HomeMy WebLinkAboutRead Aloud Book Gr. 3-Lesson 24Last Saturday, my brother Lakin and I had a great adventure. It all started when
Lakin began to study some maps on his computer.
“Our neighborhood is at 34 degrees latitude and negative 117 degrees longitude,”
Lakin said. “That means we live 34 degrees north of the equator and 117 degrees west
of the prime meridian, which runs from the North Pole to the South Pole.”
Lakin looks at maps to fi nd places where explorers have traveled. He loves reading
about their adventures and exploits. He reads and learns so much, sometimes he talks
about the explorers as if he knows them very well.
“Why did you look up a map of our neighborhood?” I asked.
“Because,” Lakin explained, “today we have the prospect, or possibility, of having
an adventure of our own. Let’s embark on a journey of discovery around our new
neighborhood! We can begin our trip right now.”
I was excited. Lakin’s quests, or searches for new discoveries, were always full of
surprises. Lakin just had to grab his compass. Then we went out to the yard.
“First, we need to decide what direction we want to walk in,” Lakin said as he studied his
compass. “That way is north,” he said, pointing down the street. “Let’s head that way.”
I looked in that direction but only saw two blocks of houses. Then I saw a dog at the
midpoint between our house and the end of the street. “Why north?” I asked.
“Why, to meet one of our neighbors!” replied Lakin, pointing to the dog.
Suddenly, the dog ran toward us. “What acceleration! He’s running faster and faster,”
Lakin said. The dog reached us and jumped on Lakin.
“Down, Harry!” called a young girl as she came running. “I’m sorry about that!”
“It’s OK. We’re on an adventure,” I told her. “We’re explorers.”
“Great! What’s your destination?” she asked. “Where will your adventure end?”
“We don’t know yet,” Lakin replied. “But do you want to join us?”
“Sure!” the girl answered. “Let me go ask my big brother to come, too.”
Lakin and I waited as she walked Harry back to her house and came out with a boy
about Lakin’s age. She said, “I’m Lizzie, and this is my brother, Sean.”
We all had a great time exploring. Later, Lakin and I agreed that the best discovery
of the day was our new friends—Sean, Lizzie, and Harry!
COMPREHENSION How do Lakin and his sister make their discovery? What
words in the story could you use to tell about an adventure?
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In the 1800s, people in the eastern United States, near the Atlantic Ocean, set out
on a daring and exciting journey. These people were pioneers. They were the fi rst to
venture to live in a new area.
Many pioneers decided to move to a place in the West, near the Pacifi c Ocean,
called the Oregon Territory. They wanted to start a fresh life in a new frontier. The
tricky part would be getting there. The pioneers would have to travel almost three
thousand miles to reach the Oregon Territory.
During the 1800s, the United States government wanted people to move west as
part of an expansion plan. The aim was to make the United States stretch from the
Atlantic Ocean to the Pacifi c Ocean. In order to encourage migration to the west, the
government offered free land. Native American tribes already lived on this land. Some
of the tribes believed that the pioneers wanted to fi ght and conquer them. Others
worried less about conquest. Instead, they helped and traded with the settlers.
The trek to the Oregon Territory was diffi cult and dangerous. From the time of
the pioneers’ departure, the trip took at least fi ve months. Many traveled along a
route called the Oregon Trail. The settlers walked most of the distance. Oxen pulled
their belongings in large covered wagons. Life on the Oregon Trail was often boring.
The settlers walked, made camp at night, and ate the same food day after day.
Sometimes the boredom was interrupted by the inhospitable landscape. The settlers
would have to make a steep ascent up a mountain or cross a rushing river.
The pioneers who reached the Oregon Territory found beautiful land. There was
plenty of wildlife, huge trees, and fresh water. They built simple log cabins and lived
off the land. They farmed, trapped, and hunted to make a living.
During the years the Oregon Trail was in use, around two hundred thousand people
moved west. Oregon offi cially became a state in 1858. Soon, the railroad connected it
to the rest of the country, and people didn’t have to use the trail anymore.
You can still travel on parts of the Oregon Trail today. There are many historical
sites and parks along the way. In some places, you can even walk in the grooves made
by the wagons. The brave settlers who traveled the Oregon Trail helped build our nation.
COMPREHENSION Why did settlers travel on the Oregon Trail? Which words
in the passage tell you about journeys?
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