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Reading Excellence for Every Student

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LEVEL 7READER

Sheila Clark-Edmands

3rd Edition3rd Edition

Specialized Program Individualizing Reading ExcellenceSpecialized Program Individualizing Reading Excellence

S.P.I.R

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Specialized Program Individualizing Reading Excellence

3rd Edition

ReaderLevel 7

Sheila Clark-Edmands

Editorial Project Manager: Tracey NewmanSenior Editor: Laura A. WoollettAssistant Editor: Rachel L. Smith

© 2012 by Educators Publishing Service. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Printed in Benton Harbor, MI, in June 2016ISBN 978-0-8388-5724-3

4 5 6 7 PPG 19 18 17 16

Contents

V/V Syllables: Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Review Sight Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Decoding and Sentence Reading A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Meteors (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Decoding and Sentence Reading B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Rodeo (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

ct: Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Review Sight Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Decoding and Sentence Reading A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Insects: Do They Attract or Distract You? (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Decoding and Sentence Reading B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

The Mayflower Compact (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

ei, eigh: Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Review Sight Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Decoding and Sentence Reading A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Decoding and Sentence Reading B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Reindeer (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Open Syllable i (/ ı̆/ and /ē/): Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Review Sight Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Decoding and Sentence Reading A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Immigrating (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Decoding and Sentence Reading B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44An American Aviator (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

The Sky’s Not the Limit (Poem) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

-tion, -sion, -ci, -ti: Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Review Sight Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Decoding and Sentence Reading A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

The Constitution and the Constitutional Convention (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Contents iii

Decoding and Sentence Reading B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Nutrition (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

-tu, -ture, -sure: Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Review Sight Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Decoding and Sentence Reading A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70What Is Culture? (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Decoding and Sentence Reading B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Agriculture (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

-ous: Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

Review Sight Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83Decoding and Sentence Reading A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Quite a Marvelous Tale (Story) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Decoding and Sentence Reading B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

A Humorous Yet True Story (Story) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

-ence, -ent, -ance, -ant, -cy, -ency, -ancy: Sound Introduction . . . . . .91

Review Sight Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Decoding and Sentence Reading A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95A Bee-utiful Experience (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Decoding and Sentence Reading B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

The Presidency of the United States (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

ui, eu: Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

Review Sight Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Decoding and Sentence Reading A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Ellis Island (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Decoding and Sentence Reading B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Protect and Defend: The Leukocyte Army in Pursuit of Germs (Article) . . . . . . . 117

-er, -or, -ar, -ard: Sound Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Review Sight Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Decoding and Sentence Reading A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

The Power of Pigs (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Decoding and Sentence Reading B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Be a Smart Consumer: Understand Warranties (Article) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Contentsiv

S. P. I.R.E.® Level 7 © SSI • Do Not Copy

V/V Syllables

neon

poet

triumph

cameo

fluent

defiant

iota

trial

dial

lion

oasis

quiet

truant

bionic

ruin

react

liar

violin

duet

museum

nucleus

influence

Iowa

area

boa

diet

create

coerce

idea

fluid

riot

cereal

rodeo

reality

soloist

violent

video

prior

preamble

geography

giant

petroleum

mosaic

meteor

triangle

pioneer

fiery

graduate

diagnose

poetry

create

congruent

client

bias

being

annual

actual

poem

being

violate

geology

theory

delineate

priority

variety

violence

biology

poetic

geology

theater

reappear

linear

stereo

diamond

denial

violet

science

usual

cooperate

reinforce

meander

dialect

reliance

scientist

vial

coordinate

heroic

realize

permeate

Minneapolis

diagram

diary

iodine

stoic

poetry

V/V syllables 1


Review Sight Words

the, has, is, a, his, I, was, to, do, said, what, you, who, into, of, your,

full, pull, push, put, through, your, walk, talk, want, live, give, have,

one, done, some, come, something, someone, where, there, were,

are, somewhere, love, gone, both, climb, clothes, they, says, today,

goes, does, strange, danger, listen, wonder, could, would, should,

castle, whistle, although, dough, doughnut, though, again, against,

other, mother, brother, cover, father, another, friend, been, people,

move, prove, shoe, truth, fruit, suit, bruise, cruise, whom, whose,

wolf, wolves, sign, any, many, once, heart, sure, sugar, door, floor,

honor, tomorrow, worry, color, laugh, laughter, cough, rough, tough,

beauty, beautiful, build, built, journey, knowledge, tomb, marriage,

carriage, courage, discourage, encourage, language

V/V Syllables 2


A fiery streak of light flashed across the sky.

We saw a meteorite exhibit at the science museum.

The planet travels in an orbit around the sun.

There was a wide variety of books, from poetry to geography.

A giant comet is speeding through space!

There are five layers in the atmosphere around Earth.

As the lion enters the circus ring, the noisy crowd grows quiet.

Leann has to study for the biology test.

Pioneer Day is an annual event in Ohio.

Observers saw swarms of meteors in the sky at midnight.

meteor

extremely

meteoroid

matter

enters

atmosphere

fiery

planet

agree

vanish

scorched

annual

reading

survives

pioneer

midnight

midway

resist

swarms

variety

comet

Earth

appear

disappear

appeared

streak

quiet

history

locates

alert

giant

lion

gases

layers

creates

fragments

known

museum

event

newspaper

shower

travel

traveling

occurs

further

observers

peak

ruins

speeding

reaching

Decoding and Sentence Reading AV/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

3


Meteors

Have you ever looked up at the stars and gasped as one of them seemed to take a nosedive and disappear? Or have you ever seen a fiery streak dart across the sky only to vanish? Did you think you’d seen a comet?

What you saw wasn’t a star or a comet, but a meteor . Some people call them “falling” or “shooting” stars . Before it becomes a fiery flash, a meteor is a chunk of metallic or stony matter moving through outer space . These chunks, known as meteoroids, are fragments that have broken off from planets, asteroids, or comets . Most of them are quite tiny, the size of pebbles or small rocks . A few meteors, however, can be the size of giant rocks . Meteoroids, like our planets, orbit around the sun . But unlike planets, each traveling its set orbit at a regular speed, meteoroids have a variety of orbits and travel at a variety of speeds .

As they speed through space, millions of meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere every day . The atmosphere—the layers of air around our planet—are much denser than outer space . The speeding meteoroid’s impact with our denser air creates resistance . This resistance heats up the meteoroid, turning it into a fiery ball that streaks down through our atmosphere, leaving behind it a shining trail of gases and melted matter . Most meteors glow for about a second, then disintegrate before ever reaching Earth . Some leave a

Meteors V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

4


trail of light that lasts several minutes before they disintegrate . But some meteors actually reach Earth . A meteor that survives

our atmosphere and reaches Earth is known as a meteorite . Most meteorites are quite small, but the one that fell on a farm in Namibia (nah-MIB-ee-ah) was a real giant . It tipped the scales at 60 metric tons . Very rarely, a large meteorite may explode just before it reaches the Earth . This is what happened about six miles over the Tunguska River in Siberia (sie-BEER -ee-ah) in 1908 . As the meteor violently exploded, it left a 20-mile area in ruins .

