MHE RDG Wonders LVRDR G3 Approach U3W3 13

Expository
Text
Destination
Saturn
by Karen Alexander
PAIRED
Why the Stars Twinkle
READ
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Program: CR 14 Component: LR G3 U3 W3 A
Vendor: Learning Media Level: 24 PDF
STRATEGIES & SKILLS
Comprehension Vocabulary
Strategy: Summarize amount, astronomy,
Skill: Main Idea and globe, solar system,
Key Details support, surface,
temperature, warmth
Vocabulary Strategy
Suffixes Content Standards
Science
Earth and Space Science
Word count: 815**
Photography Credit: Cover NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.

**The total word count is based on words in the running text and headings only. Numerals and words
in captions, labels, diagrams, charts, and sidebars are not included.
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by
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McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, network storage or transmission, or
broadcast for distance learning.
Send all inquiries to:

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ISBN: 978-0-02-118807-9
MHID: 0-02-118807-6
Printed in the United States.
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Genre Expository Text
Essential Question
What do we know about Earth and
its neighbors in space?
Destination
Saturn
by Karen Alexander
Chapter 1
Exploring Saturn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Chapter 2
Mission to Saturn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chapter 3
Storm on Saturn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Respond to Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
PAIRED
Why the Stars Twinkle . . . . . . 16
READ
Glossary/Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Focus on Science. . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
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Chapter 1
Exploring Saturn
People have studied the stars and

planets for thousands of years. This study
is called astronomy.
Saturn is the second biggest planet in

our solar system. It is so big that people
can see it without a telescope.
e
t un
N ep us
an
Ur rn
S atu er
it
Jup rs
Ma arth nus ry
E e
V e rcu
M
The Solar System Sun

Stocktrek/Alamy
Saturn
Earth
Saturn is many times

bigger than Earth.
Saturn doesn’t look round, like a globe.

It looks as if someone has pushed the
(tl) NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute, (tr) NOAA/NASA GOES Project
top and bottom of a ball together. That

is because it revolves, or turns, very fast.
The surface of Saturn is gas. But the

planet has a rocky center. It could not
support human life.
3
The Rings of Saturn
Many people know Saturn because
of its rings. The rings are mainly bits of
ice. They have bits of rock and dust, too.
Some bits are tiny. Some are as big
as a mountain. The rings are about
half a mile thick.
Scientists do not know where the rings

came from. They think they may be parts
of moons that broke up.
NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Saturn’s rings
Eight groups of rings have been
discovered so far. Each group has many
rings. There are gaps between the rings.
Did You Know?

If Saturn were put in a huge
pond, it would float.
Discovering the Rings

The astronomer Galileo was the first
person to look at Saturn through
a telescope. He saw Saturn’s
rings, but he did not
know what they were.
Galileo
Many years later
other astronomers
figured out that
the shape was
a ring. Later still,
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division [LC-USZ62-7923]
they realized that

Saturn had more
than one ring.
Many Moons
Earth has just one moon. Saturn
has many moons. About 53 of the
moons have names. More moons are
being found all the time. Titan is the
biggest moon.
Many of the moons are icy. Some are

huge. Some are tiny.
The moon Phoebe orbits in the

opposite direction from Saturn.
Phoebe
Saturn
NASA/JPL- Caltech
Dione is one of
Saturn’s icy moons.
Two of the moons travel along the

same path. They orbit within 30 miles
of each other. Every four years, the
one on the outside catches up with
the one on the inside. Then they
swap places.
STOP AND CHECK
Name two details about

Saturn from this chapter.
7
Chapter 2
Mission to Saturn
Scientists are learning more about

