The Cardboard Castle
Tuesday, October 14
Dear Diary,
Today in art class, Mr. Lopez told us to build anything we wanted out of cardboard boxes. I wanted to make the tallest castle in the whole second grade. I grabbed four big shoe boxes, a roll of silver tape, and three paper towel tubes for towers.
At first, everything was going fine. But when I tried to tape the tall towers to the top box, the whole thing fell over. The silver tape got stuck to my sweater. Then my scissors slid off the table and landed under Mia's desk. My fingers were sticky with glue, and my castle looked like a squished pile of gray trash. I felt my face get hot, and I almost wanted to kick the pile.
Mia picked up my scissors and handed them back to me. She looked at my leaning box and asked, "Do you want a helper?"
I usually like to do things by myself. But the art clock was ticking fast, and I only had two hands. "Yes, please," I said. "The towers keep sliding off."
- castle:
- A large, strong building or fort with tall walls and towers.
- towers:
- Tall, slender parts of a building that reach high up into the air.
- clever:
- Quick to learn, think of smart ideas, or solve problems.
- wobble:
- To move or rock unsteadily from side to side.
- drawbridge:
- A wooden or metal bridge that can be lifted up or lowered down.
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Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
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Summarize
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Point of View
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Purpose
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Structure
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What project did Mr. Lopez tell the art class to make?
- 2What materials did the narrator collect to build the castle?
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About this diary entry passage for 2nd Grade
“The Cardboard Castle” is a diary entry reading passage about working together on a craft project, written for 2nd Grade. It takes about 2 minutes to read (296 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.