The story follows Mother Duck as she cares for her ducklings, including one that is larger and gray, leading to him being called the 'ugly duckling.' Teased by other animals, he runs away and spends a lonely winter in an old shed. In spring, he transforms into a beautiful swan, surprising those who once mocked him.
The story follows Mother Duck as she cares for her ducklings, including one that is larger and gray, leading to him being called the 'ugly duckling.' Teased by other animals, he runs away and spends a lonely winter in an old shed. In spring, he transforms into a beautiful swan, surprising those who once mocked him.
Original Description:
Skill Sharpeners Reading series contains engaging full-color stories followed by activity pages that practice a variety of reading skills. Skill Sharpeners Reading is designed to help your child improve his or her reading skills.
The story follows Mother Duck as she cares for her ducklings, including one that is larger and gray, leading to him being called the 'ugly duckling.' Teased by other animals, he runs away and spends a lonely winter in an old shed. In spring, he transforms into a beautiful swan, surprising those who once mocked him.
The story follows Mother Duck as she cares for her ducklings, including one that is larger and gray, leading to him being called the 'ugly duckling.' Teased by other animals, he runs away and spends a lonely winter in an old shed. In spring, he transforms into a beautiful swan, surprising those who once mocked him.
I.OJOlJ<CO~U~!JU[g) In the count ry far from town, there was a large pond. It was in the middle of a field. The field was near a big farm. Many ducks and geese lived by the pond. Hidde n in the reeds and grass was a nest of eggs. It was the nest of a mother duck. Day after day, Mothe r Duck sat on the eggs. She was waitin g for them to hatch. As she turned her eggs each day, she would stop at one egg. It was much larger than the other eggs in the nest. Mother Duck would think, "Wha t will this duckling be like?" One day Mothe r Duck heard a pecking sound. Then she heard , "Peep! Peep! Peep!" The ducklings were coming out of their shells!
OEvan-Moor Corporat ion• EMC 4530 • Reading 91
One by one, Mother Duck saw her fluffy yellow ducklings hatch. But she shook her head and frowned when the last one hatched. He was big. He was gray. And he was ugly. "Oh, my! What an ugly duckling," was all Mother Duck could say. Mother Duck loved all of her ducklings. She took good care of them, too. She took them to the pond to swim. She helped them find food. She showed them how to hide from danger. Soon the days began to get colder. Mother Duck took her ducklings to the barn. There they would stay warm.
The other animals in the barn were unkind to the ugly duckling. They laughed at him and called him names. They even pecked at him. Mother Duck tried to protect her big, gray duckling, but she wasn't always around. Ugly Duckling couldn't stand the teasing any longer. He ran away from the barn. He ran from the farm animals. And he ran from his family. He ran on and on until he came to a big lake. Ugly Duckling felt safe at the lake, but he was lonely. None of the wild ducks would talk to him. One day, the duckling looked up into the sky. He saw a beautiful swan flying by. He looked into the water of the pond. All he saw was a big, gray ugly duckling. "I wish I were beautiful like that swan," he said softly.
0 Evan-Moor Corporation• EMC 4530. Reading 93
It was getting colder. Ugly Duckling saw the wild ducks fly away. Soon ice covered the lake. Ugly Duckling was always cold. He didn't have much food to eat. Would he be able to stay alive until spring? He knew he had to find a warm place to stay. Ugly Duckling looked around until he found an old shed. In the shed he found hay that had been left behind. Ugly Duckling made a nest out of the hay. Now he would be warm. He found some dry seeds, too. Now he would have .•••• a little bit to eat. ~~::==:z=i, Ugly Duckling stayed in the shed all winter. He only went out into the cold winter weather to find water to drink. At last spring arrived. Ugly Duckling was still alive! The days grew warmer. The ice covering the pond melted. The duckling found plenty to eat. Each day he grew bigger and stronger.
94 Reading• EMC 4530. 0 Evan-Moor Corporation
I One day, as he stretched his wings, he was lifted up into the blue sky. He was flying! He flew over green fields. He flew over tall trees. He flew back to the pond where he had been born. Ugly Duckling landed on the water and swam around. He looked down into the water to find something to eat. He couldn't believe his eyes! Over the winter, he had grown up. He wasn't an ugly duckling anymore. The animals from the farm came down to the pond. They were surprised to see the large white swan. No one knew that the beautiful swan had been the ugly duckling they treated so unkindly.
The Ugly Duckling ~~ Fill in the circle or write the answer.
1. Why was the duckling called ugly?
0 He was big and yellow, not small and yellow. 0 He was small and gray, not small and yellow. 0 He was big and gray, not small and yellow.
2. Write three ways Mother Duck took care of her ducklings.
3. Why did the Ugly Duckling run away from the farm? 0 He wanted to see new places. 0 He wanted to get away from the farm animals. 0 He wanted to find some swans.
4. Where did the Ugly Duckling spend the winter?
0 He stayed in the lake. 0 He hid under a tree. 0 He hid in an old shed.
5. How did the Ugly Duckling change over the winter?
96 Reading• EMC 4530 • <O Evan-Moor Corporation
Skills: Sequencing Story Events
What Happened Next?
cut out the sentences. Paste them in order.