Saturn. In 1997, a spacecraft left Earth
on a mission to Saturn. It took seven
years to reach the planet. The spacecraft
gathered information about Saturn and
its moons. Part of the spacecraft landed
on the moon Titan.
The spacecraft
orbits Saturn. NASA
This part of the
spacecraft landed
on Titan.
More Moons
When the mission began in 1997,
only 18 of Saturn’s moons had
been discovered. The Cassini
mission found some more. Others
were discovered with the use of
improved telescopes.
Craig Attebery/NASA
The spacecraft discovered a huge
amount of exciting information about
Titan. Astronomers think that Titan might
(t) Cassini Imaging Team NASA/JPL/SSI (b) Steven Hobbs/NASA/JPL

be like Earth was a very long time ago.
Photos taken by the spacecraft show

that the landscape is similar to Earth’s.
Titan has river valleys and mountains.
It has sand dunes. Titan might also
have weather that is like the weather
on Earth, with rain and wind.
Scientists think there may be water

under the surface of Titan.
This painting
of Titan is
based on
information
sent by the
spacecraft.
NASA/JPL
10
Scientists learned
more about Saturn’s
other moons,
(t) Cassini Imaging Team, NASA/JPL/SSI, (b) Steven Hobbs/NASA/JPL
too. Hyperion
looks like jagged
rock. This is very
unusual. Most Hyperion
objects that revolve
in space are round.
One part of the

spacecraft stayed in
space, while the other
part landed on Titan.
11
Enceladus
The moon Enceladus looks bright.

That is because it is covered with ice.
The ice reflects the sun back into space.
Jets of icy water spray from this moon.
The water is like Earth’s oceans. Scientists
think there may be salt water beneath
the surface. The temperature on the
moon is warm. This may mean there
is warmth deep inside the moon.
STOP AND CHECK
In which ways is the

moon Titan like Earth?
NASA/JPL
12
Chapter 3
Storm on Saturn
During the mission, the spacecraft

kept track of a huge thunderstorm on
Saturn. The storm goes around the whole
planet. It covers an area eight times
bigger than the area of Earth. It is
also stronger than any storm on Earth.
This photo shows the

storm on Saturn.
NASA/JPL
13
Saturn
Learning About Space

People explore space for two main
reasons. First, they want to find out more
about space. Second, they want to see
if there is life on any other planet.
The mission to Saturn has collected

a huge amount of information. The
mission ends in 2017. Who knows what
other amazing discoveries it will make
before then!
STOP AND CHECK
How big is the

storm on Saturn?
14
Summarize
Summarize what you have Main Idea
Detail
learned about Saturn. Use
Detail
the Main Idea and Key
Detail
Details Chart to help you.
Text Evidence
1. How do you know that Destination
Saturn is nonfiction? Genre
2. Reread page 10. Why are scientists
interested in Titan? Main Idea and
Key Details
3. What does icy on page 12 mean?

Suffixes
4. Write about why the mission to

Saturn is important. Use details from
the text to support your answer.
Write about Reading
15
Genre Legend
Compare Texts
You have read about a spacecraft going
to Saturn. Now read about how people
used to explain space.
WHY THE STARS

TWINKLE
Long, long ago, Earth and the sky were
close together. People could touch the sky.
One day, a woman went outdoors to grind

some rice. She had lovely, long, silky hair.
She spent a great deal of time brushing her
hair. The woman always wore her jewelry.
She even wore it when she worked.
It was a hot day. The woman didn’t want

to work. She wanted to sit in the warmth.
She put a large amount of rice into a bowl.
Illustration: Pamela Becker
Then she started to grind it. It was hard

work. The woman got angry.
16
The woman got a blister where her gold
ring rubbed the skin on her finger. She took
off the ring and hung it on the sky. The
silver comb in her hair fell out. That made
her angrier. She hung the comb on the sky.
Then her necklace got in her way. She hung
that on the sky, too.
Each time the woman raised her arms

to pound the rice, she pushed the sky
farther away. But she didn’t realize what
was happening.
17
At last, the woman finished her work.
She stood up. She felt air brush her face.
The woman looked up. The sky was now far
above her. The woman could see her jewelry
high in the sky. But she couldn’t reach it.
The woman’s silver comb became the