Millions of meteors make their fiery way through our atmosphere every day . But the reality is that most are never seen at all . Perhaps they occur during daylight or when the sky is cloudy . Or they fall over the open seas where there is no one to observe them . Some meteors, however, are seen by many people because they are annual events . Scientists know just when they will show up and where in the sky they will be seen . These meteors travel in swarms around the sun and cross paths with the Earth at the same time each year . When this happens, if the night sky is clear, there can be real fireworks .

A giant meteor shower, the greatest in recorded history, happened on November 12, 1833 . People reported at the time that stars were falling like snowflakes . Some who knew nothing about meteors were convinced that the sky was falling . But scientists took this chance to learn more about meteors . They observed the showers

MeteorsV/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

5


from all over the world and compared notes . In North America, alert observers recorded up to 200,000 meteors falling in a single night!

Observers, no matter where they were, agreed that the meteors seemed to be shooting out like spokes from the hub of a wheel in a particular area of the sky . And they agreed that the hub was near a group of stars called Leo (the Lion) . Therefore, this particular event came to be known as the Leonid Shower of 1833 . (Leonid means “related to Leo .”)

This pioneer work in astronomy has led scientists to identify meteor showers that occur on a regular basis and to give them names . Some are strong enough to be clearly seen by an observer simply looking up at the sky . Others are much weaker; an observer would need the help of a telescope to see the actual meteors . Showers may last for days or for weeks, although they tend to peak midway through the event . These peak times may vary a bit from year to year .

Below are some annual meteor showers that you might try to observe for yourself . The best time to look is on a clear night, starting after midnight and going on until the sky begins to lighten early in the morning . You won’t need a telescope . Just look up and watch the correct area of the sky . The chart below locates these areas by naming the major star groups nearby . You can check the Internet

Meteors V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

6


or your local newspaper for exact dates for the meteor showers in your part of the world .

So make a plan to see what you can see . It may take a while before the first fiery flash scoots across the sky—but keep watching . A dramatic meteor shower is well worth the wait!

Annual Meteor Showers

What? When? Where?

Quadrantids January between Bootes (Boh-OH-teez) and head of Draco

Lyrids April between Vega (VAY-guh) and Hercules (HER-kyoo-leez)

Aquarids May south of the square of Pegasus

Perseids August in the area of Perseus

Orionids October between Orion and Gemini

Leonids November in the area of Leo

Geminids December in Gemini near Castor

MeteorsV/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

7


rodeo

contestant

roping

awarded

number

spectator

refer

referred

riders

annual

ties

clowns

horses

demonstrate

ground

giant

distracts

required

points

unlucky

event

combined

around

total

excite

exciting

tighten

fasten

bigger

violently

added

tamed

untamed

helper

hazel

slides

saddle

spurs

staying

mistreated

holding

perform

judges

bronco

started

cattle

years

valuable

arena

cheered

This giant pearl is quite rare and valuable.

A contestant is someone who takes part in a contest.

Dad planted violets in the front yard.

A bronco is a horse that is untamed and doesn’t like to have a rider.

I need a total of 20 points to win this game.

In most places, you are required to wear seatbelts.

The rodeo riders demonstrate great roping skills.

A spectator is someone who has come to watch people perform.

The clowns raced around the arena as the crowds cheered.

There are laws to keep animals from being mistreated.

Decoding and Sentence Reading BV/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

8


Rodeo

The people who compete in rodeos today have mastered the actual skills that cowboys and cowgirls used in the pioneer days, when cattle ranches were thriving in the West . The word rodeo, in fact, comes from a Spanish word that means, “rounding up .” The roundup was one of the high points of the year for a cowboy . It was a biannual event, which means it happened twice a year—in the spring and in the fall .

Cattle from all the ranches in the area all grazed on the open range . At roundup time, cowboys from different ranches worked as a team to bring in all the cattle . Then they sorted the cattle by their brands . Each animal was marked with a brand that stood for its owner’s ranch . When the hard work was done, the cowboys would entertain themselves by having trials of skill . They would see who could ride the best, who was the fastest herder, and who was the most skilled with a rope .

These days, a rodeo brings out all kinds of spectators, not just cowhands . People come to see cowboys and cowgirls demonstrate their skills—and risk danger—in a number of contests that take place in a giant arena . Points are awarded for each event . The contestant with the highest score wins the all-around crown .

In the riding events, points are awarded based on how well the rider and animal perform . The rider must show the proper skill .

RodeoV/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

9


The animal must show real fighting spirit . In the roping events, the person with the fastest time or most complex roping tricks gets the most points .

Below are three exciting events you would be likely to see if you were a spectator at a rodeo .

Bronco Riding

A bronco, or bronc, is a wild, untamed horse . It is not used to having a rider . When a person climbs on its back, it reacts defiantly, arching its back and bucking in an attempt to throw the rider . Depending on the event, the rider is in a saddle or is riding the horse “bareback .” In both events, the rider must hold on to a rope with just one hand and stay on the horse for 8 seconds .

The goal is not just to stay on, however . Points are awarded—to the rider and to the horse—for a “good show .” A pair of judges award points . The rider is given 0 to 25 points by each judge for how well he or she rides the horse . The horse is given 0 to 25 points by each judge for its efforts to throw the rider . The highest combined score wins .

Bull Riding

Most people consider this to be the most risky of all rodeo events . As in bronco riding, the rider holds on to a rope tied around


10


the bull’s belly . The rider must hold the rope with just one hand . He or she must stay on for 8 seconds . A pair of judges award points for how well the rider performs and how forcefully the bull bucks .

Unlike broncos, bulls have giant horns that could hurt the rider if he or she were to fall off . To prevent this from happening, when a rider is thrown, rodeo clowns in silly costumes run out to distract the bull .

Trick Roping

One of the most basic skills a cowboy or cowgirl can learn is roping . He or she spins the rope in the air, manipulating it with the fingers . The thin rope is usually made of strong fiber or leather . Roping was originally used to keep cattle together . If a cow or steer got away from the herd, a cowboy would throw the rope and bring the animal back .

As cowboys and cowgirls became more and more skilled at roping, they began to teach themselves tricks . Soon, roping was not only used for herding cattle, but also for fun and entertainment .