1. paste
2. paste
3. paste
4. paste
5. paste
,- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 When winter came, the Ugly Duckling found an old shed : to live in. r-------------------------------------- : The farm animals called the Ugly Duckling names and 1 pecked at him. L-------------------------------------- 1 1 Mother Duck sat on her eggs. At last they hatched. One : duckling was big and gray and ugly. r-------------------------------------- 1 : Over the winter, the Ugly Duckling grew up. He wasn't a 1 duckf He was a beautiful swan. : L--------------------------------------1 I I : The Ugly Duckling ran away. He ran until he came to a lake. 1 I I
--------------------------------------- OEvan-Moor Corporation • EMC 4530, Reading 9'l Skills: Understanding Word Meaning
\\'hat Does It Mean?
Write each word after its meaning. You will not use all of the words. ----------~~':::::;.
duckling hatch shed tease
frown lake swan winter
1. a small building used to store things
2. to treat others in an unkind way
3. to break out of an egg
4. a large body of water surrounded by land
5. an unhappy look on someone's face
•• • • . ~ . ' ' . ' .
Skills: Categomlng Long Vowel Words; Identifying Spellings for the t r ~ ~ _ •.
),;on~ Vowel Sounds ~
Write the words under the long vowel sound you hear.
they sigh cold find
no he lake fly stay tease ice ate see float row mean
a-cake e-me i-kite o-go
~ - - - I t Sounds Like er-- -......
Read the words. Circle the letters that make the er sound.
her turn butter
first stir hurt after
,:'' - - • -· ----~ --·------,·-~ Skills: ldent,fymg Opposites (Antonyms); ldent,fymg the Three Sounds of ed
Opposites Match each word to its opposite.
large smile none cryl
frown sad went go
beautiful full laugh hot
happy small stop came
empty ugly cold all
land__ peck__ hunt.__
protect__ turn__ jump__
whisper__ look__ want__
Circle the words where ed has the sound oft.
Make an X on words where ed has the sound of d. Read the new words to an adult.
Reading• EMC 4530 • Q Evan-Moor Corporation
100 A Swi1nming Swan Follow the steps to draw a swan on the lake.
~/II
- ·
Write an interesting sentence telling what the swan is doing.
O Evan-Moor Corporation • EMC 4530. Reading 101
Elephants are big! The y are the biggest animals that live on land. They have long nos es called trunks. They have big ear s that can flap like fans. The ir skin is gray-black. They have som e short hairs on their backs and tails.
Bulls live alone or in small
groups. Cows live in her ds with their calves.
What Elephants Eat
Elephants mu st eat mo st of the day to get the am oun t ~ of food the y need. The y "-- eat grasses and shrubs. The y eat twigs, leaves, and bark from trees.
11 An Elephant's Trunk An elephant's trunk has many uses. It is used to pick up food. Then the food is put into the elephant's mouth. An elephant drinks by sucking up water into its trunk. Then the elephant squirts the water into its mouth.
Elephants use their trunks to greet one another. They hold their trunks high to catch smells in the air.
The whole trunk is so strong it can rip a branch
off a tree. The tip of the trunk can pick one berry off a bush.
'I
. \ ).
Asia (A zhuh)
Africa (Af rib kuh) Elephant Babies An elephant baby is very big. It weighs more than a grown human. The newborn calf sucks milk from its mother. The mother will feed her baby for two years. After a few months, the baby will also eat plants.
Elephants live in Asia. They live o and in forests. . ' <.- Skills: Recalling Story D;ta1ls
Answer Questions about
Elephants Fill in the circle or write the answer.
1. What does an eleph ant look like?
2. Which eleph ants live in herds?
0 bulls and cows 0 cows and calves 0 bulls and calves 3. Name two place s elephants live.
4. How do eleph ants get their food?
5. How else do eleph ants use their trunk?
C Evan-Moor Corporation • EMC 4530 • Reading
10$ Elephant Parade Write the correct number under each elephant.
third eighth seventh sixth first
second fourth fifth tenth ninth
Reading, EMC 4530, Q Evan-Moor Corporation
106 Find the Right Wor(l Fill in the missing word in each sentence. You will not use all of the words.
tip bark Africa twigs
bull cow calf Asia
1. An elephant picks berries with the ______ of its trunk.
2. A _ _ _ _ _ _ is a baby elephant.
3. A _ _ _ _ _ _ is a mother elephant.
4. Elephants eat _______ and ______ from trees.
5. Elephants live in ______ and _ _ _ _ __
------------ ------------ ------------ ---------
Write the meaning of the word trunk in each sentence.
1. The squirrel hid nuts in a hole in the tree's trunk.
Trunk means --------------- 2. An elephant picked berries with its trunk.
Trunk means ------- ------- -
C Evan-Moor Corporation • EMC 4530, Reading
IO'l A \\Tord Fa1nily ay All the words in a word family end with the same letters and sound. Write ay after each letter to make a word family.
