Vocabulary

What is the meaning of the underlined words? Circle the letter of the correct answer.

1. The roadrunner gets its name because it runs along roads.

1. in the direction of

2. across

2. The rattlesnake shakes its tail.

1. feels

2. moves

3. The rattlesnake's tail makes a sound like a rattle.

1. quick little noises

2. very big feet

4. The rattlesnake can feel the heat of an animal.

1. temperature

2. noise

5. The roadrunner is a strange bird.

1. bad

2. unusual

6. The opossum keeps its babies in a pouch.

1. holds

2. makes

Comprehension

A. Looking for Main Ideas

Circle the letter of the best answer.

1. The roadrunner gets its name because it ________.

1. has long legs

2. runs along roads

3. kills snakes

2. The rattlesnake is famous for ________ .

1. its heat

2. its bad eyes

3. the sound it makes

3. The opossum is the only animal in North America that ________.

1. keeps its babies in a pouch

2. keeps a bag

3. has a stomach

B. Looking for Details

Circle T if the sentence is true. Circle F if the sentence is false.

1. The roadrunner eats rattlesnakes. T F

2. The roadrunner cannot fly. T F

3. The rattlesnake is not dangerous. T F

4. The rattlesnake kills at night. T F

5. The opossum looks like a large mouse. T F

6. The opossum keeps its tongue in a pouch. T F

The sequoias

The sequoia trees are the oldest living things in the world. You can find them only in the north of California. They are huge. Some are over 250 feet high. Many sequoias are 3,000 years old. They are living giants.

The name sequoia comes from Sequoyah, an American Indian. Sequoyah developed an alphabet for his people, so they could read and write.

The bark, or outside part of the sequoia, has a special tannin or juice. So sequoias never die from fire or disease.

The biggest sequoia is the General Sherman tree. This tree is 100 feet around its base, or bottom. It is 267 feet tall. This means it is about the same size as a building with twenty-six floors. It is also one of the oldest trees in the world. The General Sherman tree is 4,000 years old!

When people needed wood, they began to cut down the sequoias, John Muir was a famous naturalist. He asked President Theodore Roosevelt to come and see the sequoias in California. The president came, and in 1903 he made the land where they grew into a national park – Sequoia National Park.

Vocabulary

Complete the definitions. Circle the letter of the correct answer.

1. Something that is very big is ________.

1. huge

2. high

3. tall

2. The bottom of a tree is its ________.

1. bark

2. base

3. juice

3. A person who studies plants and animals is a ________.

1. sequoia

2. nationalist

3. naturalist

4. The thick outside part of a tree is the ________.

1. tannin

2. bark

3. juice

5. Something that is much bigger than normal is a ________.

1. giant

2. building

3. world

6. When something is sick, it may have a ________.

1. protects

2. finds

3. studies

7. When something is sick, it may have a ________.

1. fire

2. back

3. disease

8. Sequoiah made an alphabet for his people. He ________ it especially for them.

1. saved

2. grew

3. developed

Comprehension

A. Looking for Main Ideas

Circle the letter of the best answer.

1. The sequoias trees are ________.

1. the oldest, living things in the world

2. died 3,000 years ago

3. the oldest things in the world

2. The General Sherman tree is ________.

1. the oldest sequoia

2. the biggest sequoia

3. in Washington

3. President Roosevelt ________.

1. cut down sequoias

2. saved John Muir

3. made Sequoia National Park

B. Looking for Details

One word in each sentence is not correct. Cross out the word and write the correct answer above it.

1. Sequoia trees are the oldest living things in California.

2. Some Sequoias are 250 feet old.

3. The General Sherman tree is 100 feet around its tannin.

4. Sequoyah developed an American for his people.

5. The bark of the sequoia has a special fire. S- John Muir was a famous president.

7. Muir wanted to save the people.

8. President Roosevelt made the land where the sequoias grew into a president park.