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U1 Why Are Flamingos Pink?

What’s your favorite bird? For some people, it could be parrots. Others might like eagles.
But some people like flamingos for their beautiful pink feathers. That’s because they look
great in photos and in real life! But do they always look like this? Surprisingly, the answer
is no. In fact, baby flamingos are born with light gray feathers.

Why do their feathers turn pink? It’s caused by the food they eat. Flamingos live near
lakes and swamps. That means their diet is mostly algae and tiny shrimp. These algae
and shrimp have pigments called “carotenoids” that turn flamingos pink. When flamingos
eat algae and shrimp, the carotenoids give them a beautiful, rosy color. In fact,
carotenoids are the same pigments that we see in boiled shrimp. The pigments change
the shrimp’s color from gray to pink when it’s cooked! So what happens when flamingos
don’t eat these foods with carotenoids? They become pale pink or white. We can see
some of them in the wild and also in zoos.

Humans also eat food with carotenoids, such as carrots and pumpkins. Some might ask–
will people change color if they eat a lot of these foods? The answer is “maybe.” If they
eat a large amount of carrots, they can turn yellow or orange. But don’t worry; just one
cup of carrot juice won’t turn you orange overnight!

U2 Why Chameleons Change Colors

Chameleons are famous for being able to change colors. Many people think it’s because
they need to blend into the environment to hide from predators. But that’s not true!
Chameleons can move fast, so they can easily run away from hungry predators. They
actually change colors for other reasons. So what are they?

Sometimes, they change colors to blend into their surroundings. But most of the time,
it’s because of their different moods! When they are afraid, they turn darker, but when
they are excited, they turn brighter. They may also change colors to communicate with
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other chameleons. If they want to warn their rivals, they turn light colors like red and
yellow. What happens if they see a female they like? Then they also turn light colors to
attract a mate!

Chameleons also change colors to warm or cool their bodies. When the temperature
drops, chameleons turn a darker color. That’s because darker colors absorb more heat
and keep it inside the body for longer. But when chameleons need to cool off, they turn
a light color, such as light green, to reflect heat away. This stops them from overheating.
How awesome is that!

These amazing animals come in many different colors. You may have seen blue, yellow,
red, pink, and green chameleons. The next time you see them, try to guess why they
have changed into that particular color!

U3 A Ribbon with a Message

Some dogs are really friendly. They play well with people, children, and other animals.
But some other dogs don’t! In fact, they get nervous around other people and animals.
Why? Maybe they’re shy or recovering from a surgery. Or it could be that they just want
some space.

But many people don’t understand these differences. So they try to touch a cute fluffy
dog without asking its owner. The dog might become scared or even aggressive. This can
lead to bad results. It’s also unpleasant for dog owners to keep telling people their dog
isn’t friendly and needs a little space. So what can dog owners do? To fix this problem,
dog trainer Tara Palardy came up with a plan. It was called the Yellow Dog Project.

The idea of the project is simple. Dog owners tie a yellow ribbon on their dog’s leash.
This sends a clear message to people and pet owners — don’t come near this dog. The
idea first started in Sweden, but Tara wanted the rest of the world to participate. So she
started a Facebook page in 2012 to raise awareness about the project. Today, this
Facebook page has more than 120,000 likes from all over the world.
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So, what should you do when you see a dog with a yellow ribbon? It’s easy. Don’t
approach that dog!

U4 How to Be a Responsible Pet Owner

Do you own a pet? If you do, then you know it’s a big responsibility. They need food,
exercise, and lots of love. But that’s just the start! As pet owners, we also have to make
sure our pets don’t bother other people. How? We can do that by following some simple
rules.

Register Your Pet

Register your pet with the local government. This means getting a license. Also, put a tag
on your pet’s collar with your name, address, and phone number. This way, if your pet
gets lost, someone will be able to return it to you.

Use a Leash
Dogs love to go for walks. But some also love to chase people and smaller pets. This can
scare kids and other animals. So always put a leash on your dog when you go out to
avoid bites and fights.

Take a Poop Bag

Always take a plastic bag with you. Dogs sometimes poop near trees or sidewalks. You
should scoop the poop and keep the area clean.

Prevent Too Much Barking

Barking is a natural behavior of dogs, but too much barking can upset your neighbors.
Dogs usually bark when they are frightened, bored, or want to say something. So give
your dog plenty of exercise and spend more time with it.

Train Your Pet

Dogs and cats need to be taught what they can do. Teach your pet how to obey
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commands and be good with people. Start training early and help your pet to be on its
best behavior.

These rules will keep our community happy, safe, and clean. So let’s start today!

U5 How Butter Is Made

Many of us like butter on our toast. It’s smooth, creamy, and pretty tasty. We buy it from
the supermarket and don’t think too much about it. But do you know what it’s made
from? It’s made from raw cow’s milk. So how does milk turn into a block of solid butter?
Let’s find out!

It all starts when a truck carries fresh milk from dairy farms to a factory. There, it pumps
the milk into a machine called a separator. This machine separates the fatty cream from
the rest of the milk. Then the cream is pasteurized. This means it is heated up to a
temperature of 82°C or higher to kill the germs.

Later, the cream is beaten in a machine called a churner. Churning breaks down the thin
covering that surrounds each tiny fat droplet in the cream. That way, the fat droplets can
join together and form a clump of butter.

The next step is the easy part. Any remaining liquid is poured out. Then salt is added to
the butter. That’s it! Once the butter is cut and put into packages, it is sent to
supermarkets all over.

Before modern factory butter making, butter making was done in every household.
Traditionally, butter was made using a butter churn and a dasher. The cream was churned
by moving a dasher up and down in a butter churn. You can make your own butter, too!
All you need is heavy cream and a jar. Simply shake the cream inside a jar until it
thickens, and ta-da! You’ve just made fresh butter. Put some on a warm piece of toast
and enjoy!
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U6 Let’s Make a Fizzy Treat!

It’s a perfect day for a picnic. There is lots of yummy food, sunshine, and fun games.
What would make this day more perfect? A cold glass of a fizzy drink! It could be cola,
lemonade, or sparkling juice. Better yet, you could try to make your own soda. Take a
look at the simple steps below.

WHAT YOU NEED

• food-grade citric acid (or lemon juice, vinegar)

• baking soda • water • sugar • ice

• flavorings (like vanilla or your favorite fruit) • spoon

HOW TO MAKE IT
1. Add 1 teaspoon of citric acid to a cup of water and stir until it dissolves in the water.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Stir again. You should see bubbles rising to the top.
3. Add a small amount of sugar and your favorite flavorings. Taste and add more if you
like.
4. Put some ice into the glass to make it cold.

If you like your soda sweet, put in more sugar. If you want more bubbles, just add more
baking soda.

WHY IS IT BUBBLY?
Bubbles formed when you added baking soda to citric acid. Why? When baking soda
and citric acid mix together, it causes an instant reaction that produces gas bubbles.
Those bubbles you see are actually carbon dioxide (CO 2)! You’ll find the same bubbles
when you open a can of soda. You hear that loud, fizzy noise as the bubbles rise quickly.

Next time, try this experiment using other fruit juices or flavorings. It’ll be fun to see the
different results and taste new fizzy treats!

U7 Falling Balls of Ice

We enjoy having ice cubes in our sodas, but what if those ice cubes fell from the sky?
Ouch! That’s exactly what hailstones are. These balls of ice fall from the clouds like rain
and snow. So, how do hailstones form?

It all begins in a large thundercloud. A strong wind lifts water droplets up to the higher
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part of the cloud. The higher part is much colder than the lower part, and it is here
where the water freezes into tiny grains of ice. These ice grains become heavier and start
to fall. As they fall, more water droplets stick to them.

As the ice grains reach the bottom of the cloud, are they going to leave? No! The wind
blows them back up into the cloud. The water that is stuck to the ice also freezes and
forms a layer of ice. This rise and fall can be repeated many times. Each time the ice
grains go up and down, they grow a new layer of ice like an onion. Finally, they fall to
the ground when they’re too heavy to float.

Some hailstones are still small, but others are quite big. In fact, they can be as big as
softballs. That’s a scary thought! These hailstones can break windows, damage cars, and
hurt people or animals.

Luckily, hailstones don’t fall often. They usually fall during spring and summer, and only
for a few minutes. But if hailstones fall in your area, run for cover and stay indoors.

U8 How’s the Weather Today?

It’s summer and you’re outside. The weather report says it will be 30° Celsius. But
somehow it feels hotter than that. The same thing happens in winter. The weather report
says it will be −3° Celsius. Instead, it feels colder. Are the reports wrong? No. It’s because
the air temperature can feel very different on your body.

Why does your body feel hotter or colder than the actual temperature? It depends on
how humid the air is and the wind speed. During the summer, you sweat a lot because
of the hot weather. On a normal summer’s day, the sweat dries off quickly and can take a
small amount of heat out of your body. This makes your body feel cooler. But on a
humid day, your sweat doesn’t evaporate fast enough because of the heavy amount of
water vapor in the air. So you will feel hot and sticky all day long. Yuck! This is why
sometimes the summer weather feels hotter than it really is.

During the winter, wind speed makes the weather feel much colder. Imagine a blast of
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winter wind on your face and body. Brrrrr! The strong wind takes your body heat away.
Now, if the wind keeps blowing, you’re going to feel cold all day!

When it’s very hot or cold, listen to the weather report carefully. The weather person will
talk about the “feels-like” temperature. So check that as well before you go outside. It’s a
smart way to prepare for the weather.

U9 Earthquake Safety Tips

Earthquakes occur daily. One may even happen where you live. Knowing what to do
before, during, and after an earthquake is important.

Before an earthquake
1. Pack a bag with a flashlight, some bottled water, and a first-aid kit. Keep the bag in a
protected place.
2. Plan a meeting spot in a safe open space. Meet at this spot after the earthquake is
over. Do the same if an earthquake happens at school.
3. Memorize the phone numbers for the members of your family, the police, and the fire
department.

During an earthquake
1. When an earthquake starts, don’t panic or run. You will have a few seconds to act.

2. Get away from windows that might break or furniture that might fall on you. A safe
place to be is under a desk, table, or overturned couch.

3. The instant an earthquake begins: Drop! Cover! Hold!

• Drop on your hands and knees.

• Cover your head and neck. Protect yourself under a table if you can get to one quickly.
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• Grab the table legs. Hold on tight with both hands.

4. Wait until the shaking stops completely before you get up.

After an Earthquake
1. Aftershocks can be dangerous. To be safe, get out of the building before the ground
shakes again.
2. Go directly to your family’s or school’s meeting spot.

3. Do not go back into a damaged building. Wait for emergency workers to tell you what
to do next.

Having an emergency plan and practicing emergency drills help us to stay safe in an
earthquake.

U10 How to Be Safe in a Fire

Imagine that there’s smoke everywhere and you start coughing. There’s a fire!

The fire quickly spreads to your curtains and shelves. What do you do? We don’t like to
think about it, but fires happen often in everyday life. So how can we stay safe?

You need to have an escape plan and practice it regularly. Talk with your family about
where you should go and what you should do in case of a fire. You should plan two
ways out of your home. If you’re in other buildings, locate the fire exits and ladders
before you need them.

In a real fire, carry out your plan and get out quickly. Don’t panic or run. Crawl to the
door on your hands and knees. Stay below the smoke as much as you can. If the door is
closed, check the door. Lightly touch it with the back of your hand. If it’s cool, open the
door and leave the area. But if it’s hot, don’t open it. Instead, use a window or a fire
ladder. Never use elevators when you are escaping. If your clothes catch fire, remember
to “Stop, Drop, and Roll.” Cover your face with your hands and roll until the flames are
out.

