions or feedback for us, please contact us at customer-
service@k5learning.com.

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 Level L Reader

List of Vocabulary Words

The following vocabulary words are introduced in this workbook:

adopted announced awesome babysitting barber

barrel bathtub beautiful behavior charity

chocolate chute civil cleaning clippings

dangerous daredevils deer doubtful downstairs

edge education electric embarrass floating

Greek hairdresser hiking homework honor

immediately inspirational kennel leaders liquid

lonely machine mold mountain nickname

night peace perfectly plastic quiet

quit regular rights Roman scissors

shelter sketch social soldiers speeches

summit tightrope trays upstairs volunteer

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 Level L Reader

perfectly sketch quiet

beautiful night deer

The Night Artist

Macy tiptoed through the cabin, as quiet as a

mouse. She did not want to wake anyone up. She
silently got dressed, picked up her sketch pad and
slipped outside.

It was cooler than she expected. And quieter. And

darker. It was hard to see even the trees, which just
looked like shadows in front of the cabin. Macy crept
along the porch to the bench and sat down quietly.

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 Level L Reader

Everything seemed a bit spooky, and Macy felt a

little nervous. She wasn’t used to being outside at
night, alone in the dark. Macy thought about going
back inside, but she decided not to. Her dad had
told her that many wild animals only come out at
night, and she wanted to see them. She wanted to
see the animals and sketch them.

Macy waited in the quiet of the night. She could hear

the wind softly rustling the leaves in the trees. An owl
hooted in the distance. After a while , she could see
better. Up in the sky, the full Moon
shone down on her, and she could
see thousands of stars. The owl
hooted again. Macy liked the owl
sound, and she started to relax
more. She started to sketch the
Moon.

After a little while, Macy heard a rustling in the

bushes. She could feel the excitement rising in her, as
well as a little fear. She reminded herself to be calm
and not run if it was a bear.

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 Level L Reader

It wasn’t a bear. A beautiful doe stepped out of

shadows and into the light of the full Moon. The doe
was only about 20 feet away. Macy gasped. She
had never been this close to a wild animal before.

“You’re so beautiful,” she whispered.

The deer spun its head around and stared at Macy.

The deer stood perfectly still. Macy sat perfectly still.
The deer stared at Macy. Macy stared at the deer.
Finally, the deer decided that
Macy was not dangerous and
started to eat the grass.

Macy very carefully and slowly

picked up her pad and started
to sketch the deer. She drew
the deer’s long neck and legs.
She drew the spots on the
doe’s tan and white fur. She
drew the deer’s dark eyes and
big ears.

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 Level L Reader

A couple of times, the deer looked up at Macy. Each

time, Macy stopped drawing and sat perfectly still.
She did not want to scare the deer away. After a few
seconds, the deer always went back to eating grass.

Just as Macy was finishing her sketch, the doe silently

slipped away into the bushes.

Macy picked up her pad and went back inside the

cabin. Everyone else was still sleeping. Macy knew
she should go to sleep, but she was too excited. She
looked at her sketch. She felt very special. She had
truly connected with nature.

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 Level L Reader

The Night Artist (exercises)

1. Vocabulary

To feel nervous is to feel:

a. very happy
b. really hungry
c. a little scared

A doe is:

a. a plant-eating dinosaur
b. an angry bear
c. a female deer

To sketch means:

a. to draw
b. to dig
c. to destroy

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 Level L Reader

2. Answer the questions.

a. Did the full Moon help Macy draw? How?

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

b. Why do you think the deer stared at Macy?

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

3. Draw the doe and label her neck, legs, body,

spots, eyes, ears and tail.

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 Level L Reader

The Night Artist (answers)

1. Vocabulary

To feel nervous is to feel:

c. a little scared

A doe is:
c. a female deer

To sketch means:
a. to draw

2. Answer the questions.

Did the full Moon help Macy draw? How?

Yes, because light from the Moon helped her to

see the doe.

Why do you think the deer stared at Macy?

The deer wanted to know if Macy was

dangerous.

3. Draw the doe and label her neck, legs, body,

spots, eyes, ears and tail.

A picture of a doe with labels.

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 Level L Reader

social peace inspirational

honor civil rights

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

“Kelly, why don’t we have school on Monday?”

Meredith asked her sister.

“On the third Monday of each January , we celebrate

a man named Martin Luther King Junior,” said Kelly.

“We don’t have school because of some guy?”

Meredith asked, confused.

“He wasn’t just some guy!” Kelly told her. “He was a
very important person. Having a holiday
for him is a way to honor his memory.”

Meredith thought about this. He must

have done something great to get a
holiday named after him.

“What did he do?” she asked her sister.

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 Level L Reader

Kelly got up and went over to her bookshelf.

Meredith thought Kelly was ignoring her like usual,
but Kelly grabbed a book and came back. It had a
picture of an African American man on the front. He
had short hair, a mustache, and kind eyes. He
looked like the type of person
you would call “inspirational .”

