HomeMy WebLinkAboutRead Aloud Book Gr. K-Lesson 17Peaches and BeesPeaches and Bees
The next time you bite into a juicy peach, think of a bumblebee. Bees are
insects, or bugs with six legs and wings. You may wonder what bees have to
do with peaches and other kinds of fruit. But did you know that many kinds of
fruit couldn’t grow if it weren’t for bees?
Many kinds of fruit grow on trees. There are many parts of a fruit tree’s
environment that help the tree grow. These things that surround a fruit tree
work together to help the tree grow strong and healthy. For example, a
fruit tree needs good, healthy soil to grow in. If the dirt is hard and dry, the
tree’s roots cannot get the water it needs to live. Trees need lots of water and
sunshine. When it rains, the tree sucks up water from the soil. The water travels
up through the inside of the tree to all its branches and out to its green leaves.
The leaves need sunshine to be green and healthy. Otherwise they turn brown
and fall to the ground.
Fruit trees also make fl owers. Flowers grow on the branches of a tree. Bees
love fl owers because that is where they get their food. When a bee lands on
a fruit fl ower, a dusty yellow powder called pollen sticks to the bee. Then the
bee fl ies to another fl ower. The bee carries the pollen from the fi rst fl ower to
the second fl ower. This is important. Fruit fl owers need pollen from other fruit
fl owers to make fruit. Without the bees, the trees would only grow fl owers!
Once a bee brings pollen to a fruit fl ower, the fl ower starts to change. It
slowly dries up, and a round fruit starts to grow where the fl ower used to be.
Over time, the fruit grows bigger and bigger. Soon it is big enough to eat! So
the next time you eat a piece of fruit, don’t forget to thank the bees!
COMPREHENSION Which words in this selection explain how fruit
grows on trees? Why are bees important to fruit trees?
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“Let’s go on an exploration of the fi eld behind our house,” said Rita to
her little brother, Alex. “We can look in the grass for different kinds of bugs,
plants, and animals. We can see how many of them we can fi nd.”
“OK!” said Alex. He loved exploring and fi nding new things.
Outside, the fi eld was big and fl at. At fi rst, it looked like there wasn’t much
growing there except for tall grass.
Rita said, “At school I learned that there are many different kinds of plants
that grow in fi elds. Look, here are some plants called black-eyed Susans.” Rita
pointed to a patch of yellow fl owers growing among the grasses. Each fl ower
had a center that looked like a round, black eye.
Alex pointed to another patch. “I see some tall purple fl owers, too!” he
called out.
“Those plants are called purple conefl owers,” said Rita. A beautiful black
and orange butterfl y landed on one of the fl owers. “And that’s an insect called
a monarch butterfl y.”
“Let’s keep exploring. I want to fi nd some animals,” said Alex. Suddenly, Alex
stumbled and fell down. “Look! I tripped on a little hole in the ground,” he said.
“That hole leads to the home of a prairie dog,” said Rita. “If we move away
and wait quietly, we might be able to see the prairie dog.”
They watched quietly from a distance. Soon, a little animal with brown fur
and black eyes popped out of the hole.
“It’s a prairie dog!” whispered Alex.
All at once, a breeze blew in the children’s faces. The tall grasses bent and
swayed in the wind. A big gray rain cloud moved across the sky and blocked
out the sun. The prairie dog popped back into its hole.
“Uh-oh, that prairie dog has the right idea,” said Rita. “I think it’s going to
rain. We’d better get back home.”
“That’s OK,” said Alex. “We can fi nish our exploration tomorrow!”
COMPREHENSION What kinds of bugs, plants, and animals do Rita
and Alex discover in the fi eld? What are some words in the story that
describe nature?
What’s in the Field?
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