Machu Picchu By Sharon Fabian Machu Picchu was an Inca city in Peru. It was built by the Inca leader, Pachakuteq. In the 1400s, he conquered the lands around the mountain called Machu Picchu. Then he built his city on the side of the mountain. The city was called Machu Picchu, too. The city was built right into the mountainside. It had a main part where most of the buildings were. Around that it had fields. The fields are unusual. They are on a steep mountainside, but the fields are flat. The Incas terraced the mountainside. They built their fields like big stair steps going up the side of the mountain. Stone walls separate the fields. The Incas grew maize and other crops in their fields. Above the fields was the main city. The city was large and had many parts. It had an open area called a plaza. It had smaller plazas around that. It had palaces, temples, homes, and storehouses. It had workshops for making ceramics. It also had places for their llamas and other animals. The buildings of Machu Picchu were made of heavy blocks. The blocks were cut from granite, a heavy stone. The Incas used bronze and stone tools to cut the granite blocks. They didn't use mortar to hold the blocks together. The stones were cut so that they fit together tightly and very neatly. In the 1500s, the Incas left Machu Picchu. For hundreds of years, few people knew that there had once been a great Inca city there. Then, about 100 years ago, Machu Picchu was rediscovered. Archaeologists began to dig there. They searched for clues to its past. They found many clues. They found gold earplugs and gold pins. Maybe this jewelry was worn for important ceremonies. They found signs that Machu Picchu had once been rich in gold. They never found out exactly why the Incas left. Today many tourists visit Machu Picchu. Some of them take the train up the mountain. Some of them hike. It takes a few days, and they sleep in tents. When they get there, they can imagine how the Incas once lived in their great city. Machu Picchu Questions 1. Machu Picchu was a. A. Indian leader B. city C. building There were large buildings for religious ceremonies. The Incas held ceremonies to honor their ancestors there.
2. Machu Picchu is in the country of. A. Peru B. the United States C. Mexico 3. The built Machu Picchu. A. Incas B. explorers C. archaeologists 4. A plaza is a/an. A. large palace B. open area in a city C. small house with a field 5. The buildings in Machu Picchu were made from. A. clay B. wood C. granite 6. The Incas grew fields of flowers in Machu Picchu. A. false B. true 7. The Incas lived in Machu Picchu for 500 years. A. false B. true Write a paragraph about the Incas of Peru. How was their life different from the lives of other American Indians you have learned about?
Use It or Lose It By Jennifer Kenny It is important to be physically fit. If you are, your body is healthy and works the best it can. Many systems in your body must work together in order to do this. You control your skeletal muscles. When you need to use one, your brain sends messages to make the muscle contract. Then the muscle can pull on the bone so it can move, too. Your muscles become stronger the more you use them. Resistance exercises are the most effective to develop the size and strength of your skeletal muscles. Repeated exercise causes the muscle itself to grow both in diameter and strength. Push-ups and curl-ups are examples of resistance exercise. They are tough to do, but are really helpful. They force muscles to overcome the weight of something. Aerobic exercise such as walking or swimming helps to increase the size and strength of your skeletal muscles to a certain extent. Most importantly, it strengthens the heart. It is important to warm up before exercising so you can try to prevent damage to your muscles. A muscle strain, or pulled muscle, can occur if you outstretch or tear a muscle. Tendonitis is a painful condition that can occur if tendons are injured. Muscles need oxygen to produce energy. When they work too hard, they use up the available oxygen. Less energy is then available and you feel weak or tired. If you keep going when this occurs, lactic acid provides a small amount of energy, but it is poisonous to cells. Muscle cells need to get rid of it. Only time and rest can do this. When someone breaks a bone, the muscles that surround it change. That's because the muscles can't be exercised. When muscles aren't exercised, they become smaller and weaker. Be careful. Exercise. Keep those muscles strong. Use them or lose them. Use It or Lose It Questions 1. Resistance exercises build up the size and strength of skeletal muscles. A. False B. True 2. Aerobic exercise strengthens the heart. A. True B. False 3. If muscles work too much, provides a small amount of energy. A. oxygen B. lactic acid
4. Warm-up is an important part of exercise. A. True B. False 5. A push-up is an aerobic exercise. A. False B. True 6. When someone breaks an arm, the muscles around it can become smaller. A. True B. False Why should you warm-up before you exercise?
