HomeMy WebLinkAboutRead Aloud Book Gr. 1-Lesson 14Jennie, her older brother Link, and her friend Vanessa got off their bikes.
Usually the ride down the dusty desert road held no surprises. But today a
movement in the desert grass startled them.
“Be quiet!” whispered Link. They looked into the grass and saw a little gray
cottontail rabbit, dragging its left hind leg. The lonely cottontail looked very
small and afraid. There were no other rabbits nearby.
“He must have escaped from a coyote!” said Jennie. Her voice sounded
upset and worried. “We have to get some help from the animal rescue station
right away!”
“Good idea,” agreed Link. “I’ll keep an eye on the rabbit while you both ride
to the station to get help.”
The girls quickly rode off. Link watched as the little cottontail tried to hop
away. It was clear that its leg was hurting too much to run. Finally, the little
rabbit froze in place. It was trying to hide as best it could.
Soon the van from the rescue station arrived. Dr. Joseph, the veterinarian
at the animal rescue station, jumped out with his medical bag and a small
cage. Jennie and Vanessa followed on their bikes. Dr. Joseph gently placed the
cottontail in the cage.
“It’s a good thing you saw this little fellow,” Dr. Joseph said to the kids.
“He wouldn’t have lasted much longer outside the shelter of his burrow. It
will probably take a few weeks for his hind leg to heal, but otherwise he looks
healthy.” Dr. Joseph took the cage and placed it in the van. As he climbed in,
he told the kids that they could come to the animal rescue station anytime to
visit the rabbit. Then he drove away.
Link, Vanessa, and Jennie visited the cottontail almost every day while his
leg healed. Finally Dr. Joseph decided that the rabbit was healed and ready to
go back outside. Together, they brought the cottontail back to where they had
fi rst seen it. Dr. Joseph set the cage on the ground and Jennie opened it. They
all gave a cheer as the cottontail hopped out and leaped back to its desert home.
COMPREHENSION Why do Jennie, Link, and Vanessa ask Dr. Joseph
for help? What words help you understand why the injured cottontail is
in danger?
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It’s nighttime in the Sonoran Desert. The dark sky above is fi lled with bright
stars and planets, and the universe looks big and endless. Many people are
sleeping, but there is one place where everyone is awake. This place is called
Kitt Peak.
Kitt Peak is a mountain in the desert. On this mountain is an observatory. An
observatory is a place where scientists go to study space. Have you ever seen
the moon at night? The moon is in space. But there is more than just the moon
in space. Planets, stars, and galaxies are also in space. Even our own planet,
Earth, is in space. Up in space, Earth travels on its orbit, or path, around the
sun. Earth also spins. This spinning, or rotation, causes night and day. Did you
know all of that about our planet?
Many people wonder how scientists study space. One way they do it is by
using special tools called telescopes. Telescopes make faraway objects in
space look larger and clearer. At the observatory on Kitt Peak, there are more
than twenty-fi ve telescopes that scientists can use.
The observatory on Kitt Peak is more than fi fty miles away from any city.
Why is the observatory so far away? There are two good reasons.
First, Kitt Peak has clear night skies with few clouds or storms. This is
because it is located in a desert. A clear night sky makes it easier for scientists
to see into space.
Second, the desert is very dark at night. Scientists can see better when it is
dark outside. If Kitt Peak were closer to a city, all the city lights from streets
and buildings would make it harder to see objects in the night sky.
Over fi ve hundred scientists visit Kitt Peak each year to study space. This
type of science is called astronomy. Maybe someday you will visit Kitt Peak and
study outer space!
COMPREHENSION What words about space did you learn from this
selection? Do you think space is big and wonderful? Why or why not?
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