Compare Stories in the Same Genre

Grade 5 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the answer.

1. Read this first

   Two Myths About Bringing Sunlight

   Story 1: Grandmother Spider Brings the Sun

   This is a Cherokee story, retold.

   Long ago, one side of the world lived in darkness. The animals there bumped into each other and could not find their way. They had heard that the other side of the world had the sun. Perhaps someone could bring back a small piece.

   Possum spoke first. "I have a big, bushy tail," he boasted. "I will hide the sun in my fur." He traveled east and grabbed a piece of the sun. But it was so hot that it singed every hair from his tail. The sun slipped away, and he came home with nothing. To this day, possums have bare tails.

   Buzzard tried next. "I will carry the sun on my head," he said. He flew east and set a piece of the sun on his head feathers. The heat burned them away, and he dropped it too. That is why buzzards have bald heads.

   Then a small voice spoke up. It was Grandmother Spider, whom the others had hardly noticed. She was small and slow, but she was wise. "Let me try," she said quietly.

   First, she shaped a little pot from wet clay. Then she spun a thread that stretched all the way to the east. She followed it, tucked a piece of the sun inside her pot, and walked home along her thread.

   The animals cheered when she lifted the sun into the sky. Since then, the world has had light. People say Grandmother Spider also taught them how to make clay pots.

   Story 2: Maui Slows the Sun

   This is a Hawaiian story, retold.

   Long ago, the sun raced across the sky. Days were so short that Maui's mother, Hina, could never dry her kapa cloth. She spread it out at dawn, and darkness came before it was dry.

   Maui decided to help. He climbed to the top of Haleakala, the great mountain where the sun rose each morning. He carried strong ropes woven by his family.

   He waited all night in the cold. When the first rays of sun crept over the edge, Maui threw his ropes and caught them, one after another. The sun pulled and twisted, but it could not get free.

   "Let me go!" the sun cried.

   "I will," Maui answered, "if you promise to travel more slowly."

   The sun agreed to a bargain. For half of each year, it would cross the sky slowly. For the other half, it could move faster.

   Maui let go. From then on, summer days were long and warm. Hina's cloth dried in the sunshine, and she never had to rush her work again. The people had time to fish and farm. The mountain's name, Haleakala, means "house of the sun."

2. 1.

   What problem do both myths address?

   • Animals or people do not have enough sunlight.
   • The animals and people have lost their clay pots.
   • The sun is too hot for anyone to live near it.
   • Someone has stolen the sun from the sky.
3. 2.

   Which statement best compares how the two heroes succeed?

   • Both heroes trick the sun into following them home.
   • Both heroes fail at first and succeed only with help.
   • Grandmother Spider uses patience and skill, while Maui uses boldness and a bargain.
   • Grandmother Spider uses strength, while Maui uses a quiet plan.
4. 3.

   Why does the storyteller show Possum and Buzzard failing before Grandmother Spider tries?

   • to show that the sun was too far away to reach
   • to explain why the animals lived in the dark
   • to show that boasting and size do not bring success
   • to prove that birds travel better than possums
5. 4.

   Which theme fits Story 1 better than Story 2?

   • The sun should be feared rather than respected.
   • Caring for family can lead to great courage.
   • A fair bargain can solve a problem for everyone.
   • Someone who is overlooked can succeed where proud ones fail.
6. 5.

   Which theme fits Story 2 better than Story 1?

   • Boasting about your strength leads to failure.
   • Quiet helpers can do what proud ones cannot.
   • Darkness is better than too much sunlight.
   • Wanting to help family can lead to a solution for everyone.
7. 6.

   Both myths explain something about the world. Which pair matches each story with what it explains?

   • Story 1: why possums have bare tails; Story 2: why summer days are long
   • Story 1: why spiders spin webs; Story 2: why mountains are tall
   • Story 1: how kapa cloth is made; Story 2: how clay pots are made
   • Story 1: why summer days are long; Story 2: why possums have bare tails