A VISIT TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. by Darleen Ramos HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

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1 A VISIT TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC by Darleen Ramos HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

2 A VISIT TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC by Darleen Ramos ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Susan Carlson PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover age fotostock/superstock; tp age fotostock/superstock; 3 Danny Lehman/ CORBIS; 4 James Quine/Alamy; 5 Iconotec/Alamy; 6 Catherine Karnow/CORBIS; 7 age fotostock/superstock; 8 Adrian Griffith/Alamy; 10 James Quine/Alamy; 11 age fotostock/superstock; 12 Atlantide Phototravel/ CORBIS; 13 Banana Stock/SuperStock; 14 Brendan Tobin/Getty Images. Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers, Attn: Permissions, 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida Printed in China ISBN-13: ISBN-10: If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited. Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format.

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4 Welcome! Bienvenidos! We are just about to land in the Dominican Republic, a country on the island of Hispaniola (HISS pen YO luh). Glance out your window. See the sparkling blue waters of the Caribbean Sea! This lovely island has many things to do, see, and taste. Are you ready? Palm trees line the beaches in the Dominican Republic. 3

5 Santo Domingo The explorer Christopher Columbus came to the island in He helped build cities. One of them was Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. Now let s visit an interesting Santo Domingo building that was built in honor of Columbus. On some nights, powerful lights on the building shine toward the sky. That s why it is called the Columbus Lighthouse. The Columbus Lighthouse was built in the shape of a cross. 4

6 Orchids look beautiful and smell good, too! We have more to see than just buildings. Let s explore the Botanical Gardens. We ll ride a small train that takes us around the large garden. Look at these plants! The palms are dancing in the breeze. The pink and white flowers look sensitive. These flowers are orchids (OR kids). 5

7 Dominicans grow many different fruits. Outside the City If you travel just north of Santo Domingo, you will see many farms. Dominican farmers grow sugarcane and all kinds of fruit. Let s stop at a roadside farm stand and buy some fresh fruit. The stand has prepared fruit juices, too. The flavor is delicious. 6

8 You have probably been gazing out the window at the beautiful, unspoiled beaches and listening to the crash of the ocean waves. Those sugar-white beaches sure look inviting. Who is up for a swim or a stroll along the beach? Many visitors come to the Dominican Republic to enjoy its beaches. 7

9 Dominican Weather It s easy to see why people enjoy the Dominican Republic. It s warm and sunny almost every day! The average temperature is around 77 degrees. It does not snow here. Instead, the Dominicans see lots of rain for a few months. During the rainy season, the air can feel thick and sticky. The Dominican Republic has mountains, green valleys, and rainforests. 8

10 Florida Atlantic Ocean C U B A D O M I N I C A N R E P U B L I C M E X I C O N C E N T R A L A M E R I C A HAITI Caribbean Sea W E S S O U T H A M E R I C A e q u a t o r The Dominican Republic is between the United States and South America. The weather in the Dominican Republic is mild all year round because of its location. The country is close to the equator. The equator is a line on a map that shows where the Earth gets the most sunshine and heat. On the negative side, this heat can sometimes lead to strong storms, like hurricanes. 9

11 Arts and Entertainment Can you hear the drum beat? People are dancing the merengue (meh REN gay), the national dance. Notice the young boy who observes his parents dance. He won t need much encouragement to join in because merengue music makes you want to get up and start moving! The merengue is danced in pairs. 10

12 Dominicans use the world around them to create art. Dancing isn t the only form of art in this town. The shops are filled with crafts made from shells. You can also buy jewelry and baskets. Let s stop and observe some artists working. They are painting things you might see in the Dominican Republic, such as bright-colored flowers and beautiful beaches. 11

13 You can t leave the Dominican Republic without catching a game of baseball! It s one of the Dominican people s favorite pastimes. You can hear the cracking of a bat almost every evening. Baseball is played everywhere, on the beaches, in fields, and at big stadiums. Some Domincans move to the United States to play for American baseball teams. 12

14 Many restaurants have la bandera on their menus. Dominican Food What better way to end our day than by feasting on a traditional Dominican meal? La bandera, or the flag, is a delicious meal that is usually served at lunch. The meal includes white rice, beans, meat, and a salad. Or try the fish with a tasty sweet coconut sauce. Dessert is included with the meal. 13

15 What a day! From Santo Domingo to the countryside, we have seen a lot. We tasted fruits and splashed in the ocean. The friendly people of the Dominican Republic welcomed us. Tomorrow will be just as fun! 14

16 Responding TARGET VOCABULARY Word Builder Many verbs have -ed added to the end of them to form the past tense. The word unspoiled, is formed by adding -ed. What other verbs can you think of that form the past tense by adding -ed? -ed unspoil?? unspoiled?? Write About It Text to Self If you could visit the Dominican Republic, what would you like to do there? Why? Write a paragraph that describes what you would like to see and do. Include one word from the Word Builder. 15

17 TARGET VOCABULARY encouragement glances honor included negative observes prepared sensitive unspoiled welcomed TARGET STRATEGY Visualize Use text details to form pictures in your mind of what you are reading. I m a type of number in math. I m also a type of person who is often unhappy. What am I? 16

18 Level: N DRA: 34 Social Studies Strategy: Visualize Word Count: Build Vocabulary HOUGHTON MIFFLIN Online Leveled Books ISBN-13: ISBN-10: