Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Grade 5 Reading Comprehensions


Dinosaur Expedition


Dinosaur Expedition
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grade 5
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   8.6

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    absentmindedly, allosaur, flawed, under-funded, wannabe, advertisement, tedious, various, expedition, archaeologists, hilly, reading, photo, possibly, better, comprehend
     content words:    Peyton Bennefield, Western Colorado


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Dinosaur Expedition
By Brenda B. Covert
  

1     The advertisement in Peyton Bennefield's hand told of a dinosaur expedition. A team had recently unearthed the skeletal remains of an allosaur. The allosaur, the paper explained, was a relative of the tyrannosaurus. For a price, the reader could join another team and experience the thrill of shoveling dirt and breaking rock in the hilly canyon country of Colorado. In addition to small fossils of marine invertebrates, the team hoped to discover and excavate a new dinosaur.
 
2     "Hmm," Peyton thought, absentmindedly crunching into a crouton as he consumed his lunch while reading, "I assume the leaders of the dinosaur dig require customers to prepay in order to collect the capital needed to fund the trip. Why else would they advertise the expedition? I can't believe that a group of yokels would be of any other value to this project." He continued to read. Thirty wannabe dino hunters would be trained by experts in paleontology and excavation techniques.
 
3     Using his napkin to wipe dressing from the corner of his mouth, Peyton considered the possibilities of becoming a passenger on the expedition. "If I decide to go, I'll have to employ various means to avoid hard labor." Never one to exert himself without good reason, his dislike of soil and sweat was intense. "Let's see. I could establish myself as a photo journalist. Yes! Not only would I have access to all the finds without getting my hands dirty, but I would also have proof on film of any discoveries!" With narrowed eyes and a grim smile, Peyton contemplated a course of action that could possibly result in wealth. An allosaur skull could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Paragraphs 4 to 8:
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