The World’s Weirdest Natural Disasters
November 20, 2024
By Marcia Amidon Lusted. Copyright © 2022 by CommonLit, Inc. This text is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Ant-tastic Teamwork!
September 25, 2024
Ants have been around for millions of years. They were found in fosssils over 100 million years old! They are a type of insect. Across 12 000 different species of ants range different shapes, sizes and appearances.
Ants are impressive in many ways, but especially in their strength. A single ant can carry 50 times its body weight. However, when ants work together their feats are even more incredible. For instance, fire ants have been seen making large rafts made of their own bodies during floods in the south of the U.S. In Central American forests, you can see army ants create a hanging, temporary nest where they can protect themselves.
The key behind the ants’ amazing feats are communication and organization. Ants are a social animal species, meaning they live together in communities containing thousands of ants. Each type of ant has a specific role. A species commonly known as paramedic ants will go on raids to capture prey to eat. During these raids, ants will get injured. Rather than leaving them behind, other ants will bring the hurt ants back to the colony where they can recover and get better. Some will take care of the brood while other ants will defend the colony against attackers. Every colony has what’s known as the queen ant, who makes up her own team, as the producer of eggs.
Working together, each ant has a role in keeping the colony alive and well. As strong as an individual ant is on their own, together they are powerful.
The Hubble Telescope – Photographing Worlds Beyond
December 19, 2023
Telescopes have been used for centuries to explore the vast and dark night sky, allowing us to see faraway objects like stars and planets. The first telescopes used lenses, curved clear pieces of glass, to focus light from stars into an image our eyes can see. Nowadays, most telescopes are built with curved mirrors, which are lighter and easier to make.
However, Earth’s natural and man-made elements, such as rain clouds, lights, and the Earth’s atmosphere, interfere with seeing into space. In the 1920s, scientists began discussing the possibility of launching a telescope into space. After decades of research, fixing problems, and getting enough money, the Hubble Telescope was launched into space on April 24, 1990. The telescope has been used daily to observe our universe and take photographs, uncovering many secrets of the universe.
One photograph from 1995 showed a part of the sky that looks empty to our eyes but actually contained more than 3,000 galaxies. A galaxy is a massive collection of gas, dust, billions of stars, and planets held together by gravity. The Milky Way galaxy, shaped like a massive flat spiral, is home to our Solar System and the Sun, one of its many bright stars.
The “Pillars of Creation” capture colourful gaseous blobs from which new stars are being born, something we would never be able to see with our naked eye. With advancements in technology, we can continue to study, share, and admire the wonders of the universe.
Vocabulary
potential – possibility or promise
- You have the potential to reach the top of your profession.
telescope – a cylinder-shaped device to make objects look closer and larger
- With a good telescope, you can see craters on the moon.
interfere – Something or someone that spoils a situation or prevents its progress.
- Even a little noise interferes with my concentration.
astronomy – the scientific study of the universe and of objects that exist naturally in space.
- My brother is interested in astronomy so he bought a small telescope.
iconic – widely known and recognised
- Leonardo da Vinci is known for his iconic paintings and scientific drawings.
Gingerbread Houses
December 12, 2023
Gingerbread has been delighting taste buds worldwide for centuries. Gingerbread likely came from the middle East or Asia, where people have been making it for over a thousand years. Legend has it that gingerbread arrived in Europe in the tenth century where a monk named Gregory Makar brought the recipe from Armenia to France.
As the treat became more popular throughout Europe, gingerbread shaping became an art form. People would carve a picture into a piece of wood and press dough into the mold, and their cookies would look like the picture.
After the Brothers Grimm wrote the story of Hansel and Gretal, Germans began to make gingerbread houses just like the one in the story. Later, when Germans immigrated to America, they brought this tradition along with them for many Americans as well.
Every winter, in the city of Bergen Norway, children ages eleven and under are invited to build an entire city of gingerbread. This magical display is called Pepperkakebyen, which means gingerbread town.
Candy architects can also participate in the National Gingerbread House Competition in Asheville, North Carolina. Contestants have gone way beyond houses, too, building castles, barns and birdhouses!
Vocabulary
architect – a person who designs buildings and directs their construction
- Doug worked with an architect to create his dream home.
connoisseur – a person who really understands and appreciates something, especially an art.
- The mushrooms had the chewy, savory flavor preferred by connoisseurs.
concoction – a mixture of different things someone has put together in a new way.
- A smoothie is a concoction of fruits, berries, and yogurt.
immigrate – to move to a country from another country
- He immigrated with his parents in 1895 and grew up on Long Island.
novelty – the quality of being new and unusual
- Flexible schedules, once a novelty, are now more common.
It’s a Trap! – Carnivorous Plants
Carnivorous_PlantsVocabulary
bog – an area of soft, wet earth
- The cranberry plant grows in sandy bogs and marshes.
carnivore – an animal that feeds primarily on meat
- The badger is the largest member of the Musteilid family and Britain’s largest carnivore.
clever – well designed, skillful, having a quick intelligence in doing something.
- My friend is very clever with her hands.
species – a group or type of alike living things
- In size, the African elephant often surpassed the Asiatic species, reaching nearly 12 feet.
trigger – an event or situation that causes something to happen
- Lack of sleep or too much can trigger a migraine.
Simone Biles
November 14, 2023
Simone Biles is widely considered the greatest gymnast of all time. She is the first female to win three straight All-Around World Championships, earning a total of 14 medals, 10 of them gold.
Life was not always easy for Simone. Her birth mother was unable to care for her children. Simone’s grandparents, Ron and Nellie Biles, adopted Simone and her younger sister, Adria.
On a field trip with her daycare class, six-year-old Simone was introduced to her sport at Bannon’s Gymnastix. Very quickly, she started copying the gymnasts, drawing the attention of the instructors.
“I loved the idea of flipping around, and the center saw something in me, so they sent home a letter to my parents encouraging me to join,” Simone explains. “Right from the start, I was fearless and willing to try anything and everything.”
Simone advanced very quickly. At age seven, she began performing competitively. Her debut as an international gymnast was on March 2013 at a World Cup event.
Simone is known for her power and upbeat personality. She often plays to the crowd, flashing a big smile as she performs in the floor exercise. Her coach, Aimee Boorman, appreciates her hard work and personality. “Simone is bubbly. She loves to laugh, is genuine and real. When she wins and is given flowers on the medal podium, she searches out the shyest child in the crowd and gives her the flowers.”
How does Simone handle the pressures of life as an athlete? “It is important to embrace the moment,” she says. “Remember to have as much fun as you can, but keep in mind, win or lose, you still have your whole life ahead. You can achieve anything that you put your mind to.”
Vocabulary
- execute – to do or perform something planned
- pirouette – a fast turn of the body on the toes or front part of the foot
- vault – to jump over something by first putting your hands on it or using a pole
- debut – to appear or perform in public for the first time
- genuine – being what something or someone appears to be; real
- excel – to be highly skilled, and be better than most others