If you can’t leave the area, seal the doors with tape and wet towels to stop smoke from
getting in. Stay low and keep a wet cloth over your nose and mouth. Signal for help. Call
the fire department and then hang something in the window or wave an object outside
to get someone’s attention.

Stay calm and follow these rules to save you and your family!
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U11 A Musical World

Have you ever watched a musical like The Lion King or Aladdin? They are loud, colorful,
and the songs are wonderful! Musicals were first performed in ancient Greece about
2,500 years ago. Back then, a musical was mostly a play, and the Greeks performed it
outside in an open-air theater. But today’s musicals are quite different.

Modern musicals have lots of singing, dancing, and acting. They are usually performed
on a stage, but you can also see them in movies and on TV. Many famous musicals are
performed on Broadway. You may have heard that name–it’s a street in New York City.
Broadway has many theaters, and tourists love to go there to watch musicals. One of its
longest-running musicals is The Phantom of the Opera. Even though it opened in 1988,
it’s still as popular as ever!

So why do people love musicals? There are many reasons, but the biggest one is that
they are entertaining. It’s exciting to watch performers singing and dancing in front of us.
Also, the songs have great melodies. They make us want to sing along with them. When
we sit in our seat and watch a musical, it’s like we are in another world.

Lots of schools perform musicals as well. It’s a great chance for students to show off
their skills. If you love singing, you should go to an audition. Who knows? You could be
the next Broadway star!

U12 Beatboxing: the Human Beat

Many people can play the drums, but some people can make drum beats with their
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mouth. It seems impossible, doesn’t it? How does a person do that? This amazing skill is
called “beatboxing.” Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion. Beatboxers use their
mouth, throat, and nose to make beats and rhythms. They are basically a human drum
machine. It takes lots of practice to become good at it.

Beatboxing is a big part of hip hop music. It began in the 1980s on the streets of New
York City. Back then, rap artists used a beat box, a machine that imitated drum beats. But
many of them couldn’t buy the machine because it was too expensive. So what did the
rappers do? They started using their mouth to make beats! In fact, some of them
became so good that they didn’t need drum machines anymore. One person could rap,
and the other person could beatbox. From there, it grew into an art form. Rappers soon
started calling this new art “beatboxing.”

Why don’t you try it yourself? The basic sounds are quite easy to do. First, make the “b”
sound. Push the air out of your mouth. Next, try the “ts” sound. You have to close your
teeth and tap your tongue against your teeth. Now mix the sounds together to make a
pattern: b-ts-bb-ts / b-ts-bb-ts. Keep practicing until you get it right!

U13 Supermoon Returns

When you look up at the night sky, you can see the moon and millions of stars.
Sometimes, the moon looks tiny and thin. Other times, it looks large and round. But if
you’re lucky, you might see a supermoon.

A supermoon is a full moon that looks a lot bigger and brighter than a normal full
moon. Does the moon sometimes change its size? No, it doesn’t! Instead, it moves closer
to Earth. Because the moon orbits Earth in an oval shape, not a circle, it can look really
close or far away. When a full moon is at its closest point to Earth, a supermoon appears.
It looks about 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a full moon at its farthest
point. A supermoon is about 50,000 km closer to Earth than when the moon is at its
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farthest distance. A supermoon’s scientific name is “perigee full moon.” The word
“perigee” is from Greek and it means “near Earth.” Astronomers use this word to describe
the moon’s closest point to Earth.

Supermoons appear only a few times a year. Sometimes, there are special supermoons.
On November 14, 2016, the world saw the biggest and brightest supermoon in recent
years. The last time people saw an ultra-big supermoon like that, it was 1948. That was a
long time ago! So, when can we see a supermoon that big and bright again?
Astronomers say we’ll have to wait until November 2034. We’ll be a lot older when that
happens. If you get the chance to see one of these special supermoons, be sure to make
a wish!

