The stories contained in Read & Understand, Folktales & Fables, Grades 2-3 have been handed down through many generations, sometimes by word-of-mouth and other times in writing. Peopled by talking animals, witches, giants, trolls, and other fantastic creatures, the appeal they hold for young readers makes them ideal focal points for learning and discussion. This volume features 23 one to three-page stories, each followed by three to four pages of activities that build reading skills. These stories, borrowed from diverse cultures, vary in reading difficulty from first through beginning-third grade to meet a range of needs. Practice activities for every story include a comprehension page. There are two or three pages for practice of skills such as word meaning and phonetic elements that include: - blends - vowel sounds - word families - rhyming - sequence of events - adding ed, ing, er, - characterization and personification These exercises challenge students to: - recall details - draw conclusions - make inferences - make comparisons - consider word meanings