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    Topic
    Genre: Website Article
    A website article is an article on the
    Internet. Website articles contain tools
    to help you find important information
    online. You can type in key words to
    search for them in the article.
    The website article “A Variety of Life
    in Madagascar” describes different
    plants and animals on the island of
    Madagascar.
    Genre: Myth
    Myths are traditional stories set in the
    distant past. They can include gods or
    other supernatural characters. Myths
    often explain how parts of nature
    came to be.
    “The Flood of Yellowstone” is a myth
    from the Cheyenne Native American
    people. It tells where rainbows
    come from.
    by Annie Jeffrey
    by Jennifer Li
    A Retelling of a Cheyenne
    Native American Myth
    A Variety of Life in
    Madagascar
    125
    Key Words
    buffalo
    flood
    hide
    honor
    protect
    shelter
    smoke
    sport
    Identifying the
    Central Message
    or Lesson
    Stories, including folk
    tales and myths, often
    teach a lesson about
    life. To find the central
    message, ask yourself:
    Why do people retell this
    story? What lesson are
    they trying to teach their
    readers or listeners?
    1 Do you know a
    traditional story from
    your own culture? What
    lesson does it teach?
    2 Listen and follow.
    26
    by Jennifer Li
    L
    ong ago, when the Great Spirit formed the world, the
    most beautiful place he made was the Yellowstone Valley.
    In it, the Great Spirit placed the best of all the animals. There
    were wolves in the hills. There were elk in the meadows.
    There were foxes and badgers in the forests. There were otters
    and fish in the streams. And everywhere in the valley were the
    powerful
    buffalo.
    A Retelling of a Cheyenne
    Native American Myth
    126 Topic 7
    Then the Great Spirit brought people to Yellowstone. He presented
    them with their beautiful valley. He showed them the elk in the meadows
    and the fish in the streams.
    “This land is your home,” the Great Spirit said. “The animals are
    your brothers. Care for them well, and they will give you food and
    clothing whenever you have need.”
    The Great Spirit called a buffalo to stand in front of
    the people.
    “You must
    protect the buffalo above all
    other animals,” he said. “He will give you
    food and clothing. His
    hide will also be
    your
    shelter. Honor the buffalo, and he
    will protect you from the heat and the
    cold and the rain.”
    127
    Yellowstone Flood
    So the people promised the Great Spirit that they would do
    everything he asked. And for a long time, they cared for the animals and
    the land. Each morning, the young men went out to hunt. When they
    had to kill a buffalo, they gave thanks to the Great Spirit. They honored
    the life of the buffalo. They ate its meat. They made tents from its hide.
    Not one part of the buffalo was wasted.
    Generations came and went. Soon, there were no people left who
    had heard the Great Spirit’s words. Slowly the people forgot that they
    had promised to care for the animals and the land. They no longer
    thought of the animals as their brothers.
    The people were not hungry, yet they killed the animals for
    sport.
    They did not need more shelter, yet they hunted the buffalo until there
    were hardly any left in the valley. They did not have to build larger
    villages, yet they cut down the trees and burned down the forests.
    128 Topic 7
    The Great Spirit looked down and saw the smoke rising from their
    fires. He decided to use the smoke as a warning. Perhaps when the
    people smelled the smoke, they would see the damage they had done.
    Then they would remember their promise.
    The Great Spirit made the wind be still and the clouds hang low in
    the sky. When the people made fires or burned the forests, the smoke
    no longer blew away. Instead, it sank over the people.
    The people hated the smoke. They complained to one another.
    “We have to get rid of this terrible smoke!” they said.
    They coughed and choked on it. But they kept burning the forests
    and killing the animals as they pleased. There came a day when one
    young man brought the very last buffalo in the lower valley back to the
    village. He had hunted and killed it for sport.
    129
    Yellowstone Flood
    When the Great Spirit
    saw that the people had ignored
    his smoke signal, he sent a great and
    terrible rain on the valley. The rain fell
    until the valley was filled with water. The
    people had to leave their homes and move to
    higher ground. But they had no buffalo hides to make
    new tents.
    Only then did Spotted Bear, the old medicine man,
    remember the words of the Great Spirit.
    He called all the people together and said, “Few remember the
    Great Spirit’s words, but this is what he told us: ‘Honor the buffalo, and
    they will protect you from the heat and the cold and the rain.’”
    Then, at last, the people saw what they had done.
    “The buffalo are gone from the valleys,” they said. “We have no protection left!”
    130 Topic 7
    But the young men still had hope.
    They went out each morning to find
    any buffalo that might be left in the
    valley. The rain continued to fall, but
    still they searched. And as they went,
    they remembered once more that the
    other animals were their brothers.
    They were careful not to
    kill more than they needed
    for food and clothing. When
    they saw animals hurt in the
    flood, they rescued them.
