![This story is an opportunity to review all of the PQs that you have learned in the previous episodes. The PQ hint button next to each paragraph will tell you which kinds of PQs are being taught in that paragraph. Remember, bold letters always say their Letter Names, gray letters are always Silent, and normal letters always say their Common sounds. Shrunken letters always say the ‘UH’ sound, and a rotated ‘R’ always says the ‘ER’ sound. Dotted-underlined letters are always Blended together. Wide, stretched letters always say their more drawn-out Exception sounds. Raised letters always say their higher Exception sounds. Dropped letters always say their lower Exception sounds. Underlined letter groups always say their Combined sounds.](https://mlc.learningstewards.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/hint.png)
THE PECULIAR TALE OF FINDING FUNNY
EPISODE SIX: Spaceship
Jayla had fainted, and who wouldn’t, if you’d just discovered that your dog could talk to you?!
She woke up, about a minute later, and she looked straight into her dog’s eyes, and said, “Funny, I’ve just got to ask you this. Please answer me! Are you really talking to me?”
Funny said, “Yes, I really am, sweet girl.” Jayla responded, “How can that be? Your little pink mouth isn’t even moving.”
Funny explained, “Jayla, you have seen too many animal movies and pet commercials. The computer makes it look like the animals are talking, but my mouth isn’t developed like yours.”
Funny continued, “I simply don’t have any ‘mouth muscles’ that can let me talk, like you do.” Carlos asked, “But how in the world can we hear you, then?”
“Carlos, it’s my brain talking to your brains. No one else but you can hear me, unless I want them to. You see, I have fantastic new powers. I’ve learned SO much in the last four or five days!”
Carlos shouted, “Come on then, Funny, you must tell us about all of this! What’s going on, and where have you been?”
Funny answered, “I’ve spent my last few days on a spaceship. I found out that I am not really a dog. I’m actually an Anubin.”
“Say WHAT?!” Carlos exclaimed. Funny replied, “You’ve seen pictures of Anubis. Remember the bad guy in that last Scooby-Doo that we all watched? He was dressed up like Anubis. He’s a human body, with the head of a dog. Anubis has big ears that stick straight up.”
Jayla chimed in, “Yeah, yeah, we’ve studied that in school. Carlos, do you remember that challenging project that we did on Egypt?”
Carlos exclaimed, “Absolutely! Scary and mysterious stuff, with mummies, pyramids, tombs, spirits, and hexes. Everything that we studied regarding the Egyptians was great for Scooby stories wasn’t it? After I read spooky stuff like that, the tiniest noise can make me jump through the roof.”
Funny then abruptly interrupted Carlos. “Guys. I’ve got a whole lot more to tell you, but I’m completely starving. Could we please go back to the house, so that I can eat something nourishing? I’ll continue to fill you in while we walk back there.” So they all left the park, and Jayla and Carlos were all ears, lapping up Funny’s fantastic account of his Anubin experiences!
1.
1. Why can’t Funny talk with his mouth?
a) Because he prefers to whisper
b) Dogs’ mouths don’t have the right muscles to let them talk
c) He would rather write than talk
2. How does Funny communicate with Carlos and Jayla?
a) His brain “talks” to their brains
b) He yells really loudly
c) Funny can’t really communicate, they are just pretending
3. Where had Funny spent the last few days?
a) Under Jayla’s house
b) In the woods
c) On a spaceship
4. What was unusual about Anubis?
a) He lived in Egypt
b) He had the body of a human and the head of a dog
c) He never barked
5. Why did Funny want to go home?
a) He was homesick
b) He did not like being on the spaceship
c) He was very hungry
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