The most important part of the rope is the lasso, or loop . Another name for a lasso is a lariat . The hondo, or knot, determines the roping pattern . A skilled roper will be able to make all sorts of hondos and twirl the lariat in a variety of patterns . Trick ropers can make fantastic shapes with their lariats . Some can spin more than one rope at a time . Some can even jump in and out of the spinning lasso .

Rodeo V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

11


Trick roping is an exciting part of the rodeo . It often inspires boys and girls to learn to make a lariat and try spinning it themselves .

Today’s rodeos are still very popular . More than 1,000 are held annually in Canada and in the United States . The cowboys and cowgirls who compete in them are watched by millions of cheering fans—in the stands and on TV .

There are some, however, who are not fans of the rodeo . Some think that rodeos are cruel to the animals involved . Though many rodeo groups have strict rules about how to treat the animals, some cities have banned certain rodeo events . And activists urge rodeo companies to use cruelty-free tactics and always have a vet on site . What do you think?


12


ct

act

pact

fact

tract

duct

strict

suspect

collect

affect

distract

conflict

obstruct

detract

extract

construct

impact

intellect

conduct

perfect

induct

insecticide

exact

project

disconnect

convicted

distinct

abstract

concoct

contract

neglect

attract

disconnected

compact

object

deduct

victim

expect

connect

verdict

inspect

reject

district

subject

select

contact

instinct

dejected

direct

-ct 13


Review Sight Words










honor, tomorrow, worry, work, color, laugh, laughter, cough, rough,

tough, beauty, beautiful, build, built, journey, knowledge, tomb,

marriage, carriage, courage, discourage, encourage, language

-ct

14


suspect

infect

subtract

exact

facts

exactly

insect

products

subject

collect

object

compact

voices

lion

brushing

bubble

buckle

caller

consume

consult

diet

under

fable

few

filter

filling

dentist

gloomy

glide

gleam

gleeful

glint

honey

prospect

project

amazing

halt

hazel

handful

imperfect

insult

lace

skitter

mailbox

giant

bread

swiftly

matches

fastest

master

The beekeeper began to collect honey from her hives.

The farm is exactly one mile down the road.

These insects are bugging me!

This store sells bread and other freshly baked products.

Would you please stop insulting me?

The dentist will replace the loose filling in my tooth.

You need to have more fresh fruit in your diet.

Who is the main suspect in the robbery?

Each of us is imperfect in some way.

The roar of a lion is an awesome sound to hear.

Decoding and Sentence Reading A-ct; V/V Syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

15


Insects: Do They Attract or Distract You?

If all the insects in the world could be eliminated, would you object? Some would think that this was a great idea . When most of us think of insects, we think of annoying little critters that pester and bite us . So what could be wrong with a world without insects? The fact is, our world would be a very different place without insects—and most of these changes would affect our lives for the worse .

Many plants, including important food crops, would die out . Many plants need insects to reproduce . So we would have to subtract carrots, peas, apples, plums, strawberries, pears, and grapes from our diet, among other things . And we would have to do without products like honey and silk, both of which are made by insects . A vast number of animals—including many kinds of birds, reptiles, and amphibians—would soon become extinct . Their diets consist largely of insects, so they would not have enough food to eat .

In fact, some people would miss having insects in their diets . In Mexico, people enjoy a kind of cake concocted from the eggs of an insect called the water boatman . In South Africa, some people enjoy roasted termites as a tasty snack . And if you visit some stores in the United States, you can collect such treats as fried caterpillars and chocolate-covered bees or ants .

Insects: Do They Attract or Distract You?-ct; V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

16


Clearly, insects affect our lives in many good ways as well as a few bad ones . That’s not surprising, given how many of them exist on our planet . There are more insects on Earth than any other kind of animal . Scientists discover 7,000 to 10,000 new kinds every year . And they suspect that there could be as many as 10 million more left to discover!

Why are insects such successful life forms? For one thing, they have found ways to live pretty much everywhere . No place is too cold or too hot for them . They can live in the hottest and most humid jungle, in swiftly flowing streams, in icy polar areas, and in scorching hot deserts . They can live down in caves deep underground and soar high up in the sky . The only place on Earth where they are not commonly found (although there are still some kinds living there) is in the sea .

Another thing that helps insects is their size . Being small has its advantages . A tiger may fill up on as much as fifty pounds of meat in one night . An insect will be full after dining on one crumb of bread . The fact is, insects don’t need much of a food supply to survive . Being small also makes it easy for an insect to find hiding places, thus protecting itself from larger animals .

An insect has yet another way to protect itself—it has a built-in suit of armor . We human beings, like all mammals, have skeletons


17


inside of our bodies . These skeletons are like the steel beams in a building, holding us together and keeping us erect . An insect’s skeleton is on the outside . This hard external coating makes some insects very difficult to crush .

We can admire insects for other awesome traits . Many insects “hear” through the hairs on their bodies . Some “taste” with their feet . They have no voices, but some can make noises that can be heard as much as a mile away . Some have no eyes, while others have as many as five or more eyes that can see from all sides at once .

So think again how you would feel at the prospect of a world without insects . Actually, less than one percent of them are real pests . And all in all, they are amazing critters that have a large hand in making our world the amazing place that it is!

Some Amazing Insect Facts

• Termites build homes that can be almost 40 feet high and go

down as far as 130 feet underground. The workers that build

these huge dwellings are blind and just 1/2 inch long.

• Tropical stick insects are the longest critters in the insect world.

They have been known to grow to lengths of 13 inches.

• The insect with the widest wingspan is the Atlas moth, whose

wings can be 10 inches from tip to tip.


18


• A midge fly beats its wings more than 1,000 times per second.

• An ant can carry loads that are 10 to 50 times as heavy as

it is. If people were as strong as ants, a 100-pound person

could pick up and carry a 1,000-pound horse.

• A flea can leap 13 inches into the air. If basketball players

could leap that high, the baskets would have to be 700 feet

above the court.

• A tropical cockroach is the fastest insect on land. It can

skitter 50 body lengths per second. This would be equal to

a human runner racing 100 yards at 200 miles per hour.


19


conflict

inspect

victim

perfect

object

strict

district

fact

conduct

selected

elected

area

repairs

behave

beginning

seasick

golden

greet

orderly

hidden

isolate

meteor

awful

lasso

leaking

voyage

cargo

lash

leaflet

market

march

mosaic

overlook

overflow

mayflower

printing

images

written

inked

compact

sport

recognize

recur

riot

shameful

respond

settle

sneakers

smudge

turtle

This parking space is reserved for compact cars.

Each class must conduct itself in an orderly manner during the fire drill.

A mayflower gets its name from the fact that it blooms in May.

We ran off one hundred leaflets on the old printing press.

Many people got sick on the long sea voyage.