    When they saw that the
    meadows were covered with
    water, they brought grasses
    from the hills to feed the elk.
    Slowly, they began to live in
    peace with the animals and
    the land again.
    And finally, one day,
    they returned to the camp.
    In their hands was an
    enormous buffalo hide.
    131
    Yellowstone Flood
    The young men told the people this story: “On a hill far from here, we saw
    a family of buffalo—a male, a female and a calf. They were trying to escape
    the rising water. We helped the female and the calf to high ground, and they
    galloped away. But before we could help the male, the water washed him away.”
    “There was nothing we could do, but finally we found his body far
    downstream. We gave thanks to the Great Spirit for his life, for this buffalo has
    given us a great gift. Look! His hide will be our shelter from the rain.”
    The people began to stretch the buffalo hide across the hills. It
    stretched farther and farther, until it reached across the whole valley. The
    rains still fell, but under the buffalo hide, the people and the animals were
    dry. The waters of the flood began to disappear.
    132 Topic 7
    The Great Spirit saw that the people had honored the buffalo. They had
    accepted its gift. He saw, too, that the people were sharing the valley with the
    animals once more. And so at last the Great Spirit stopped the rain.
    Soon, the sun came out from behind the clouds. It shone on the buffalo
    hide, turning it colors of red, yellow, blue and green. In the heat of the sun, the
    hide became smaller and smaller, until it was only a thin line across the valley.
    The people and the animals raised their heads and looked at the rainbow.
    “Thank you, Great Spirit,” said Spotted Bear. “Today, we promise again to
    care for the land and the animals. We will honor their gifts of food, clothing
    and shelter. We will not take more than we need. We will protect them, and in
    turn, they will protect us.”
    133
    Yellowstone Flood
    1 Circle the correct answers.
    1
    What is the most important animal in the Yellowstone Valley?
    a
    the fox
    b
    the elk
    c
    the buffalo
    2
    What is the first warning that the Great Spirit gives the people?
    a
    a smoke signal
    b
    a rainbow
    c
    a flood
    3
    What is the second warning that the Great Spirit gives the people?
    a
    a smoke signal
    b
    a rainbow
    c
    a flood
    4
    Who reminds the people of what the Great Spirit said?
    a
    the young men
    b
    a medicine man
    c
    a bear
    2 Match the parts of the sentences. Listen and check.
    27
    1
    When you protect something,
    2
    When you do something for sport,
    3
    Smoke is a cloud
    4
    A hide is the
    5
    A shelter is
    6
    To honor someone, you can
    a
    that comes from fire.
    b
    you keep it safe.
    c
    you do it for fun.
    d
    skin of an animal.
    e
    a place to live.
    f
    treat him or her with respect.
    3 Circle two ways people care for the animals in the flood.
    a
    They help animals that are hurt.
    c
    They cut down trees.
    b
    They hunt the animals for sport.
    d
    They feed the animals.
    4 Identifying the Central Message or Lesson Circle the central message of the story.
    a
    If there is a flood, move to
    higher ground.
    c
    People can get food, clothing
    and shelter from animals.
    b
    Protect the animals and the land,
    and you will protect yourself.
    d
    A rainbow is made from the
    hide of a buffalo.
    A
    Read the story again. Underline the sentences in the story that support this
    central message.
    134 Topic 7
    5 Clues for Inferences Read each quotation from the story.
    Match the quotes with the inferences.
    1
    “Then the Great Spirit brought people to Yellowstone.
    He presented them with their beautiful valley.”
    2
    “The Great Spirit made the wind be still and the clouds hang
    low in the sky.”
    3
    “...before we could help the male, the water washed him away.
    There was nothing we could do, but finally we found his body
    far downstream. We gave thanks to the Great Spirit for his life.”
    4
    “Soon, the sun … shone on the buffalo hide, turning it colors
    of red, yellow, blue and green. In the heat of the sun, the
    hide began to shrink, until it was only a thin line across the
    valley. The people and the animals raised their heads and
    looked at the rainbow.”
    a
    The buffalo hide turned into a rainbow.
    c
    The male buffalo died in the flood.
    b
    The Great Spirit is a god or
    supernatural being.
    d
    The Great Spirit gave the Yellowstone
    Valley to people.
    6 Active Reading Listen to the story again. Stand up when you hear the words “Great
    Spirit” or “buffalo.”
    26
    7 Complete the chart. Why do you think the Great Spirit and the buffalo are so
    important to the Cheyenne people?
    8 Think and discuss. Is this story similar to any other myths or stories you know?
    If so, how is it similar? How is it different?
    The Great Spirit is important because… Buffalo are important because…
    Clues for Inferences
    Sometimes, authors leave
    clues in a story to help
    readers infer, or figure
    out, what is happening.