Her sister put her headphones

back on. Meredith opened the
book to learn about Martin Luther
King Jr. on her own.

He was born in 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. He became

a Christian minister and a leader in social
movements.

Meredith looked up from her book. “Kelly, what’s a

social movement?”

Kelly looked annoyed as she pulled her headphones

off again. “It’s when a bunch of people try to
change things that they don’t think are fair.”

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 Level L Reader

Meredith nodded. That sounds brave, she

thought. She kept reading.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader

in a social movement called the
Civil Rights Movement. Civil rights are
supposed to protect people of the
United States from being treated unfairly.

Black people were not being treated fairly. In the

1950s, they had to use different water fountains, go
to different movie theaters, and attend different
schools. The Civil Rights Movement was started to
create equal treatment for people of all skin colors.

Martin Luther King Jr. believed in making this change

without violence. He led many peaceful protests and
marches and gave many speeches.

His most famous speech is called “I Have a Dream .”

He said that his dream was for kids to not be judged
by their skin color. He hoped that, instead, they
would be judged by the kind of people they were.

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 Level L Reader

His words and actions i nspired many people. In 1964,

he won the Nobel Peace Prize. This is an award given
to the person in the whole world who has done the
most to promote peace in the past year.

His ideas about fairness and equal rights for black

Americans are still very much alive. People still look
up to his ideas and continue the work he started.

Meredith closed the book. Now she understood why

she had a day off from school. Martin Luther King Jr.
had done so much to make the world fairer. Meredith
knew there was still work to do. She decided that
when she grew up, that w ould be her goal, too.

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 Level L Reader

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (exercises)

1. Multiple choice.

Martin Luther King Jr. was: (Circle all that apply)

a. a leader
b. a minister
c. a father
d. a musician

Where was Martin Luther King Jr. born?

a. Alabama
b. Georgia
c. Arkansas
d. Louisiana

What was the name of his famous speech?

a. “I Have a Daughter”
b. “I Have a Donut”
c. “I Have a Desire”
d. “I Have a Dream”

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 Level L Reader

2. Fill in the blanks.

Meredith’s sister gave her a ____________ about

______________________________________.

Kelly had ____________ on her ears.

Martin Luther King Jr. won a ______________________.

3. What are civil rights?

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

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 Level L Reader

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (answers)

1. Multiple choice.

Martin Luther King Jr. was: (Choose all that apply)

a leader, a minister, a father

Where was Martin Luther King Jr. born?

b. Georgia

What was the name of his famous speech?

d. “I Have a Dream”

2. Fill in the blanks.

Meredith’s sister gave her a book about Martin

Luther King Jr.

Kelly had headphones on her ears.

Martin Luther King Jr. won a Nobel Peace Prize.

3. What are civil rights?

Civil rights protect people from being treated

unfairly.

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 Level L Reader

babysitting homework cleaning

downstairs behavior upstairs

Megan’s Babysitting Lesson

Megan watched the front door shut behind Mr. and

Mrs. Miller. She turned around and faced their six-
year-old boy, Ryan, who was grinning at her. “Let’s
have some fun!” Ryan said, squealing in excitement.

Megan groaned. She was supposed to be having fun

with her friends, but she hadn’t cleaned her room like
her dad had told her to. Now , she had to babysit the
neighbor’s kid as punishment. It
wasn’t fair! Her parents were
always telling her what to do.

“Ryan, do you remember what

your parents just said?” asked
Megan. “First, you have to clean your
room. Then, you must do your
homework. After that, we can have some fun.”

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 Level L Reader

“I don’t want to clean my room,” Ryan whined. “I

don’t want to do it. I never get to have any fun.”

“Ryan, cleaning your room is important.

Otherwise you will lose things.” Megan
realized that this was the same thing her
dad had said to her a few days ago.
Megan sighed again. “Come on, let’s just
do it and get it over with,” Megan
continued. “After that, we’ll have some fun.”

“You’ll have to catch me first!” Ryan shouted,

running upstairs. Megan groaned and followed him
up the stairs, but he was too fast. Ryan slammed his
bedroom door before Megan could catch up. She
knocked on the door, but he wouldn’t open it.

Megan tried talking to him through the door. “Ryan,

this isn’t very nice behavior. Please open the door, so
we can clean your room, and you can do your
homework. Homework is important. Don’t you want
to learn things?” The more Megan talked, the more
she realized that she sounded like her own parents.

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 Level L Reader

Megan tried everything she could think of to get

Ryan to open the door, but nothing worked.
Eventually, she sat down with her back to the door
and put her head in her hands. How could this have
gone so wrong so fast? All she had done was tell him
to clean his room and do his homework. Why
wouldn’t he listen?

Just then, she heard the front door open. She went
downstairs and saw that Ryan’s parents were home
early.