I bought some golden pears at the fruit market.

A snapping turtle lives in fresh water and has powerful hooked jaws.

The banks of the river overflowed after the last rainfall.

You have a smudge of dirt on your left cheek.

The object of the game is to get a perfect score of 100.

Decoding and Sentence Reading B-ct; V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

20


The Mayflower Compact

On August 5, 1620, two ships set sail for America from the British port of Southampton . One ship was named the Speedwell, and the other, larger ship was named the Mayflower. On board were a group of 37 people who have come to be called the Pilgrims .

The Pilgrims belonged to a sect referred to in England as the Separatists . They were in conflict with the Church of England because they favored strict reforms that they believed would purify the Church . The Separatists felt that they were being persecuted for their different beliefs . So they decided to seek a new, freer way of life in the colony of Virginia in America .

The voyage began badly . Soon after setting sail, the Speedwell was found to be leaking badly . Both ships put into port in Devonshire so that repairs could be made . The two vessels set out again, but once more, the Speedwell began leaking . Both ships were again forced to turn back . At this point, it was decided that the defects in the Speedwell would take too long to fix . The Mayflower would make the journey to America alone . Some of the Speedwell’s passengers and cargo were transferred to the larger ship .

On September 6, 1620, the Mayflower set out across the North Atlantic, carrying just over 100 passengers and a crew of 25 to 30 men . Constructed in 1610, the ship was about 90 feet long . Its master, Christopher Jones, was also part owner of the vessel .

The Mayflower Compact-ct; V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

21


The weather at the beginning of the crossing was perfect . Even so, many passengers became quite seasick . Then the weather changed from perfect to perfectly awful . Storms and high winds kept battering the Mayflower, and it was not long before some leaking began to occur . The dejected crew wondered if the ailing ship should turn back . The fact was, they were just about halfway to America . After much debate, it was decided that the Mayflower should keep going .

The difficult voyage lasted some 65 days . During that time, two men died and one man was almost swept overboard in a storm . One child was born to a woman named Elizabeth Hopkins . The name selected for the boy was Oceanus (oh-she-AN-us), which was the name of a Greek god of the sea .

On November 9, the crew sighted land . The Pilgrims had planned to settle on land granted to them in Virginia by the Virginia Company, but the storms had driven the Mayflower off course . They all knew that the land before them was not Virginia . (It was, in fact, what would later be called Massachusetts .) This meant that they were outside the control of any established government .

The Pilgrims were concerned that the colony should conduct itself lawfully in this strange land . They wondered how they could protect their rights, and the rights of every member of the colony, without a government in place . To prevent conflict and to insure


22


order, the colonists drew up an agreement they would use to govern themselves . It was written on board the Mayflower by a man named William Bradford .

This document, known as the Mayflower Compact, established a basis in the colonies for written laws . It provided for the temporary government of what was called Plymouth (PLIM-uth) Colony .

The compact identified the colonists as subjects of King James . It then directed them to combine into a “civil body politic” whose purpose was to frame fair and equal laws for the good of the colony . Dated November 11, 1620, it was signed by 41 passengers, including all 37 of the Pilgrims .

William Bradford, who had written up the original compact, was later elected the second governor of Plymouth Colony . The Mayflower Compact remained the basis of the government in Plymouth Colony for ten years . In 1691, the colony joined the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which became the state of Massachusetts in 1788 .


23


ei /ē/ (ceiling)

ceiling

receipt

caffeine

perceive

either

neither

conceit

deceive

receive

protein

deceit

weird

ei /ā/ (reindeer)

vein

rein

reign

heiress

veil

reindeer

beige

feign

heir

skein

their

eigh /ā/ (neighbor)

eight

sleigh

neighbor

eighty

neighborhood

weigh

freight

weightless

freighter

lightweight

weight

neighborly

neigh

eighteen

weighty

ei, eigh24


Review Sight Words













ei, eigh 25


survive

received

deceived

deceit

amount

village

canceled

probably

pamphlet

decent

collecting

computer

plane

united

charged

content

weigh

spectacular

infected

exists

spiders

cases

poetry

letters

organize

atmosphere

order

ridge

accident

instinct

veil

airmail

meteor

least

armchair

published

statue

accent

citizen

happens

former

harsh

larger

lukewarm

notebook

insects

baseball

ruined

text

respond

Insects live almost everywhere on Earth.

Most meteors actually never reach the earth.

The village market was ruined by the raging storm.

Most spiders must be provoked before they will bite.

The surge in the electric current made the light bulb burn out.

This pamphlet was first published ten years ago.

Luis received a small clay statue as a gift.

Clean that scrape on your wrist or it might get infected.

Our class decided to organize a poetry reading for next Friday afternoon.

The citizens united to support their new governor.

Decoding and Sentence Reading Aei, eigh; -ct; V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

26


Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Perhaps you have heard the lines “Listen, my children, and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere .” Did you know they were written by poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow? During his lifetime, Longfellow was the most widely read poet in English . He was the first American poet to earn his living as a writer .

Born on February 27, 1807, Longfellow’s birthplace was Portland, now a city in the state of Maine but then a district of Massachusetts . The second son of Zilpah Wadsworth and Stephen Longfellow, he had three brothers and four sisters .

Longfellow began school when he was just three years old . He was quite bright, though not conceited about it . By age six, the boy could read, spell, and multiply, and knew Latin grammar . When he was eight, his foot got badly infected and almost had to be amputated . Thankfully, he got better, but this was a difficult time . He was barely thirteen when he had his first poem published . It appeared in a Portland newspaper in 1820 and was called “The Battle of Lovell’s Pond,” about an actual event .

The evening after the poem appeared in the paper, or so the story goes, Longfellow and his father were at a neighbor’s house . As they sat around the fire, their neighbor, Judge Mellen, picked up the paper and began to discuss something he had read that day . “Did you see this piece in the paper?” he is supposed to have said,

Henry Wadsworth Longfellowei, eigh; -ct; V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

27


pointing to the boy’s poem . “Very stiff, remarkably stiff . Moreover, it’s all borrowed, every word of it!” The harsh words, if true, were not enough to prevent Longfellow from trying his hand at poetry again . Despite his father’s attempts to help him find another career, he needed to give free rein to his ideas and his writing .

The next year, at age 14, he was enrolled in Bowdoin (BOE-din) College . At the ripe old age of 21, Longfellow was offered the chance to become the first professor of Modern Languages at the college . He agreed if he could first be permitted to travel abroad .

While on a leisurely European tour, Longfellow was told by the college that they had decided he was too young to be a professor and should instead just be a tutor . Feeling that he had been deceived, Longfellow refused to take the job . The college then changed its mind and again offered him the post of professor . After agreeing, Longfellow returned home in 1829 and began teaching at Bowdoin . Since no texts existed for his classes, Longfellow wrote his own .