    For example, the story
    says, “When the Great
    Spirit saw that the people
    had ignored his smoke
    signal, he sent a great
    and terrible rain on the
    valley.” You can infer that
    the Great Spirit is angry
    with the people.
    135
    Yellowstone Flood
    Our
    Planet
    Our
    Planet
    wildlife in Madagascar
    by Annie Jeffrey
    Key Words
    climate
    endangered
    food chain
    hotspot
    lizard
    rainforest
    soil
    species
    Using Text Features
    and Search Tools
    Text features help readers
    gather information about
    what a text is about. Text
    features include titles,
    photos, diagrams, key
    words, information in bold
    and information boxes.
    Search tools help readers
    look for information online.
    1 Look at the online
    article. What text
    features do you
    see? What search
    tools are available?
    2 Listen and
    follow.
    28
    A Variety of Life in
    Madagascar
    What do you know about Madagascar?
    You may have heard about Madagascar from movies. But do
    you know what this island is really like? Madagascar is a large island
    off the east coast of Africa. It is the fourth largest island in the world.
    Madagascar is home to a variety of unique wildlife. This island is
    home to many kinds of plants and animals that do not naturally live
    anywhere else in the world. Read through the article to find out some
    cool facts about the variety of life on Madagascar!
    A Climate for Variety
    One reason Madagascar has a
    variety of wildlife is its varied weather.
    Madagascar also has different
    climates because of its geography.
    There are rainforests on the east of
    the island. Rainforests have tall trees,
    warm temperatures and a lot of rain.
    It rains more to the east of the highest
    mountains on the island. In the rainforests
    of Madagascar, many different species of
    lemur climb from tree to tree. Madagascar is famous for its lemurs.
    Lemurs are in the same family as monkeys, apes and humans.
    Lemur
    136 Topic 7
    The central areas of Madagascar
    are drier and cooler. The southern coast
    gets even less rain. In the dry forests of
    Madagascar, you can find the baobab tree.
    This strange, upside-down-looking tree can
    also be found in Africa and in Australia. It is
    very important to life in Madagascar. The
    fruit, flowers and bark of the baobab tree
    can support many kinds of animals. It feeds
    bugs, birds and other animals.
    A “Hotspot” for Unique Wildlife
    Many kinds of animals on Madagascar are unusual, and there aren’t many
    of them left in the world. A species that is in danger of disappearing is called
    “endangered.” Places with high numbers of endangered species are called
    “hotspots.” There are about twenty-five of these
    hotspots in the world. They are home to around
    60 percent of all of the species on Earth.
    Scientists are trying very hard to protect
    the animals in these areas. The entire
    countries of Japan and New Zealand
    are hotspots! But one of the most famous
    hotspots in the world is the island of
    Madagascar. It is important to protect the
    places where these animals live. That way, they
    will always have a home.
    Baobab trees
    137
    A Variety of Life in Madagascar
    Our
    Planet
    wildlife in Madagascar
    Some people on
    Madagascar believe
    that aye-ayes bring
    bad luck.
    Most people don’t like
    cockroaches. But they
    help the rainforest. Hissing
    cockroaches eat dead
    plants and animals. They put
    nutrients back into the soil.
    Geckos talk to each
    other! They can make
    a short, high sounds
    like a mouse. They can
    also make a rough, low
    sound like a frog.
    t lk t each
    So
    me
    p
    p
    eo l
    Giant Day Gecko
    The giant day gecko only lives in Madagascar
    or on nearby islands. It is “giant” for a gecko—up to 25
    centimeters long. These brightly colored lizards live in the trees of
    the rainforests. Geckos do not have eyelids. They cannot blink. They use their
    long tongues to lick their eyes clean. At least one species of giant day gecko
    is endangered because people are cutting down the trees where it lives.
    Hissing Cockroach
    The Madagascar hissing cockroach makes a hissing
    sound like a snake. To do this, it forces air through holes
    in its hard outer shell. Hissing cockroaches are some of the
    largest in the world—5 to 10 centimeters long. Hissing cockroaches live on
    forest floors. They hide there during the day and look for food at night.
    Aye-aye
    This little creature looks like a mouse. But aye-ayes
    are actually in the same family as chimpanzees and
    humans! Aye-ayes live in the trees of the rainforest. They
    almost never touch the ground. Aye-ayes eat bugs from
    the insides of trees. They are also endangered because
    people are cutting down the rainforest.
    Amazing Animals in Madagascar
    About 75 percent of the species in Madagascar live nowhere
    else on the planet! Here are just a few of them:
    138 Topic 7
    Protecting Madagascar’s Food Chain
    Endangered species aren't the only ones we should protect on Madagascar.
