Maya and the Underground World
Maya sat on the front porch of her new house in Bend, Oregon, feeling a bit homesick. The tall ponderosa pines rustled gently in the cool mountain breeze, but everything still felt strange and unfamiliar. Sensing her mood, her aunt Sarah put on a windbreaker and smiled. "How about a local adventure? Let's go explore what lies hidden right beneath our feet."
They drove a short distance south to Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Maya expected to see a tall, snow-capped mountain cone, but instead, Aunt Sarah led her toward a wide opening in the ground that looked like a giant stone doorway leading into the earth.
"Welcome to a lava tube," Aunt Sarah explained, handing Maya a flashlight and a heavy sweatshirt. "Thousands of years ago, rivers of molten basalt lava rushed across this region. As the top and sides of the lava river cooled against the air, they hardened into a solid stone crust. The hot lava inside kept flowing like water, eventually draining away and leaving behind a massive subterranean tunnel."
- ponderosa:
- A type of tall pine tree common in North American forests.
- basalt:
- A dark, heavy volcanic rock formed from cooled lava.
- subterranean:
- Existing or occurring under the surface of the earth.
- cavern:
- A large cave or underground chamber.
- eruptions:
- Sudden, violent releases of lava, ash, and gas from a volcano.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1How does Maya feel at the beginning of the story, and why?
- 2Where does Aunt Sarah take Maya for their local adventure?
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About this short story passage for Upper Elementary
“Maya and the Underground World” is a short story reading passage about Volcanic History of Bend, Oregon, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (386 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.