“The show was cancelled

because of the rain.” Mrs. Miller
stopped talking when she saw
how worried Megan looked.
“My goodness! Is everything
okay?”

Megan told Ryan’s parents what

had happened. She thought they
were going to be angry, but they
smiled when she told them the story.

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 Level L Reader

“Oh, he does that to babysitters sometimes,” Mr.

Miller said. He’ll learn to listen better as he gets older.
We’re sorry.”

Megan stared at them. She had never done anything

like that to any of her babysitters!

When Megan got home, she walked right up to her

dad and gave him a big hug.

“I’m sorry I didn’t clean my room,” she said. “I didn’t

realize parenting was so hard!”

Her father laughed and hugged her back.

“Somehow, I thought you might say that.”

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 Level L Reader

Megan’s Babysitting Lesson (exercises)

1. Put the following events in order.

_______ Megan told Ryan to do his homework .

_______ Megan hugged her dad.

_______ Ryan’s parents came home.

_______ Ryan locked himself in his room.

2. Fill in the blanks.

a. Mr. and Mrs. Miller’s show was cancelled

because of the ____________.

b. Megan was being punished because she

hadn’t ____________ her ____________.

c. Ryan was ____________ years old.

d. Ryan slammed his ____________ ____________.

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 Level L Reader

3. Do you think that Megan is going to be better at

cleaning her room in the future? Why or why not?

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

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 Level L Reader

Megan’s Baby Sitting Lesson (answers)

1. Put the following events in order.

1 Megan told Ryan to do his homework .

4 Megan hugged her dad.
3 Ryan’s parents came home.
2 Ryan locked himself in his room.

2. Fill in the blanks.

a. Mr. and Mrs. Miller’s show was cancelled

because of the rain.

b. Megan was being punished because she

hadn’t cleaned her room.

c. Ryan was six years old.

d. Ryan slammed his bedroom door.

3. Answers may vary.

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 Level L Reader

chute liquid chocolate

mold trays machine

How Do They Get the Chocolate In?

M&M candies are very

popular. There are so many
ways to eat them.

Some people like to pop M&M ’s into their mouth and

let the candy on the outside slowly melt. The shell
gets thinner and thinner until it cracks open , and you
can taste the creamy chocolate.

Other people pop a handful in their mouth and

chomp them all down at once. Their M&M ’s
disappear fast.

Some people bite each M&M in half so they can see

the chocolate inside before they eat it. When
someone looks at an M&M like this, they might ask,
“How did the chocolate get inside that perfect
shell?”

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 Level L Reader

Let’s go inside the M&M factory where they

have been making M&M’s for a long time.

The first thing we’ll notice is the smell of

chocolate. Creamy liquid chocolate is
swirling around in a giant tub. It’s a
mouth-watering sight to see!

The thick liquid chocolate is

poured onto big metal trays,
each with hundreds of small
circular pockets. These trays are called “molds .”
Chocolate flows into each little pocket, and each
little pocket will become one M&M. If they are
making M&M’s with peanuts, a peanut goes into
each pocket before the chocolate.

The chocolate cools and gets hard. Then , the molds

are emptied into a big basket. The basket has
thousands of pieces of chocolate that are the size of
M&M’s, but they have no candy shell on them. How
are they going to fit these pieces of chocolate into
the candy shells?

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 Level L Reader

The surprise is that the chocolate doesn’t go into the

candy shell. The candy shells are sprayed on top of
the chocolate!

The pieces of chocolate are tossed into big drums.

Each drum has its own color of candy spray. The
candies are sprayed and dried, and sprayed and
dried again, six or seven times. At last, they are just
the right color and shine.

The pretty new M&M’s roll out of the drums down a

chute. They look like a tasty rainbow of colors, but
there is still one more thing to do.

At the end of the chute, the M&M’s slide into tiny

cups on another flat tray. The tray rolls under a
special machine. Each candy gets a gentle tap from
the machine as they go by.

When they come out the other side, there

is a new letter “m” on each M&M.

No wonder M&M’s are so special and fun

to eat. Each tiny piece is a colorful work of art!

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 Level L Reader

How Do They Get the Chocolate In?

(exercises)

1. Multiple Choice.

Where do they make M&M’s?

a. at the post office

b. on the Moon
c. in a factory
d. on a farm

What does the special machine do?

a. It makes bags for the M&M’s.

b. It gently stamps an “m” on each piece.
c. It smashed each piece flat.

How does the chocolate get in the candy shell?

a. A machine opens up the shell and pops the

chocolate in.
b. Robots squeeze the chocolate into the shell.
c. The candy shell is sprayed on the chocolate
candies.

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 Level L Reader

2. When did it happen in the story? Number each

sentence with a 1, 2, 3 or 4.

_______ The candy shell is sprayed on.

_______ The chocolate is swirled in a tub .

_______ The “m’s” are stamped on the candy

pieces.

