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.
More sheets from this passage
Built from the text itself â answer key included where it counts.
vocabulary worksheet
Match the passage words to their meanings, then fill the missing words back into real sentences.
writing prompts
Two writing tasks that build on the passage, with plenty of lines to write on.
- All 3 sheets as one workbookPro
One PDF with a cover, contents page and every answer key at the back.
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About this short story passage for Upper Elementary
âMaya and the Underground Worldâ 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.