Bree's Bubble Trick By Brenda B. Covert "And now," said Bree grandly, "for my final trick. Can you make bubbles with paper?" Her mom and dad looked at each other and shrugged. Her friends shook their heads. "Of course not!" her brother said. He folded his arms across his chest. Bree held up a white sheet of paper. "Watch as I take this sheet of paper and this pan of bubble stuff and make a very big bubble!" Bree's family and friends looked surprised. Bree grinned. They had smiled and clapped for her. All of them liked her magic show. Now she was almost done. She had saved the best trick for last! First, Bree rolled the paper into a cone shape. She put it up to her eye and peered at her brother. "Ahoy, matey!" she joked. Next, Bree dipped the bigger end of the cone into the bubble stuff. The end of the cone got wet. Last of all, Bree put the small end of the cone to her lips. She blew into the cone. A bubble formed at the other end! The more she blew, the bigger it grew! "Ta-dah!" Bree cried. She held up the cone. "It is a bubble made with paper!" Everyone liked that trick a lot. Bree steered her wheelchair around the table and bowed. "Way to go, Bree!" her brother cheered. He clapped loudest of all! Bree's Bubble Trick Questions 1. Bree made bubbles with bubble. A. gum B. balloons C. stuff 2. Bree put on a show for her. A. family B. family and friends C. friends 3. Bree's bubble trick came. A. second B. last C. first 4. How many items did Bree use to make a bubble? A. three B. two C. one
5. How did Bree know the people liked her show? A. They shrugged. B. They said they did. C. They clapped. 6. Bree formed a with the paper. A. cube B. loop C. cone 7. How did Bree make the bubble? A. She waved the cone in the air. B. She blew into the cone. C. She said a magic word. 8. At the end of the story, we found out that: A. Bree could do tricks. B. Bree was in a wheelchair. C. Bree had a brother. Draw a picture of Bree at the magic show. Underneath your picture, tell what she is doing.
Flamingos By Cindy Grigg Flamingos are large pink-colored wading birds. Some may be five feet tall! They have very long thin necks. They have very long thin legs, too. They look as if they are walking on stilts. Their feet are webbed like a duck's feet. Flamingos can swim, and they can fly. Flamingos are birds that live in the warm parts of the world. Some live in Florida in the United States. There are six different kinds of flamingos in the world. They live near salty lakes and rivers. Flamingos are funny birds to watch. When a flamingo sleeps, it often stands on one leg. It tucks the other leg up under its wing. They often twist their necks around so they can lay their heads on their backs. Another funny thing about flamingos is their knees. Unlike our knees, flamingos' knees bend backwards. Flamingos are good parents. They build nests in mud. The male and female build the nest together. They use their beaks to push mud into the shape of a volcano about twelve inches high. They also use small stones and feathers. It may take some pairs six weeks to make their nest! the baby. Flamingo parents feed babies a bright red liquid from their beaks. This liquid is called "crop milk." It is very high in fat and protein. It is produced by both the male and female birds in the upper digestive tract. To eat, they poke their heads into the water upside down. The flamingo's beak works like a strainer. The bird takes in a beakful of water. Its beak can strain pieces of food out of the water. Then it uses its tongue and lower bill to pump the water out. Only the tiniest pieces of food are left in its mouth. Some flamingos eat tiny plants called algae. Algae float in the water. Some flamingos take a beakful of mud. They find tiny shrimp living in the mud. Flamingos' feathers are pink because of the food they eat. Pink coloring in shrimp and in some algae give flamingos' feathers their color. Some are more brightly colored than others. Some flamingos' feathers look white. Some are pale pink; some are orange, and some are bright red. But they all have a few black feathers in their wings. Flamingos live together in groups. A group of flamingos is called a flock or colony. Sometimes they live in colonies of over a million birds. You can find flamingos at almost every zoo. They are popular with visitors. Have you ever tried to take a nap standing on one leg? Don't try it! But standing on one leg really is the most comfortable position for these long-legged birds. And no, they won't fall over if they put both feet down! They usually only hatch only one egg at a time. Both the mother and father bird take turns sitting on the egg. When a flamingo baby gets hungry, it squawks. Both parents feed
Flamingos Questions 1. Which of these do NOT describe a flamingo? A. large pink-colored wading birds B. can swim and fly C. long-legged birds D. bad parents 2. Where do flamingos live? A. in Florida B. in the warm parts of the world C. near salty lakes and rivers D. all of the above 6. What do flamingo parents feed the baby bird? A. algae B. worms C. crop milk D. fish 7. What is a group of flamingos called? A. a flock B. a colony C. both A and B D. neither A nor B 8. All flamingos have bright pink feathers. A. false B. true 3. What shape is a flamingo's nest? A. a circle B. a triangle C. a cone or volcano D. a rectangle 4. Flamingos feed their babies with real milk from the mother's body. A. true B. false 5. Both the mother and father flamingo sit on the nest and care for the baby. A. true B. false