In 1831, Longfellow wed a woman named Mary Potter . In 1834, he was offered a professorship at Harvard . Before taking up his new post, Longfellow went abroad again, taking Mary with him . She took ill suddenly and died while they were in the Netherlands . Weighed down by grief, Longfellow returned home .

Soon, he began teaching at Harvard College in Cambridge (KAME-brij), Massachusetts . He took a room in a historic home


28


known as Craigie (KRAY-gee) House . George Washington had used it as his headquarters while he was Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army . Eight months after Mary died, Longfellow met the woman who would become his second wife, Frances Appleton, although the two would not wed until 1843 . His father-in-law, Nathan Appleton, owned Craigie house at the time and gave it to the couple as a wedding gift .

Longfellow would make Craigie House his home for the rest of his life . It became the gathering place for many noted people, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Julia Ward Howe . Hidden away in his study, Longfellow penned many of his most famous poems, such as “The Song of Hiawatha,” “The Children’s Hour,” and “The Courtship of Miles Standish .” This last poem sold over 15,000 copies during the first week after the book was first published .

Once again, Longfellow felt the weight of despair when his second wife died in a tragic fire . While trying to save her, Longfellow suffered some severe burns . Finding it hard to shave after the accident, Longfellow grew a beard . The whiskers also served to veil the scars on his face .

In 1839, Longfellow had written a poem about a blacksmith, quite an important job in the days of horse-drawn carriages . It was a blacksmith who made and repaired horseshoes .


29


Longfellow began his poem this way: Under a spreading chestnut-tree The Village Smithy stands . . .

Longfellow’s great-great-grandfather had been a blacksmith . But Longfellow got the idea for his poem from a blacksmith shop near his home . It was shaded by a huge horse-chestnut tree . In 1876, against the protests of Longfellow and others, this tree was cut down because it was considered a danger to those passing under it .

A few years later, when Longfellow was 72, some 700 children in Cambridge collected their pennies and dimes to give the well-loved poet a birthday present . The gift he received was an armchair, crafted from the very horse-chestnut tree that he had made famous in his poem .

When he died in 1882 at the age of 75, the people of Portland quickly began to raise money . Schoolchildren throughout the state each contributed one dime to the fund . In the end, $8,000 was collected . A sculptor was hired to erect a statue of Longfellow made from the finest bronze .

In his lifetime, Longfellow published over twenty books, finishing the last one shortly before his death . He had also written plays and short stories . He is remembered neither for being a playwright or for being a novelist . It is as a poet that America—and the world—remembers Henry Wadsworth Longfellow .


30


He was the first American poet to be honored in England’s Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey . A bust of him can still be seen there today . And the statue of the poet still sits in downtown Portland—in Longfellow Square, an area that is near his old neighborhood and childhood home .


31


reindeer

survive

afloat

creates

male

female

known

pathway

fight

weighs

animals

hundreds

mushy

quickly

hairs

predator

adult

modern

hollow

protected

hooves

trophy

summer

winter

keep

eight

river

moss

moose

roads

tamed

heavy

thicken

sinking

wild

travel

migrate

enemy

kill

explore

fly

prevent

tiny

antlers

useful

nomadic

instinct

humans

arctic

exploring

The winter quickly passed.

Moss often grows on trees in dark, damp forests.

Many birds migrate south for the winter.

The dog is an example of an animal that was once wild and now is tame.

Animals are born with instincts that help them survive.

Reindeer live in arctic lands and travel in herds.

The leaky boat stayed afloat for a while before sinking.

Our cat is quite heavy and weighs nearly fifteen pounds.

A female moose will kill to protect her young.

Animals that are nomadic live in many places year round.

Decoding and Sentence Reading Bei, eigh; -ct; V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

32


Reindeer

What do you think of when you hear the word reindeer? You may be surprised to find they are quite different from how they appear in movies and on TV . Real reindeer can’t fly, of course, but they have been pulling sleighs across the ice and snow for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years .

A reindeer, as its name suggests, is a kind of deer . An adult stands perhaps three or four feet high and can weigh as much as 400 pounds . Like cattle and sheep, reindeer have been domesticated by humans . This means that they may be kept by people for different reasons, including as a source of milk or meat, as a work animal, or as a pet .

Scientists believe that long ago, people in northern Europe and Asia began to tame wild caribou (KA-ri-boo) and that these tamed animals gave rise to the reindeer of today . The modern reindeer is very closely related to the wild caribou herds roaming across the arctic plains of North America . Reindeer differ from other kinds of deer in several ways, though .

For one thing, they have quite large, wide hooves . Reindeer use their hooves to dig for food in the snow or to paddle across rivers when moving from one feeding range to another . Since they are flexible, the hooves can be spread out even wider . This extra wide

Reindeerei, eigh; -ct; V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

33


footing helps reindeer walk across the snows of winter or the soft mushy ground of summer, as if they were almost weightless .

A reindeer’s light grayish-brown coat not only keeps the animal warm, it also serves as a life jacket in water . Each hair is hollow, like a tiny drinking straw that is closed at both ends . These thousands of hollow hairs trap the air and help the animal stay afloat in water and swim with little effort .

A reindeer’s antlers are also special . Deer and moose are the only animals that have antlers, which are made of bone and fall off and grow again each year . A reindeer’s antlers are larger than are those of other deer or moose when compared with the size of its body . And there is something else that makes them special . Both male and female reindeer grow antlers . No other female deer or moose grow antlers . Scientists know that male reindeer use their antlers in the same way as other deer, to fight other males for females to breed with . It is thought that the females use their antlers to protect their young from predators .

Reindeer live and travel in herds that are led by a female, known as a cow . (The male is called a bull .) They are nomadic animals, which means that they move around from place to place, looking for food in different places at different times of the year . Each herd has different paths that it follows to get from one feeding ground to another . The instinct to follow this path is very strong . Scientists


34


who have observed this behavior say that even when there is an easier way to swim or climb from one place to another, the reindeer will stubbornly stick to its regular pathway .

In winter, herds may join together to form a giant herd of hundreds, even thousands, of animals . Scientists have different ideas about why this happens . They think the animals do it either to keep warm or to combine the pounding of all those hooves to clear the ground of snow so that they can feed . Another theory is that the reindeer may find that they are less likely to get bitten by the swarms of biting insects that come out in summer if they are part of a huge herd .

Feeding takes place after sundown or just before sunrise . The reindeer are much less likely to be surprised by unfriendly neighbors at these times . They are plant-eaters, feeding on grasses, shrubs, tree leaves, twigs, and bark . Their main food, though, is lichen (LIE-kin), small plants that are common in the harsh arctic land that is their feeding ground . In fact, these tiny plants have come to be called “reindeer lichen .”

