Activities for Fast Finishers G4-8

ACTIVITIES FORFAST FINISHERS Language Arts by Marc Tyler Nobleman New York • Toronto • London • Auckland • Sydney Mexico City • New Delhi • Hong Kong • Buenos Aires Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman, Scholastic Teaching Resources Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the content of this book for classroom use only. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. Edited by Denise Willi Cover design by Maria Lilja Cover illustration by Jeff Shelly Interior illustrations by Steve Cox, Jared Lee, and Mike Moran Interior design by Melinda Belter ISBN: 0-439-35531-1 Copyright © 2002 by Marc Tyler Nobleman All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman, Scholastic Teaching Resources Contents TEACHER LETTER . . . . . . . . . . 4 STUDENT CHECKLIST . . . . . . . 5 GRAMMAR Double Take . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Letter Lottery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Pieces of Pie . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Double Check . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 LANGUAGE FUN Read, Write, and Solve! . . . . . . 6 Which Is Which? . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Get in on the Action . . . . . . . . 8 Whisper or YELL? ......... 9 What the Action Is . . . . . . . . . 10 Can the Cat Act? . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Where’s the Me? . . . . . . . . . . 12 Inspecting Adjectives . . . . . . . . 13 X Marks the Adjective . . . . . . . 14 The Difficul-Test Activity . . . . . 15 An Adverbially Tricky Code . . . 16 Punctuation Situation . . . . . . . 17 A Highly Irregular Rhyme . . . . 18 Sentence the Make . . . . . . . . . 19 Places Trading . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Three Likes and You’re Out! . . . 21 Turn! Run! Break! Fly! . . . . . . . 22 Language Arts Smarts . . . . . . . 23 SPELLING Word Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Word Hide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Rhyme Is Reason . . . . . . . . . . 40 A Question of Numbers . . . . . 41 Youth Sleuth . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 The Million-Dollar Question . . . 43 Anagramania! . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 It’s Raining Cats and Dogs . . . . 45 Try This, Mate! . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Word Twister . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 In Hiding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Words in the Round . . . . . . . . .49 Crabby Abby . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Are Fries French? . . . . . . . . . . 51 The Inside Story . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Three’s Company . . . . . . . . . . 53 Animal Scramble . . . . . . . . . . 54 On the Double! . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Call the Dog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Top of the Morning! . . . . . . . . .57 Word Train . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 All Locked In . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Haunted Words . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 One Letter Short . . . . . . . . . . 24 A Misspell Spell . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Letter Twins Go Missing . . . . . 26 Strange Spelling Bee . . . . . . . . 27 Blurring the Lines . . . . . . . . . 28 No Nonsense! . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Like Two Peas in a Pod . . . . . . 30 Animal Spies . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 E-I-E-I-O . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 A Classics Problem . . . . . . . . . 33 3 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman, Scholastic Teaching Resources all the better. but if it does. A class is taking a test or working on a project and a few students finish sooner than the rest. then it must be for good reason! I hope you and your students enjoy this book. Does your class like crossword puzzles? What about word finds? Jumbles? If so. though none is a conventional crossword puzzle. you’ll like the activities in this book because they reinforce your curriculum by focusing on grammar and other language skills in fun. In many instances. It doesn’t lose its effect if it makes a student want to look up a word in a reference source—in fact. — Marc Tyler Nobleman 4 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. they’ll love the activities in this book. It doesn’t always go with the familiar word. There are 55 one-page activities in all. word find. these exercises take those activities and add a twist—or just stand them on their heads. can track which activities they’ve completed. new ways. Meanwhile. It’s full of high-interest activities that your students are sure to love. They’re sitting around. This book doesn’t back down from challenging kids. and your students. We’ve provided a checklist on the next page so you. Scholastic Teaching Resources . designed to be worked on independently for an average of ten to fifteen minutes each.Teacher Letter About This Book It happens to teachers all the time. It prefers not to repeat approaches. What can you give them so they’ll use what’s left of the period in a valuable and enriching way? That’s where this book can be of help. or jumble. looking bored. . . and Solve! Which Is Which? Get in on the Action Whisper or YELL? What the Action Is Can the Cat Act? Where’s the Me? Inspecting Adjectives X Marks the Adjective The Difficul-Test Activity An Adverbially Tricky Code Punctuation Situation A Highly Irregular Rhyme Sentence the Make Places Trading Turn! Run! Break! Fly! Language Arts Smarts 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 23 LANGUAGE FUN Three Likes and You’re Out! 21 SPELLING ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ One Letter Short A Misspell Spell Letter Twins Go Missing Strange Spelling Bee Blurring the Lines No Nonsense! Like Two Peas in a Pod Animal Spies E-I-E-I-O A Classics Problem 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ Word Magic Word Hide Rhyme Is Reason A Question of Numbers Youth Sleuth Anagramania! It’s Raining Cats and Dogs Try This. Animal Scramble On the Double! Call the Dog Top of the Morning! Word Train All Locked In Haunted Words 38 39 40 41 42 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 The Million-Dollar Question 43 5 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman.Name _______________________________________________________________ Student Checklist Track Your Progress! Put a ✓ in the box for each activity you complete. ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ Double Take Letter Lottery Pieces of Pie Double Check 34 35 36 37 GRAMMAR ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ Read. Mate! Word Twister In Hiding Words in the Round Crabby Abby Are Fries French? The Inside Story Three’s Company . Write. Scholastic Teaching Resources . Circle it.) When you’re done. you’ll need to solve the puzzle on this page. you’ll have your answer in the column down the center of the puzzle! WORD CHART tool water clothing star house color sound bird bench knoll red nova mosque shiny thud ostrich cut geyser leotard comet kiosk ivory band ocelot chisel mesa whistle galaxy bungalow striped mouth orbit P U Z Z L E : What word means “able to read and write”? W Y D R H A D C YOUR TURN h i s e L Use the puzzle’s mystery word to write a catchy slogan that stresses the importance of being able to read and write. then write it in the grid where it belongs. To begin. Write. Write across using one letter per box. and Solve! What word means “able to read and write”? To get the answer.Date _______________ NOUNS Name _______________________________________________________________ Read. You’ll know where to write the word because its last letter already appears in the grid. (The words won’t fill every box in the row. look at the word chart below. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ 6 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. Scholastic Teaching Resources . Only one of the three words next to each noun in boldface is a type of that noun. SAIL? Noun: _____________________________________ Verb: ______________________________________ 10. DRAW? Noun: _____________________________________ Verb: ______________________________________ 2. Scholastic Teaching Resources . Circle your choice. and one that can be only a noun or a verb. PARK? Noun: _____________________________________ Verb: ______________________________________ 6. then write two brief sentences: one using the word as a noun and the other suing the word as a verb. TAKE vs. IDEA? Noun: _____________________________________ Verb: ______________________________________ 5. TELL? Noun: _____________________________________ Verb: ______________________________________ 3. only one of the two words can be used as both a noun and a verb. FIND? Noun: _____________________________________ Verb: ______________________________________ 9. SHOW vs. DEPART vs. HIDE vs. LOSE vs. DESTROY vs. EXIT? Noun: _____________________________________ Verb: ______________________________________ 4. BRING? Noun: _____________________________________ Verb: ______________________________________ 11.Date _______________ NOUNS AND VERBS Name _______________________________________________________________ Which Is Which? It’s a face-off! In each “competition” below. RECORD? Noun: _____________________________________ Verb: ______________________________________ YOUR TURN Stage your own competition! Find five more pairs of words—one that can be used as both a noun and a verb. WRITE vs. 1. LAWN vs. Try them out on a friend. BORROW vs. 7 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. LOAN? Noun: _____________________________________ Verb: ______________________________________ 7. SALE vs. SEEK? Noun: _____________________________________ Verb: ______________________________________ 8. PLOT vs. Date _______________ VERBS Name _______________________________________________________________ Get in on the Action Each sentence below is missing a verb. Circle any of the four choices that could work in the sentence. There can be more than one answer for each. We’ve done the first one for you. T I P : Be careful with tenses! 1. My neighbor always __________ her dog in the morning. walks grooming trained trick 2. Those birds always __________ overhead. flying 3. “ __________ it, Michael!” stop hurry move ate sat chirp fly 4. Both of them __________ the puppy. buys name named will buy 5. “Please empty the garbage and __________ the door on the way out,” she said. close keep shut go out 6. My favorite sport is tennis, but I also __________ swimming. play likes am liking enjoy 7. If you __________ something in the dark, don’t panic. feel went hear are 8. The correct way to __________ a fire is written on that sign. start preventing extinguish prevent 9. Don’t __________ everything you read. be trusting believe put explains 10. The children __________ noisily in the backyard and had a great time. played frolic will stay cavorted 8 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman, Scholastic Teaching Resources Date _______________ VERBS Name _______________________________________________________________ Whisper or YELL? The verbs listed below belong in one of two columns: quiet words and loud words. Sort them into the correct column in the chart. Then go to the corresponding word finds and circle them. You’ll find the quiet words in lowercase letters only in the quiet word find. The loud words in the other grid are in capital letters only. Words are across or down, not diagonal or backward. GO FOR IT! VERBS 1. whisper 2. yell 3. mumble 4. scream 5. shout 6. mutter 7. murmur 8. demand QUIET WORDS LOUD WORDS QUIET WORD FIND W w h i s p e r H a m u t t e r I h u e M m m Y S r r m U u u u P D m u T r m e E e u t T m b s D a r t E r l M m e m m b l e u o M C U R M U R T S S H O U R Y LOUD WORD FIND Y H a s P S D E E s c r e a r C O U T S C e Y E L L T o S S l l e s e C S H O U T a R R E y e l m E E M A N D s A u y I o o u M YOUR TURN Find three other examples of loud or quiet verbs. If you need help, use a thesaurus. _______________ _______________ _______________ 9 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman, Scholastic Teaching Resources Date _______________ NOUNS AND VERBS Name _______________________________________________________________ What the Action Is Each noun below is followed by four verbs. However, the noun can only do three of them. In other words, the noun can be the subject for only three of the four verbs. Circle the letter of the verb that doesn’t work with the subject. The first one is done for you. 1. ball 2. window 3. tree 4. hand 5. star 6. dog 7. bucket 8. plate 9. driver 10. asphalt a. throw a. break a. grow a. stand a. twinkle a. jump a. carry a. hold a. sputter a. buckle b. drop b. see b. fall b. wave b. glow b. yawn b. leak b. fall b. accelerate b. melt c. roll c. open c. sway c. grip c. explode c. throw c. drop c. eat c. brake c. crack d. bounce d. reflect d. chop d. pat d. visit d. fetch d. fall d. spin d. steer d. pave YOUR TURN Think of another verb that fits with each noun above and write them here. ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ 10 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman, Scholastic Teaching Resources • If a noun is missing. 8. “That doesn’t pertain to me.Date _______________ NOUNS AND VERBS Name _______________________________________________________________ Can the Cat Act? The word cat is a noun. try not to _________________ too loudly. If a verb is missing. Circle the noun or verb. At home. Vanessa is so excited to go to the toy shop that she _________________ like a rabbit from the car to the shop’s door. The _________________ put down his brush and said. pets 11 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. Scholastic Teaching Resources . The _________________ is planning to resign after tonight’s concert. We’ve done the first one for you. 1. When opening the mystery crate. 7. 2. But if you rearrange its letters it will become the verb act. “You will spot the _________________ amid the clutter on the top shelf. TIPS: • Do not count any helping verbs. The _________________ of trainers will face its most dangerous job yet when it must tame the lion. can. our _________________ know they must step around the baby or she will grab them. you will rearrange a noun. then write the missing word on the blank line.” 10. You can figure out what the missing word is by rearranging the letters of another noun or verb in the sentence. such as be. 3.” my mother said. 4. The wolf watched the stream _________________ down the mountainside. you will rearrange a verb. Each sentence below is missing either a noun or a verb. My sister cannot _________________ a moist piece of chocolate cake. If sales are down. or will. 9. 6. the boss puts his head on his desk and ______________. 5. Twenty students appeared in the school play and performed roles perfectly. Molly’s favorite color is blue. In each sentence. but I wish I did. The teacher saw you do. Jackson couldn’t predict how much snow would have to shovel after the storm. one pronoun is missing. If these instruments aren’t hers. 6. Pick any pronoun from the box on the right that fits. 3. 9. then put a caret ( ^ ) where the word should go and write the pronoun above it so the sentence reads correctly. Don’t know any secrets. then they must be. You knitted a cashmere sweater? 12 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. 7. Please help clean the house. Her sandwich is much thicker than because of the homemade bread. 10. 8. 4. 5. 2. but most of clothes are red. Scholastic Teaching Resources . Evelyn jumped after accidentally slammed the door. PRONOUNS their her he she his it me I theirs whom 1.Date _______________ PRONOUNS Name _______________________________________________________________ Where’s the Me? A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. N O T E : Splash does not describe water. Scholastic Teaching Resources . time limited / no / enough / when 10.Date _______________ A D J E CT I V E S Name _______________________________________________________________ Inspecting Adjectives An adjective is a word that tells us more about a noun. water deep / dirty / ice / splash 2. star space / falling / north / distant 9. What word listed near each noun cannot describe it? Circle your answers. beach windy / trip / private / tropical 6. child cranky / unruly / crease / wild 13 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. fence building / wooden / abandoned / unfinished 8. Look at each noun in boldface. voice quiet / deep / speak / squeaky 3. We’ve done the first one for you. path hidden / curved / dirt / direction 5. It is a sound something makes when it hits water. lamp shine / street / antique / dusty 4. 1. sentence opening / confusing / paragraph / important 7. Scholastic Teaching Resources . For each noun. put an “x” in the column of any adjective that could be used to describe that noun.Date _______________ A D J E CT I V E S Name _______________________________________________________________ X Marks the Adjective In this chart. Be prepared to explain your choices street inexpensive green long frightened hungry ancient confusing clever private mysterious skunk book dinner vine friend castle 14 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. nouns run along the top and adjectives run down the side. Date _______________ A D J E CT I V E S : C O M PA R AT I V E A N D S U P E R L AT I V E F O R M S Name _______________________________________________________________ The Difficul-Test Activity Every sentence below includes one or more comparisons using adjectives. but they can be said another way. 10. 8. 3. 11. 6. Mary was more sillier than the rest of her classmates. Objects in the rearview mirror are more close than they appear. Which American city is the farther away from the Canadian border? 12. 9. 2. Then decide if you need either a correction for it or an alternative to it and write it in the appropriate column. That part of the lake is the most deep. The new student was the preparedest for the test. The grass is always more green on the other side of the fence. Daniela has two sisters. Circle these comparisons. But some of the comparisons are incorrectly worded. Others are not incorrectly worded. 5. Ms. Scholastic Teaching Resources . One cheetah was fastest than the other. 4. She was the playfulest puppy in the park. 7. Sapper got our class the more colorful piñata we’d ever seen. We’ve done the first two for you. SENTENCES 1. CORRECTION? ALTERNATIVE? oldest sunnier 15 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. This is the importantest rule of the game. Yesterday was more sunny than today. but she is the most old. _________________ 5. The young gorilla ran fluapy around his mother. _________________ 7. The maestro conducted the orchestra tiriban and received a thunderous round of applause. Scholastic Teaching Resources . The acrobat lksfui landed on the exact spot he promised. but most of the class laughed hiryecats. We’ve done the first one for you. the remaining letters are scrambled! Figure out the correct adverb for each sentence. 1. _________________ 4. Don’t worry about cracking the code. _________________ joyfully 16 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. _________________ 2. though. A few kids didn’t like the performance. The soldier stood yola by his commander’s side. Tomorrow. I will nafi see the results of my audition and whether or not I made it into the school play. The sorcerer broke the spell by looking at them cathnoiyp. I am uf packed an hour before everyone else. _________________ 10. Plus. _________________ 6. The fairies danced foyju every night. but the adverb is in code. We were crtapica asleep when a clap of thunder jolted us awake. _________________ 3.Date _______________ ADVERBS Name _______________________________________________________________ An Adverbially Tricky Code Each of these sentences contains an adverb. _______________ 9. We’re about to tell you how! Each adverb in italics is missing its “-ly” ending. as well as the letters “l” or “ll” from the main word. 8. At the rehearsal. 8. 3. Of course rain might also keep us away. 17 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. but I swear it sounded just like a werewolf! 5. and individual practice sessions meet on Thursday. 4. It’s 300 P. The letter began Dear Mr. This is the best way to describe the day of the race sunny and spectacular. 6. 1. Read each sentence and figure out which punctuation marks are missing. the talk-show host said while looking into the television camera. 9. then write the correct punctuation mark above the caret. Jack needed help building a bookcase. the conductor gave us this schedule chorus meets every Tuesday band rehearsal is on Wednesday. Scholastic Teaching Resources . or quotation marks. Remember this old saying An apple a day keeps the doctor away. the doctor told the little girl after the check-up. I heard a strange scary howl last night I told my friend Jack over the telephone. 2. 10.M. and a box of nails. I know it sounds crazy. However today I don’t want any pie. This is when I usually like to snack on a piece of pecan pie and have a cup of tea. colon. 7. so I said I’ll be right over! He asked me to bring the following a screwdriver a hammer. Even so few people turned out to run. Put a caret ( ^ ) to indicate where they should go.Date _______________ P U N CT U AT I O N Name _______________________________________________________________ Punctuation Situation Each of the sentences or group of sentences below is missing one or more of the following punctuation marks: comma. and Henrietta the hip hippo. Houston Dallas. However much of Texas is still made up of wide-open spaces. The line-up for tonight’s show will be as follows Brenda the wonder frog Tulip the talking toucan. On hot days only one thing would stop us from going to the beach crowds. President Thank you for your support. and San Antonio are all major cities. 18 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. I saw where it ran and hided. and he wanted it to rhyme. there’s a way to do it But it never can be teached!” Well. What was that odd little beast? To its hiding spot I creeped. quick creature. I did not speak. One toy was really an elf Surrounded by things it taked. Scholastic Teaching Resources . Then suddenly I awaked. How? I really wish I knowed. My landing was very smooth. I started to follow it. This scared a small. Well. Last night I had a great dream. But I never can be catched. Down on my left knee I bended. Straight to the forest it goed. I stayed in bed in silence Until a tiny voice speaked. Peeking into the darkness All I saw were toys it keeped. I thought they were all toys. “Thank you for visiting me. I jumped up and then I flied Over land and through the clouds.Date _______________ IRREGULAR VERBS Name _______________________________________________________________ A Highly Irregular Rhyme A poet wrote the poem below. Until something burped and shaked. scream. Why doesn’t it rhyme in certain places? He forgot about irregular past-tense verbs. Cross out each verb that has the wrong past-tense form and write the correct form above it. or blink. But down a small hill I slided. Help him fix the rhyme. Just as I cracked a smile. father’s air dream me for force is be pilot my to an ______________________________________________________________ 10. being good thank for a friend you ______________________________________________________________ 8. 