TEACHER’S NOTES

AND
ANSWER KEY

Comprehension
Skill-Boosters
 Comprehension Skill-Boosters
➜

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Copyright © 2006 by Saddleback Educational Publishing. All rights reserved.

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 TO THE TEACHER
The READ•REFLECT•RESPOND series has been specially designed
to improve the comprehension skills of students working at or just below
level. The very short, high-interest reading selections are both manageable
and appealing—even to students who say they don’t like to read. The
exercises that follow get right to the point. After exploring their own
experience, opinions, and prior knowledge, students are asked to respond
to a variety of traditional comprehension questions and to think critically
about the material they just read. The brevity of each lesson is intended to
promote a “can do” attitude and reinforce a sense of accomplishment.
Experience has proven that students steadily gain confidence through
many such small successes.

You can extend the effectiveness of the READ•REFLECT•RESPOND

lessons in several ways:

• Reinforce acquisition of new vocabulary by having students write

original sentences that demonstrate the new words’ meanings.

• Provide students with an opportunity to develop their oral reading skills

by having them take turns reading the selections aloud to the class or a
small group.

• Improve critical-thinking skills by using the REFLECT questions as a

springboard for class or small-group discussion.

• Make a group activity of the “Look it up in a reference source” questions.

This enables your least-apt students to practice reference skills with the
support of their peers.

