Animal Life
The word dinosaur means "terrible lizard." But the first dinosaurs were not as scary as we might think. Some were as small as a chicken. Others were about the size of an adult. The giant dinosaurs didn't appear until many years later.
True or false? All dinosaurs were about the same size.
False
Moons are like small planets. Our moon is only about one-fourth the size of the Earth. The Early has only one moon. Some planets have more than one moon. The moon is many miles from the Earth. As the Earth moves around the sun, the moon moves around the Earth.
How many moons does the Earth have?
One.
The Statue of Liberty sits in New York Harbor on Liberty Island in the state of New York. France gave it to the United States in 1884. How large is the Statue of Liberty? It stands 304 feet high. Her nose is four and a half feet long. Her index finger is eight feet long! It took 20 years to build.
Where is the Statue of Liberty?
New York.
The North Pole is in the Arctic Ocean. It is a very large place. It is cold there, and all of the land is frozen. There is much ice and snow, and only a few animals live there. You can see polar bears, whales, and seals, but there are no people living at the North Pole.
The North Pole is in what ocean?
The Arctic Ocean.
In 1906, bubble gum was invented by a man named Frank Fleer. He didn't think his bubble gum was a success. It was too sticky. Twenty years later, bubble gum was developed that wasn't too sticky. People could blow bubbles. Color was added to the gum. Since that day, most bubble gum has been pink.
What was the problem with Frank Fleer's first bubble gum?
It was too sticky.
Kangaroos live in family groups called "mobs." The family takes care of each other. The leader is the largest and strongest in the group. A baby kangaroo is called a "joey." When joeys are born, they have no eyes or ears. They live in their mothers' pouches until they are 7-10 months old.
Which kangaroo is usually chosen as the leader of the mob?
The largest and strongest
Lightning is a big spark of electricity. It lights up the sky. It flashes through the air. Lightning heats the air. The hot air pushes the cold air away. When the cold air is pushed away, we hear a loud sound. That sound is thunder.
What does lightning do to the air?
It makes it hot.
How was the Great Barrier Reef found?
James Cook's ship struck the reef.
What was the Underground Railroad? It was not a train. It did not run on train tracks. It was a way that slaves escaped to freedom in the United States. The slaves would escape from the South to the North. Harriet Tubman was a slave who helped many other slaves escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad.
What was the Underground Railroad?
A way for slaves to escape to freedom.
Long ago, people thought that blind people could never learn to read. A man named Louis Braille helped them. He thought of an idea. He used raised dots on paper to make patterns. The patterns stood for letters, numbers, or signs. Braille is still used today. You can see Braille in many places, such as in elevators and hotel rooms.
What does the Braille system use to make patterns?
Raised dots on paper.
Why doesn't a spider get caught in its own web? It is because the spider only walks on the dry threads. Even if it did touch a sticky thread, it would not be caught. Spiders' bodies are covered with oil. This keeps them from getting stuck.
How does a spider avoid getting caught in its own web?
It walks on the dry threads and is covered in oil.
Did you know that plants were the first living things on Earth? Plants lived long before animals came to Earth. The world's oldest plants are said to live in California. Some trees found there are almost 5,000 years old. Science tells us that the first plants grew in or near the water. Later, plants such as ferns and mosses began to grow.
Where are some of the world's oldest trees found?
California.
In South America lies the second longest river in the world--the Amazon River. This river looks calm and peaceful, but it can fool you. It is home to many snakes and alligators. But the greatest danger is from the piranhas. They can eat a person in a matter of minutes! Some people live on the river. These people are poor. They don't own any land, so they make their homes on the river and live on wooden rafts.
What is the greatest danger in the Amazon River?
The piranhas.
Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809. His family lived in a log cabin. Abe helped on the farm when he was a young boy. He started school when he was six years old. Abe loved to learn. He walked two miles to school each day. His favorite part of the day was when he could write. He practiced writing every day. Abe became interested in law when he grew up, and eventually became the 16th President of the United States.
What was Abe's favorite subject to study in school?
Writing.
Who invented the zipper? The idea began with a man named Whitcomb Judson. He was an inventor. Judson worked on a new kind of fastener. He called his fastener a "clasp locker." He took his invention to the World's Fair to show people. But people weren't interested in it. The clasp locker jammed too much. A man named Sundback decided to make it better. He worked a long time to make the fastener lighter and smaller. The idea worked!