1. Write each a statement. raisin shirt Frank’s was as wrinkled a as ______________________________________________________________ YOUR TURN Take your favorite line from a song. and see if a friend or family member can figure out the title of the song it is from. my clock got a he grandfather when this boy was ______________________________________________________________ 6. but she needs T I P : Each sentence is help arranging the words in the right order. Scholastic Teaching Resources .Date _______________ R E C O G N I Z I N G C O R R E CT WORD ORDER Name _______________________________________________________________ Sentence the Make Latoya wrote a bunch of sentences on index cards— one word per card. 19 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. last I’m math I was year than at better ______________________________________________________________ 7. none is a question. sentence correctly on the line provided. newest are at the the the zoo animals penguins ______________________________________________________________ 4. rearrange the words. She was carrying them to show her brother when she dropped them all! She managed to group the words from each sentence together again. you louder everyone so hear speak can ______________________________________________________________ 5. have family you nice a ______________________________________________________________ 3. passing barks my cars at dog ______________________________________________________________ 2. the gave free pitcher us tickets game next to the ______________________________________________________________ 9. One of the lions escaped from the zoo but he was caught safely last night. On a long trip it’s nice to have a good telescope to read. The waiting room at the doctor’s office is filled with old branches. To correct the error. you’ll need to circle the word in each sentence that doesn’t belong. we saw lots of broken magazines around the city. __________________________________________________________________ 7. He had never seen a meteor shower and was looking forward to seeing one through the book. __________________________________________________________________ 3. Scholastic Teaching Resources . ____________________________________________________ 2. but by Monday caught in mud. ____________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 20 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. but by Monday they were already She got new sneakers this weekend. ______________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 8. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 9. __________________________________________________________________ 5. I always drink a glass of pizza before I go to bed at night. _____________________________________________________ they were already splattered in mud. One of the lions escaped from the zoo but he was splattered safely last night. I try to resist and have a carrot stick instead. the team decided to have a victory celebration at the local water parlor. Some of the students brought in their favorite toys for urge and tell. Rewrite each sentence with the correct word in its place on the blanks below.Date _______________ R E C O G N I Z I N G C O R R E CT WORD ORDER Name _______________________________________________________________ Places Trading Each sentence below has a word that has traded places with a word in another sentence. Every time I have the show to eat chocolate. Then. __________________________________________________________________ 4. __________________________________________________________________ 10. 1. After winning the state softball championship. We’ve done the first one for you. __________________________________________________________________ 6. figure out which two sentences can trade circled words so they make sense. After the storm. She got new sneakers this weekend. but now I say there is nothing like ________________________________________________________________________ spending a warm night under the stars. I never liked camping ________________________________________________________________________ much—until this summer. We all slept very peacefully. “Like it or not. When I heard a strange ________________________________________________________________________ rustling noise in the nearby bushes. Every so often we sat on some ________________________________________________________________________ rocks to rest. Did she strike out or did she make the grade? What I Did on My Summer Vacation ________________________________________________________________________ by Adele Martin Unlike the rest of my family. everything was so tranquil. hot as if it ________________________________________________________________________ had been in a fire—my dad jumped up as soon as he sat down! ________________________________________________________________________ At night. like nothing else I’ve ever smelled. ________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 21 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. like. If she used any version of the word “like” incorrectly more than three times. you are ________________________________________________________________________ coming on this trip!” she said. smiling. I was. Of course I expected it to be.Date _______________ C O R R E CT U S A G E O F “ L I K E” Name _______________________________________________________________ Three Likes and You’re Out! Read Adele’s report about what she did on her summer vacation. like. I liked ________________________________________________________________________ the sound of the babbling brooks. Scholastic Teaching Resources . like. I tried to get out of it but my ________________________________________________________________________ mom didn’t like that very much. she’s struck out on her report! Circle any time she used like incorrectly. The forest had ________________________________________________________________________ such a fresh scent. I started to feel differently. A year ________________________________________________________________________ ago I disliked camping. ________________________________________________________________________ Once there. I was forced to go on a three-day ________________________________________________________________________ hiking and camping trip. ________________________________________________________________________ the worst weekend of my life. a little afraid. One time one of the rocks was. ________________________________________________________________________ but it soon went away. Date _______________ PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES Name _______________________________________________________________ Turn! Run! Break! Fly! Each verb in boldface below is accompanied by a group of words in a chart. The first column of words in the chart are prepositions and the second column are nouns. fly ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ off in into by style sunset handle night 22 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. turn ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ on shower on up over into blanket shower driveway volume 2. Draw a line between the prepositions and nouns to make a pair that will make sense with the verb. 1. run ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ through over up across mistake choices nails stairs 3. Scholastic Teaching Resources . break ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ into down up through ice mob laughter wall 4. The first one is done for you. m. The letters a. u. These letters are all consonants: c. If the statement is entirely true. __________________________________________________________________ 23 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. Clan. The words knight. __________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 9. Scholastic Teaching Resources . Homogenized. which features a list of the following animals: Goose. spider. i. serialized. and cower are all examples of nouns.” is not an example of a double negative. 1. k. ________________________________________________________________ 5. _____________________ __________________________________________________________________ 8. __________________________________________________________________ 2. and x. pasteurized. Sagas. _______________________________________________________ 6. and iodine all have the long i vowel sound. pirate. v. __________________________________________________________________ 3. adverb. The pronoun. __________________________________________________________________ 10.Date _______________ GRAMMAR Name _______________________________________________________________ Language Arts Smarts How much do you know about the English language? Cross off the portions of the statements below that are false. and comma are all parts of speech. explain why the statement you crossed out was false. preposition. “You couldn’t help but doubt such a story. In other words. i. variety. e. and y are always vowels. __________________________________________________________________ 4. o. make them true! In the blanks. and viking are not commonly capitalized. The sentence. parables. __________________________________________________________________ 7. circle it. and fables are all types of stories. and anesthetized are all adjectives that can be used to describe kinds of milk. moose. The words title. d. The grammar and punctuation are correct in this sentence. l. gladiator. and deer. crevice. constable. sheep. but he soon showed just how good his memory was when he zoomed off the correct exit without needing help. the king and queen expected to be recognized as they walked quietly among the citizen of their kingdom to observe how they lived. 8. A jitery Zelda couldn’t find her guitar. then write the missing letter next to each sentence in the right-hand column of the chart. Can you figure out which word it is and which letter is missing in each example? Put a caret ( ^ ) where the letter should go. Even though they wore disguises. 7. It was exactly five years ago today that a quartet of scientists uncovered the skeleton of a previously unknown Jurasic dinosaur about the size of a horse. and plump nectarines at the farmers’ market. xylophone. nobody thought he knew which rout to take. You can buy suculent squashs. The most amazing thing about the novel is that all of us liked the plot and just about every one of the characters—exept the protagonist! 6. 3. 4. 2. When Quentin drove. The newscaster reported that a group of jakals escaped from the zoo at about six o’clock this morning. but assured viewers that nobody is in any danger. juicy watermelons. Scholastic Teaching Resources . MISSING LETTER 24 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman.Date _______________ IDENTIFYING MISSPELLED WORDS Name _______________________________________________________________ One Letter Short One word in each of the sentences below is incorrectly spelled because it’s missing a letter. A bookeeper has the very important job of keeping track of people’s money and daily business affairs. SENTENCE 1. 5. or viola anywhere despite the fact that she turned the entire house upside down looking for the instruments. Pliesi Drovi Cerifally = ___________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 5. We’ve done the first one for you. Eno Sazo Fats Ull = ____________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 4. Faxud Whalu Yei Woat = _________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 10. Write your answers (including the vowels that were switched) H I N T: Be warned! Each sign has a different jumble! in the blanks. See if your classmates can figure out what your sign says and which vowels you switched around. i became u) 1. Tackot Wanduw = ______________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 7. Undo his spell so the signs are readable again by figuring out which vowels he switched around. Wark Zani = ____________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ YOUR TURN Create your own jumble like the ones above. Kuup Yeir Tewn Cluon = _________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 9. Wulcimu ti Ior Schiil = ___________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 8. Froo Pirkung = _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 2. 