HomeMy WebLinkAboutRead Aloud Book Gr. 2-Lesson 3A sparrow left his friends and family in the country and fl ew to the nearby city.
When the sparrow reached the city, he was tired and needed to rest. Up ahead,
he saw a big, beautiful mansion that looked over the city. The sparrow wondered
who lived in that fancy house. He noticed that the mansion had lots of windows and
porches. He landed on one of the porches to take a rest.
The sparrow was surprised to see a birdcage on the porch. And inside the
birdcage was a yellow canary. The canary was nibbling on a leaf of lettuce. The
canary also had cups full of birdseed and water.
“You have plenty of food, I see,” the sparrow said.
“Yes,” the canary answered. “I have a good life. My owners give me all the food I
want. And once, when I got sick, they took me to the city center to see a doctor. The
doctor helped me feel better.”
“How nice!” the sparrow said. “My life is not so easy. Sometimes I have trouble
fi nding food to eat. Also, I have to watch out for cats that want to eat me.”
“That’s too bad,” the canary said. “No cat could ever get near me here. And in cold
weather, my family takes me inside where it is warm and dry.”
The sparrow sighed. “I wish I could live in a place like this.”
“Where do you live?” asked the canary.
“My home is in the country, where there is endless farmland and people live in small
cottages,” the sparrow said. “But I don’t live in just one place. I move around.”
“Move around?” asked the canary.
“Yes,” answered the sparrow. “Sometimes I like to sit near the lake. When it rains,
I go down into the basement of a building to stay dry. If you come with me, I’ll show
you my favorite places.”
“I can’t,” said the canary. “My place is with my family. I fl y around inside the
apartment, but I don’t fl y around outside.”
The sparrow asked, “You never fl y around the city?”
“No,” said the canary. “But I always have food, and I never worry about cats.”
“I’d rather watch out for cats and search for food, as long as I have the freedom to
fl y where I want,” the sparrow said. “I’m going back to the country.”
COMPREHENSION Which words in the story tell about places to live? Why
does the sparrow decide to go home?
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Last summer, my family traveled to Washington, D.C., for a few days. We
spent most of our trip at the Mall. The Mall is a big park in Washington, D.C.
The Capitol building is at one end and the Washington Monument is at the
other. Most of the other landmarks in Washington are along the Mall as well.
The fi rst day, my family and I toured the Capitol building. This is where the
lawmakers work when they legislate, or make laws. We stood under the Capitol
dome. The dome is the roof of a huge circular hall. Standing under the dome,
you can look all the way up to the top of the very tall building. It was amazing!
Then we walked along the Mall. The Mall is lined with federal buildings.
These buildings are owned by the government of the United States. They are
the offi cial offi ces for the people who help run our country.
There are many fun museums along the Mall, too. On the second day, we
went to the Air and Space Museum. We saw the fi rst working airplane, the
1903 Wright Flyer. We saw spaceship capsules that transported astronauts on
moon missions. I touched a real moon rock at the Air and Space Museum!
We also visited the Washington Monument. It stands 550 feet tall. That’s as
tall as three Capitol buildings standing on top of each other! From the top, we
could see over the entire city. Next, we visited the Lincoln Memorial. It has
a big statue of Abraham Lincoln in it. He looks thoughtful and sad. My dad
read to me some of the famous things that Lincoln said. They are carved into
the wall in the Lincoln Memorial.
On the third day, we walked by the White House. This is the home of the
President of the United States. It also has the President’s offi ce. It is a beautiful
house. I would like to live there someday, when I am President!
Before we went home, we visited the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
This is where they print the nation’s money and stamps. We saw big sheets of
money coming off the printing presses. The tour guide said they make about
$750 million there every day.
There are other places to see in Washington, D.C., such as the National
Aquarium and the National Zoo. We didn’t get to see those places on this trip.
That’s where we’ll start next time, though!
COMPREHENSION What words about government did you hear in this
passage? Would you like to visit Washington, D.C.? Why or why not?
A Visit to the Capital
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