Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Decodable Reader - Heroes
Decodable Reader - Heroes
Heroes
Phonics Practice
A
Community Heroes
Contents
Watch the
Birch Tree Watch the Birch Tree ....... 1
long a (ai, ay)
Realistic Fiction
by Doreen Beauregard
illustrated by Jill Weber
A World of
Animals A World of Animals ........ 9
long a (a, ai, ay, ei)
Informational Nonfiction: Science
by Barbara A. Donovan
It Won’t
Be Easy!
It Won’t Be Easy! .......... 25
long e (e, ea, ee, ey, y)
Fantasy
by Dorothy Terry
illustrated by Brian Lies
How Penguins and
Butterf lies Grow
It’s All Matter .............. 31
long e (e, ea, ee, ey, y)
Informational Nonfiction: Science
by Lisa Shulman
Franny’s
Rain Forest Franny’s Rain Forest ....... 47
long i (i, ie, igh, y)
by Doreen Beauregard
Fantasy
illustrated by Parker Fulton
by Carol K. Lindeen
Three Goats
and a Troll
Three Goats and
a Troll ........................ 71
by Marco Ramos
illustrated by Julia Woolf
long o (o, oa, oe, ow)
Folk Tale
From Coast
to Coast
From Coast to Coast ...... 77
long o (o, oa, ow)
Informational Nonfiction: Social Studies
by Carol K. Lindeen
Luke’s Tune
Luke’s Tune ................. 93
long u (ew, u, u_e)
Realistic Fiction
by Sarah Schmidt
illustrated by Ande Cooke
Germs
Germs ....................... 99
long u (u_e)
Informational Nonfiction: Science
by Wiley Blevins
Watch the
Birch Tree
by Doreen Beauregard
illustrated by Jill Weber
In Beth’s driveway, a bunch of kids
rushed here and there. They were
about to put on a play.
3
Just then, Beth’s dog America
pushed over the tree.
4
“Wait a second. I have an idea,”
said Rich. “We need some white cloth.”
6
Beth’s dad smoothed the sheet. He
cut holes in it.
by Barbara A. Donovan
Getting Started
Let’s think about special animals.
Imagine big animals like whales and
small animals like ants. Which animals
can run? Swim? Fly? Which animals
have legs? Fins? Wings?
10
Animals are the same in some ways
and different in other ways. To help
us compare animals, we can sort them
into groups, or classes. Animals are
sorted into classes by things they have
in common.
11
Whales, Cats, and
Bats
Whales, cats, and bats are
mammals. You are a mammal, too!
A mammal is an animal that has
bones down its back. The bones form
a spine, or backbone. A mammal also
has lungs that help it breathe air in
and out. Mammals give birth to babies
that feed on milk.
12
Whales are mammals that live in
the sea. A baby whale will trail after
its mother. The baby whale and its
mother swim up to the surface. They
gulp some air and then dive back into
the sea. As the baby whale feeds on
milk, it gains weight fast.
13
Snakes, Turtles, and
Crocodiles
Snakes and turtles are reptiles.
A reptile is an animal whose body is
covered with scales. Most reptiles have
a tail and four legs. Which reptile has
no legs? A snake!
14
Crocodiles also belong to the
reptile family. These animals have
been around since the days of the
dinosaurs!
16
A mother toad lays her eggs in the
water. An egg grows to be a tadpole
that must stay in the water. Once the
tadpole grows to be a toad, it has
lungs. Then it can breathe air and live
on land.
17
Ducks, Eagles, and
Crows
Which animals have feathers? Birds
do. In fact, birds are the only animals
with feathers. All birds also have a
backbone and wings, but not all birds
can fly. Ducks, eagles, and crows can
fly. Penguins and ostriches cannot.
18
The ostrich is the largest bird in
the world. This bird may grow 8 feet
tall and weigh 300 pounds. A mother
ostrich lays huge eggs!
19
Ants, Beetles, and
Moths
thorax abdomen
head
20
Bees are part of the insect class.
The mother bee, called the queen bee,
lays thousands of eggs in the hive.
21
Salmon, Sharks, and
Trout
Salmon (SAM-uhn), sharks, and
trout are fish. A fish has no lungs.
Instead, it has gills that help it
breathe underwater. All fish have a
backbone, and most fish have fins.
22
You are a mammal. You are not
a reptile, an amphibian, a bird, an
insect, or a fish. But imagine that you
could be one of them. Which kind of
animal would you like to be? Why?