25 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. Scholastic Teaching Resources . e became o. Onnuvarsory Sola = _____________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 6.Date _______________ SPELLING WITH VOW ELS Name _______________________________________________________________ A Misspell Spell A mischievous young magician accidentally jumbled the vowels on signs all over town. Ipan 24 Hiers = ________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 3. Free Parking (a became i. _scap_ 5.Date _______________ WORD BUILDING Name _______________________________________________________________ Letter Twins Go Missing Each of these words begins and ends with the same letter— but that letter has _ isappeare_ ! Determine the correct missing letter. except for one example. then spell the word in the chart. Then try to write a short palindrome sentence. which has two correct answers. _inemati_ 9. _evive_ 8. _illo_ 6. _ainstrea_ 7. 26 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. There is only one correct letter for each. Which are they? Circle them. Scholastic Teaching Resources . _ada_ MISSING LETTER CORRECTLY SPELLED YOUR TURN Several of the words above have more than letter twins—they’re palindromes. _rai_ 3. _atio_ 4. _aya_ 12. _isappeare_ 2. _ivi_ 10. WORD 1. _rea_ 11. Palindromes are words or sentences that read the same way forward or backward. Date _______________ C O M M O N LY M I S S P E L L E D WORDS Name _______________________________________________________________ Strange Spelling Bee This year. We’ve done the first one for you. INCORRECTLY SPELLED WORD CORRECTLY SPELLED WORD 1ST LETTER WRONG RANK (1–12) niether dunjeon absense associatian governer correspondance emphibian environmentul thesauris boomarang chlorophill nesessary neither 2nd letter “i” should be “e” 2 (earliest mistake) 27 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. Scholastic Teaching Resources . How soon were the words spelled wrong? Rank them from 1 (mistake in the first letter) to 12 (mistake in the twelfth letter). Each student spelled each word wrong by at least one letter. the Norton Elementary School spelling bee is featuring some of the hardest words to spell. Circle only the words that are spelled correctly. When filled in correctly. as in the example. Then use a pencil to write those words in the 50-box grid. Each correctly spelled word has only one possible place within the boxes.Date _______________ IDENTIFYING MISSPELLED WORDS Name _______________________________________________________________ Blurring the Lines The list below contains some words that are spelled incorrectly. Scholastic Teaching Resources . How will you know where they belong? Two letters are provided in the grid to start you off. Example: If the first word is “explain” and the second word is “narrate. the last letter of each word is also the first letter of the following word (except the first and last words!). one letter per box.” the words would be placed in the row like this: e x p a t e l a i n a r r WORD LIST heyday dabbel yearn dumbfounded rancid naive drivel playright GRID napsack nymph havock rhthym plunder existance rinocerous lexicon X V 28 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. sent. open 4. pole. ugly. burn. drop. say. rout. leap. steal 10. T I P : Don’t count “y” as a vowel in this exercise. click. sang. grass. blab 6. rose. ship ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ YOUR TURN Create a series of words like the ones above. flour. See if your classmates can figure out which word would be the nonsense word when its vowel is replaced with an “o. button. oboe. pear. mast. trail 8. knack. farm 5. Don’t worry if you come across a word that already has an “o” in it.” 29 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. moan 2. Scholastic Teaching Resources . tea. tell.Date _______________ SPELLING WITH VOW ELS Name _______________________________________________________________ No Nonsense! Which word in each group becomes nonsense if you replace each of its vowels with “o”? Write that word in the blanks. type. you can’t change an “o” to an “o”!) Example: luck. creek. lint. The other three all make words when you replace their non-“o” vowels with “o”: lock. weed. onto. (After all. ward. flip 3. plant. must 9. pets 7. reef. rude. finale. lint 1. drip _____________ The word you would write on the blank is lint because lont is not a word. list. noun. snap. into. You are only changing the other vowel or vowels. pr 15. lr duet. Scholastic Teaching Resources . dl 7.Date _______________ SPELLING WITH VOW ELS Name _______________________________________________________________ Like Two Peas in a Pod For each group below.” There can be more than one correct answer. We’ve done the first one for you. mt _____________________________ 6. bk _____________________________ 9. mn _____________________________ 13. rt 3. rr _____________________________ _____________________________ 30 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. like “two peas in a pod. pl _____________________________ 10. 1. dt 2. diet _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ ue io ai ai oo ue ea ue oo ee oi ea oo ea oo ae oo ea ee ea ea ee oo ee ie ia oo ai ue ue ie ae ie ou ai ua ou ea ai ea ai ai ea oo ea oe ea oo ia ue ia oa ai oi oo ue oe ue ee ia 5. sm _____________________________ 14. dd _____________________________ 11. sp _____________________________ _____________________________ 8. st 4. circle any vowel pair that can form a common word if put between the consonants. tl _____________________________ 12. toucan. crab. lemming. Scholastic Teaching Resources . grasshopper 3. earthworm.Date _______________ WORD BUILDING Name _______________________________________________________________ Animal Spies If you study each list of animals below you’ll discover one more hidden animal. Then write the hidden animal in the center column. We’ve done the first one for you. urodele. cougar. elk. echidna. spider. alligator. fox. tiger. lion. squid. raven 9. llama. osprey. urchin. THE LIST IF YOU REMOVE HIDDEN ANIMAL 1. Bear. owl. ibis. asp. orca. eel. inchworm. chimpanzee. iguana. rat. sheep. hyena 8. camel. llama. eagle camel. gnu. rabbit. How? By combining the first letters of each animal into a new word. Circle both sneaks in each group and write them in the chart below. egret. auk. aardvark. emu. python. tuna 7. raccoon 10. moth. aardvark. narwhal. ladybug. But beware! Two animal spies have crept into each group—and they must be removed to correctly spell the hidden animal. impala. rhinoceros. catfish. lion. robin. needlefish. ermine. snake. chipmunk. lion 2. louse. otter. porpoise. elephant 6. walrus. ibex. panther. bat. antelope. mustang. leopard. giraffe. coyote. wombat. albatross. panda. lemur. muskrat. kangaroo. armadillo 5. eagle. squirrel. tapir. zebra. seal. newt 4. nightingale. anteater. dingo. swan. manatee. rhinoceros b-u -l-l 31 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. ” They’re the stars here.Date _______________ SPELLING WITH DOUBLE VOW ELS Name _______________________________________________________________ E-I-E-I-O The vowels “e.” Only one of these double vowels works for each jumble.” “i.” and “o” are the stars of the show in the song “Old McDonald Had a Farm. sykp ➡ 8. seld ➡ 10. nm ➡ 3. tr ➡ 2. lchs ➡ 7. gnks ➡ 11. 32 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman.” “ii. But they can be made into a word if you unscramble them and add double vowels—either “ee. nuq ➡ 12. nkgiln ➡ 9.” or “oo. We’ve done the first one for you. Scholastic Teaching Resources . waha ➡ WORD _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ root YOUR TURN Create three jumbled consonants like the ones above and see if your classmates can figure out the missing double vowels and the word they create. JUMBLE 1. too. rei ➡ 5. sm ➡ 4. The consonants in each example are all mixed up. gil ➡ 6. The Chirping Insect in the Central Tourist Sight of a Big American City 3. We’ve done the first one for you. The Fealine in the Headwear 2. the Woman With Supernaturel Powers. The Twenty-Four-Hour Period of Cold Precipitashun 10. The Small Locomotave That Was Able 9. Farewell for the Evening. then circle any misspellings or incorrect punctuation you find.Date _______________ RECOGNIZING MISSPELLED WORDS Name _______________________________________________________________ A Classics Problem You’ve just been handed a stack of classic children’s book titles that have been renamed. Fast Train to the Artic ORIGINAL TITLE The Cat in the Hat YOUR TURN Rename a favorite book of yours. The Place Creatures Who Are Not Well Behaved Live 5. Your boss wants to know the original title of each children’s classic and to make sure the new titles are spelled and punctuated correctly before they are printed in a catalogue. Small Residance on the Flat Land in the Middle of the Country 4. The Tall Plant That Is Very Jenerous 11. The Large Cat. The Insect With a Strong Apetite 8. Predict the Amount of Effection I Have for You 12. Figure out the original title based on the meanings. Avoid books with proper names in the title (such as Curious George ) because there are usually no other words for them! 33 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. Earth’s Satelite 7. NEW TITLE 1. But you have a problem: The original list of titles was accidentally thrown away. Scholastic Teaching Resources . and the Clothes Closet 6. o?? 7. (There can be more than one set per incomplete word. fu??y 9. Scholastic Teaching Resources . si??ing 8. Write them in the center column of the chart.Date _______________ SPELLING WITH DOUBLE VOW E LS A N D C O N S O N A N TS Name _______________________________________________________________ Double Take Below is a series of incomplete words. MISSING DOUBLE LETTER(S) INCOMPLETE WORD WORD(S) FORMED 1. ba??le 6. j??r 5. pu??le 4.) Then. 34 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. write the words formed with the double letters on the right-hand side of the chart. e?? YOUR TURN Think of three other words with double letters. a??ount 3. Each word is missing a set of double letters that will make the word whole. bu??le 2. Then see if any other double letter could replace them and make another. p??l 10. k. t a. half 7. r o. We’ve done the first one for you. i.Date _______________ WORD BUILDING Name _______________________________________________________________ Letter Lottery Each word below is followed by a choice of three letters. w f. lamp 5. y. n. o. raid 2. g. Write the correct letter. echo 4. s l. ORIGINAL WORD LETTER CHOICES CORRECT LETTER NEW WORD 1. g. o. Scholastic Teaching Resources . lips 8. grow 6. apes 3. 35 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. m d. then write the new word or words it forms. z a. u a. large e. v m. Only one of the three can form a new word (or words) when the letters of the original word are rearranged and the extra letter is added to them. i. u. r e. cool 9. ride 10. p o radio YOUR TURN Create three more exercises like these and try them with your classmates. test these combinations in the pie slices. To figure out what type of pie each one is. Pie with six slices: ______________________ p ec an 2. Pie with five slices: ______________________ LETTERS AND LETTER COMBINATIONS PU WB Y UE EY CR P IN BO ST ON AN EC BE AM LI RY K ST BL ER PK M E RR RA ME 36 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. Using a pencil. you’ll need to work with the letters and letter combinations at the bottom of the page. and rework them until the right type of pie is spelled out for each one. (If it’s “au. since each is used only once. 1. Pie with four slices: ______________________ 3. Pie with four slices: ______________________ 5. Pie with three slices: ______________________ pecan 4. Cross off each letter or combination after you use it.” you can’t make it “ua.”) We’ve done the first one for you. You may not rearrange a letter combination. Pie with five slices: ______________________ 6.Date _______________ WORD BUILDING Name _______________________________________________________________ T I P : None of the pies is apple! Pieces of Pie There are six mystery “pies” on this page. Scholastic Teaching Resources . Each pie is cut into pieces. 