U14 Not Big Enough

Have you read the story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ? If you have, then you know
what a dwarf is. They are people born smaller than average people. In the same way, we
use “dwarf” to describe planets that are smaller than the normal planets in the solar
system.

Dwarf planets are similar to normal planets. Both planets and dwarf planets orbit the
Sun. In addition, dwarf planets have an almost-round shape like most planets. But there
is one big difference. Normal planets have a clear path around the Sun, but dwarf
planets don’t! For a long time, planets have cleared small objects out of their orbits. They
have enough power to either suck other objects into their orbits or push them out of the
way. However, dwarf planets can’t do that because they are too small and don’t have
enough power.

Right now, we only have five official dwarf planets. They are Ceres, Pluto, Haumea,
Makemake, and Eris. That’s right! Pluto is a dwarf planet! Starting in 1930, it was called
the ninth planet in the solar system. But its status changed in 2006 with this new idea of
dwarf planets. Pluto circles on a faraway path filled with icy objects.
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The number of dwarf planets is going to grow. More powerful telescopes are helping us
to find many new celestial bodies in space and understand more about them. Scientists
estimate that there may be hundreds of dwarf planets in the solar system.

U15 Letters or Numbers?

When you were young, did you ever use your fingers to count? The ancient Romans also
used their fingers to count. They even made a new system of numbers based on their
fingers. These Roman numerals don’t look like the Arabic numerals that you already
know, such as 1, 2, and 3. They are actually letters of the alphabet!

Hold up your index finger. What letter does it look like? If you said “I,” then you are
already thinking like the Romans did. “I” is the Roman numeral for 1. Now lift all five
fingers of one hand and look between your thumb and index finger. Can you see a
letter? It looks like a V, so V equals 5. If you hold up all ten fingers from both hands, the
two V’s make an X. So X means 10. Roman numerals use seven basic symbols like I, V, X,
L, C, D, and M. Each symbol has a different value.

To read or write most Roman numerals, we have to add or subtract. If a larger numeral is
followed by a smaller one, we add them together. For example, XI represents 11. If we
put a smaller numeral before a larger one, we subtract it. For example, IX is 9. We can
also repeat a Roman numeral up to three times.

Even though Roman numerals are thousands of years old, you can still see them today.
Keep an eye out for them on clocks, in movie titles, and after some kings’ and queens’
names. You can even try writing your age in Roman numerals!
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U16 The Most Beautiful Shape

Do you know of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci? How about the Venus de Milo by
Alexandros? Both are well-known artworks depicting beautiful women. They have
something else in common, too. The Golden Ratio is found in both of them.

A ratio is a relationship of two numbers or amounts. Imagine that you divide a line into
two parts. The short part is 2 cm and the long part is 3 cm. In this example, the ratio of
the short part to the long part is two to three, or 2:3. So what is the Golden Ratio? It is
1:1.618. Ancient Greek mathematicians were the first to study the Golden Ratio. Since
then, it has appeared many times in geometry, art, architecture, and other areas.

Some artists and architects believe that the Golden Ratio makes the most beautiful,
balanced shape. Some of them used a rectangle with the Golden Ratio in their artwork
for this reason. The Golden Ratio can be found in the Golden Rectangle, which you can
draw. The ratio of its shorter side to its longer side should be 1:1.618. You can divide it
into two shapes: a square and a rectangle. Guess what? This second rectangle also has
the Golden Ratio. You can divide it into another square and another Golden Rectangle.
You can do this again and again.

The Golden Ratio is found in everyday life as well as in art. A credit card is a good
example of this. The ratio of its sides is about 1:1.6. Other examples include TV screens,
books, and postcards. Think about the rectangular objects you see daily. Do you see the
Golden Ratio in any of them?