Lesson 1 _ Social Studies Article Superman
6
Lesson 2 _ Imaginary Story
The Hopper 10
Lesson 1 _ History Article
The Greatest Volcano 14
Lesson 2 _ Mythical Story
The Story of Pele 18
Lesson 1 _ Art History Article
The Academy Awards 22
Lesson 2 _ True Story
Young Winners of Oscars 26
Lesson 1 _ History Article
Hans Christian Andersen 30
Lesson 2 _ Mythical Story
Myth of the Little Mermaid 34
Lesson 1 _ Science Article
Australia’s Wildest Animals 38
Lesson 2 _ Short Story
Life in the Outback 42
Lesson 1 _ Science•History Article
Early Home Video Games 46
Lesson 2 _ Short Story
Virtual Reality Games 50
Lesson 1 _ Science Article
Artificial Intelligence 54
Lesson 2 _ Imaginary Story
A Brave New World 58
Lesson 1 _ Social Studies Article
Philanthropy 62
Lesson 2 _ Diary Entry
A Community Service Project 66
Lesson 1 _ History Article
Amazing Athletes 70
Lesson 2 _ Biographical Story
A Special Gymnast 74
Lesson 1 _ Social Studies Article
Feral Children 78
Lesson 2 _ True Story
“I Am Kaspar Hauser” 82
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Unit 5
Unit 6
Unit 7
Unit 8
Unit 9
Unit 10
“L
ook! Up in the sky! It’s a bird . . . It’s a plane . . . It’s Superman!” Have you ever heard this familiar sayingat the beginning of movies or television shows? It introduces a famous character known around the world: Superman. He is a crime fighter with incredible powers. Do you know the originof this famous superhero? Two childhood friends, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, dreamed him up.Superman first appeared in a series of comic books called Action Comics in June of 1938.
What makes Superman so different from other comic book heroes? He wasn’t the first caped hero to fight crime in comics. For example, a hero called the Phantom fought bandits in comic books before Superman. However, the Superman character was much more popular than the other heroes in comic books at the time. Superman supposedly comes from the distant planet of Krypton. His otherworldly birth gives him super powers on Earth. He is able to fly. He can bend steel with his bare hands. In fact, he is almost indestructible.
It might surprise you to learn that Superman was originally a villain. The two men realized that the character would be more popular as
a hero. The character has appeared in television shows, movies, and music videos.
His kindness and bravery have made him a popular superhero with people of all ages.
▶saying
a short, well-known expression
▶origin
the place from which something comes
▶series
a set of similar things, such as books or TV shows, produced as a group
▶bandit
a robber
▶supposedly
possibly; according to popular opinion
▶otherworldly
from a place besides Earth
▶indestructible
unable to be destroyed
▶villain
a character with evil motives
Pre-Reading
Look at the picture and answer the questions.
1. Does this superhero look familiar?
2. What special abilities do you think this superhero has?
3. Can you name any superheroes that come from comic books?
Match each of the vocabulary words with the correct definition.
A. What would be the best title for the passage?
a. Comics’ Greatest Villains b.The First Superhero
c. The Story of Superman d.The History of Comic Books
B. Choose the main idea of each paragraph. One choice will NOT be used.
The 1stparagraph
The 2ndparagraph
The 3rdparagraph
a. Superman is distinct from other heroes and his super powers make him almost indestructible.
b.The creators of Superman decided to make their character good rather than bad.
c. Two friends created a superhero that became world-famous.
d.The Superman movies became very popular due to their special effects.
Vocabulary Word 1. saying
2. origin 3. series 4. bandits 5. supposedly 6. indestructible 7. villain
8. otherworldly
Definition a. possibly
b.a short expression c. a bad character d.thieves
e. a set of books with the same group name f. unable to be destroyed
g.the place where something begins h.from another planet
1.
2.
3.
Track 1
Authors often describe why things happened using a series of causes and effects. Read each of the choices in the box below to find one cause and two effects. Write the sentences in the spaces below.
Complete the summary by filling in the blanks.
Superman is a 1_____________ crime fighter with superhuman abilities. He came from the imagination of two 2_____________ friends. Superman’s physical abilities come from his birth on the distant 3_____________ of Krypton. He can fly and bend 4_____________ with his bare hands. He is almost 5_____________! Although his creators first thought about making him a 6_____________, he has always appeared in comic books as a
7_____________!
a. Superman’s creators decided to make him into a heroic character.
b. Superman was born on a different planet.
c. Superman can fly and bend steel with his bare hands.
d. Superman’s body is very strong and difficult to injure.
Choose the best answer.
1. Superman’s creators first wanted him to be a _____________.
a. hero b.villain c. lawyer d.policeman
2. Superman has powers that other people don’t have because _____________.
a. he is originally from a distant planet
b.he gets help from extremely intelligent scientists c. he was born with superhuman strength
d.he fights for truth and justice
3. The author mentions all of the following of Superman’s special abilities EXCEPT:
a. his ability to fly
b.his ability to bend metal with his hands c. his ability to see through objects
d.his ability to survive under almost any circumstances
4. What can be inferred about the Superman character in Action Comics?
a. He was more popular than the Phantom.
b.He was a super villain.
c. He did not look like his modern character.
d.He was not originally able to fly.