moon. Her gold ring became the sun. Her
Illustration: Pamela Becker

sparkly necklace became the stars that
twinkle across the surface of the sky.
Make Connections
Why do you think Why the Stars
Twinkle was written? Essential Question
How is the explanation for the stars,
moon, and sun in this legend different
from the descriptions of space in
Destination Saturn? Text to Text
18
Glossary
astronomer (uh-STRAH-nuh-muhr)
a person who studies the stars and
planets. (page 5)
orbit (AWR-buht) to follow a path
around a planet, moon, or other
space body (page 7)
planets (PLA-nuhtz) large bodies,
such as Earth, that orbit a sun
(page 2)
revolves (ri-VOLVZ) goes around and

around (page 3)
telescope (te-luh-SKOHP) a long tube
that makes distant objects look
bigger (page 2)
Index
Enceladus, 12 rings, 4, 5
Hyperion, 11 telescopes, 2, 5, 9
moons, 6–9, 11, 12 Titan, 6, 8–11
19
Purpose To find out about a planet.
What to Do
Step 1 Choose a planet that you are
interested in—not Saturn.
Step 2 Find out as much as you can

about the planet—its size,
interesting features about it.
Step 3 Make a Venn Different

Alike
chart comparing
your planet
with Saturn.
Conclusion What can you learn by

comparing and contrasting two planets
in this way?
20
Literature Circles
Nonfiction
The Topic
What are Destination Saturn and
Why the Stars Twinkle mostly about?
Vocabulary
What new words did you learn
in the text?
What helped you understand
the meaning of these words?
Conclusions
What did you learn from Destination
Saturn?
Author’s Purpose
Why do you think the author paired
a legend with an expository text?
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Discover the Universe Science
GR L • Benchmark 24 • Lexile [t/k]
Grade 3 • Unit 3 Week 3
www.mheonline.com
ISBN-13 978-0-02-118807-9
MHID 0-02-118807-6
99701
EAN
9 780021 188079
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Expository

CV_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 2 13/02/12 11:11 AM

Word count: 815**

Photography Credit: Cover NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Send all inquiries to:

Printed in the United States.

IFCIBC_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 2 13/02/12 11:12 AM

001_009_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 1 13/02/12 11:14 AM

People have studied the stars and

Saturn is the second biggest planet in

The Solar System Sun

001_009_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 2 13/02/12 11:14 AM

Saturn is many times

Saturn doesn’t look round, like a globe.

top and bottom of a ball together. That

The surface of Saturn is gas. But the

001_009_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 3 13/02/12 11:14 AM

Scientists do not know where the rings

NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

001_009_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 4 13/02/12 11:14 AM

Did You Know?

Discovering the Rings

they realized that

001_009_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 5 13/02/12 11:14 AM

Many of the moons are icy. Some are

The moon Phoebe orbits in the

001_009_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 6 13/02/12 11:14 AM

Two of the moons travel along the

STOP AND CHECK

Name two details about

001_009_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 7 13/02/12 11:14 AM

Scientists are learning more about

001_009_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 8 13/02/12 11:14 AM

001_009_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 9 13/02/12 11:14 AM

(t) Cassini Imaging Team NASA/JPL/SSI (b) Steven Hobbs/NASA/JPL

Photos taken by the spacecraft show

Scientists think there may be water

010_015_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 10 15/02/12 10:35 AM

One part of the

010_015_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 11 15/02/12 10:35 AM

The moon Enceladus looks bright.

In which ways is the

010_015_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 12 15/02/12 10:35 AM

During the mission, the spacecraft

This photo shows the

010_015_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 13 15/02/12 10:35 AM

Learning About Space

The mission to Saturn has collected

How big is the

010_015_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 14 15/02/12 10:35 AM

3. What does icy on page 12 mean?

4. Write about why the mission to

010_015_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 15 15/02/12 10:35 AM

WHY THE STARS

One day, a woman went outdoors to grind

It was a hot day. The woman didn’t want

Then she started to grind it. It was hard

016_020_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 16 13/02/12 11:32 AM

Each time the woman raised her arms

016_020_CR14_LR_G3_U3W3L24_A_118807.indd 17 13/02/12 11:32 AM

The woman’s silver comb became the

Illustration: Pamela Becker