HomeMy WebLinkAboutRead Aloud Book Gr. 1-Lesson 8Picture a computer. What does it look like? How much space does it take up?
Now picture this: a computer so huge that it fi lls the whole wall of a very large
room. One of the world’s fi rst computers, made in 1946, was that big. It was as
heavy as fi fteen cars.
Back then, people thought there was no way they could each have a computer
in their homes. Since that time, engineers have discovered how to make
computers much smaller and easier to use. They invented the desktop computer
that you might see in your home or your school. They even invented a laptop
computer that you can carry around with you. Not only are laptop computers
smaller than the original machine, they are much faster.
Today, people still search for ways to make even smaller inventions. In 2003, a
group of scientists built a really tiny motor. It was too small to see with your eyes.
It was so small that if you piled up three hundred of these tiny motors on top of
each other, they would only be as thick as one strand of hair. That is really tiny!
Scientists are trying to use the same ideas to build tiny computers, too.
People have explored ways that we could use tiny motors and computers. They
imagine that they could stick a motor and a computer together to make a tiny
robot! Because the parts that make up the robot are so small, the robot itself
would also be too small to see with your eyes.
Scientists like to imagine what we could do with tiny robots and other small
inventions. They think about how tiny things could make life better someday. For
example, they hope that one day, you might not need to take pills if you get sick.
Instead, the doctor would put a tiny robot in your body. The robot would journey,
or travel, through your body, like an explorer. It would go and fi nd the germs that
were making you sick. Then it would kill the germs so you could get better.
Does a world of smaller, faster things sound exciting to you? People are working
hard to try to make it happen. What do you imagine they will make next?
COMPREHENSION What words tell you about how people discover new
things? In what ways could really tiny machines make life better for people?
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What kind of music do you like to hear? Do you like to hear loud or soft
music? Do you like to hear fast or slow music? Some people like music that
comes from a certain instrument. There are hundreds of different kinds of
instruments, and they all make their own special sounds!
Have you heard music played on a piano? A piano is one kind of musical
instrument. Most pianos are very large and made of wood. This means that
a piano is a heavy instrument. You play it by sitting on a bench in front of it
and hitting the black and white keys. The keys touch small hammers inside the
piano, and those hammers hit metal strings. The strings are what make the
sound you hear. To be a very good piano player, you have to practice a lot
and be able to move your fi ngers up and down quickly!
A guitar is another kind of musical instrument. People made instruments like
the guitar more than fi ve thousand years ago. Most guitars are made of wood
and have six strings. To play a guitar, you use one hand to strum, or brush
your fi ngers across the strings on the body. With your other hand, you hold the
strings on the neck so they make different sounds. To be a good guitar player,
you have to practice a lot and be able to move your fi ngers quickly back and
forth. Unlike a piano, you can take a guitar almost anywhere! That certainly
makes it easier to practice.
Some instruments are meant to be played by themselves, and others sound
better when they have company. Pianos and guitars are both very special
instruments. They can make beautiful sounds by themselves, or they can join
with other instruments like drums, basses, or horns, to make a powerful song.
Would you like to become a musician? A musician is someone whose job is
to write or play music. As a musician, you can write and play your own music
or you can play music written by other people. You could make loud or soft
music. You could make fast or slow music. You could make any kind of music
you want!
COMPREHENSION What words help you understand more about playing
music? Do you think it is hard to become a musician? Why or why not?
Let’s Play
Music!
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