Level: L Word Count: 225 100th Word: energy (page 11) Teaching Focus: Vocabulary: Adding s to Nouns Add an s to the word animal. How does it change the word? Tips on Reading This Book with Children: 1. Read the title. Predictions after reading the title have children make predictions about the book. 2. Take a book walk. Talk about the pictures in the book. Use the content words from the book as you take the picture walk. Have children find one or two words they know as they do a picture walk. 3. Have children find words they recognize in the text. 4. Have children read the remaining text aloud. 5. Strategy Talk use to assist children while reading. Get your mouth ready Look at the picture Think does it make sense Think does it look right Think does it sound right Chunk it by looking for a part you know My Science Library Levels 2-3 6. Read it again. 7. Complete the activities at the end of the book.
What Do Critters Do in the Winter? by Julie K. Lundgren Science Content Editor: Kristi Lew www.rourkeclassroom.com
Science content editor: Kristi Lew A former high school teacher with a background in biochemistry and more than 10 years of experience in cytogenetic laboratories, Kristi Lew specializes in taking complex scientific information and making it fun and interesting for scientists and non-scientists alike. She is the author of more than 20 science books for children and teachers. 2012 Rourke Publishing LLC All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher. www.rourkeclassroom.com The author also thanks Melissa Martyr-Wagner and Sam, Riley and Steve Lundgren. Photo credits: Cover nialat; Table of Contents Eric Isselée; Page 4/5 riganmc; Page 6 Eric Isselée; Page 7 S.R. Maglione; Page 8 Jordan McCullough; Page 9 Gooddenka; Page 10 Kevin Dyer; Page 11 Bruce MacQueen; Page 12 Dennis Donohue; Page 13 nialat; Page 14 Studiotouch; Page 15 nialat; Page 16 Winthrop Brookhouse; Page 17 Vladimir Chernyanskiy; Page 18 Jordan McCullough; Page 19 fotoret; Page 20 Witold Kaszkin; Page 21 Michael Woodruff Editor: Kelli Hicks Cover and page design by Nicola Stratford, bdpublishing.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lundgren, Julie K. What do critters do in the winter? / Julie K. Lundgren. p. cm. -- (My science library) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-61741-746-7 (Hard cover) (alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-61741-948-5 (Soft cover) 1. Animals--Wintering--Juvenile literature. 2. Hibernation--Juvenile literature. I. Title. QL753.L86 2012 591.4 3--dc22 2011004759 Rourke Publishing Printed in China, Power Printing Company Ltd Guangdong Province 042011 042011LP www.rourkeclassroom.com - rourke@rourkepublishing.com Post Office Box 643328 Vero Beach, Florida 32964
Table of Contents Cold, Snow, and Ice 4 Winter Adaptations 8 Spring Again 18 Show What You Know 22 Glossary 23 Index 24
Cold, Snow, and Ice In many parts of the world, winter brings cold temperatures, snow, and ice. 4
In winter, lakes freeze and snow covers the land. 5
Animals that live in places where seasons change have many adaptations to survive winter. Adaptations include ways animals look and how they act. Many layers of thick fur keep wolves warm. 6
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Winter Adaptations How do animals survive winter? Many animals migrate, or move from one place to another. Animals with wings may migrate in the fall. Some herd animals, such as caribou, also migrate. Many Monarch butterflies migrate to California and Mexico. 8
Some caribou herds migrate over 400 miles (644 kilometers) between their summer and winter homes. 9
Some animals hibernate. Many toads dig down into the soil and go into what seems like a long, deep sleep. Other hibernators eat heavily in the fall to get fat. 10 Some toads hibernate in burrows.
Since they cannot eat while they hibernate, they use energy from their body fat to stay alive. Woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, eat constantly as the time to hibernate nears. 11
Other animals are not true hibernators, but they do spend much of the winter in their homes living on stored food and resting. Skunks, raccoons, and black bears wake to eat on warmer days. 12
Raccoon 13
Active animals have other adaptations. Some animals fur turns from brown to white for the winter months. This camouflage helps them blend in against the snow. The snowshoe hare s fur coat helps it hide from its enemies in summer and in winter. 14
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Many active animals eat stored food or grow thicker fur. Others, such as mice, live in tunnels under the snow. Snow acts like a blanket to help keep them warm. Gray jays store insects, berries, seeds, and other foods in trees. 16
Rodents stay warm and hidden by using a network of snow tunnels. 17
Spring Again As spring returns, temperatures rise and the snow and ice melt away. Migrating animals return. Monarchs begin flying north in March. 18
Early flowers welcome spring. 19
Sleeping animals wake. Color changers replace their white fur with summer brown. The animals have used their adaptations to survive and are ready for spring. In spring, the Arctic fox sheds its white winter fur and grows a lighter, brown coat. 20
For people in the northern United States and Canada, the robin s return is a sign of spring. 21
1. How is winter hard for animals? 2. What adaptations do animals have for surviving winter? 3. Why do animals migrate? 22
Glossary active (AK-tiv): to eat, move, rest, and live as usual adaptations (ad-ap-tay-shunz): ways animals change over time to help them survive, including changes in the way they look and act camouflage (KAM-uh-flahzh): colorations that blend with the surroundings, to help animals stay hidden caribou (KAIR-uh-boo): reindeer of North America energy (en-ur-jee): the body s ability to do the work of living herd (HERD): group of animals that live and move together, often as a way of survival hibernate (HYE-bur-nate): to go into a state of very deep sleep, where the body temperature goes down and the heart beats slowly in order to save energy migrate (MYE-grate): regularly move according to changing seasons survive (sur-vive): continue to live, in spite of dangers 23
Index active animals 14, 16 adaptations 6, 8, 14, 20 food(s) 12, 16 fur 6, 14, 16, 20 hibernate 10, 11 migrate 8, 9 sleep(ing) 10, 20 snow 4, 5, 14, 16, 17, 18 spring 18, 19, 20, 21 Websites www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/gray_jay/lifehistory www.dnr.state.mn.us/young_naturalists/snow/index.html www.learner.org/jnorth/ www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwep4.htm About the Author Julie K. Lundgren grew up near Lake Superior where she liked to muck about in the woods, pick berries, and expand her rock collection. Her interests led her to a degree in biology. She lives in Minnesota with her family. 24
Comprehension & Extension: Summarize: How do animals adapt to changes in weather? Choose one animal from the book. Tell about that animal s adaptations. Text to Self Connection: How do you adapt to changes in the weather? What would happen if you wore a snowsuit in the summertime? Extension: Make a Travel Brochure Be sure to tell visitors what they need to bring to wear so they can adapt to their new environment. Sight Words I Used: how many other their they Vocabulary Check: Use glossary words in a sentence. My Science Library Levels 2-3
Have you ever wondered about the science all around us? Plants grow and change, the Sun rises to warm the Earth, and matter changes from one form to another. Investigate Life, Physical, Earth, and Technology science topics with Rourke s My Science Library. This library explores NSTA science standards with engaging text and colorful images to support readers from kindergarten to third grade. Are you ready to investigate? Books in My Science Library: Earth is Tilting! Gravity! Do You Feel It? Let s Classify Animals! Melting Matter Natural or Man-Made? Plants Make Their Own Food Seeds, Bees, and Pollen Studying Weather and Climates What Do Critters Do in the Winter? What s on the Food Chain Menu? Where Did the Water Go? Zap! It s Electricity! Printed in China www.rourkeclassroom.com