A reindeer’s natural enemies include wolves and bears . Human beings are sometimes their enemies as well . Some hunters consider reindeer antlers a rare trophy, but wild reindeer are threatened not only by human hunters . They also have to deal with human neighbors who are slowly taking over their neighborhoods . Oil,


35


electric, and mining companies have come in to reindeer feeding grounds to drill for oil, build electrical dams, and dig for ore . They have constructed roads and established settlements that grew into towns that are fast becoming cities . The reindeer’s open range keeps shrinking . These one-of-a-kind animals deserve to be protected . We still have a lot more to learn about them, after all .


36


Open Syllable i /ı̆/ (alligator)

pessimist

ability

visitor

optimist

magnificent

editor

substitute

resident

eligible

nominate

principle

investigate

president

animals

article

alligators

responsible

complicate

silicone

difficult

Baltimore

community

carnival

intelligent

dominate

Emily

precipitate

residents

indicate

family

inevitable

inactivate

criticize

immigrant

political

qualities

ineligible

artifact

fascinate

articulate

invisible

Florida

fascinating

individual

veracity

principal

indivisible

optimum

Open Syllable i /ē/ (radio)

stadium

period

studio

patriot

sodium

alien

gladiola

champion

radiator

medium

obedient

calcium

radio

zodiac

ingredient

aviator

audience

material

piano

open syllable i 37


Review Sight Words













open syllable i

38


maximum

streaming

optimistic

points

white

sleepless

poison

America

witness

chew

difficult

coffee

period

mainly

twice

particular

records

birth

saddle

virus

president

family

silence

nomadic

entry

resident

amazing

followed

protect

gentle

powder

resident

immigrant

convince

amount

colonial

human

furnish

prince

source

entertain

instruct

surprise

moment

expect

criminals

footstool

shampoo

kitchen

rabbit

A brave person is unafraid.

Something difficult is hard to do.

A pessimist is someone who always thinks things will go badly.

An optimist thinks things will go well.

A visitor is someone who comes for a visit.

An immigrant is a person who moves to another country to live.

The colonial period in America lasted from the late 1500s until 1775.

A resident is someone who lives, or resides, in a particular place.

Native Americans were the first people to live in what is now America.

The maximum amount is the largest possible amount.

Decoding and Sentence Reading Aopen syllable i; ei, eigh; -ct; V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

39


Immigrating

The magnificent Statue of Liberty stands proudly in New York Harbor . Visitors are drawn to the poem on the statue’s base:

“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free . . .”

Over the years, Lady Liberty has greeted millions of immigrants, people who have come to the U .S . from the countries of their birth, hoping to start new lives . The fact is, America has taken in more immigrants than any other country in the world . The vast majority of U .S . citizens have ancestors from other places .

What drives people to leave their homelands behind and head for America? Some are looking for freedom: a chance to worship as they wish or live under a democratic government . Some are looking for a fresh start, an opportunity to make a good living in a country of wealth .

These immigrants choose to come to America . Some immigrants have not come willingly . During the colonial period, some immigrants were criminals who were sent to live in America as a punishment . While slavery was still legal, many American immigrants were slaves . They had been taken by force, mainly from Africa, but were kept from living free lives in their new “home .”

Immigratingopen syllable i; ei, eigh; -ct; V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

40


The immigrants who chose to come to America in colonial times were mainly from England . Others came from France, Wales, the Netherlands, and Spain . The wave of immigrants in the 1800s was largely from Germany or Ireland . In the 1840s, immigrants poured into the West Coast from China . From 1881 to 1920, over 23 million immigrants streamed into America from almost every part of the world!

This flood of “outsiders” alarmed many U .S . citizens . They felt that all these new immigrants threatened the unity of America . Laws were enacted over the years that dealt with immigrants and tried to regulate their flow .

The first law, enacted in 1795, concerned who was eligible to become a citizen of the U .S . At that time, only “free white persons” who had been residents for at least five years could become citizens . In 1819, more laws were added . Some called for compiling statistics, that is, keeping records of the immigrants coming into the country . Other laws concerned setting standards for the sailing vessels that brought immigrants over . These laws, which were set up to protect immigrants, could rarely be enforced . Sadly, most immigrants traveled to their new home on unclean, overcrowded ships . Illnesses among passengers were easily passed from individual to individual .

In an attempt to prevent the spread of major diseases from immigrants, U .S . health inspectors would come on board a ship


41


that had just come into port . They would inspect the ship’s records to see if anyone had died and find out what the cause of death was . They would look the passengers over . If a doctor wasn’t sure about an immigrant’s health, the individual would be held in quarantine (KWAR-an-teen), kept in a place apart from others, until doctors decided the person was not infected . Any passengers who were found to be ill were sent back to their own countries .

Laws were passed that put controls on who could be let in . In 1875, a law was passed that prohibited, or did not allow, letting in immigrants who were criminals . In 1882, a law barred entry to anyone from China . Other laws at this time barred immigrants who were contract workers, brought over by companies to do particular jobs . Laws were later enacted to keep out children who had no parents and people with mental illnesses .

In 1903, political “radicals,” people who want to overthrow an existing government, were added to the list of people to be turned away . After 1917, immigrants had to show that they could read and write . Laws enacted in the 1920s were stricter yet . They set limits, or quotas, on the number of immigrants who could be let in from a given country . These new laws favored immigrants from Western Europe .

In 1965, the quotas based on country of origin were set aside . The number of immigrants allowed in was still restricted,


42


though . The new laws were based on dividing the world into two hemispheres: The western hemisphere included North America, Mexico, Central America, and South America . The eastern hemisphere included Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia . The maximum number of immigrants allowed in from the western hemisphere was set at 120,000 . The ceiling for immigrants from the eastern hemisphere was set at 170,000 . No more than 20,000 immigrants would be let in from any one country .

In 1990, changes were made to the quota laws . They made it easier for people to come to the U .S . from countries that had sent over the lowest numbers of immigrants in the past . These included particular countries in eastern Europe and in Africa . In 1978, the limits on each hemisphere were combined into one worldwide maximum of 290,000 immigrants per year . In 1995, this maximum was raised to 675,000 people .

The laws in place today favor people who already have family living here, people fleeing cruel treatment from their governments, and people with skills needed in the U .S . For many immigrants coming to its shores, America is still a land of opportunity and freedom .


43


altitude

terrified

president

yellow

quickly

eight

dual

sodium

ideas

shelter

reality

subtract

received

bought

aviator

fine

exhibit

establish

sparingly

Atlantic

field

alien

difficult

repair

claim

radio

clearly

swarm

audience

crawling

flight

damage

protect

rescue

warm

convincing

quietly

fuel

repaired

phobia

community

dominate

artifact

fascinate

radio

audience

period

patriot

material

champion

Claudia bought eight yellow napkins and a new radio.