23
Index
amphibian(s), 16, 23 lizards, 14
ants, 10, 20 mammal(s), 12, 13, 23
bats, 12 moths, 20
bee(s), 21 ostrich(es), 18, 19
beetles, 20 penguins, 18
bird(s), 18, 19, 23 reptile(s), 14, 15, 23
cats, 12 salamanders, 16
crocodile(s), 14, 15 salmon, 22
crows, 18 sharks, 22
ducks, 18 snake(s), 14
eagles, 18 toad(s), 16, 17
fish, 22, 23 trout, 22
frogs, 16 turtles, 14
insect(s), 20, 21, 23 whale(s), 10, 12, 13
24
It Won’t
Be Easy!
by Dorothy Terry
illustrated by Brian Lies
One day, Sneaky Mouse held
a secret meeting. She was tired of
fleeing from Beast. Beast was a really
mean cat!
26
“What can we do about Beast?”
asked Sneaky.
27
“I have a special plan!” said
Sneaky. “It’s easy. A loud bell is the
key to the plan. We will put a bell on
Beast’s neck. Then we will hear her
before she can feast on us!”
28
Every mouse was pleased but
Stanley. He sat still between his mom
and dad.
29
Each and every mouse sat still. They
looked at Beast. Stanley was right. It
seemed that the plan would not be so
easy after all!
30
It's All Matter
by Barbara A. Donovan
Getting Started
Look around your classroom. What
things do you see? You might say
“a clock,” “a desk,” or “a window.”
Everything you named is made up
of matter.
32
Water is matter. In this picture,
it’s the liquid that the fish swims in.
Water is a solid when it’s ice or snow.
It’s a gas in the air. Liquids, solids, and
gases are different kinds of matter.
33
Solid, Liquid, or Gas?
Solids have shapes that you can
touch and feel. They might be hard
like a bike or soft like a feather.
They might be big like a truck or
small like a bean. Each solid has a
shape of its own.
34
The water in this puddle is a
liquid. A liquid is matter that flows.
A liquid gets its shape from whatever
container it is in. The liquid could be
in a jar, a glass, or a pool.
35
If we could peek inside these
balloons, what would we see?
Nothing! Why? These
balloons are filled with
a gas. We can’t
see or feel
most gases.
A gas fills
the space
it is in and
takes the
same shape.
36
Heat It!
Let’s say the sun is shining on
trees that are covered with ice. What
happens? The ice starts to melt. Why?
When we add enough heat to a solid,
it changes the solid to a liquid. It
takes a lot of heat to melt solids like
gold or steel. It doesn’t take as much
heat to melt ice.
37
The water from melting ice
makes puddles. When the hot sun
shines on the puddles, they dry up.
Heating a liquid can make it turn into
a gas. Water that is a gas is called
water vapor.
38
We often change matter when we
cook food. Butter changes from a solid
to a liquid when we melt it in a pan.
Some of the water in soup changes to
gas when we heat it.
39
Chill It!
Here’s a puzzle. We use heat to
turn a solid into a liquid. How can
we change a liquid back into a solid?
Two words. Chill it!
40
If we chill water vapor, it will
change into a liquid. That’s why drops
of water form on a cold glass. When
water vapor in the air touches the
glass, the water vapor cools and turns
back into a liquid. Then the drops of
water slide down the glass.
41
When water vapor in the air cools,
it can form clouds. As the gas cools,
it changes into rain. Rain fills puddles,
streams, and seas. On a sunny day, the
water turns back into water vapor
and forms clouds. This is called the
water cycle.
42
Mix It!
At the beach, what might we see in
the sand? Rocks and seashells? A lost
penny or key? Other solids might also
be mixed in the sand.
43
Suppose one morning we dig up
clams. It would be muddy work! Mud
is part solid and part liquid. The bits
of dirt or sand are solids. The water is
liquid. It is hard to separate the solids
from the liquid in mud.
44
Matter is everywhere around you.
You can look for solids and liquids
wherever you go. Gases are all around
you, too. What kinds of matter might
you find at home, at the beach, or at
school?
45
Index
air, 32, 33, 41, 42 mud, 44
46
Franny’s
Rain Forest
by Doreen Beauregard
illustrated by Parker Fulton
It is morning in the rain forest.
Franny Frog rests in a tree. Franny
thinks a rain forest is the best place
to be.
48
Franny asks Bobby Bat.
49
Franny asks Alfred Ape.
51
Franny asks Astrid Ant.
52
Franny asks Sammy Sloth.
53
Franny clings to a branch
with her sticky toes. “I was right!
I can find lots of food to eat. It
has lots of stuff to see. My rain
forest is the very best place to be,”
says Franny.
54
The Sky at Night
by Carol K. Lindeen
Getting Started
When the sun goes down, the sky
gets dark. What can you see in the
night sky? You can see the moon and
the stars. They are objects in space
that shine at night.