_______ The chocolate pieces are put in a big

basket.

3. True or False?

___________ M&M’s are square-shaped.

___________ M&M’s come in a rainbow of colors.

___________ The M&M factory smells like onions .

___________ The stamping machine puts a Z on

each piece.

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 Level L Reader

4. Why do you think they only put one “ m” on each

candy? Shouldn’t they say “M&M”?

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

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 Level L Reader

How Do They Get the Chocolate In?

(answers)

1. Multiple Choice.

Where do they make M&M ’s?

c. in a factory

What does the special machine do?

b. It gently stamps an “m” on each piece.

How does the chocolate get in the candy shell?

c. The candy shell is sprayed on the chocolate
candies.

2. When did it happen in the story? Number each

sentence with 1, 2, 3 or 4.

3 The candy shell is sprayed on.

1 The chocolate is swirled in a tub.

4 The “m’s” are stamped on the candy pieces.

2 The chocolate pieces are put in a big basket.

3. True or False?

False M&M’s are square-shaped.

True M&M’s come in a rainbow of colors.

False The M&M factory smells like onions.

False The stamping machine puts a Z on each

piece.

4. Answers may vary, but “not enough room” is good.

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 Level L Reader

electric scissors hairdresser

barber floating clippings

A Hairy Problem

Dog hair was all over the house. It was on the floors,
on the bookcase, and on the couch.
They even found dog hair in the
microwave oven. How did it
get in there?

Ally’s parents complained

about the hair day and night. Her family had just
adopted two dogs, and they were super fluffy.

Ally wanted to help. She decided to give the dogs a

haircut. She brought everything she needed into the
kitchen. First, she got their dog bed , which would be
the barber chair, and a pair of scissors to cut with.
Then, Ally made a sign that said “Dog Hairdresser”
and put it on the table. Finally , she found an electric
fan to blow all the hair into a nice , neat pile.

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 Level L Reader

Ally got some dog treats and called the dogs. They
came with their tails wagging. Ally asked the m,
“What sort of haircut would you like today?” and
then she burst out laughing. The dogs just stared at
the treats in her hand.

Ally picked up the scissors and started

cutting. It was a little hard because the
dogs kept moving. Ally did the best she
could. Finally, she’d finished. She looked
around her. She was surrounded by hair
clippings. There was a lot of hair on
the floor!

It was time to clean up. Ally plugged in the electric

fan and aimed it at the floor. She would use the fan
to blow the hair into a neat pile. No problem!

Alley turned the fan on. The fan buzzed, the blades
spun, and a swoosh of air came out. However, the
hair did not gather into a neat pile. Instead, a cloud
of hair filled the entire kitchen!

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 Level L Reader

Ally quickly switched off the fan, but the damage

had been done. Hair was everywhere. There was hair
on the kitchen counter, in the sink, and on the fridge.
The dogs went crazy trying to catch bits of hair
floating in the air. Ally sneezed when some flew up
her nose.

Wondering what the noise was, Ally’s dad walked in.

As he walked into the kitchen, a giant clump of hair
flew right in his face.

“Ally! What have you done?” he

asked, sputtering. The kitchen was a
mess. Ally wanted to cry. All she had
wanted to do was hel p! She had just
made everything worse.

After a few seconds, her dad saw

Ally’s sign and started laughing.
“What did you do to the poor
dogs?” he chuckled.

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 Level L Reader

Ally looked over at the dogs. For the first time, she
noticed how silly they looked! Their heads a nd tails
still looked normal, but their bodies were covered in
long and short patches of hair. Ally giggled, too. Her
dad came over and sat down next to her.

“If you wanted to get rid of their extra fur, you could
have used this,” her dad said. He pulled out a brush
from the kitchen drawer. “You didn’t have to take
away their dignity!”

They laughed some more, and then they used the

broom to clean up the kitchen together.

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 Level L Reader

A Hairy Problem (exercises)

1. Put the events in order.

_______ Ally cut the dogs’ hair.

_______ Ally got the dogs into the kitchen .

_______ Ally turned on the fan.

_______ Ally and her dad cleaned up the

kitchen.

2. Multiple Choice.

Why did Ally turn on the fan?

a. to make a bigger mess

b. to cool down the kitchen
c. to blow the hair into a pile
d. to make a hair tornado

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 Level L Reader

Which of the following was a tool Ally used on

the dogs?

a. scissors
b. makeup
c. vacuum cleaner
d. brush

Which surfaces did the dog hair land on in the

kitchen?

a. the fridge
b. the kitchen counter
c. the sink
d. all of the above

3. Fill in the blanks.

a. Ally heard her parents complaining about

the dog hair, so she decided to give the
dogs a ______________.

b. After she cut the dogs’ hair, their ___________

and ____________ still looked normal .

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 Level L Reader

c. She and her dad used the ______________ to

clean up the kitchen.

