Selection: C-25

C-25

Grade level: 3

Word count: 1130 words

Author: Marshif Quoyle

Synopsis: How do green plants matter? Let us (lettuce!) count the ways.

Excerpt: The links in that food chain begin with a green plant and then go on to insects and worms.

People and other large animals are at the end of many food chains. A food chain ends with an animal that will not be eaten by another animal.

The second link in any food chain is always a creature that eats plants.

Question: Think about what you read. Put these links to a food chain in order, from the first link in the last.

1. plant
2. grasshopper
3. frog
4. hawk

Selection: C-7

C-7

Grade level: 3

Word count: 1130 words

Author: Kate Carter

Synopsis: When scientists explore the deep sea by submarine, they bump into some creepy characters.

Excerpt: A deep-sea vent is like a geyser, but it is on the ocean floor. It may be a mile or several miles below the surface. A deep-sea vent also blows hot water--hotter than boiling. But it blows the water into the cold ocean. That means the water around a deep-sea vent is much warmer than the rest of the ocean.

The temperature of the deep sea is much too cold for animals.

Question: What would most likely happen if all the deep-sea vents suddenly disappeared?

1. The temperature of deep ocean water would become colder.
2. More sunlight would reach the deepest part of the ocean.
3. Sea creatures would have an easier time finding food.
4. More sea creatures would start living in the deepest part of the ocean.

Selection: C-9

C-9

Grade level: 3

Word count: 1237 words

Author: Kate Carter

Synopsis: Laura Dekker did what no 16-year-old had ever done before. Some people say no 16-year-old ever should.

Excerpt: Government officials insisted Laura was too young for such a difficult journey and did not have the skills to survive a year alone on a sailboat. They said she must stay home, go to school, and forget about attempting such a trip until she was older.

She thought it was unfair of the government to tell her she couldn't go. In the end, though, there was nothing she could do. She just had to wait.

Question: How did Laura feel when the government prevented her trip?

1. She was disappointed because she felt the government was being unfair.
2. She was relaxed because she understood the government's point of view.
3. She was happy that people were looking out for her and wanted to protect her.
4. She was angry at the person who told the government about her trip.

Selection: C-20

C-20

Grade level: 3

Word count: 1338 words

Author: Manny Ruiz

Synopsis: The crocodile is one of the most ancient creatures on Earth. Will it go the way of the dinosaur?

Excerpt: If you do see a crocodile in the water, you may not know what it is. When it floats in a river, it looks just like a log. No one is afraid of a log. By the time you (or some other animal or fish) find out the log isn't a log, it's too late. The crocodile opens its big wide mouth and snap!

Question: A crocodile looks as if it is a log in the water. How is this helpful?

1. The crocodile can surprise its prey.
2. The crocodile can float like a piece of wood.
3. Other animals can ride on the crocodile's back.
4. Humans will not hurt the crocodile.

Selection: C-1

C-1

Grade level: 3

Word count: 1242 words

Author: Kate Carter

Synopsis: Musician Ray Charles wanted to be great, not famous, but he was both.

Excerpt: Ray heard a piano for the first time when he was four years old.

Ray and George did not have an easy time. Their parents worked a lot, but sometimes they did not have enough money to get food. One day, when Ray was five and George was four, George fell into the wash tub and drowned. Ray was not paying attention, and by the time he saw what was happening, it was too late.

Then, more trouble came. Ray started to lose his eyesight. By the time he was seven, he was blind.

When Ray was 10, his father died in an accident at work. Five years later, his mother got sick and died also.

Question: Put these events from Ray's life in the order in which they occurred, from first to last.

1. Ray heard a piano for the first time.
2. Ray's younger brother died.
3. Ray lost his eyesight.
4. Ray's father died.