Passages
Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19th, is a significant day in American history that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. The name “Juneteenth” is a blend of “June” and “nineteenth,” marking the day in 1865 when Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas…
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Oh no, he had done it again. He’d forgotten something important. Last year on their family trip to his uncle’s cottage for Christmas, he had forgotten the bag with the toiletries in it. Neither he nor his brother had toothbrushes or toothpaste or shampoo. He’d had to borrow from his…
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Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland tells the story of Alice, a young English girl, who follows a rabbit to a very strange world. In this passage, Alice has been brought to a legal court to attend a trial where the King of Hearts is the judge. The trial is just starting.…
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You’ve probably seen it a million times: a group of somewhat demoralized kids on an athletic field, wearing shorts and shivering. They’re all hoping to avoid going out on the field to kick a soccer ball, catch a baseball, throw a football, or perform any number of tasks that are…
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Eli walked to school every day. When the final bell rang, he walked home, too. His trip took him across the playground, past the t-shirt factory, and across the main street. From there, Eli often cut through a vacant lot where a house used to be. The house burned down years…
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Crocodile was the biggest animal in the swamp. He spent most of his time in the cool, shady parts of a green pool. When he was hungry, he slithered into the sunshine towards the drinking hole where all the animals gathered to sip the clear water on hot days. Crocodile was…
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One April day, after a long, soaking rain, Cardinal poked his head out from under the evergreen branches to see if he would get wet or stay dry. When he didn’t feel any drips, he hopped down to the ground, using the tree branches like a spiral staircase. Cardinal ordinarily…
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One day, Ella opened her back door and looked out. She wanted to go to play outside, but there was a large bumblebee flying around. He was bigger than her thumb, and very fuzzy. She could hear the humming of his wings as he made large figure-eights across the patio. Carefully,…
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Ella never liked to take naps. When she was a baby, she would stay wide away all afternoon, playing with toys in her crib. Her mother told her that Ella could only sleep when it was dark outside, no matter how dark and thick the curtains were in her room.…
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Jeremy likes to help his family with chores. He spends time playing with his baby sister while Mom cooks dinner. After supper, he dries the dishes for Dad. But Jeremy’s favorite job is feeding Fletch. Fletch is the family cat. He is brown and black, with tiger stripes across his back.…
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