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Sailors use maps to find their way at sea.
Using maps, park rangers can help find lost hikers.
Pilots can use maps to plan their flights.
Maps can be a helpful tool for people in different jobs.
A map is important when you fly a plane
About one-third of Earth's land is in Asia
Asia has the longest coastline of any continent
Asia has more people than any other continent
Africa has the largest waterfall in the world
Asia is a very large place with many people
Smartphones are phones that are used for more than making calls and sending messages. People count on them for getting directions and finding information on the internet. People also have fun listening to music, taking pictures, and playing games on their phones. On the other hand, smartphones have some downsides. They can make it hard to keep your mind on important things, like studying. Some people even text during meals, or when spending time with their family. Driving while using a phone puts people in danger. Smartphones are useful, but they can cause problems if not used safely and politely.
Smartphones can be used in both good and bad ways
There are many good things about smartphones
Gravity is the force that makes things fall to Earth. You can't see or touch it, but without gravity, life on Earth would be quite different. Everything would simply float away. If you jumped up, you would fly off into space. If you threw a baseball, it would never come down. Gravity is also the force that keeps the Earth orbiting around the sun. So, without gravity, the Earth might float away, too.
Without gravity, the Earth wouldn't orbit the sun
Life on Earth would be different without gravity
Your body repairs itself when you sleep.
Sleep helps your body fight off the cold and flu.
Sleep helps you think more clearly at school or work.
You think more clearly when you sleep well
Your body needs sleep to work well
People in Egypt used copper mirrors over three thousand years ago
Around 2000 BCE, people in Central America made mirrors from many shiny stones
In 1835, Germans started making the first glass mirrors
Volcanic rock can be very shiny
Mirrors have been in use for a very long time
A good magic trick makes people believe they are seeing something amazing. But magic doesn't have to be hard to look real. One easy trick is to "bend" a spoon. First, hold the spoon's handle inside your hands with the end of the handle under your thumbs. Push the spoon's bowl down on the table. Next, let the handle slide down inside your hands. Since your hand is covering part of the handle, it will look like the spoon is bent.
It's easy to make a spoon appear to bend
All magic tricks can be easy
Bats are known for flying around at night and sleeping during the day. You may have seen pictures of bats sleeping upside down in caves. Bats have other daytime resting places, too. They sleep in trees, in old buildings, and even under bridges. More than a million bats sleep under one bridge in Austin, Texas. This colony, or group, contains about as many bats as there are people in the city!
Bats sleep in many different kinds of places during the day
A huge group of bats sleeps under a bridge in Austin, Texas
Leopards growl when they're angry.
Leopards purr when they're happy.
Leopards make hissing sounds when they're afraid.
The sounds leopards make can show you how they feel
Leopards purr like other kinds of cats
Some frogs use their long legs like springs to jump
Some frogs have webbed feet to help them swim
Some frogs have padded toes that help them climb up and down trees
Frogs have special body parts that help them to move
Some frogs have padded toes while others have webbed feet
In 1848, a few builders discovered gold in California. Hearing the news, many people moved out West in a hurry. This push west for gold was called the Gold Rush. Thanks to the Gold Rush, small towns grew into big and busy ones almost overnight. These fast-growing towns were called boomtowns. Only a few people got rich searching for gold. Others made money by selling things like food and clothing to people in the boomtowns.
During the Gold Rush, many people got rich
The Gold Rush turned small California into boomtowns
You probably know that your brain and your heart are organs. But did you know that your skin is an organ as well? An organ is a body part that has a special job. Like other organs, your skin does many important things. It protects your body by keeping out harmful things that can cause illness. It contains special cells that allow you to feel the things you touch. Your skin also helps to keep your body at a comfortable temperature.
Your skin allows you to have a sense of touch
Fossils have been found on many beaches
Fossils are often uncovered near rivers
Fossils have been found in deserts
Fossils have been found in the North Pole
Fossils have been discovered in both wet and dry places
Swimming can help your legs become stronger
Swimming can strengthen your heart
Swimming can help keep your lungs healthy
Swimming is good for your body
Swimming strengthens your arms
Why should you exercise? When you exercise, you lower your chances of getting sick. For example, exercise makes your heart healthier and your body stronger. It improves your mood and can make you feel calm. Regular exercise helps you think more clearly, so you can get more done during the day. Exercise can even help you sleep better at night. Regular exercise can make your life better in so many ways!
People who exercise regularly are happier
Exercise helps people feel better in many ways
The Great Wall of China is a 5,500 mile long wall in China. It is actually made up of several walls built at different times. Some of the walls were built over 2000 years ago. When the first walls were built, China was made up of small kingdoms. Later, when the kingdoms became one country, the leader of China joined all the walls into one long wall. The strongest parts of the wall were built many years later. Over time, parts of the wall have been damaged. But the strongest part of the wall still stands and is visited by thousands of people every day.
The Great Wall of China is visited by thousands of people each day.
The Great Wall of China is made of different walls that together took thousands of years to build
Exercise lowers your chances of getting sick.
Your heart and bones get stronger when you exercise.
Exercise can make you feel calmer and happier.
Exercising gives you more energy
Exercise helps your body and your mind
The queen bee can use her stinger to save the hive from another queen.
The queen bee lays all of the hive's eggs.
The queen bee sends messages to other bees in the hive.
The queen bee is an important part of the hive
The queen bee chooses the perfect spot to lay each egg
A female kangaroo has a special fold of skin that forms a pouch. The pouch is like a large pocket on its stomach. When a baby kangaroo, or joey, is born, it climbs into its mother's pouch. At birth, a joey is only about one inch long. It needs to stay in the pouch so it can grow more. After several months, the joey has grown enough to leave the pouch for short periods of time. By the time the joey is ten months old, it is ready to leave the pouch for good.
A baby kangaroo stays in its mother's pouch until it's strong enough to live on its own
Female kangaroos have pouches on its bellies for carrying their young
Pen pals are friends who live apart but write letters to each other. It's exciting for pen pals to get letters in the mail from another city or country. More importantly, pen pals learn about each other's lives. They may share ideas about their families, pets, and favorite foods. They also may tell each other about special places and events in their own towns. Through words and pictures, pen pals make each other's world a little bit bigger.
They share ideas about their families, pets, and favorite foods.
Having a pen pal is a good way to learn about life in another place.