1. We didn’t discover any buried treasure on the beach. Write the correct word or words on the line. which we first thought was gold. even computers make mistakes. you knead to be absolutely stationery or else you’ll scare your subjects away. Scholastic Teaching Resources . ___________________ 7. especially when they come across homophones—words that sound alike but have different spellings and meanings. ___________________ 37 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. The steaming hot muffins were loaded with small. _______________ 8. ___________________ 4. ___________________ 5. which gave off a wonderful sent. ___________________ 10. ___________________ 6. ___________________ 2. The Army Core of Engineers has worked hard to build bridges. Losing the soccer championship to a team that had an inferior record last season was a lessen in overconfidence for our team. tunnels. Below is a list of sentences that have been spell-checked by a computer. I felt sorry for the oxen in the field because they kept throwing their heads back in an attempt to loosen the yolks that hung heavily around their necks. Queen Ima Badrula’s rein ended abruptly when her people decided they wanted a new sovereign and overthrew her. Circle the incorrect homophones the computer missed. you can’t misspell a word as long as you use the spell-check feature. If you want to take photographs of an animal in the wild. Some sentences have more than one. don’t expect one in return. sweet currents. When you complement a person on a job well done.Date _______________ IDENTIFYING MISSPELLED HOMOPHONES Name _______________________________________________________________ Double Check It’s easy to think that when you work with a computer. But. ___________________ 3. ___________________ 9. but we did fined a broken peace of medal. especially when they are soaring over the crashing surf at the beach. The shellfish had such a strong mussel that it couldn’t be pride open with a knife. and highways so Americans can travel moor easily. Turns are beautiful birds to watch. Have you ever seen a movie where rats were the star of the show? 3. 1. The museum curator could not predict how he would react when he opened the crate of mummies from Egypt. The deer stepped gingerly toward the patch of weeds and tasted the reed. For example. sole/lose and arms/rams are anagrams. 9. The plants in our garden might be in danger from insects and other pests. We read a book about a brave woman who traveled across the ocean alone in a canoe. 7. 10. We’ve done the first one for you. Poles were set up all the way down the slope to guide skiers. Look at the sentences below. but in different orders. 4. 8. When I helped my parents build a stone wall in our yard.Date _______________ ANAGRAM FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ Word Magic Anagrams are words that contain the exact same letters. Which two words in each sentence are anagrams of one another? Circle them. Scholastic Teaching Resources . 38 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. 6. YOUR TURN Write your own sentence that includes anagrams. Have a friend or family member find the anagrams. The new game was unusual because anyone who hit the ball into the net didn’t lose any points but was rewarded with ten extra points. 2. The little boy couldn’t keep himself from taking a peek to see if there were any shiny wrapped gifts for him in the shopping bag. 5. In my history class we learned how some explorers would ignore a region if they didn’t think they could find gold there. I took notes so I’d remember how to do it on my own one day. Scholastic Teaching Resources . not backward or diagonally. spooky magic twisted cobweb legend inspect footprint sleuth strange phantom RULES • To hide each word. • You cannot change any letters that are already in the grid. you’ll need to look for letters of the word that are already in the grid. v f s t o t m a n a n b o a s f f z o e o t d r i o t w d n t r s g m b h a k c e o e o t f o l e m a n n a t w p i n j u v t b g o d p t u g p x r l i n a t i p h a c o l t t w e o e m a e p y t p e t c o s l r o m t c s t e r o p o y 39 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman.” “a. • Some boxes will still be empty when you’re done. • Each word has only one correct hiding place. If there’s an empty box after the “l.” and “l” in a row.Date _______________ PUZZLE FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ Word Hide A word find is a puzzle in which you circle words that are hidden in a grid of letters. This puzzle is the reverse—it’s a word hide! Read the rules to find out how to hide this list of mysterious words in the grid below.” you can write in the letter “k” to finish and hide the word. For example. to hide the word “talk” find the letters “t. • Words can be written either across or down. _________________ library. _________________ window. roof. _________________ GROUP 2 bow. At first glance. thigh. stove. tremble. _________________ shin. hail. bush. pelican. _________________ lake. GROUP 1 (U. We’ve done the first one for you. _________________ (parts of the body) Connecticut. _________________ Maine D O N ’ T F O R G E T: The mystery words in each group must rhyme with one another! 40 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. _________________ (forms of transportation) brain heart. boat. blink. adversary. _________________ see. there is no single correct answer.Date _______________ FUN WITH RHYMING WORDS Name _______________________________________________________________ Rhyme Is Reason Every list below is missing a one-syllable word. Write your answers on the lines and tell what each list of words is about in parentheses. Scholastic Teaching Resources . _________________ shake. brown. lungs. arrow. _________________ hawk. restaurant. Then choose a word to fit that list that also rhymes with the other mystery words in the group. To complete each group of words. _________________ GROUP 3 green. ocean. think of what each list of words is about. states) plane car. _________________ enemy.S. New Mexico. _________________ GROUP 5 seven. beetle. _________________ cricket. twelve. _________________ GROUP 6 grass. _________________ GROUP 4 sleet. _________________ refrigerator. 8. 1. _____________ is the best policy. YOUR TURN Choose one phrase or quotation from the examples above that doesn’t have a number in it.” It means that a person is dressed up in fancy clothes to impress others. 11. _____________ heads are better than one. Complete the phrase with its missing word and write what you think the phrase means. _____________ ’s a crowd. Many other common phrases have numbers in them. 2. 10. Action speaks louder than _____________. _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ 41 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. Only complete the expressions whose missing word is a number. A stitch in time saves ________. 4. Each example below is missing a word. _____________ days a week. 7. _____________ ’s company. 5. 3. A cat has _____________ lives. _____________ corners of the Earth. _____________ wonders of the world. Scholastic Teaching Resources . _____________ is where the heart is. The grass is always greener on the _____________ side of the fence. That’s like the pot calling the kettle _____________. 9. 12. 6.Date _______________ FUN WITH COMMON Q U O TA T I O N S A N D P H R A S E S Name _______________________________________________________________ A Question of Numbers Maybe you’ve heard the expression “dressed to the nines. So instead I’ve decided to let you Take a long ride on my new bike. eats lots of vegetables Dara—good photographer. has a cat. likes music. has lived in several different cities Mike—good speller. But peas and carrots on my plate Fondly. This year they’ve gotten even bigger So I’m posting them on www. Scholastic Teaching Resources . ________________ Card 2.Date _______________ WORD FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ Youth Sleuth Surprise! It’s your birthday and there’s a batch of unsigned birthday cards on your desk at school. oldest girl in the class. But I didn’t know what you would like. Read their personality profiles in the box below. Sincerely. Darren—good at fixing things. Finally your birthday has arrived! Have you been thinking about it for a while? I’m sure you’ll spend the day as I do Doing everything with a smile. ________________ Card 6. Your friend. I thought about buying you a gift.haveahappy birthday. likes history. Then sign the name of the student on the card you think he or she sent. You know your classmates well enough to narrow the suspects down to six. likes science Card 1. Again I get to share your special day. always cheerful. You may look more adult than Patty You may be older than everyone else But you’ll never be older than me! A big fan. rides a bicycle to school Julia—good at sports. ________________ Card 3. Happy birthday to my good friend! I salute you with three cheers. Card 4. ________________ 42 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. ________________ Card 5. But for a change I will celebrate Not with cookies and ice cream cake. plays piano. ________________ Last year my birthday wishes were so big They could’ve filled a whole CD-ROM. You may seem taller than Russell.com! As always. collects seashells Seth—good at math. creates Web sites Randi—good artist. Did you know yours is the same As a man named William Shakespeare’s? Un abrazo. fan a. has many pages b. has a place to sit c. sometimes leaks b. has three prongs 2. Web site a. made of metal c. We’ve done the first one for you. weather occurrence 8. usually with knife 43 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. usually accompanies lightning b. fork a. big crowds b.Date _______________ WORD FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ The Million-Dollar Question Imagine you’re on a game show where the prize is a million dollars if you can get your partner to correctly guess a list of mystery items. office or school supply b. seen on a computer c. thunder a. marching band and floats c. holds papers together 5. fruit on a vine c. Fourth of July b. grape a. very loud c. usually in a bunch b. 1. faucet a. most run on electricity c. Circle the letter of the choice that you feel is the most descriptive of each word or phrase in bold face. Scholastic Teaching Resources . polar bear a. Below is the list of items you must get your partner to correctly identify. water comes out of it c. has two wheels b. parade a. kitchen item c. address on the Internet 6. paper clip a. green or red 4. has blades 9. big and white 10. lives on land c. large North Pole mammal b. bicycle a. You can use no more than five words in your description of each item. circulates air to cool you b. method of transportation 3. in every bathroom 7. Those with an asterisk (*) have two-word answers. Aaron* 10. Curtis 8. For example. Find each person’s favorite by making an anagram using the letters in his or her name. Katie* 4. See if your classmates can guess the word. Reed 3. If you rearrange the letters of cartoon. but they always make real words. Debra 2. Jonas 5. PERSON 1. Gabriel* 6. The letters in United States can become a student site. Scholastic Teaching Resources .Date _______________ ANAGRAM FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ Anagramania! A word or phrase made by rearranging the letters in another word or phrase is called an anagram. 