The swarming honeybees began to search for a new hive.

We were investigating the cause of the traffic accident.

An aviator is a person who pilots an airplane.

The walnuts will fall after the first frost.

Being terrified of flying is one kind of phobia.

The enthusiastic audience clapped wildly as the performers bowed.

An octopus protects itself by changing color and ejecting black liquid.

Vivian quickly repaired the damage to her bike.

The bad weather along the coast made the rescue at sea quite difficult.

Decoding and Sentence Reading Bopen syllable i; ei, eigh; -ct; V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

44


An American Aviator

It was back in the early years of aviation . Airplanes were still considered something strange and exciting . People would flock to air shows to watch an aviator exhibit his flying skills in a small plane with a double row of wings and an open cockpit .

A teenaged girl stood in a clearing with a friend . She had been a nurse’s aide in a military hospital in Canada during World War I . The girl watched, fascinated, as the aviator showed off his abilities . He spotted her and her friend and must have decided to give the girls a scare . Suddenly, the plane dove down, heading right for them . Her terrified friend ran off, but the girl stubbornly stood her ground .

“I am sure he said to himself, ‘Watch me make them scamper,’” she would later say . As the plane swooped over her, the girl felt something come to life inside of her . Not long after—on December 28, 1920—she took her first ride in a plane . “By the time I got two or three hundred feet off the ground,” she would recall, “I knew I had to fly!”

And fly she did . Amelia Mary Earhart (AIR-hart) became a major force in aviation . When she began to fly, the field of aviation was dominated by men . She, more than anyone else, opened the field to women . She made the idea of becoming of a pilot a reality to millions of girls .

An American Aviatoropen syllable i; ei, eigh; -ct; V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

45


A few days after that fateful ride in a plane, Earhart took her first flying lesson . Six months later, she bought her first plane—a bright yellow two-seater named Canary. Earhart was flying this plane when she set her first women’s aviation record by rising to an altitude of 14,000 feet .

In 1928, she was asked to join a team that included aviator Bill Stultz and his co-pilot, “Slim” Gordon . The three of them flew from Newfoundland (NOO-fun(d)-land), Canada, to Wales, in Great Britain . The flight took 21 hours . Earhart had become the first woman to fly across the Atlantic . A huge parade was held in New York City for Earhart and her crew after they returned to the United States . They later met with President Coolidge at the White House .

In 1929, Earhart helped establish the Ninety-Nines, a worldwide group of women pilots who were (and still are) dedicated to providing opportunities for women in aviation . She was its president from 1930–1933 . During this time, she wed publisher George Putnam, who had been a backer in her trans-Atlantic project . Earhart kept flying under her maiden name . She would later describe her marriage as a “partnership,” where each partner had “dual control .” This was quite different from most marriages at the time . Earhart was clearly a woman with an advanced attitude .

Earhart had plans . She wanted to be the first woman pilot to fly across the Atlantic alone . She and her husband began planning

An American Aviatoropen syllable i; ei, eigh; -ct; V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E.

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in secret for the trip . On May 10, 1932, Earhart took off from Newfoundland for Paris . Bad weather and mechanical problems forced her to land near Londonderry, Ireland . For her achievement, Earhart was presented a gold medal that she received from President Hoover .

On January 11, 1935, Earhart became the first aviator—male or female—to fly solo across the Pacific from California to Hawaii (hah-WAH-ee) . Later that same year, she was the first aviator to fly solo from Mexico City, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey .

But Earhart had even greater plans . She wanted to be the first woman pilot to fly around the world . The flight would be done in stages, since the small plane could only hold so much fuel . The trip started badly, and the plane was badly damaged . After it was repaired, Earhart set off again on June 1, from Florida . She had just one passenger, Fred Noonan, her navigator . The navigator’s job was to keep the pilot on course .

From Florida, Earhart and Noonan headed for the Middle East, and from there to India, Southeast Asia, and Australia . Enthusiastic crowds greeted them on every step of their journey .

June 29 found Earhart and Noonan in New Guinea (GIN-ee) with 7,000 miles left in their journey . Some of the maps Noonan had been given were faulty, making it difficult to navigate . The next


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leg—to a tiny island only 1½ miles long—would be the most difficult part of the journey .

At 12:30 p .m . on July 2, the pair took off—never to be seen again . Earhart’s last radio message said that she was lost and running out of fuel . A rescue attempt was immediately launched, the biggest air or sea search ever conducted up to that time . It was unsuccessful .

In later years, some would claim that Earhart and Noonan were sent as spies to scout out Japanese forces in the Pacific . These people thought that the pair were caught by the Japanese and killed . The evidence supporting these claims is not convincing . Most people believe that the plane flew off course and crashed on account of Noonan’s faulty maps .

Although she was unsuccessful in her last project, Earhart has hardly been forgotten . In 1938, a lighthouse was built in her honor on Howland Island, the tiny spot where she was supposed to have landed . This aviation pioneer continues to inspire young girls to become pilots . And her startling disappearance continues to fascinate people to this day .


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The Sky’s Not the Limit

Amelia Earhart was a champion of the air .She attempted feats then that no woman would dare .She knew female aviators did belong .Having only male pilots simply was wrong .She broke many records as she soared through the sky, But there was only one feat that she wanted to try:To be the first pilot to fly round the world .And everyone watched as the journey unfurled .Her magnificent spirit gave women’s dreams wings .She gave them the courage to try many things!

The Sky’s Not the Limitopen syllable i; ei, eigh; -ct; V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