READ•REFLECT•RESPOND 3
 ANSWER KEY
LESSON 1: Sharks Never Sleep and Other
Shark Facts (pp. 6–7)
REFLECT:
1. CIRCLE: flexible, watchful, alert, ancient
2. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: dangerous, fast, aggressive
RESPOND:
1. a
2. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: teeth replace themselves,
sharp senses, extra senses, flexible body,
tough skin
3. b 4. c 5. b 6. c 7. c
8. c 9. d 10. a 11. b
12. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: both jaws move, skin has
sharp scales, all cartilage rather than
bone, don’t tend their young, never sleep,
two extra senses
13. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: hammerhead, thresher, great
white, tiger, blue, bull, mako, nurse, milk
14. SAMPLE ANSWER: No. Sharks rarely attack
humans. There is an average of only 100
shark attacks per year worldwide. On
average, only about 10 result in death.
LESSON 2: The Buffalo Soldiers (pp. 8–9)
REFLECT:
1. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: hostile tribes, outlaws,
harsh landscapes and climates, no
utilities, outdoor “plumbing”
2. Answers will vary.
3. POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
•WHAT IS THE MEDAL OF HONOR? It is the highest
award for valor in action against an enemy
force which can be bestowed upon an
individual serving in the armed services
of the United States.
•WHY MIGHT A SOLDIER BE AWARDED THIS MEDAL? For an
extraordinary act of bravery that saves the
life of one or more soldiers.
RESPOND:
1. All of them were black. 2. Buffalo Soldiers
3. POSSIBLE ANSWER: Like the buffalo, they were
dark, fierce, strong, and full of energy.
4. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: fought hostile tribes; made
peace with tribes; captured outlaws;
mapped uncharted lands; delivered mail;
built telegraph lines; protected forts,
railroads, and wagon trains
5. “We can! We will!” 6. a 7. rode horseback
8. holy 9. admired 10. unfriendly
11. looked down on
12. ran away from their duties
4 READ•REFLECT•RESPOND
13. POSSIBLE FACTS INCLUDED IN ANSWER:
born into slavery;
changed her name to William Cathay and,
pretending to be a man, joined U.S.
Infantry; discharged when discovered she
was a woman; died at the age of 82 after a
long and independent life
LESSON 3: Phew! What’s That Smell? (pp. 10–11)
REFLECT:
1. – 2. Answers will vary.
3. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: smoke, gas, sulfur,
ammonia, rot, putrefaction
4. – 5. Answers will vary.
RESPOND:
1. molecules 2. nostrils 3. olfactory, brain
4. nostrils, nerve cells, olfactory nerve
5. weaker 6. minutes 7. taste
8. plugged your nose 9. a. 4 b. 2 c. 1 d. 3
10. in its antennae 11. complete loss of smell
LESSON 4: John Muir (pp. 12–13)
REFLECT:
1. CIRCLE: a mountain meadow, a dry desert,
a deep valley, a sparkling waterfall,
a dark forest, the Grand Canyon,
the Florida Everglades
2. – 3. Answers will vary.
4. SAMPLE ANSWER: Get away from the daily
hassle once in a while. Go to the park
or to the river or any quiet, natural place.
It will make you feel refreshed.
RESPOND:
1. a. waterfall c. forestland
b. riverbed d. eyesight
2. c 3. b 4. a 5. Answers will vary.
LESSON 5: (To be titled by student) (pp. 14–15)
REFLECT:
1. CIRCLE: Hey, Mr. Camel! What’s in That Hump?
2. SAMPLE ANSWER: The main idea is to explain the
make-up and purposes of a camel’s hump.
3. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: donkey, horse, ox, llama
4. CIRCLE: dry, sandy, hot
RESPOND:
1. a 2. a 3. c 4. c 5. b 6. b
7. shrinks 8. eighty 9. hungry
10. food 11. greedy 12. one hump
13. SAMPLE ANSWER: It can close its nostrils.
14. SAMPLE ANSWER: A camel has very thin extra
eyelids it can see through. It can close these
eyelids and continue to travel in sandstorms.
LESSON 6: The Ends of the Earth: The North
and South Poles (pp. 16–17)
REFLECT:
1. CIRCLE: cold, frozen, empty, barren
2. North Pole 3. South Pole
4. Answers will vary.
RESPOND:
1. an ice cap 2. animal life 3. dark
4. POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
•both very cold
•both have six months of nighttime in winter
5. POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
•The North Pole is an ice cap, while
the South Pole is solid land.