    We need to protect them all. Why? The different plants and animals in an area
    depend on one another for food. A food chain is a way of looking at what
    the plants and animals in an area eat. This chart shows just one food chain in
    Madagascar.
    A Madagascar Food Chain
    Sometimes what one animal
    eats isn’t available anymore.
    When that happens, that animal
    may disappear, too. If some parts
    of a food chain are endangered,
    all the other plants and animals
    in that food chain may be
    endangered, too!
    Adopt a Madagascar Lemur!
    Several organizations, such as the World
    Wildlife Fund and the National Wildlife Federation, help
    protect endangered animals in hotspots like Madagascar.
    You can support them by “adopting” an endangered
    lemur! When you adopt a lemur, the organization will
    send you an adoption kit. The kit contains an “adoption
    certificate,” information about the lemur, a photo of a
    lemur and often a soft toy lemur. The money raised from
    “adoptions” helps these organizations build and manage
    parks and protected areas in Madagascar.
    A
    M
    e
    Certificate of Adoption
    This certifies that
    has officially adopted a lemur
    06 April 2017
    a lemur
    has
    ha
    of
    ficially ado
    pte
    d
    06
    6
    06
    06
    06
    6
    06
    06
    0606
    06
    06
    06
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    06
    06
    6
    06
    0
    0
    0
    0
    06
    Apr
    Ap
    Ap
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    Apr
    pr
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    Apr
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    pr
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    Apr
    il 201
    7
    Birds eat
    spiders.
    Flowers grow
    in good soil.
    Moths eat the
    flowers’ nectar.
    Spiders eat
    moths.
    When birds die,
    cockroaches break down
    their bodies into good soil.
    139
    A Variety of Life in Madagascar
    1 Read the text again. Label the pictures.
    aye-aye cockroach gecko island lemurs rainforest
    2 Complete the sentences with the correct words.
    baobab trees climates food chain hotspot soil
    1
    Madagascar is a because many endangered animals live there.
    2
    Two in Madagascar are the rainforest and the dry forest.
    3
    A shows how plants, insects and animals depend on one another.
    4
    For example, support many animals in the dry forest.
    5
    At the bottom of the food chain, cockroaches break down dead things into .
    3 Circle the correct answers.
    1
    Why does Madagascar have such unusual plants and animals?
    a
    It is far away from other places.
    b
    People have brought species there.
    2
    How do people cause harm to animals in Madagascar?
    a
    by cutting down rainforest trees
    b
    by putting the animals in zoos
    3
    What does it mean to “adopt” a lemur from the World Wildlife Fund?
    a
    to take home a lemur as a pet
    b
    to donate money to protect wild lemurs
    4 5
    6
    1 2
    3
    140 Topic 7
    Search Tools
    Search tools like the one in
    the article are helpful. But
    sometimes they can give
    you too much information!
    How can you use search
    tools to get exactly the
    information you need?
    4 Using Text Features and Search Tools Match the text features with their functions.
    1
    a title
    2
    a photo
    3
    a diagram
    4
    a search tool
    5
    a key word
    6
    an information box
    a
    uses pictures and information to explain an idea
    b
    highlights interesting information
    c
    tells you what the article is about
    d
    helps you find information
    e
    illustrates an idea with a picture
    f
    shows you a word is important
    A
    Underline and label one example of each text feature in the online article.
    5 Active Reading Listen and guess the animal sounds. Then make the animal noises with
    a classmate.
    29
    6 Search Tools Read these tips for using search tools.
    1
    Be clear. If you want to know what “endangered” means,
    enter “definition of endangered,” not just “endangered.”
    2
    Use quotation marks. If you’re looking for information about
    endangered lemurs, enter “facts about endangered lemurs”
    to search for the exact phrase.
    3
    Use reliable websites. To find out about endangered lemurs,
    you can search http://www.worldwildlife.org, http://www.
    discoverykids.com or http://kids.nationalgeographic.com.
    A
    Follow the tips to search for information about endangered lemurs. What did you learn?
    Write one fact.
    7 Think and discuss. Would you like to “adopt” a lemur? Why or why not?
    Would you prefer to “adopt” a different animal from Madagascar?
    141
    A Variety of Life in Madagascar
    Connect to Me
    1 Draw pictures of two animals you see in your neighborhood or town.
    A
    Think and write about each animal. What kind of animal is it? Where do you see it?
    How can you help to protect it?
    Connect to Science
    1 Research one of the twenty-five “hotspots” on Earth.
    Use key words to search for information about your topic. Be sure to use reliable websites.
    Find out about the plants and animals that live there. Why are they endangered?
    How can people help protect them?
    A
    Write an article with the information. Include text features such as titles, pictures and
    information boxes to help your readers understand.
    A
    Present your article to the class.
    142 Topic 7