44 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. Anagrams don’t always make sense. Miles food animal thing to use in a park male name (besides his own) pet color type of fruit female name part of a boat facial feature THEIR FAVORITE REMEMBER: “A” and “an” are considered words! ANAGRAM ANSWER YOUR TURN Choose a word (it doesn’t have to be a name) and try to make an anagram out of it. Lenny 9. Gary 7. an anagram of cars is scar. you get no actor. Look at the list of names below. don’t look a gift __________ in the mouth 4. __________ got your tongue 3. hard-working person CORRECT MATCH dog i c. then match the phrase with its meaning in the center column and write the correct letter in the right-hand column.Date _______________ FUN WITH WORDS AND PHRASES Name _______________________________________________________________ It’s Raining Cats and Dogs Each phrase below has a blank. __________ in your pants YOUR TURN The title of this page is also a common expression. I’ll be a __________’s uncle 5. don’t complain about a present i. many choices b. Fill in the animal. a hot period j. Each blank can be filled in with the name of an animal. a search for something difficult to find h. early bird catches the __________ 8. look up the origin of each phrase in a book or online. wild __________ chase 10. What do you think it means? 45 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. eager __________ MEANING a. sitting __________ 6. PHRASE 1. We’ve done the first one for you. expression of surprise 7. unable to sit still e. vulnerable d. can’t speak f. the first person always does well g. plenty of other __________ in the sea 9. Scholastic Teaching Resources . __________ days of summer 2. For added fun. mail 3. mate m. apartment 6. French fries 2. queue l. trainers c. trash can 10. elevator 11. For example. nappies k. the British call a car park. coach h. crisps j. bus 15. friend 8. sneakers 7. potato chips BRITISH a. subway 4. Scholastic Teaching Resources . Draw a line to match each American term in the left column with its British counterpart in the right. chips e. flat g. Below is a list of American and British terms. diapers 9. what Americans call a parking lot.Date _______________ WORD FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ Try This. Look up the words if you don’t know. tube o. AMERICAN 1. guy 12. lift 46 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. police officer 13. Mate! American and British people sometimes have different words or phrases for the same thing. bobby f. boot b. post n. bloke i. trunk (of car) 14. line 5. dustbin d. Four score and seven years ago YOUR TURN Describe the strategy you used to figure out these word twisters. Can’t see the forest for the trees i. see how they run f. dileagelehgiaettenflglocap 9. Early to bed and early to rise d. yelytntoedadebaarlosirer 5. Draw a line from column A to column B and match the row with the phrase. cnvperroeersiltivlkmy 6. Row row row your boat b. in the treetop c.Date _______________ FUN WITH WORDS AND PHRASES Name _______________________________________________________________ Word Twister Each row of letters in column A is actually one of the phrases in column B all mixed up and smushed together. There is only one correct match for each. Scholastic Teaching Resources . COLUMN A 1. I pledge allegiance to the flag g. Three blind mice. tchebdasrrlthwiroacyeme 7. Rockabye baby. kwatietitnllleintwesrtlk 4. bbacyiabtntheeeroptrkoey 10. Early bird catches the worm e. bnhtmeidilreeoehwrhtenuys COLUMN B a. Twinkle twinkle little star j. hcosanrseteeretffrmtoheteest 3. boaoworoyurwortwr 8. ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ 47 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. vorscrgenefenearsaouaydos 2. Never cry over spilt milk h. The favorites are hidden as the first letters of each word in the sentence. fifth or sixth letters—but they’re always in the same position in each word. H I N T: The favorites are not related to the silly sentences. fourth.Date _______________ WORD FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ In Hiding Amanda wrote ten silly sentences and hid one of her favorite things in each sentence. 4. SILLY SENTENCE 1. 3. Scholastic Teaching Resources . Accept individuals having independent dinners. FAVORITE fruit holiday color city family member school subject animal dessert sport season HIDDEN WORD WHICH LETTER grape 2nd YOUR TURN Create your own silly sentence to hide one of your favorite things. The first one is done for you. Eggplants are easily upgraded vegetables. 7. Can older users simply injure nature? 6. 8. See if your classmates can guess what it is. 5. Each helicopter’s person must throw fearless plays. or the second letters. 9. 10. Find Amanda’s favorites in each silly sentence below. 2. 48 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. Short furry beasts can’t argue there. Cats run straight but smell uneven. His allowance looks less overpaid when expense exceeds need. or the third. Tired students treated their rational cousins politely. Saturday every fun concept flings festively. Hiccups cause happy accidents that take precedence. The letters are in order. Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman.Date _______________ WORD FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ Words in the Round Each ring of letters below spells out a word. e r t 6. Scholastic Teaching Resources o r a s t d o c i h v a a r n 49 . s u n 5. c e e l 3. p o i n p YOUR TURN Create your own “word in the round” and ask a friend or family member to determine what the word is. a b c 4. 1. either clockwise or counterclockwise—you just have to figure out where the word starts! Write your answers in the blanks. s t u k m k c a p 2. _______________ 10. Then write the name on the line. _______________ 9. Tell Simon I care about helping the whales. _______________ 5. _______________ 7. _______________ 6. The TV show was comical and sad at the same time.Date _______________ WORD FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ Crabby Abby Each sentence below is hiding the speaker’s name. I saw a big crab by the lifeguard stand. _______________ 8. _______________ 3. _______________ 2. Please be kind and rewind all videotapes before returning them. Scholastic Teaching Resources . _______________ Abby YOUR TURN Try to create a sentence in which your name is hidden. The wolves around here howl in darkness. At dinner. 1. we all want to tell entertaining stories. It looks like it will be another gray Monday. When you figure out which words and letters reveal the name. How can new students adjust to a school and its routines quickly? _______________ 4. We’ve done the first one for you. the mules lie down to rest. After a hard day. The letters of the name are in a row. underline them. The fox den is entirely hidden beneath a pile of leaves. Warning: It is hard to do this with MOST names! 50 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. Date _______________ WORD FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ Are Fries French? The names of many common items include a country. beetle f. checkers g. There is one correct country for each. 51 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. Chinese __________ 6. Sometimes the item is from that country. toast h. measles d. Japanese __________ ITEM a. but many times it’s not. English __________ 9. ink YOUR TURN Think of other phrases or items that begin with a country. Scholastic Teaching Resources . French __________ 2. India __________ 3. You may repeat a country. pie j. Canadian __________ 4. terrier e. taffy b. goose i. channel c. Turkish __________ 10. Scottish __________ 8. COUNTRY 1. German __________ 5. American __________ 7. Match each country with the word in the item column that goes with it by writing its letter on the blank line. maple 13. voter 8. the word maple is hidden inside the word example. government WHAT WORD IS HIDDEN INSIDE? WHAT WORD IS IT HIDDEN INSIDE? maple example 52 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. example 2. so example is written in the hidden words are not second column. As a result. maple is written in the first column next to example. For example. Look at the other words in the list. Decide related to the words in whether they belong in the first or the second column. inside the word example. slippery 4.Date _______________ WORD FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ The Inside Story Each word on the list below is either hiding another word from the list within it or is hidden within another word from the list. When you get to the word maple further down the list. Scholastic Teaching Resources . broom 3. Good luck! WORD LIST 1. you’ll find no words from the list hiding within it. races 10. once you rearrange and discard certain letters. piles 9. logical 14. goal 12. But maple was hidden H I N T: In most cases. scarecrow 5. lighthouse 11. bookmark 7. stole 6. which they are hidden. four’s a crowd. we might say three’s company. sideways 4. T I P : The three words that belong to the group don’t need to use all the letters from the boldface word. You know the old saying: Two’s company. Circle the one word that can’t be formed from the letters in the boldface word. though. . 1. But one of them is an impostor and doesn’t belong to the group. spaghetti 8. Scholastic Teaching Resources . . Each word in bold is followed by four more words. Three of them can be formed using letters from the boldface word.Date _______________ WORD FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ Three’s Company . opportunity 7. three’s a crowd. glacier 2. umbrella 3. reflection real mule shady orbit figure potion pasty recent crier lumber weds invite fudge turnip eight renter glare label daisy never finger unity pigs force clear alarm sways native fluid prior gates client YOUR TURN Pick a word and form three smaller words from it. abbreviation 5. Throw in a fourth word that can’t be made from its letters and ask a friend or family member to spot the impostor! ________________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ 53 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. For the words on this page. but they can’t repeat or add any letters either. lifeguard 6. cbu 2. dspdpejmf 7. rgddo 4. tlvol 5. Tell which method was used to disguise the word.Date _______________ WORD FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ Animal Scramble Each animal name below has been cleverly disguised. noonrtl UNSCRAMBLED WHICH METHOD? YOUR TURN Pick two other animals and disguise their names in each of these three ways. wheal 6. then write each unscrambled word in the chart below. ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ 54 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. It’s either a jumbled word (owc = cow). a word in which each letter is one behind in the alphabet (cow= dpx). grof 3. cfbwfs 10. or a word in which each letter is one ahead in the alphabet (cow= bnv). frigaef 9. Scholastic Teaching Resources . lnmjdx 8. DISGUISED ANIMAL 1. black _____ _____ 8. plane I. owl G. lane F. eagle 4. iron B. talk _____ _____ _____ _____ COLUMN 2 CATEGORICAL REASON _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ LINGUISTIC REASON M 5. yellow P. parrot M. COLUMN 1 1. One is categorical (having to do with groups) and the other is linguistic (having to do with language). Scholastic Teaching Resources . cheese _____ A. copper _____ 6. red C. street H.Date _______________ M ATC H I N G A N D C AT E G O R I Z I N G W O R D S Name _______________________________________________________________ On the Double! Each word in column 1 has a match with a word in column 2 based on two criteria. gold D. On the lines. bread O. write the letter of the word in column 2 that has a “double” match with the word in column 1 and give two reasons for choosing it. road 3. pear 2. stale both are fruits both begin with “p” _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ YOUR TURN Write your own double match list and try it out on a friend or family member! 