•Seasons come at opposite times.
•The South Pole has penguins, but
the North Pole does not.
6. POSSIBLE ANSWER: Arctic polar bears don’t eat
penguins because there are no penguins
at the North Pole.
7. c 8. a 9. b 10. a 11. Latin, polus
LESSON 7: Meet Rosie the Riveter (pp. 18–19)
REFLECT:
1. POSSIBLE ANSWER: Because most of the men had
gone to fight in the war, and the factories
needed workers to keep producing products.
2. POSSIBLE ANSWER: She’s supposed to symbolize
strong and competent support at home.
3. Answers will vary.
RESPOND:
1. d 2. c 3. b 4. metal bolt
5. crusade to accomplish something
6. catchy saying 7. country 8. scarf 9. b
10. While Germany, Italy, and Japan were the
main enemies, there were six other countries.
11. While Great Britain, Russia, and the United
States were considered the “Big 3” allies,
there were 47 other countries, as well.
12. Nazis or Nazism is an abbreviation of
the German word Nationalsozialismus,
meaning “National Socialism.”
13. Hiroshima was bombed on August 6, 1945.
Nagasaki was bombed on August 9, 1945.
LESSON 8: Through Rain, Snow . . . (pp. 20–21)
REFLECT:
1. CIRCLE: rain, sleet, hail, snow
2. – 3. Answers will vary.
RESPOND:
1. b 2. a 3. c 4. b 5. a 6. b 7. c
8. hail 9. sleet 10. Rain 11. snow
LESSON 9: Some Very Peculiar Patents (pp. 22–23)
REFLECT:
1. – 3. Answers will vary.
RESPOND:
1. b 2. a 3. c 4. c 5. b 6. a
7. noun 8. verb
9. SAMPLE ANSWER: copies or imitates others.
10. SAMPLE ANSWER: a force that draws things to
the center of the earth.
11. SAMPLE ANSWER: divide or separate things.
12. SAMPLE ANSWER: a clever idea or plan.
LESSON 10: How to Get a Passport (pp. 24–25)
REFLECT:
1. POSSIBLE ANSWER: to allow an individual to
travel to and from countries other than
that of his/her citizenship
2. POSSIBLE ANSWER: Mainly for security reasons.
Countries want to make sure dangerous
individuals are not entering their country.
3. Answers will vary.
4. POSSIBLE ANSWER: Yes. A picture makes
identification easier.
RESPOND:
1. CIRCLE: identification, application form,
proof of citizenship, recent photo
2. a 3. a 4. c 5. document
6. United States 7. identification
8. application form 9. six weeks
10. POSSIBLE ANSWER: If there was a mistake or
delay, Christina would still have time to get
her passport before her trip.
11. POSSIBLE ANSWER: government or military
picture identification
12. POSSIBLE ANSWER: 2x2 inches; taken within
past six months; full face front view;
street attire—no uniforms; no dark or
nonprescription glasses
13. POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
•AGE 16 AND OLDER: $55 (plus a $12 security
surcharge and $30 execution fee)
•UNDER AGE 16: $40 (plus a $12 security
surcharge and $30 execution fee)
LESSON 11: The Truth About Dogs (pp. 26–27)
REFLECT:
1. POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
•LARGE DOGS: Great Dane, St. Bernard,
Newfoundland, Rottweiler, shepherd
•SMALL DOGS: chihuahua, Pomeranian,
pug, Pekinese, spaniel, teacup poodle
2. – 3. Answers will vary.
READ•REFLECT•RESPOND 5
RESPOND:
1. myth 2. breed 3. germ 4. den 5. whine
6. F 7. T 8. F 9. F 10. T 11. F
12. The author writes about Sitka, the husky
who begs from anyone dressed in blue.
13. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: wolf, coyote, fox, dingo, jackal
14. POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
•TERRIER: Norwich, Skye, Bull, Jack Russell,
Scottish, American Staffordshire, Boston,
Yorkshire, Cairn, Welsh, rat, Airedale
•HOUND: Afghan, Beagle, Foxhound, Basenji,
Basset Hound, Bloodhound, Dachshund,
Greyhound, Rhodesian Ridgeback
LESSON 12: City Coyotes (pp. 28–29)
REFLECT:
1. – 2. Answers will vary.
RESPOND:
1. a 2. c 3. b 4. b 5. invader 6. adaptable
7. cautious 8. prey 9. sheltering
10. CIRCLE: a new suburb built in a wooded area
a large, green city park
a brushy, garbage-strewn yard
11. Answers will vary.
LESSON 13: On the Bayou (pp. 30–31)
REFLECT:
1. – 3. Answers will vary.
RESPOND:
1. a 2. c 3. b 4. b
5. CIRCLE: slow-moving stream
6. delta 7. legend 8. swamp 9. reptile
10. CIRCLE: Louisiana, the South,
the Mississippi delta
11. CIRCLE: mysterious, eerie, beautiful
12. Answers will vary.
LESSON 14: Happy Birthday, Pac-Man (pp. 32–33)
REFLECT:
1. – 3. Answers will vary.
RESPOND:
1. c 2. b 3. c 4. a 5. c 6. c 7. a
8. sudden brilliant idea 9. triangular
10. series of winding paths
11. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: simple to learn; characters
have names; catchy music; challenging at
higher levels; appeals to all ages and both
genders
12. POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
•PONG: like playing Ping Pong or tennis
on a screen; try to hit the ball past your
opponent’s paddle to get a point
6 READ•REFLECT•RESPOND
•SPACE INVADERS: try to save the earth from
alien invaders; shoot them down with
ground-based lasers; game over when laser
base hit three times
LESSON 15: Rachael Scdoris (pp. 34–35)
REFLECT:
1. b
2. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: courage, determination,
confidence
3. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: horse racing, horse jumping,
field day trials, dog shows, agility
courses, hunting
RESPOND:
1. a. 3 b. 2. c. 1 d. 4
2. legally blind 3. Oregon 4. Alaska
5. spotting hazards along the trail
6. women athletes 7. enter the next Iditarod
8. musher 9. debate 10. checkpoint
11. scratch 12. inspire
13. CIRCLE: young, legally blind
14. Answers will vary.
LESSON 16: Pumpkin Moon (pp. 36–37)
REFLECT:
1. CIRCLE: red-orange, nighttime, round
2. – 3. Answers will vary.
RESPOND:
1. POSSIBLE ANSWER: It’s called a Pumpkin Moon
because it often is red-orange colored and
is round like a pumpkin.
2. b 3. a 4. c 5. c 6. b 7. b
8. the moon, darkening and hiding of
9. the dark shape cast by something
as it cuts off light
10. air and gases around a planet
11. circle around 12. not complete
13. Answers will vary.
LESSON 17: Cesar Chavez (pp. 38–39)
REFLECT:
1. CIRCLE: nonviolent, determined,
leader, unselfish
2. CIRCLE: stay home from their jobs,
carry signs to raise public awareness
3. POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
•WHY STRIKE: better pay, better working
conditions, better benefits
•WHY STRIKE FORCES CHANGES: bad publicity,
unable to meet production deadlines,
revenue loss
4. Answers will vary.
RESPOND:
1. b 2. a 3. b 4. b 5. b
6. union 7. Great Depression 8. migrant
9. boycott 10. nonviolent 11. fasted
12. BORN: March 31, 1927 DIED: April 23, 1993
LESSON 18: Blood: The Lifestream
of Your Body (pp. 40–41)
REFLECT:
1. CIRCLE: vital, liquid, red
2. CIRCLE: skin, stomach, heart
RESPOND:
1. F 2. T 3. F 4. T
5. collaborate 6. network 7. Vessels
8. transfusion 9. depends 10. provide
11. attacks 12. transports
13. b 14. b 15. c 16. a
17. SAMPLE ANSWER: Anemia is a shortage of
red blood cells or hemoglobin, which
is necessary to carry oxygen. This
condition is caused by poor nutrition.
LESSON 19: Samurai Warriors (pp. 42–43)
REFLECT:
1. CIRCLE: well-educated, loyal, warrior,
admired, proud, brave
2. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: respected, fine home,
educated, skilled, adventure-filled life
3. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: strict life, dangerous life,
might have to kill someone or oneself,
face hardships, answer to the warlord,
experience pain during training
RESPOND:
1. b 2. d 3. a 4. c 5. those who serve
6. the way of the warrior
7. CIRCLE: honor, bravery, loyalty
8. c 9. b 10. b 11. c
12. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: high social status,
well-trained for battle, heavily armed,
elaborate armor, lived by code of honor
13. Answers will vary.
LESSON 20: How Animals Breathe (pp. 44–45)
REFLECT:
1. smell
2. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: dog, cat, bear, elephant
3. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: ant, bee
4. CIRCLE: trout, salmon, carp, guppy
RESPOND:
1. warm 2. lungs 3. spiracles 4. gills 5. c
6. b 7. c 8. b 9. Oxygen 10. blood vessel
11. organ 12. breathe 13. breath
14. POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
•EEL: absorbs oxygen through its skin
•DOLPHIN: through blowhole at top of head
•BIRD: through their nostrils (called nares)
•BEE: through spiracles
•PIG: through their noses like humans
LESSON 21: (To be titled by student) (pp. 46–47)
REFLECT:
1. CIRCLE: dry, unusual, hot
2. CIRCLE: canteen, sunscreen, sunglasses,
visored hat
3. Answers will vary. 4. c
RESPOND:
1. hottest 2. lowest, Western Hemisphere
3. driest, North America
4. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: deep roots; leaves and stems
that store water
5. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: juniper, pines
6. burros
7. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: lizards, coyotes, foxes,
bobcats, rabbits, rodents, bighorn sheep
8. eastern 9. Nevada border
10. east 11. west 12. sad 13. herd
14. thrive 15. Answers will vary.
LESSON 22: How to Ride a Bus (pp. 48–49)
REFLECT:
1. – 4. Answers will vary.
RESPOND:
1. b 2. b
3. CIRCLE: when a bus arrives at certain stops;
how long it takes to get from one stop to
the next; which stops are transfer points
4. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: ramps and lifts, easy-seating
section, allow service animals, large-print
and audiocassette schedules
5. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: library, post office, bank,
shopping center
6. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: web site, telephone call,
phone book
7. change to a different bus route 8. trip plan
9. place a person is going 10. leaves
11. 5 12. 9:57 13. 105 14. 8th & Lake
LESSON 23: The Trojan Horse (pp. 50–51)
REFLECT:
1. a 2. a 3. b.
RESPOND:
1. Troy 2. Helen 3. husband
4. nine 5. horse 6. Troy
7. SEQUENCE: 2, 4, 1, 3, 5
READ•REFLECT•RESPOND 7
 8. saying, proverb 9. legend, story
10. withdraw, leave 11. suspicious, doubting
12. POSSIBLE ANSWER: . . . be suspicious of gifts
coming from unlikely sources.
13. Answers will vary.
LESSON 24: Chimp Art (pp. 52–53)
REFLECT:
1. – 3. Answers will vary.
RESPOND:
1. a 2. b 3. b 4. c 5. a 6. b 7. a
8. POSSIBLE ANSWER: Yes. Congo’s paintings sold
for a surprising sum after his death.
9. POSSIBLE ANSWER: no new canvases, so
limited supply
10. Answers will vary.
LESSON 25: Angels on Earth: Clara Barton and
Florence Nightingale (pp. 54–55)
REFLECT:
1. – 4. Answers will vary.
RESPOND:
1. POSSIBLE ANSWERS: lived in same era; both
were wartime nurses; both had nicknames;
both became head of nurses; both were
dedicated to their work; both became
legends, etc.
2. POSSIBLE ANSWER: Barton was American
and Nightingale was English.
3. SEQUENCE: 2, 1, 3 4. SEQUENCE: 3, 2, 1
5. b 6. a 7. b 8. b 9. a 10. b
LESSON 26: A Nutrition Update (pp. 56–57)
REFLECT:
1. Following are answers to “daily
recommendations.” Student amounts
will vary.
GRAINS—6 oz.
VEGETABLES—21/2 cups
FRUITS—2 cups
MILK PRODUCTS—3 cups
MEAT & BEANS—51/2 oz.
2. Answers will vary.
RESPOND:
1. a 2. c 3. b 4. a
5. POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
•There is no category labeled
“Fats, oils, and sweets.”
•Portions are described in cups
and ounces rather than servings.
•An exercise recommendation has
been added.
8 READ•REFLECT•RESPOND
6. dark-green spinach 7. eat fresh apples
8. low-fat milk 9. whole wheat bread
10. fish, poultry, beans
LESSON 27: Words from History:
Give Me Liberty . . . (pp. 58–59)
REFLECT:
1. CIRCLE: orator, Virginian, attorney, patriot,
colonist
2. POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
•. . . freedom from England; independence
•. . . the colonies became a new
independent nation, the United
States of America.
RESPOND:
1. b 2. March 23, 1775
3. to decide whether the colonies should
go to war with England
4. stay out of war 5. fight for independence
6. death 7. Great Britain (England)
8. There is no copy of his speech;
he spoke without notes. 9. argument
10. wise in the ways of government
11. makes speeches 12. greatest
13. giving up and obeying
14. Answers will vary.
15. CIRCLE: George Washington, Patrick Henry,
Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, Crispus
Attucks, Paul Revere, John Hancock
SUPER LESSON: The Oregon Trail (pp. 60–64)
REFLECT:
1. – 4. Answers will vary.
RESPOND:
1. b 2. c 3. a 4. b 5. a 6. c 7. b
8. c 9. c 10. SEQUENCE: 4, 1, 3, 5, 6, 2
11. migrate 12. Emigrants 13. drought
14. graze 15. grueling 16. Fertile
17. It’s where pioneers got on the Oregon Trail.
18. It was as lush and beautiful as they’d been
led to believe.
19. They feared drowning in the rapids.
20. It went up over Mt. Hood and was steep
and forested.
21. They liked being in a civilized town again.
22. Settlers would give the U.S. a stronger
claim on the Oregon Territory.
22. Answers will vary.