Answer the following questions in 1 or 2 sentences.
1. Who created Superman?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. 2. How long has Superman been around?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. 3. Why did Superman become so popular over time?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Causes Effects
childhood indestructible caped steel planet villain hero
Fill in the blanks with the key vocabulary words.
1. The Hopper can leap great ______________.
2. Batman relies on many ______________ to help him fight crime.
3. The ______________ consideration when creating a superhero is a secret identity.
4. Most superheroes wear a ______________ to hide their true identity.
5. A superhero’s enemy may want to take ______________ on a hero’s friends.
6. The Hopper can ______________ insects to help him fight crime.
7. Superheroes ______________ their secret identity when there is trouble.
8. The Hopper uses sound to ______________ his enemies.
A. What would be the best title for the passage?
a. Creating a New Superhero b.All About Insects
c. The Science of Grasshoppers d.Crazy Comic Book Villains
B. Choose the main idea of each paragraph. One choice will NOT be used.
a. Creating a superhero requires thinking of a secret identity.
b.Most of the good ideas for superhero identities have already been used in popular comic books.
c. After deciding on important details, there is still a lot of work that goes into creating a comic book.
d.A superhero needs his own special physical abilities to help him fight enemies.
I
want to draw my own comic book. Who knows?Maybe my superhero will one day become as
famous as Superman or Batman. First and foremost, a superhero needs a secret identity. Superman is Clark Kent during the day just like Batman is Bruce Wayne.
They are just normal people until they put on their costumes and assume their secret identities. They do this to protect people from acts of revenge. I think my superhero will disguise himself as a grasshopper.
Watch out for The Hopper!
Next, I need to think of my hero’s physical abilities.
These abilities will set The Hopper apart from other superheroes. Superman can fly and has super strength.
Batman has all sorts of special gadgets that help him fight crime. The Hopper will be able to jump, of
course. He will be able to jump over tall buildings and across great distances. Grasshoppers have the ability to make a high-pitched sound with their legs. The Hopper will use this sound to disable his enemies. In addition, he will be able to command thousands of bugs to help him.
There is so much to do when creating a superhero. I have to draw The
Hopper in his costume. I also have a lot to figure out. Why does he have these abilities? Where does he come from? I even have to think of villains for him to fight.
▶foremost
ahead of all others
▶assume
to take on
▶revenge
the act of doing something harmful in return for harm that has been done
▶disguise
to hide one’s appearance
▶gadget
a small mechanical device
▶distance
the amount of space between two things
▶disable
to make unable to move, act, or work properly
▶command
to give orders
Pre-Reading
Look at the picture and answer the questions.
1. What kind of an insect is this?
2. Have you ever read a comic book?
3. Would you read a comic book about this kind of insect?
foremost assume revenge disguise
gadgets distances disable command
The 1stparagraph
The 2ndparagraph
The 3rdparagraph 1.
2.
3.
Track 2
Organize the following sentences into information about the famous superheroes Batman and Superman and the imaginary superhero The Hopper. Two sentences will NOT be used.
a. During the day they are Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent.
b. One superhero is Artie Spence during the day.
c. One superhero does not have any villains to fight yet.
d. One superhero can fly and has superhuman strength.
e. One superhero uses gadgets to help him fight crime.
f. Some superheroes do not wear disguises.
g. One superhero dresses as an insect to hide his real identity.
Batman and Superman The Hopper
grasshopper superhero protect secret jump abilities enemies
Complete the summary by filling in the blanks.
A writer imagines what it would take to create a 1_____________. The most important thing to think of is the hero’s 2_____________ identity. This is to 3_____________ friends from acts of revenge. The writer decides to disguise the hero as a 4_____________. The writer decides that a superhero also needs special physical 5._____________. The Hopper will be able to 6_____________ long distances. He will also be able to disable his
7_____________ using sound. The writer still needs to think of other details in order for The Hopper to be complete.
Choose the best answer.
1. A superhero needs a secret identity in order to protect his friends from acts of _____________.
a. revenge b.strength c. bad luck d.daring
2. According to the passage, The Hopper needs unique physical abilities to make him _____________.
a. different from other superheroes b.fight criminal activity c. control thousands of bugs d.create a secret identity
3. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about The Hopper?
a. He will be able to leap over tall buildings.
b.He will be able to bend steel with his bare hands.
c. He will be able to disable his enemies using sound.
d.He will be able to lead other insects.
4. What can be inferred about The Hopper?
a. He will never have his own comic book like Superman.
b.He will eventually become a villain.
c. His creator is a grown man.
d.His power comes from a magical bite.
Answer the following questions in 1 or 2 sentences.
1. According to the author, what is the most important decision to make when creating a superhero?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. 2. According to the author, what sets one superhero apart from another?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. 3. What does the author still need to do to create the Hopper?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