55 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. sip L. pineapple N. train 7. car K. T I P : Not every word in column 2 has a match. We’ve done the first one for you. read J. blue E. He knows this means he may end up with a strangely named dog.Date _______________ WORD FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ Call the Dog Marvin wants to name his new puppy with a word that doesn’t contain any letters found in the names of his other pets. Then. Write the letters Marvin can and can’t use. circle any name on Marvin’s list that would work. Marvin’s other pet names: goldfish – Twitch MARVIN’S LIST OF POSSIBLE DOG NAMES Sammy King Sara Joker Frazz Rex Waffle Sarah Eek Murky Queen Rave cat – Bobo bird – Loonin snake – Whip LETTERS MARVIN CAN USE LETTERS MARVIN CAN’T USE YOUR TURN Find or create two more names that Marvin could use for his dog. 56 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. Scholastic Teaching Resources . banana 3. tap 4.” Write the words or phrases on the lines provided. 1.Date _______________ FUN WITH WORDS AND PHRASES Name _______________________________________________________________ Top of the Morning! Circle all of the following words that form a common word or phrase with the word “top. T I P : “Top” can come either before or after the word or phrase. big 5. story 8. speed 6. drawer ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ YOUR TURN Create a similar list for the word “big” and try it with classmates. dog 12. 57 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. Scholastic Teaching Resources . hat 2. stop 7. end 10. ten 9. floor 11. eardrum. Scholastic Teaching Resources . especially. emblem. seesaw. dodo. disco. loan. drama. kennel. pulp. artery 2. tinsel. oblong 4. lozenge. ➡ _____________________________________ turtle. grateful. _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ 58 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. worrywart 3. turnstile. We’ve done the first one for you. mammal. elf. elegant. writer 10. ripcord. tease. licorice. You have to start and end somewhere! 1. artery 9. dentist. rewind ➡ _____________________________________ YOUR TURN Write a six-word chain in which the last letter of each word is the same as the beginning letter of the next word. sandbar. the “a” in apple) and the last letter of the last word (the “y” in artery) do not have to match. Arrange each set of words so that the last letter of the word is the same as the first letter of the next word.Date _______________ WORD FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ Word Train Below are ten sets of random words. apple. wandered. manipulate. slip 7. enter. spinning. ripcord. react. tricycle ➡ _____________________________________ ➡ _____________________________________ ➡ _____________________________________ ➡ _____________________________________ ➡ _____________________________________ ➡ _____________________________________ ➡ _____________________________________ ➡ _____________________________________ apple. gentle 5. nightingale. enter. loose. difficulty. yellow. T I P : The first letter of the first word (for example. drama. princess. donor. estimate. nimble 6. exact. everywhere. frozen. racquet 8. outrageous. dusk. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 59 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. literally ❒ ❒ ❒ ❒ ❒ ❒ ❒ ❒ YOUR TURN Is your first or last name consonant locked? How about the name of your school? Think of three more words that are consonant locked. What if a vowel were completely surrounded by consonants? Although it is not a real term. postpone 16. 1.” Look at the list below. That means they are completely surrounded by land and do not touch oceans or seas. Scholastic Teaching Resources . psychic 4. switcheroo 12. lasso 7. blackboard H I N T: Do not count “y” as a vowel. rewind 11. spoon 5. eel 3. If two vowels are next to each other. oblong 10. they are considered consonant locked. barricade 14. highlight 13. grain 8. such as lakes. Put an X in the box next to any word in which all of the vowels are locked in by consonants.Date _______________ CONSONANT FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ All Locked In Some countries or bodies of water. ❒ ❒ ❒ ❒ ❒ ❒ ❒ ❒ 9. are often described as landlocked. speedometer 15. empire 6. that condition might be described as “consonant locked. marry 2. thoroughness 14.Date _______________ WORD FUN Name _______________________________________________________________ Haunted Words Which of the words on the list below are haunted? Only the ones that have a ghost of some kind hiding within them! Any word that contains all the letters of any of the types of ghosts listed in the cast of spooky characters below is haunted. Goths 2. Scholastic Teaching Resources . metamorphosis 8. goulash 12. Don’t worry if you don’t know what some of these words mean—you can look them up in the dictionary. spokeswoman SPOOKY CHARACTER FOUND INSIDE ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ 60 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. sarcophagus 6. you may not use a letter more than once to spell a ghost word. interdisciplinary 5. THE CAST OF SPOOKY CHARACTERS ghost phantom spook spirit specter WORD LIST 1. striping 9. For each word. photojournalism 3. respectful 10. respiration 7. triskaidekaphobia 4. spectator 13. photodisintegration 11. singer 7. D (star can’t visit) 6. knowed becomes knew Stanza two: slided becomes slid. skillfully 9. she. importantest. paragraph 7. D (asphalt can’t pave) 61 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. ancient (street. Houston. Dallas. 7. rain might also keep us away. It’s 3:00 P. draw 2. correction: most playful 5. direction 5. only one thing would stop us from going to the beach: crowds.” I told my friend Jack over the telephone. mumble. but I wish I did. scream. book. alternative: greener 6. ask them to explain them. loan 7. President: Thank you for your support. “I’ll be right over!” He asked me to bring the following: a screwdriver. l e o t a r d 4. mutter. park 6. 6. color/ivory. and individual practice sessions meet on Thursday. C (dog can’t throw) 7. 6. Molly's favorite color is blue. or quotation marks should be inserted where shaded in these sentences: 1. finally 7. Even so. book. teached becomes taught D R a r t E r l M m e m m b l e u o M M C U R M U R LOUD WORD FIND T S S H H O O U U R T Y Y H a s P S D E E s c r e a m r C O U T S C e Y E L L T o S s e C S l l e y S H O U T a R R E y e m l l E E M A N D s A u y I o o u M Page 10: What the Action Is 2. “The line-up for tonight’s show will be as follows: Brenda the wonder frog. 2. green (vine). feel 8. 3. speaked becomes spoke Stanza seven: catched becomes caught. but most of (her) clothes are red. scary howl last night. shout. friend. correction: smarter Page 16: An Adverbially Tricky Code 2. friend). playfully 4. sat. demand QUIET WORD FIND W w h i s p e r H a m u t t e r I h u e M m m Y S r r m U u u u P D m u T r m e E e u t T m b s Page 11: Can the Cat Act? Missing nouns and verbs are as follows: 1. but I swear it sounded just like a werewolf!” 5. pots Page 12: Where’s the Me? 1. brilliantly 5. alternative: closer 11. C (horse can’t trade) 8. speak 3. building 8. D (tree can’t chop) 4. hungry (skunk. team 5. flow 3. when 10. enjoy 7. react 6. practically 10. You knitted (me. Her sandwich is much thicker than (theirs) because of the homemade bread. castle. stop. (I) don't know any secrets. much of Texas is still made up of wide-open spaces. most deep. Please help (her. more colorful. trip 6. A (hand can’t stand) 5. correction: most prepared 10. shine 4. The teacher saw you do (it). dinner. However. hided becomes hid Stanza three: creeped becomes crept.ANSWERS Page 6: Read. him. o s t r i c h 6. exit 4. private (street. water/geyser. n o v a 7. move 4. so I said. and a box of nails. Twenty students appeared in the school play and performed (their) roles perfectly. extinguish. show 3. today I don’t want any. and San Antonio are all major cities. frightened (skunk. painter 10. shut 6. However. believe 10. loyally 8. The day of the race felt like this: sunny and spectacular. more green. the conductor gave us this schedule: chorus meets every Tuesday. she. 7. This is when I usually like to snack on a piece of pecan pie and have a cup of tea. vine). “I know it sounds crazy. named. cavorted Page 9: Whisper or YELL? Quiet words: whisper. record Page 8: Get in on the Action The following words should be circled: 2. start. correction: faster 9. 3. “I heard a strange. vine). Jack needed help building a bookcase. her) a cashmere sweater? Page 13: Inspecting Adjectives The following words should be eliminated: 2. taked becomes took Stanza five: bended becomes bent. friend). c h i s e l Puzzle Answer: literate Page 7: Which Is Which? The following words should be circled: 1. alternative: sunnier 3. Tulip the talking toucan. hops 4. him. preparedest. few people turned out to run. sail 10. dinner). find 9. Scholastic Teaching Resources . Page 18: A Highly Irregular Rhyme Irregular verbs should be crossed out and corrected as follows: Stanza one: flied becomes flew. colon. more smarter. more sunny. If these instruments aren't hers. clever (book. crease Page 14: X Marks the Adjective The following nouns in parentheses should be marked with an “x” on the chart for each adjective: inexpensive (book. hysterically 6. castle). confusing (book). book. 9. farther. house/bungalow. The letter began. fully 3. “Dear Mr. will buy 5. 10. a hammer. chirp. played. playfulest. I) accidentally slammed the door. keeped becomes kept Stanza four: shaked becomes shook. hypnotically Page 17: Punctuation Situation A comma. 9. 8. prevent 9. long (street. castle) (If students have other answers not shown. sound/thud. 5. clothing/leotard. 2.” the doctor told the little girl after the check-up. t h u d 8. correction: most colorful 7. correction: most important 4. me) clean the house. g e y s e r 5.) Page 15: The Difficul-test Activity 2. band rehearsal is on Wednesday. fly 3. I) would have to shovel after the storm. sobs 8. A (driver can’t sputter) 10. On hot days. 10.b u n g a l o w 2. “Remember this old saying: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. hear. friend). 8. Jackson couldn't predict how much snow (he. and Henrietta the hip hippo. fastest.M. star/nova. then they must be (theirs). name. dinner. pets 2. hide 8. goed becomes went Stanza six: awaked becomes awoke. At the rehearsal. mysterious (street. take 11.” 4. more close. resist 9. correction: farthest 12. close. alternative: deepest 8. plot 5. space 9. B (window can’t see) 3. bird/ostrich 1. C (athlete can’t foot) 9. i v o r y 3. Write and Solve! tool/chisel. Evelyn jumped after (he. 4. Of course. ” the talkshow host said while looking into the television camera. murmur Loud words: yell. Please drive carefully (a became e. except 6. break through ice 4. i became a. My grandfather was a boy when he got this clock.) 2. telescope 9. ALSO ACCEPTABLE: When he got this clock. e became i. pots are words. I started to feel differently. crook. like nothing else I’ve ever smelled.) 7. pizza Page 21: Three Likes and You’re Out Adele didn’t strike out. When I heard a strange rustling noise in nearby bushes. so she just made the grade. The forest had such a fresh scent. fly by night Page 23: Language Arts Smarts The following should be crossed out: 1. Once there. 7. 8. necessary. Thank you for being a good friend. but it soon went away.) 8. serialized. chlorophyll. Fixed while you wait (a became o. 7th letter correspondance. dumbfounded. umbrellas 6. shop are words. They should be inserted into the rows in this order: PLUNDERANC IDUMBFOUND EDRIVELEXI CONYMPHEYD AYEARNAIVE Page 29: No Nonsense! When you replace the vowels with “o. button (Roof. rancid. and madam Page 27: Strange Spelling Bee Correctly spelled words and ranks are as follows: dunjeon: dungeon. bazaar 8. civic. my grandfather was a boy. bookkeeper Page 25: A Misspell Spell 2. o became e. citizens 5. Sont is not. Welcome to our school (e became u. 10th letter governer.) 