4. Do you think Ally’s idea to use the fan to clean

up the hair was a good idea or not? Explain.

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

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 Level L Reader

A Hairy Problem (answers)

1. Put the events in order.

2 Ally cut the dogs’ hair.

1 Ally got the dogs into the kitchen.
3 Ally turned on the fan.
4 Ally and her dad cleaned up the kitchen.

2. Multiple Choice.

Why did Ally turn on the fan?

c. to blow the hair into a pile

Which of the following was a tool Ally used on the dogs?

a. scissors

Which surfaces did the dog hair land on in the kitchen?

d. all of the above

3. Fill in the blanks.

a. Ally heard her parents complaining about the dog

hair, so she decided to give the dogs a haircut.

b. After she cut off the dogs ’ hair, the ir heads and
tails still looked normal.

c. She and her dad used the broom to clean up the

kitchen.

4. Answers may vary.

www.k5learning.com © K5 Learning 2020 39

 Level L Reader

regular plastic announced

edge floating doubtful

Big Kid Cup

At dinner, Lily looked around the table and noticed

that she was the only one using a sippy cup. Mom
drank ice water from a glass, and Dad drank tea
from a mug. Even her older brother, Mikey, was using
a normal cup for his milk, and he was only two years
older than Lily.

“I want to use a big kid cup,” Lily announced.

“I don’t know, Lily,” Dad replied

looking doubtful.

“Even now, you have your cup

sitting on the edge of the table,”
Mom pointed out. “You might
knock it over with your elbow.”

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 Level L Reader

Lily pushed her sippy cup away from

the edge of the table and crossed
her arms. It made her upset that
her parents did not believe
she could use a regular cup
without spilling.

When everyone went to the

living room after dinner, Lily went
to her bedroom.

Eventually, Mikey came into her room to check on

her. “What’s wrong, Lily?” he asked.

“It’s not fair. If Mom and Dad won’t let me try a big
kid cup, how am I supposed to prove that I can use
it?”

Mikey rubbed his chin. His little sister had a good

point.

“I have an idea,” Mikey said. “Let’s practice in the

bathtub! That way, if you spill, it will be in the tub and
you won’t make a big mess. I’ll help!”

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 Level L Reader

Lily thought that was a great idea. She put on her

bathing suit while her brother filled the tub with
water. When Lily got into the bathtub, Mikey poured
water into a cup.

“First, show me that you can

hold the cup properly with
both hands,” Mikey said as
he handed her the cup.

Lily grabbed the cup with both hands and held on.

“Now, show me that you can dri nk from it without

water dribbling down your chin.”

Lily did this with ease.

“Now, for the final test,” Mikey said, placing a plastic

plate in the bathtub. The plate floated on top of the
water. “Pretend that this is your dinner table. Place
the cup down on the plate without spilling.”

Lily focused hard and balanced the cup perfectly on

the moving plate. “I did it!” she exclaimed.

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 Level L Reader

“Try again!” Mikey said. This time , Mikey jumped into

the bathtub, making the plate ride a big wave of
water. The wave toppled over the bathtub and onto
the floor. Water splashed everywhere.

Mikey and Lily laughed. Mikey continued to jump up

and down, making the waves bigger and bigger,
while Lily tried to keep the cup on the plate.

“What on earth is going on in here?” Mom ask ed,

entering the bathroom.

“I’m teaching Lily how to drink from a big kid cup

without making a mess. She’s really good, Mom. You
should let her try at dinner.”

Mom looked at the big puddle of

water from the tub on the bathroom
floor.

“Well, if she does spill at dinner, it will

definitely be a smaller spill than this .” Mom
laughed.

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 Level L Reader

Big Kid Cup (exercises)

1. Multiple Choice.

At dinner, Mom points out that Lily has her sippy

cup sitting on the edge of what?

a. the bathtub
b. the Earth
c. the table

What happens when Mikey puts the plastic plate

in the bathtub?

a. They eat dinner on top of it.

b. It floats on top of the water.
c. It sinks to the bottom of the water.

How much older than Lily is Mikey?

a. one year
b. two years
c. three years

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 Level L Reader

2. Fill in each blank.

a. Lily announces to her family that she wants

to use a ____________________.

b. Mikey has Lily practice using a cup in

____________________.

c. Lily’s mom sees a big puddle of water on

_____________________________.

3. Short answer.

a. When everyone goes into the living room,

what does Lily do?

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

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 Level L Reader

b. What is Mikey doing when Lily is putting on

her bathing suit?

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

c. What happens to the water when Mikey

jumps in the bathtub?

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

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 Level L Reader

Big Kid Cup (answers)

1. Multiple Choice.

At dinner, Mom points out that Lily has her sippy cup
sitting on the edge of what?
c. the table

What happens when Mikey puts the plastic plate in the

bathtub?
b. It floats on top of the water.

