PLANTS
WEATHER
THE COLONIES
OTHER
100
The plant with the biggest seed in the world is called the coconut of the sea. Its huge seed can grow to be as big as a beach ball. It can weigh as much as fifty pounds.
The biggest seed is the coconut of the sea.
100
In 1888 there was a terrible blizzard in New York City. It lasted for three days. There were strong winds. Blowing snow was all that could be seen. Many people died in this storm.
A terrible blizzard occurred in 1888 in New York City.
100
Children in the Colonies worked long hours every day. Boys did chorse in the barn and helped their fathers in the fields. Girls helped their mothers in the house. Both boys and girls helped with the spinning and weaving.
Children in the Colonies worked long hours every day.
100
Probably the best-known rodeo cowboy in the world is Larry Mahan. Mahan was the national champion six times before he was 30. He was good at every event. When he got too old to be in the rodeo, he didn't stop doing rodeo work. He started a rodeo school.
Larry Mahan is a well-known rodeo cowboy.
200
Catnip is a plant. It belongs to the mint family. It grows wild among many roads. Cats love to roll and play in catnip. They also like to eat it because they like its taste.
Catnip is a plant that cats love.
200
A tornado is a huge, powerful storm with strong winds. Because of its shape the rapidly spinning cloud is sometimes called a funnel cloud. It whirls and spins in the sky. When they reach the ground, they are extremely destructive.
A tornado is a strong rotating cloud.
200
Dolley Madison was the wife of President James Madison She was quite a brave First Lady. When the White House burned down, Dolley rescued important government papers. She also saved the portrait of George Washington that hangs in the East Room today.
Dolley Madison was a brave First Lady.
200
Polo is a game played on horseback. Each team has four players who attempt to hit a ball with their sticks. Each player has to handle the stick with his or her right hand and control the horse with the left hand. The team that scores more goals wins. Goals are scored by hitting the ball inside the other teams goalposts.
Polo is a game played on horseback.
300
Mint grows all over the world. Mint plants are very tough plants. They are hard to get rid of. This is because they don't just grow from seeds. They send out long roots all over, and then new plants spring from the roots. If you have a mint plant in your garden, it will crowd out all the other plants. A smart gardener grows mint in pots to keep it from taking over.
Mint plants are hard to get rid of.
300
Weather experts can predict rain, snow, and sunshine fairly well. Now scientists can predict where lightning will strike. They can warn airplane pilots to change their routes. Also, people in charge of golf tournaments can adjust the playing schedule.
Weather experts can predict the weather.
300
Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello, is famous. Many people visited the president there and Jefferson could not turn guests away. He had another home near Lynchburg, Virginia. It was called Poplar Forest, and Jefferson went there when Monticello got too crowded.
Monticello is a popular house.
300
King Louis XIV of France was a short man. He wanted to look taller. So he ordered high heels for his shoes. Then he had his shoes trimmed with lace, bows, and jewels. One pair of shoes had bows that were 16 inches wide. e had artists paint scenes on the heels of his shoes. Soon other men in France wore high-heeled shoes with flowers and bows.
King Louis XIV wore intricate shoes to make himself taller.
400
Most desert plants have sharp spines. These spines help the desert plant drink water. Morning mist also forms big drops on these spines. Then the drops fall, and the plants drink the water. The spines also make the hot desert winds circle around the plant. This keeps the wind from taking the plant's water.
Spines help desert plants to survive.
400
A sandstorm, also known as a dust storm, is a very strong windstorm that carries clouds of sand or dust. These usually happen in the desert. These are also known as dust storms. The intense heating of the ground usually causes this wind. The winds are usually strong enough to move entire sand dunes. As a result, they greatly reduce visibility.
A sandstorm is a storm that carries large amounts of sand or dust.
400
Long before Europeans came to America, there was already a nation. It covered the northeast part of the country. It was called the Confederacy of the Iroquois. The Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca tribes all belonged to it. They shared what was known as The Great Peace. When the United States began, it as set up much like the Iroquois Confederacy.
The Confederacy of the Iroquois existed long before Europeans came to America.
400
The Loch Ness Monster is a large creature that has been said to live in a lake called Loch Ness in Scotland. The water of the lake is the color of coffee, so no one has been able to take a clear picture of the monster or catch it. The monster is said to e about twenty feet long. It has a tiny head and a long neck. Its big body has flippers and many humps.
The Loch Ness Monster is a large creature that has been said to live in a lake called Loch Ness in Scotland.
500
In the fall, the days become shorter and the amount of sunlight decreases. Trees respond to the decreasing amount of sunlight by producing less and less chlorophyll (green pigment), until it does not produce it any longer. When chlorophyll is no longer made, the remaining colors are left. This is what causes the leaves to change colors in the fall.
Leaves change colors due to the lack of chlorophyll production.
500
Earthquakes are the shaking, rolling or sudden shock of the earth’s surface. They are the Earth's natural means of releasing stress. More than a million earthquakes rattle the world each year. Earthquakes can be felt over large areas although they usually last less than one minute.
Earthquakes are the shaking of the earth’s surface.
500
In affluent villages and cities, full of wealthy landowners and plantations, the wigmaker was very important. Wigmakers made wigs and fashioned the hair of the elite. Skillful wigmakers could customize a wig to the preferences of the customer or to the styles popular in London. The wigmaker was especially busy when the courts were in session as the judges and attorneys each required their own specialized hair pieces.
Wigmakers were important in colonial times.
500
Baltimore Orioles are black and orange birds. Unlike robins and many other fruit-eating birds, Baltimore Orioles seem to prefer only ripe, dark-colored fruit. Orioles seek out the darkest mulberries, the reddest cherries, and the deepest-purple grapes, and will ignore green grapes and yellow cherries even if they are ripe.
Baltimore Orioles eat only dark colored fruits.
M
e
n
u