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-tion Two Syllables

condition

pollution

carnation

salvation

nonfiction

inscription

addition

subtraction

infection

connection

donation

solution

quotation

rejection

position

vacation

projection

commotion

starvation

sensation

plantation

frustration

collection

injection

corruption

contraption

objection

partition

petition

ambition

attention

deduction

probation

assumption

completion

temptation

inflation

foundation

taxation

correction

direction

conviction

tradition

ignition

extinction

disruption

invention

emotion

devotion

location

eruption

dictation

formation

creation

translation

attraction

assertion

inspection

subscription

perfection

adoption

relation

election

promotion

detention

prescription

production

construction

cognition

nutrition

Three Syllables

station

fiction

junction

option

nation

action

portion

caution

motion

section

caption

function

faction

fraction

ration

notion

diction

lotion

auction

mention

-tion, -sion, -ci, -ti 50


Four Syllablesconversation

observation

explanation

illustration

condemnation

condensation

relaxation

locomotion

aviation

transportation

concentration

expectation

constellation

operation

information

excavation

revolution

exportation

corporation

confirmation

consultation

conservation

education

intersection

interruption

compensation

contemplation

introduction

invitation

fascination

imposition

immigration

Five Syllablesexamination

congratulations

administration

representation

domestication

-tion, -sion, -ci, -ti

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-sion /shŭ n/

mansion

discussion

session

mission

confession

obsession

tension

expansion

extension

comprehension

suspension

pension

admission

recession

permission

oppression

concession

emission

impassion

progression

omission

submission

impression

suppression

expression

profession

compassion

commission

percussion

procession

intermission

digression

dimension

progression

transmission

passionate

digression

succession

propulsion

compulsion

expulsion

convulsion

repulsion

regression


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-sion /zhŭn/

version

supervision

exclusion

occasion

division

vision

precision

transfusion

invasion

fusion

explosion

adhesion

decision

envision

corrosion

conclusion

confusion

diversion

intrusion

incision

collision

television

excursion

conversion

submersion

evasion

provision

revision

-ci, -ti /sh/

social

artificial

official

financial

especially

commercial

special

beneficial

crucial

facial

electrician

musician

magician

politician

physician

delicious

partial

patient

patience

impatient

judicial

impatience

initial

Martian

martial

quotient

spatial

essential

-tion, -sion, -ci, -ti 53


Review Sight Words














54


revolution

emotion

nation

America

concern

translation

official

attention

quote

excuse

enjoyed

Congress

final

special

transport

debate

house

ability

world

visitor

illustration

principal

impatient

thirteen

version

partial

president

family

article

complete

damage

storm

establish

news

electrician

confusion

term

Constitution

percussion

included

decision

represent

session

deceive

donate

farmers

public

copy

power

position

A drum is a percussion instrument.

I enjoyed looking at the lovely illustrations in this book.

In the morning, we could see the storm damage.

You constantly have an excuse for being late.

America declared its independence on July 4, 1776.

Many important inventions were created by immigrants.

“Give me liberty or give me death” is a quotation from Patrick Henry.

The conversation regarded politics.

The Constitution of the United States was written in 1787.

Do you think there is too much violence on television?

Decoding and Sentence Reading A-tion, -sion, -ti, -ci; open syllable i; ei, eigh; -ct; V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

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The Constitution and the Constitutional Convention

On July 4, 1776, delegates from the thirteen American colonies signed the Declaration of Independence, which announced to the world that they considered themselves free of British rule .

American leaders realized that it was essential for the colonies to unite against their common enemy, England . To that end, they drafted the Articles of Confederation in 1777 . This document set up a central government for all the states . It consisted of a representational Congress, with each state having one vote in all decisions . This body was supposed to establish a relationship with the other nations in the world, especially those nations who were helping America fight against the British in the American Revolution .

The new Congress found itself in a financial bind . It had no way to raise money . After all, the thirteen states were in revolt because they refused to pay British taxes . They looked on Congress and any taxes it might try to establish with equal suspicion . With no real power, Congress could do little to keep the states together . Each state made its own laws . Some began printing their own money, which had no value in a neighboring state . Disagreements arose as emotions ran high .

It was clear to the men who would come to be called the “founding fathers” that something had to be done . A strong central

The Constitution and the Constitutional Convention-tion, -sion, -ti, -ci; open syllable i; ei, eigh; -ct; V/V syllables;

concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

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government had to be set up before the states went to war with one another . In September of 1786, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton called for a convention of delegates from the thirteen states . Its mission was to make modifications to the Articles of Confederation . The location picked for this crucial convention was Philadelphia .

Fifty-five delegates met in Philadelphia’s Independence Hall . An election was held to select a president to oversee the convention . George Washington, the commander-in-chief of the American militia, was elected to the post . He was respected and trusted by all the delegates .

The opening session of the convention took place on May 25 . Sessions continued for four months . During that time, the delegates frequently had to leave . They were well-educated, professional men—lawyers, physicians, merchants, farmers, judges, and politicians—who had jobs that demanded their attention at home . On most days, perhaps thirty of the fifty-five men were able to meet .

On many occasions, discussions would get heated as impatient delegates argued their points . The decision was made to keep these sessions secret from the public . The doors and windows in the hall were always kept shut, even though it would get extremely hot inside . Guards were stationed at all the doors . Nothing spoken during the convention was allowed to be published .

The Constitution and the Constitutional Convention-tion, -sion, -ti, -ci; open syllable i; ei, eigh; -ct; V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

5757


As the days progressed, it became clear that the mission of the convention had changed . The delegates were not adapting the Articles of Confederation . These founding fathers—Washington, Madison, Hamilton, Franklin, and many others—were creating a national Constitution, a document containing the basic principles and laws of the nation .

James Madison had a vision of what the new government should look like . He proposed that it consist of three “branches .” The first branch would be a leader, later called the President . This is now known as the executive branch . The second branch would be a court of law, later called the Supreme Court . This is now known as the judicial branch . The third would be a lawmaking body, Congress, which would have two sections . This is now known as the legislative branch, and its two sections have come to be called the Senate and the House of Representatives .

Over the summer, Madison’s vision, known as the Virginia Plan, became the focus of attention . The plan gave the states the power to elect the members of the upper house (the Senate), but it gave the people the power to elect members to the lower house (House of Representatives) . It was a way of taking away some, but not all, of the states’ power .

After much debating, a draft of the Constitution was drawn up . One last committee was set up to complete and polish the draft .

The Constitution and the Constitutional Convention-tion, -sion, -ti, -ci; open syllable i; ei, eigh; -ct; V/V syllables;

concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

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In just two days, the job was accomplished . The final version of the Constitution was signed by thirty-nine of the forty-one delegates who were present .

Now began the process of ratification . For it to take effect, at least nine of the thirteen states had to ratify, or accept, the Constitution . It took more than six months for the states, one by one, to call their own conventions, debate, and vote . Some of the founding fathers—Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay—began writing newspaper articles to explain how the new Constitution worked . These articles, now known as the Federalist Papers, continue to serve as an explanation of the Constitution .

In December of 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution—which is how it got its state nickname: “The First State .” Massachusetts was next, voting to adopt on February 6, 1788 . New Hampshire, the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, made it official . The ratification process continued, however, ending on July 26, when New York voted yes . During the process of ratification, a Bill of Rights was added and some modifications were made . The Constitution had become official, and the United States of America was officially a nation .

When George Washington, the first president of the United States, was sworn in, he took the oath that every president must take: I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President

The Constitution and the Constitutional Convention-tion, -sion, -ti, -ci; open syllable i; ei, eigh; -ct; V/V syllables; concepts from S.P.I.R.E. Levels 1–6

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