How much older than Lily is Mikey?

b. two years

2. Fill in each blank.

a. Lily announces to her family that she wants to use

a big kid cup.

b. Mikey has Lily practice using a cup in the bathtub.

c. Lily’s mom sees a big puddle of water on the

bathroom floor.

3. Short answer.

a. Lily goes to her bedroom.

b. Mikey is filling the bathtub with water.

c. Multiple acceptable answers: The water makes

waves, splashes, s wooshes, moves the plate, spills
out of the tub.

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 Level L Reader

Roman soldiers speeches

Greek leaders education

Who Invented School?

“Who invented school?” Pedro sighed as

he reached for his backpack.

“Why don’t you try to find that out

today?” suggested his mother.

Pedro asked the bus driver, his classmates

and the teacher. No one knew the
answer to his question. The teacher
recommended he do some research in the library.

Pedro first looked up the word “school” in the

dictionary. To his surprise, it said that school was a
place where people gathered to discuss ideas. In
ancient Greece, people would gather in gardens.
They would discuss a lot of questions like, “How big is
space?” and “Where do dreams come from?”

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 Level L Reader

Only people who were very rich had the time to

discuss such things. Most people , including children,
worked hard in the fields. They did not have time for
school. School was not a place everyone could go.

Like the Greeks, the Romans believed education was

very important. However, only rich people had
enough money to pay for schools.
Poorer people did their best to
educate their children at home .

Schools were usually located in

the back room of a shop or
house. Children not in school
started working from a very
early age.

Roman students studied reading, writing and math. In

the afternoon, they would practice wrestling and
other sports. When they got older, students studied
famous books and practiced making speeches. Boys
were trained to be soldiers or leaders . The Romans
believed that good leaders must speak well.

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 Level L Reader

Pedro was surprised to learn that only boys

could go to school in those days. Girls
were taught at home by their
mothers. In those days, girls
were trained to be
mothers.

Pedro also read

about a man
named Harry P.
School. He is said to be the inventor of the modern
school. Mr. School had the idea of gathering
children in a room during the day. H e thought that
this would help keep kids out of tro uble and let their
parents get work done. School did not sound like a
fun place back then.

Later, there were many one-room schoolhouses.

There was only one teacher in the whole school.
Children of all ages were in the same room. The
older children helped teach the younger ones.

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 Level L Reader

While at school, children were expected to do chores

like sweeping the floors and collecting firewood. The
firewood was used for the stove that kept the
schoolhouse warm.

Most children had to walk long distances to get to

school. After the school day was over, the children
walked back home. There were no school buses.

That evening, Pedro’s mom asked him if he had

found out who invented school. Pedro smiled and
said: “I can’t say who invented school exactly. There
always was school, but not all kids could go. I guess I
am lucky to have a school to go to. Whoever did
invent school, I think he or she did a good thing.”

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 Level L Reader

Who Invented School? (exercises)

1. Fill in the blanks with words from the story.

Roman students studied topics like ______________,

writing and ______________.

Mr. School had the idea of ______________ children

in a room.

In one room schoolhouses, the older children

helped ______________ the younger ones.

2. Answer the questions. Use full sentences.

What does the word “famous” mean?

_____________________________________________________.

What did Roman boys train to become?

_____________________________________________________.

Why did Roman boys practice making speeches?

_____________________________________________________.

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 Level L Reader

3. Pretend to be a Roman boy who has to make a

speech. Write down the title of your speech. Now
stand up and make a one minute speech.

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

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 Level L Reader

Who Invented School (answers)

1. Fill in the blanks with words from the passage.

Roman students studied topics like reading,

writing and math.

Mr. School had the idea of gathering children in

a room.

In one room schoolhouses, the older children

helped teach the younger ones.

2. Answer the questions. Use full sentences.

What does the word “famous” mean?

Someone or something that is “famous” is very

well known to many people.

What did Roman boys train to become?

They were trained to be soldiers or leaders.

Why did Roman boys practice making speeches?

The Romans believed that good leaders must speak

well.

3. Answers will vary.

www.k5learning.com © K5 Learning 2020 54

 Level L Reader

lonely adopted immediately

shelter kennel volunteer

Our Day at the Animal Shelter

Today was a very special day. Today, I joined Mom

at the animal shelter for the first time.

An animal shelter is a place where people take care

of dogs and cats who don’t have homes. The dogs
and cats at the shelter need to be walked and fed
every day. They can get lonely, so they need people
to visit and play with them. The animals live at the
shelter until they are adopted by a family.

Mom has volunteered

at the shelter for a long
time. Today, I was
finally old enough to
volunteer with her. I
was thrilled because I
love animals.

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 Level L Reader

When we arrived at the shelter, a friendly woman

named Angela took us to meet the dogs. There were
big dogs, tiny dogs, and every size of dog in
between. They jumped and licked our faces because
they were so excited to see us.

