Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Grade 6 Reading Comprehensions

Cabin Fever

Cabin Fever
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grade 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   4.54

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    dishpan, hideaway, mantlepiece, murderers, puke, rough-hewn, self-absorbed, shoeboxes, getaway, gracious, knotty, nightstand, remit, stepmom, trifle, refused
     content words:    Smoky Mountains, Suzy Homemaker, Smoky Mountain

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Cabin Fever
By Brenda B. Covert 		  
1     Dad decided to take a break during his campaign. He rented a solitary cabin in the Smoky Mountains for a weekend getaway. I pictured a dark and dusty cabin with a smelly bathroom and old linoleum curling on the kitchen floor. My stepmother tried to show me a pamphlet on the place, but I refused to look. I was dragged kicking and screaming on that vacation.
 
2     In a small clearing stood a rough-hewn log cabin with white daubing between the rich brown logs and a shiny tin roof. Small shrubs grew around the front porch.
 
3     "Oh, isn't this adorable!" Barb, my stepmom, said. "It's like a sanctuary in the wilderness!"
 
4     I rolled my eyes. "Just show me my room," I said. Even in the midst of that placid environment I found it difficult to be gracious. I secretly hoped to find some evidence that we should have stayed home. Maybe I would catch cabin fever! I was still smarting from being forced to come along.
 
5     The little cabin surpassed my expectations. It was clean and bright and boasted knotty pine walls. I found a Jacuzzi tub in the main bathroom! The kitchen sparkled. The living area had a gas log fireplace in the corner. A TV sat upon the rocky mantlepiece. Upstairs I found two bedrooms the size of shoeboxes. My room had a small window over the nightstand.
 
6     Dad took a brisk walk around the property's perimeter to clear his head. He's quite hardy for a man his age. He says a governor needs to be in top form. I felt fortunate that he didn't insist that I go with him.
 
7     Barb was rattling around in the kitchen. She usually left the manual labor to the servants, so imagine my surprise at her preparing the evening meal! Who did she think she was - Suzy Homemaker?
 
8     I deserve a gold medal for eating that horrible salmon casserole without complaint. Nothing like it is ever served in the governor's mansion. Dad told Barb that her cooking was "extraordinary" and asked her to serve him a trifle more. She beamed. I wanted to puke.
 
9     Since they always tell me I'm too self-absorbed, I decided to prove how unselfish I am by offering to wash the dishes. Barb nearly swallowed her teeth. That was fun!

Paragraphs 10 to 19:
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