Moving Day on Maple Row – Try it

Read the story, the poem and the play

All three texts are about moving to a new place. Read each one carefully.

The Last Box (a story)

1On moving day, Dev carried his last box into the new apartment. The hallway smelled like fresh paint, and every sound echoed. He missed his old street, where he knew every crack in the sidewalk.

2Dev set the box down in his new room and opened it. On top was his soccer ball, scuffed and gray from years of kicks.

3Then he heard a ball bouncing in the courtyard below. A girl with a braid was kicking a ball against the wall. Dev took a deep breath, tucked his ball under his arm, and hurried down the stairs. "Want a partner?" he asked. The girl grinned. "I'm Lucia. You're on my team."

Box Mountain (a poem)

1Boxes stacked up, tall and square,
a cardboard mountain everywhere.
I climb the pile and look around.
The whole house waits without a sound.

2Soon books are shelved, a lamp is lit,
and the mountain shrinks, bit by bit.
My shoes sit waiting by the door.
This place feels like home a little more.

The Welcome Sign (a play)

Characters: Pia, a girl who lives on Maple Row; Mr. Reyes, a new neighbor

Setting: A front yard on a windy morning. Boxes are stacked by the gate.

PIA: (shyly) Hi, I'm Pia. I live in the blue house. I made you a welcome sign.

MR. REYES: (looking at the sign) Thank you, Pia! But I have no tape, and the wind is strong.

PIA: (thinking) Wait! I have an idea. (She pulls a ribbon from her pocket.) We can tie it to the fence.

MR. REYES: (laughing) What a clever plan! (They tie the ribbon together.) Now everyone on Maple Row will see it.

PIA: (smiling) And now they will all say hello to you.

The story

Answer the questions about "The Last Box."

What does Dev miss at the start of the story?

A. His soccer team from last yearB. The street where he used to liveC. The quiet of the empty hallwayD. The color of his old bedroom

In paragraph 1, the story says that "every sound echoed." What does echoed mean?

A. bounced off the walls and came backB. faded away until no one could hearC. was drowned out by the paintersD. came only from the hallway floor

Sort each event by when it happens in the story.

Read paragraph 3. Underline the sentence that tells how Dev got to the courtyard.

The poem

A poem is written in lines. Groups of lines are called stanzas. Answer the questions about "Box Mountain."

How many stanzas does "Box Mountain" have? Write the number.

stanzas

In stanza 1, which word at the end of a line rhymes with square? Write the word.

What is the "cardboard mountain" in the poem?

A. A real hill behind the new houseB. A model the speaker built from paperC. A tall pile of boxes from the moveD. A stack of the speaker's old books

How does the speaker feel at the end of the poem?

A. Bored with the lamp and the booksB. Sorry that the boxes are all goneC. Worried about packing the boxes upD. More at home in the new place

The play and all three texts

Answer the questions about "The Welcome Sign." Then think about all three texts.

Read the setting of the play. Write the word that completes the sentence.

The play takes place in a front .

10.

Words in parentheses are stage directions. What does "(shyly)" tell the actor who plays Pia?

A. to speak in a loud wayB. to speak in a shy wayC. to speak in an angry wayD. to speak in a bored way

11.

How do Pia and Mr. Reyes fix the problem with the sign?

A. They tie the sign to the fence.B. They tape the sign to the door.C. They hold the sign up in the wind.D. They put the sign away in a box.

12.

Sort each feature by the kind of text on this page that has it.

13.

How do Dev's feelings change from the start of "The Last Box" to the end? Use details from the story.