First, we fed each dog. They were all so hungry that

they finished their food almost before we could
get out of their way. Then we took the
dogs outside. They chased each
other and played all over
the yard. Finally, we
brushed and bathed
each dog and took them
back to their kennels.
Each one looked cute and
fluffy!

Next, Angela took us to meet the cats. There were

only a few cats. There was an orange striped one, a
black one and a grey one. The orange striped one
was my favorite.

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 Level L Reader

The orange cat’s name was Rosie. When Rosie first

saw me, she walked over and rubbed her body
against my leg. I sat on the floor, and she
immediately climbed onto my lap. As I pet ted her,
she purred, rolled onto her back and looked me right
in the eyes.

After playing with Rosie for a

while, Mom told me it was
time to go home. I didn’t want
to leave. I wanted to take the cats
home with me, especially Rosie!

Just as Mom and I were putting on

our coats, an older woman walked through the
shelter doors. She said she wanted to adopt a cat.

The woman lived by herself and really needed a furry

friend. Not just any furry friend ; she wanted someone
sweet and special. Mom, Angela and I all looked at
each other and smiled. We knew just the cat. Rosie
was going home after all!

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 Level L Reader

Our Day at the Animal Shelter (exercises)

1. Pick the correct answer.

What is the name of the friendly woman who

works at the animal shelter?

a. Angela
b. Bob
c. Marie

What is the name of the cat the narrator likes

best?

a. Fido
b. Rosie
c. Jack

What kinds of animals are at the shelter?

a. lions and tigers

b. sheep and foxes
c. dogs and cats

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 Level L Reader

2. Fill in the blanks.

a. The _____________ ____________ is a place

where people take care of animals who
don’t have homes yet.
b. The dogs loved to _______________ each other
outside.
c. The older woman came to the shelter
because she wanted to _______________ a cat.

3. What are some of the things that volunteers do at

the shelter?

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

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 Level L Reader

Our Day at the Animal Shelter (answers)

1. Pick the correct answer.

What is the name of the friendly woman who
works at the animal shelter?
a. Angela

What is the name of the cat the narrator likes

best?
b. Rosie

What kinds of animals are at the shelter?

c. dogs and cats

2. Fill in the blanks.

a. The animal shelter is a place where people

take care of animals who don’t have
permanent homes yet.
b. The dogs loved to chase each other outside.
c. The older woman came to the shelter
because she wanted to adopt a cat.

3. What are some of the things that volunteers do at

the shelter? (Answers may vary)

They walk and feed the animals every day. They

play with the animals and bathe them.

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 Level L Reader

tightrope awesome dangerous

barrel nickname daredevils

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is located on a big river that runs

between the USA and Canada. A huge amount of
water rushes over the Falls and crashes onto the
rocks below. Spray is thrown everywhere, and the
noise is thunderous. Niagara Falls is an awesome
thing to see.

The largest drop is around 165 feet, which is the

height of 27 men! The water below the Falls is very
deep. A swimming pool is usuall y five or six feet
deep. The water at Niagara Falls is about 170 feet
deep.

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 Level L Reader

Jumping off the Falls is dangerous. The waterfalls are

very high, and the water is moving very fast. There
are dangerous rocks at the bottom of the Falls.

Even though it’s dangerous, some daredevils have

tried going over the Falls. A 63-year-old lady, who
was a teacher, went down the Falls in a barrel!

Other daredevils have tried walking across Niagara

Falls on a tightrope. They carry a long pole to help
them keep their balance. The tightrope walkers are
extremely high up, with rushing water below them.

The first person to cross the

Falls on a tightrope was
nicknamed “The Great
Blondin.” His tightrope was
only three inches wide.
Thousands of people came
and watched. He amazed
everyone by crossing the Falls a second time while
blindfolded!

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 Level L Reader

Why would anyone do such dangerous feats, like

traveling in a barrel or walking on a tightrope , at
Niagara Falls? Some people thought it would make
them famous. Others just loved the challenge and
wanted to prove that they could do it.

There’s a better option to see Niagara Falls up close

without doing something dangerous. Visitors can take
an exciting ride on a boat called the Maid of the
Mist. It takes its passengers extremely close to the
bottom of the Falls. Just when you think you are so
close that you should turn back, the boat goes even
closer! The roar of the water is so loud, you cannot
hear the person next to you even if they shout. The
waterfall is so powerful that everyone wear s a
poncho to keep their clothes dry.

The awe and excitement of

Niagara Falls is the
reason why 30 million
people visit it every
year!

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 Level L Reader

Niagara Falls (exercises)

1. Fill in the blank with the missing word.

The __________ ___________ was the nickname of

the first person to cross the falls on a tightrope.

A teacher rode over the Falls in a _______________.

You can ride in a boat called __________ ____ _____

___________ at Niagara Falls.

2. Multiple Choice.

It is dangerous to jump off the Falls because :

a. The water is extremely deep and moving

very quickly.
b. There are lots of rocks in the water.
c. both a and b

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 Level L Reader

A poncho is:

a. a horse.
b. outerwear that helps keep you dry.
c. a type of kangaroo.

