Comprehension and Fluency

Name ___________________________________________________________

Read the passage. Use the reread strategy to make sure you understand what
you have read.

Building Our Community

“Hi, Mom,” I said. “Marla and I

7 want to go to the mall. Could you
15 take us next weekend?”
19 Mom said, “Sorry, Tasha, but I’m
25 working next weekend.”
28 “Maybe Kevin could take us,” I said.
35 Mom smiled because I did not give
42 up, but her voice was firm. “First of all,
51 you and Marla need a parent with you
59 at the mall to keep you safe. Second,
67 Kevin is volunteering next weekend.

He is giving time to help build a home for a family that needs one.”
72 I remembered when Kevin first told us about the home. He’s always
87 been good at building and repairing things. Now that he is seventeen, he is
99 old enough to help with the home building.
113 “It’s not fair,” I said. “Kevin gets to make a real difference, but what
121 can I do? I’m not old enough to help build the house.”
135 “Don’t think of it that way,” Mom said. “People don’t make a difference
147 by thinking about what they can’t do. They make a difference by thinking
160 about what they can do.”
173 I thought about what Mom had said. Maybe she was right. Even if I
178 couldn’t build the house, I could raise money to help.
192

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Practice • Grade 5 • Unit 1 • Week 1 3

 Comprehension and Fluency

Name ____________________________________________________________

The next day before school, I

talked to my teacher about raising
money to help build the house. “Well,
there’s not much time,” Mr. Pham
said, “but let’s talk about it. I bet your
classmates will have ideas about what
we could sell to raise money.
Teamwork will be the best way to
make this happen.”
Later, Mr. Pham let me explain my
idea. Brason raised his hand. “My uncle
owns a T-shirt shop. Maybe he can print
shirts that we can sell.”
“Great!” Mr. Pham said. “Now, we need something to put on the shirts.
Any ideas?”
In a lively debate, we talked about different ideas. At last, we settled on
“Building Our Community” as our slogan. Marla, our class artist, agreed to
draw the design.
The next day, Brason said that his uncle would donate 20 shirts for free.
Marla showed us her sketch for the T-shirt.
By Friday, we were ready. I had posted information on our class Web site
and taped flyers in the halls and the cafeteria. The T-shirts, our merchandise,
were printed.
Our Saturday sale was a success. We earned $125. Some people bought
shirts. Others gave us a dollar or two. With the money, I bought a gift card that
could be used for hammers, nails, and other tools. On the Friday before building
was to start, our class took a field trip to the community center. I smiled as I
presented the gift card. Mom and Mr. Pham were right. Everyone can do
something, and together we can do something great.

4 Practice • Grade 5 • Unit 1 • Week 1 Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

 Comprehension: Sequence and Fluency

Name _____________________________________________________________

A. Reread the passage and answer the questions.

1. Circle the words from the story that are clues to when something
happened.
next da let’s talk about it do something great
2. Circle the sentence that tells when Tasha told the class about her idea.
I bet your classmates will have ideas about what we could sell to raise money.
Later, Mr. Pham let me explain my idea.
The next day, Brason said that his uncle would donate 20 shirts for free.
3. Circle the sentence that tells what happened after the Saturday sale.
Tasha posted information on the class Web site.
The class sold T-shirts to earn money.
Tasha gave a gift card to the community center.

B. Work with a partner. Read the passage aloud. Pay attention to expression
and accuracy. Stop after one minute. Fill out the chart.

Number of Words Correct

Words Read =
Errors Score
First Read =
Second Read =

Beginning /Intermediate Read the directions and the first item. Pair students of different language
abilities to complete the page. Have them read their answers to each other.

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Practice • Grade 5 • Unit 1 • Week 1