62 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. goose (should be lower case since the portion following the colon isn’t a complete sentence. a little afraid. 4th letter absense: absence. you are coming on this trip!” she said. plant (Gross. book 10. 3. polo. N–nation 4. ALSO ACCEPTABLE: At the zoo. e became a. We all slept very peacefully. Once. K–kayak 12. A year ago I disliked camping. 5. 10. yearn. magazines 4. caught 5. u became e) 3. splattered 2. fly into sunset. toll are words. thesaurus. anesthetized (Serialized and anesthetized don’t refer to milk. i became o. cower (Cower is a verb. Opon is not.) 9. except for the letter Y (Y can serve as both a vowel and a consonant. turn into driveway. D & T–dread. Scholastic Teaching Resources . 5th letter chlorophill. most. run up stairs. She used “like” incorrectly exactly three times. naïve.) 6. o became e) 4. 4. 6th letter associatian: association. turn up volume. Unlike the rest of my family. boomerang. Snop is not. Botton is not. the penguins are the newest animals. Keep your town clean (a became o. 6. Oboo is not. correct 8. e became u. R–reviver 8. one of the rocks was. correspondence. Work zone (o became a. but now I say there is nothing like spending a warm night under the stars. u became i) 9. knock. blob are words. Fonolo is not. I was. like. break down wall.Page 19: Sentence the Make The correct order is as follows: 1. Frank’s shirt was as wrinkled as a raisin. Open 24 Hours (e became a. trail (Loop. My dog barks at passing cars. C–civic 10.) 10. sent (Lost. i became u) 6. break into laughter. Page 22: Turn! Run! Break! Fly! The best pair of matches are as follows: 1. turn over blanket 2. hot as if it had been in a fire—my dad jumped up as soon as he sat down! At night. The penguins are the newest animals at the zoo. finale (Noon. typo.) 3. Roso is not. Anniversary sale (a became o. fly off handle. treat 11. Trool is not. M–mainstream 7.) 2. the worst weekend of my life. route 3. 1st letter environmentul. song. open (Most.) 5. amphibian. 9th letter nesessary.) 7. Page 20: Places Trading 1. drivel. run through choices. T–trait 3. Viking (Viking should be capitalized because it is a proper name. o became i. o became u) 7.) 5. Correct uses are in boldface and incorrect uses are circled. like. 3rd letter Page 28: Between the Lines The following words are spelled correctly: heyday. The pitcher gave us free tickets to the next game. fly in style. correct Page 24: One Letter Short The following underlined letters in boldface are missing from these words and should appear in the righthand column of the chart: 1. Ticket window (e became o. break up mob. “Like it or not. i became a. rode. e became i) Page 26: Letter Twins Go Missing The following letters are missing and. wood. Of course I expected it to be. Ogly is not. soy. oboe (Born. o became i. nymph. I liked the sound of the babbling brooks. E–escape 5.) 9.” the following words would be in the blanks: 1. u became a) 5. smiling.) 3. jackals 2. 11th letter emphibian. run across mistakes 3. i became a. lexicon. Jurassic 4. comma (The comma is a punctuation mark. governor. poor are words. u became i) 10. One size fits all (a became u. 8th letter boomarang. everything was so tranquil. 2. stool are words. u became o) 8. Every so often we sat on rocks to rest. spell the following words: D–disappeared 2. You have a nice family. run over nails. I (I isn’t a consonant) 10.) 4. My father’s dream for me is to be an air force pilot. root are words. snap (Clock. rose (Floor. urge 8. I never liked camping much—until this summer. turn on shower. ugly (Too. 9. flop are words. I was forced to go on a three-day hiking and camping trip. I’m better at math than I was last year. form are words. 12th letter thesauris. environmental. e became u. when added. Jittery 7. milk 3. moon are words. C–cinematic 9.) 6. Plont is not. correct 4. kayak. show 7. M– madam Your Turn: The palindromes are reviver. o became e. W–willow 6. plunder. e became o. word. Speak louder so everyone can hear you. I tried to get out of it but my mom didn’t like that very much. like. a. b 7. anteater) 6. 1 point. The Snowy Day (Precipitation) 10. 4th letter: history 7. fuzzy 9. sink. drive 10. maple or ample 5. bread 2. pool. color 9. moon 3. 1 point Page 44: Anagramania! 1. b. e 13. 2 points. moon. 6th letter: tiger 8. chapter 4. gazelle (ibis. rein/reign 4. bl/ue/be/rr/y or st/ra/wb/er/ry 4. funny. c. furry. den is entirely—Denise z o s g m b h a g k i c o l e f o e o s t r d p r i t o n t t w b w e d n r y Page 39: Word Hide Page 40: Rhyme is Reason Group 2: quiver. d Your Turn: “It’s raining cats and dogs. river. chore 4. l 8. dd. and rewind—Andrew 7. The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Appetite) 8. monkey. dog.moot. G. 3 points. 3 points 8. a 14. root 3. puzzle 4. 2 points. knee Page 41: A Question of Numbers The following phrases contain numbers: 1. b. bb: bubble 2. f 8. a. 2 points. k 5. baffle. region 10. ostrich (toucan. kneeling. spooky 8. bee or flea. queen 12. and the Wardrobe (Supernatural) 6. main 13. sitting. spill or pills 8. c 10. keep. backpack 2. duck. liar 5. The Giving Tree (Generous) 11. Little House on the Prairie (Residence) 4. h 12. 2 points. an oar 10. ignore. c. Mate! 1. tail 12. 3rd letter: cupcake 9. horse.deed. 2 points 5. a kite 4. i 2. mean. rats. The Lion. cat. peace/piece. soot 4. Lynne 9. b. school 7. a gerbil 6. can new—Anne 4. R. f 9. oo: peel. three’s a crowd 9. o 11. e 3. toad. Two heads are better than one 5. grasshopper) 3. zz: puddle. Jason 5. peek 6. knead/need 6. beaver. deer 3. ff. e Page 48: In Hiding 1. tell entertaining—Ellen 5. j 5. cc: account 3. 3 points. 3 points. peer 15.j 2. 3rd letter: tennis 10. nervous 3. b 10. bl/ue/be/rr/y or st/ra/wb/er/ry Page 37: Double Check Misspelled words the computer missed are as follows: 1. goose. R. The Cricket in Times Square (Site) 3. sent/scent 10. ant. fined/find. The Polar Express (Arctic) Page 34: Double Take 1. mole (aardvark. 9. c. 3 points 9. The Little Engine That Could (Locomotive) 9. toil. seep. g 10. lesson/lesson 3. 1 point.Page 30: Like Two Peas in a Pod 2. ocean. wink Group 4: snow. notes 8. moor/more Page 38: Word Magic 2. c. zz: fully. dual. seven wonders of the world 7. 3 points 3. gargle Page 36: Pieces of Pie 2. oodles 10. m 3. salamander (spider. smile Page 45: It’s Raining Cats and Dogs 1. fussy. rear Page 31: Animal Spies The following animals are hidden if you remove these words in parentheses: 2. g 6. ss. howl in darkness—Linda 9. 3 points 4. k/ey li/me or pu/m/pk/in 6. Two’s company. a 8. sinning 8. store Group 6: tree or pea. speak or peaks 3. 2 points. danger 3. b. flash 7. ten 9. Simon I care—Monica 8. pool 10. deal. a. gray Monday—Raymond 3. Guess How Much I Love You (Affection) 12. k/ey li/me or pu/m/pk/in 3. rr. nn. c. off 7. i 4. dead 11. worm. ll. 2 points. Bo/st/on cr/e/am 5. egg. a. ee: jeer 5. four corners of the Earth 8. 3 points 10. seam 14. stone. currents/currants. h 4. c 5. poor. E. ee. door or floor. gray 7. gg. ff: odd. 1st letter: Halloween 3. mustard 5. opinion Page 50: Crabby Abby 2. eerie 5. K. 1 point 7. died. dial 7. seat. c. b. 1 point 6. weasel (narwhal. c. a. comical and—Alan 10. battle 6. wrong or grown 6. lair. mules lie—Leslie 6. Scholastic Teaching Resources . pride/pried 2. garden. h 3. turns/terns 7. tt. fish. N. c 6. deer. crate 7. V. leer. sheep) 8. castle 6. 3rd letter: orange 4.” means it’s raining very hard. a. shiver Group 3: pink. star p v h f a n s t t o t m a n b o a s l f e t o l e m a n a n g a t w p i n j u v t b s e o f s g o n p t u g a x p r t h l p t i h e o n a m s e p y p e t c o r o t m t s t e p o o k d t w c i o s t w e d a t s l c o Page 42: Youth Sleuth Card 1: Seth Card 2: Julia Card 3: Randi Card 4: Darren Card 5: Dara Card 6: Mike Page 43: The Million-Dollar Question 2. i Page 47: Word Twister 1. duel. bb. crow. mussel/muscle. a. porcupine (moth. pp. lobster (python. yolks/yokes 5. wombat) 10. b. pail 10. a 9. medal/metal 8. reed 4. nn: sipping. 1 point. soap 8. cricket (snake. Where the Wild Things Are (Well-behaved) 5. 5th letter: Detroit 5. fox) Page 32: E-I-E-I-O These words are formed when you unscramble and add double vowels: 2. riot. 2nd letter: autumn Page 49: Words in the Round 1. S. Page 46: Try This. b. stationery/stationary. hawaii Page 33: A Classics Problem The following are the original book titles. Goodnight Moon (Satellite) 7. seem 4. citrus 8. j 9. 1 point. a. complement/compliment 9. b. pear. 3 points. core/corps. f 6. corrected misspellings in new titles are in parentheses: 2. canoe 5. rr: ebb. a. c. 1st letter: cousin 6. react. cat has nine lives 3. c. meat 6. giraffe) 4. d 7. net. skiing 11. coyote) 7. 1 point. b. 9. b 7. 2 points. peel. 2nd letter: grape 2. the Witch. tt: babble. foe Group 5: four. 2 points. A stitch in time days a week 63 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. n 4. d 2. err Page 35: Letter Lottery The following correct letters form these words: 2. tied. muskrat or manatee) 9. armadillo) 5. bb. g 15. L. 1 point. soup. igloo 6. pelican (lion or louse. dd. Frazz. nightingale 5. emblem. A (both are metals/both are two-syllable words) 6. highlight 14. logical 12. crocodile (behind) 7. grain 8. photodisintegration—spirit ghost 13. c 5. big top. government 8. loose 9. princess 7. psychic 4. react. grateful. photojournalism— phantom 3. renter Page 54: Animal Scramble 1. kennel. goal 14. K (actions mouths do/both are verbs) 5. Eek. whale (jumbled) 6. rewind. piles 4. scarecrow 11. voter The following words should appear in the second column 2. thoroughness—ghost 14. dusk. opossum (ahead) Page 55: On the Double! Accept all reasonable answers. yellow. dodo. respectful—specter 10. and end should not be circled. manipulate. rewind. wandered. b 9. top ten. turnstile 8. example Page 53: Three’s Company… 1. striping—spirit 9. 5. spokeswoman— spook 64 Activities for Fast Finishers: Language Arts © Marc Tyler Nobleman. licorice. frog (jumbled) 3. top dog. wandered or difficulty. donor. crier 2. difficulty. estimate 10. difficulty Page 59: All Locked In The following words should be marked: 1. giraffe (jumbled) 9. never 5. tinsel. top banana. e Your Turn: Answers may vary. dentist. donor or donor. slip. spoon 7. d 8. i 7. tricycle. speedometer 16. skunk (behind) 5. elegant. stop. The words tap. eardrum. turtle. frozen. rewind. rewind 12. Possible answers are: 2. bookmark (because broom is hidden inside it). races 6. oblong. exact 6. H (both are ways to travel/both rhyme) 7. Murky. interdisciplinary—spirit 6. loan. slippery 9. Rave Page 57: Top of the Morning! The following words and phrases can be made with top: top hat. tease. bat (behind) 2. stole 13. beaver (behind) 10. j 3. F (both are birds/both begin with vowels) 4.Page 51: Are Fries French? 1. D (both are colors/both begin with “b”) 8. rewind. E (places to drive on/both have four letters) 3. nimble. disco. pasty 8. donor. monkey (ahead) 8. prior 7. Scholastic Teaching Resources . Page 52: The Inside Story The following words should appear in the first column 1. pulp. rewind or wandered. yellow. writer. sandbar. top floor. top story. elf. racquet. worrywart. marry 3. f 6. Goths—ghost 2. yellow or yellow. lighthouse 7. gentle. especially 3. blackboard 10. yellow. everywhere 4. shady 4. Rex. top drawer. outrageous. h 4. literally Page 60: Haunted Words 1. triskaidekaphobia—spirit 4. difficulty. a 10. top speed. donor. respiration—spirit 8. wandered. mammal. maple 3. wandered. broom 10. lozenge. alarm 3. Page 58: Word Train 2. N (both are edible/ both are one-syllable words) Page 56: Call the Dog Names That Would Work: Sammy. finger 6. difficulty. seesaw. spinning. Sara. g 2. sheep (ahead) 4.