About how many people visit Niagara Falls every

year?

a. two
b. 1,000
c. 30 million

3. Describe what you would see, hear and feel if

you were riding on the “Maid of the Mist”?

I would see _________________________________________

I would hear _______________________________________

I would feel ________________________________________

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 Level L Reader

Niagara Falls (answers)

1. Fill in the blank with the missing word.

The “Great Blondin” was the nickname of the first

person to cross the falls on a tightrope.
A teacher rode over the Falls in a barrel.
You can ride in a boat called Maid of the Mist at
Niagara Falls.

2. Multiple Choice.

It is dangerous to jump off the Falls because

c. both a and b
A poncho is
b. outerwear that helps keep you dry.
About how many people visit Niagara Falls every
year?
c. 30 million

3. Describe what you would see, hear and feel if

you were riding on the Maid of the Mist?

Answers will vary.

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 Level L Reader

hiking summit embarrass

quit charity mountain

What Ben Accomplished

Ben gazed at the huge mountain ahead of him. It

looked a lot bigger than he had imagined.

Ben and his camp mates were going to hike to the

top and camp there overnight. Ben looked up at the
summit of the mountain with a worried look. What if
he couldn’t make it all the way up? What if he got
scared by an animal? He didn’t want to embarrass
himself in front of the
other kids.

His camp counselor

whistled and said, “Let’s
get going!” Ben walked
at a quick pace to keep up with his friends. At first,
the trail was flat, and the hiking was easy. Before
long, the group had walked quite a distance.

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 Level L Reader

The trail became steeper, Ben’s breathing got

heavier, and he started to sweat. When he stood still,
he could feel his knees tremble a little. He looked up
at the top of the mountain. It still seemed so far
away.

Ben thought about a man his dad had told him

about. The man only had one leg, but he had walked
all the way across the country to raise money for
charity. He never gave up; he just
kept walking, day after day.

Ben decided he wasn’t going to

give up either.

A little farther along, the camp

counselor suggested they take a
water break. “The hike might start
getting harder, but you can do it,” he
yelled over the students’ heads. His
encouraging words made Ben
feel better.

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 Level L Reader

As he was drinking, Ben heard a rustling noise in the

bushes and froze. Suddenly, a rabbit popped out of
the bush and hurried across
his path. Ben felt silly for
being scared, and he
became even more
determined. I can get to the
top, he thought to himself.

The hike continued, and Ben felt

the trail get even steeper. A few
other campers decided to quit
and turn back to camp. Ben’s legs were tired and
sore, but he just kept climbing, step by step.

None of the kids were talking anymore. Everyone was

breathing hard. Even the counselor was looking tired.
Ben looked ahead and saw how much mountain
there was left to climb. He thought again about the
one-legged man who had walked across the whole
country. Ben took a deep breath and kept going.

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 Level L Reader

Suddenly, he heard everyone talking in front of him.

His counselor said, “We are here!” They had reached
the summit!

The view from the top was amazing. Ben could see
for miles. The mountain overlooked a river which
wound its way through a valley far below . The view
was awesome.

As Ben looked at the scenery, he felt like he was on

top of the world. He felt proud of himself for never
quitting, and he felt that he could do anything he
put his mind to.

Ben joined his friends who were building a campfire

to grill hot dogs.
Everyone was
tired, yet they
were all smiling.

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 Level L Reader

What Ben Accomplished (exercises)

1. Multiple Choice.

“Ben looked at the summit of the mountain .”

What do you think “summit” means?

a. bottom
b. top
c. nose
d. path

At first, the trail was flat, and the hike was:

a. easy
b. hard
c. loud
d. happy

How did Ben get all the way up the mountain?

a. He took a taxi.
b. The counselor piggybacked him.
c. He kept walking, one step at a time.
d. He used a giant ladder.

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 Level L Reader

2. Fill in the missing words:

a. Ben’s breathing got ________________ as the

trail became ________________.
b. The counselor’s ________________ words made
Ben feel better.
c. On top of the mountain, Ben could see for
________________.

3. What is the story about?

a. How to climb a mountain.

b. Things to bring when hiking.

c. The importance of not giving up.

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 Level L Reader

What Ben Accomplished (answers)

1. Multiple Choice.

“Ben looked at the summit of the mountain .”

What do you think “summit” means?
a. top

At first, the trail was flat, and the hike was :

a. easy

How did Ben get all the way up the mountain?

c. He kept walking, one step at a time .

2. Fill in the missing words:

a. Ben’s breathing got heavier as the trail

became steeper.
b. The counselor’s encouraging words made
Ben feel better.
c. On top of the mountain, Ben could see for
miles.

3. What is the story about?

c. The importance of not giving up .

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