How was the new fastener different from the old one?
It was lighter and smaller.
The smallest flying bird is the hummingbird. Some are only two and a half inches long. It can do many things that other birds can't. It can fly backwards. It can fly straight up in the air. It can hover like a helicopter. It looks like it's floating in the air. Its wings beat so fast that it looks like it isn't moving at all. Its wings may beat up to 100 times per second. That's fast!
How fast can a hummingbird's wings beat?
Up to 100 times per second.
There are billions of stars in the Milky Way. This large group of stars is called a galaxy. A galaxy also has gases and dust. These stars are millions of miles away. The sun and the nine planets are also a part of the Milky Way. No one knows how galaxies were formed. We can only guess. Maybe there was one big mass that broke into pieces. We just don't know. Our Milky Way is only one of the many galaxies in the universe.
How were galaxies formed?
No one knows.
What are five city blocks long and six stories high? They are the doors leading into the Panama Canal. These doors are huge and made of steel. When Theodore Roosevelt became President of the United States, he knew that a passage through Panama would be good for trade. At first, the builders had a lot of trouble. Then a man named John Stevens was sent as the engineer. He thought of building a lock canal, with big doors on each end. It took four years just to build the lock canal. Every year, thousands of ships pass through this canal.
Who was John Stevens?
An engineer who helped build the Panama Canal.
In 1820, Susan B. Anthony was born. One day, she would be a leader for women's rights. When Susan was very young, her father saw that she could learn easily. Most girls back then only learned things about taking care of a house. Susan needed to learn more. She was sent away to school when she was six. The school was a different kind of school where she would be challenged to learn reading, writing, and math. Eventually, Susan B. Anthony fought for women's rights to work, own property, and vote.
Why was Susan sent away to school?
She would learn more at the new school.
How did people get to visit Edison?
They traveled to his home by boat.
You can find blue whales in all oceans. All whales are mammals. They breathe air. The blue whale has a blowhole on its head. The blowhole is important because it lets the whale breathe. Whales can't live without coming up to the surface of the water to take a breath. After they take a breath, they dive back under the water. They can stay underwater for more than an hour at a time.
Why is a whale's blowhole important?
It lets the whale breathe.
What are fossils? Fossils are imprints left in the ground. An imprint is like your footprint in the sand. A fossil might be an imprint of an animal, a plant, or an insect. Fossils can also be bones, teeth, or shells. Fossils tell us about life long ago. They give us clues about the past. Some fossils are millions of years old.
A fossil might be an imprint of what three things?
Animal, plant, insect.
Death Valley is in the state of California. It is one of the hottest places in the United States. Death Valley got its name from the miners who came during the Gold Rush of 1849. Many miners didn't know it would be so hot and died of thirst. The many deaths led to it's name, Death Valley. Much of the land is below sea level. The weather is harsh, but the desert live is beautiful. More than 900 kinds of plants live in Death Valley. It doesn't rain often, but when it does, the flowers burst with color.
How did Death Valley get its name?
From the many miners who died of thirst during the Gold Rush of 1849.
The Titanic set sail in 1912. This new ship was a one-of-a-kind ship, and it was said it could not sink. There were 2,200 people aboard the ship going to America to find a new life. After three days, warnings were sent to the ship. There were icebergs ahead. The captain wanted to keep the time schedule so he did not slow the ship down. Suddenly, the ship struck a huge iceberg. The lower side of the ship was ripped open, and passengers needed to get off the ship. It was going to sink. There was only room for about 1,000 people on the lifeboats. Hundreds of families were separated and people panicked. The Titanic sank to the bottom of the sea and more than 1,500 people were killed.
True or false? There was room for 2,000 people in the lifeboats.
False.
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. Bell believed that speech patterns could be sent by electric waves. He and his friend Thomas Watson worked together for many years. Their telephone was finally finished. Would it work? The men went to separate rooms. Bell sent a message over the telephone. He said, "Mr. Watson, come here. I want you." Watson ran into the room when he heard Bell's voice. The dream had come true! The telephone was born.
What were the first words over a telephone?
"Mr. Watson, come here. I want you."