THE ARCTIC

THE ARCTIC is located on the northernmost part of

Earth. It is often considered to lie north of the “tree line,”
which marks where trees cannot grow because of frigid
year-round temperatures. This area includes Greenland as
well as parts of Alaska, Canada, Europe, and Siberia. It also Skill Clue words
includes the Arctic Ocean and, of course, the North Pole. such as due to help
Ice and snow cover two-fifths of arctic land year-round, you spot cause-and-
effect relationships.
while the rest of the land has grasses and shrubs. Ice cov-
Why don’t the
ers more than half the Arctic Ocean all the time. This sun’s rays reach the
mass of jagged ice is called pack ice. northern Arctic in
winter?
THERE ARE LARGE temperature differences throughout
the Arctic. Due to Earth’s tilt, the sun’s rays do not even
reach the northern Arctic during the winter. Yet the cold-
Skill Why aren’t the
est arctic temperatures are not at the North Pole. That’s coldest temperatures
because the North Pole is located on the Arctic Ocean at the North Pole?
pack ice. Water––even as ice––slowly takes in heat during
the summer. It slowly gives it off during the winter. The
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most extreme temperatures, then, occur on the land in Strategy What are
northern Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. the most important
On the pack ice, winter air is still and dry. Most of ideas in this article?
the water is already frozen. In fact, more snow falls in Summarize the article
to state its most
New York City!
important ideas.

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 Jane Goodall is known worldwide for studying chim-
panzees. As a child she became interested in how animals
behaved. She left school at age 18 and eventually traveled Skill How do the title
to Africa, where in 1960 she started a camp in the Gombe and first paragraph
help you predict the
Stream Game Reserve. From there she could carefully
main purpose of the
research the chimpanzees that lived in the region. article?
Goodall and her family lived in Gombe until 1975. Over
the years Goodall discovered many surprising facts about
Skill Do you think
chimpanzees. For example, she learned that chimpanzees
the author’s purpose
are omnivores. This means that they eat both plants and in this paragraph
animals. Before her discovery most scientists believed that is to entertain, give
chimpanzees were vegetarians, or plant eaters. Goodall also information, or
discovered that chimpanzees are capable of making and persuade?

using their own tools, using twigs and the like.

Goodall wrote several fascinating books about her Strategy What text
research with chimpanzees. In 1971 she told about her first structure do you think
the author uses to
years at Gombe in the book In the Shadow of Man. Later,
organize information?
in 1986, she wrote all she had learned about chimpanzee
behavior in The Chimpanzees of Gombe.
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 GOODBYE, JIM CROW
It took many years for black people to receive full legal
Strategy Use your
rights in the United States. The push for fair laws began
ability to infer to
after the Civil War ended. answer this question:
• Unfair Laws Starting in 1865, a group of laws called Why did the Civil
black codes stopped blacks from having basic rights. Citizens Rights movement start
after the Civil War
in the northern part of the United States disagreed with
ended?
these laws. This led to the Reconstruction laws, which got rid
a) Once the war
of the black codes. But soon new laws were passed that ended, slaves
segregated, or separated, blacks from whites in many areas were free.
of everyday life. These were called the Jim Crow laws. b) There wasn’t
interest on the part
• New Laws In 1954, the United States Supreme Court
of black people
ruled that it was not fair or lawful to have separate black and
until then.
white schools. This helped the Civil Rights movement move c) Before the war,
forward with a strong, organized push to end segregation. discrimination was
In 1963, leaders of the movement staged a huge march in illegal.
Washington, D.C., to speak out against racial discrimination.
President Kennedy could not get Congress to pass
equal rights laws. After President Kennedy was assassinated, Skill What
President Johnson got Congress to pass the Civil Rights caused the United
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States to pass the

Act of 1964, which ended legal segregation. Then, in 1965,
Reconstruction laws?
Congress passed the Voting Rights Act. This led to a huge Are there clue words?
increase in the number of blacks registered to vote.

Skill What was

the long-term effect
of the important
1954 Supreme
Court decision?

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 March 12, 2011
1221 Sea Gull Way
Gulliver, Florida

Dear Rachel,
Strategy What do
How are you? It has been ten weeks now since we moved to you predict this letter
Florida so my mom could do her ocean research. Our new town will be about? What
is very different from New York. It doesn’t snow here, and the purpose will you set
temperature is too hot for me. for reading?
There’s not much going on in this area, and there aren’t
very many places to go other than the beach. We live in a very Skill Which
small town near the ocean. There’s not much to do most of the conclusion can you
time, but sometimes I get to go with my mom when she does her draw about Lydia’s
view of her new
research, and that’s great. Still, I miss all the activity and all the
home?
people in the big city. Remember how we used to go to shows a) She felt more
and get the best pizza slices? There’s a lot of seafood to eat comfortable in
here, which is pretty gross since I don’t like it. It is so much fun New York.
where you are, where there is always something to do. b) She wishes things
were quieter where
My new school is called Marina Bay School. Last week, we
she lives now.
were studying the ocean, and my mom came to give a presenta- c) She likes her new
tion. That made me feel like I fit in a little bit better with some home better than
of the kids in this new town. her old home.
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At recess, I usually sort of sit on the sidelines and watch

the other kids play volleyball or kickball. There’s no one like you
here. Are you doing all right? Are you still racing with Ellen Skill What
and Juanita at recess like we used to? That was awesome! conclusion can you
draw about how
Sincerely,
Lydia is feeling?
Lydia

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 The Age of Inventions
Th period
The i d ffrom th
the mid-1800s
id 1800 tto the
th early
l 1900s
1900 was
Skill What do you
one of great significance in human history. Many of the predict is the main
machines invented during this time changed the world. purpose of this
First, new ways to power machines were developed. article?
Inventors learned to generate and use electricity, leading a) to inform you
which machines
to the widespread use of electric lights and trains. The
were invented
first gasoline-fueled engine was perfected in 1859, and during this time
these engines were soon used in many factories. b) to entertain you
Second, transportation changed dramatically. The by joking about
first motorcycles and motorcars were introduced in 1855. inventions of the
1800s
The first large iron ships were constructed during this
c) to persuade you
time as well and soon replaced ships powered by sails. that this time was
The Wright brothers piloted the first plane flight in 1903. very popular
Third, people were able to communicate in more
sophisticated ways. For example, the telephone, which Strategy Are you
was made in 1876, and the wireless telegraph, invented understanding the
in 1895, let people converse across long distances. The author’s purpose and
radio was invented in 1901. the information in the
article? Do you need
The world changed in very many ways from the
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to stop and think?

mid-1800s to the early 1900s. Was it a better place
because of all these inventions? Many people would say
yes. However, some might disagree. Transportation and Skill What does the
communication were speedier, but noise, pollution, and a purpose of this final
faster pace of life resulted. paragraph seem to
be—to inform, to
entertain, or to
express ideas?

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