56
57
The Moon
The moon is the closest object
to Earth in space. The moon moves
around Earth in a path called an orbit.
58
A phase of the moon
62
A star can’t shine forever, but it can
appear to glow for billions of years. A
star that is one million years old is just
a baby! Very old stars die and go dark
when they use up their energy.
63
Stars look larger when seen through a telescope.
66
Big Dipper
Leo
Can you find the Big Dipper inside the bear shape?
cycle, 59
lunar eclipse, 61
moon, 56–61, 69
orbit, 58
70
Three Goats
and a Troll
by Marco Ramos
illustrated by Julia Woolf
Three goats looked at a grassy hill.
72
Doe Goat started to cross slowly.
73
Moe Goat started to cross.
74
Joe Goat started to cross.
75
“No, you won’t!” yelled Joe.
“I will throw you into the water!”
And he did.
76
From Coast
to Coast
by Carol K. Lindeen
Getting Started
Have you ever looked at a map of
the United States? Maybe you know
some fun facts about the state you live
in. Do you know anything about your
region? Is it flat? Is it on the coast?
78
United States of America
79
Plains and Peaks
82
Coastal plains are regions along a
coast where the land is mostly flat.
Coastal plains are along the U.S. coast
to the east and the south. Alaska also
has coastal plains. Can you find these
regions on the map?
83
Some people live on the islands
of Hawaii. Here you can swim at
the beach every day. An island is
surrounded by water on all sides. To
find this island region on a U.S. map,
look in the Pacific Ocean.
84
Lake Superior
Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake
Lake
Ontario
Ontario
Lake
Michigan
Lake Erie
87
Trees and Forests
Think about the trees that are close
to your house. Do they have leaves or
needles? Are the trees tall or short?
88
Some trees have needles and cones.
These trees stay green all year long.
Other trees have leaves that change
color and fall off every year. Both
kinds of trees can grow in forests.
89
Forests grow all over a large part of
the eastern United States. The Pacific
coast also has forests. The Great Plains
and desert regions do not have as
many forests. See if you can locate
regions with forests on the U.S. map.
90
The United States has many
different regions. Each region is
special. You can find mountains and
plains, lakes and deserts. Maybe you
can draw your own map and show
some of these regions.
91
Index
beach(es), 84, 86
forest(s), 88–90
islands, 84
ocean(s), 82, 84
peaks, 80, 81
shore, 85, 86
92
Luke’s Tune
by Sarah Schmidt
illustrated by Ande Cooke
Luke had come from India to
live in America with his dad.
94
Luke picked a sunny spot and dug
holes. He began planting seeds in
the holes. Then he used a jug of
water to give them a drink.
97
The next day, Luke had a
surprise. His plants had grown big
and beautiful.
98
Germs
by Wiley Blevins
Getting Started
Your head feels hot. Your nose
is running. Your throat and stomach
hurt. You may not know why, but
you are sick. Your mom isn’t sure
what is wrong. So she takes you to
the doctor.
100
The doctor will check you over.
Then the doctor will give you some
medicine to kill the bad germs in your
body. Soon, you will feel much better.
101
What Are Germs?
103
If you get a cut, germs can get
inside of it. If your friend sneezes
or coughs, the germs can spread.
You might breathe them in. So it
is important to cover your mouth
whenever you cough or sneeze!
104
Different Kinds of Germs
Not all germs will make you
sick— some even work to keep you
healthy. But there are two kinds of
germs that can make you sick. They
are bacteria and viruses.
105
Bacteria have different shapes.
Some are round like a ball. Some look
like little rods. Some look like a long
chain when they join together.
Bacteria
Viruses
106
Fighting Germs
Usually your body does a good
job of keeping out bad germs. Your
skin can keep out germs if it has no
cuts or scratches. Your nose even has
small hairs that catch germs when
you breathe.
107
Sometimes bad germs sneak into
your body. When they do, your body
begins to fight them and you feel
sick. You might get a fever. You could
get a rash, or a pain in your throat.
Sometimes you may cough, sneeze,
itch, or throw up!
108
109
Keeping Healthy
Everyone gets sick sometimes, but
it is better to stay healthy! Here are
some tips for how to do that.
110
Food Chart
Fats, Oils & Sweets
USE SPARINGLY
Bread,
Cereal,
Rice &
Pasta
Group
6-11 SERVINGS
KEY
Fat (naturally occurring and added)
Sugars (added)
These symbols show fats and added
sugars in foods.
111
• Keep your hands clean. Use soap and
warm water to wash them. Soap grabs
the germs and dirt on your hands. Wash
for at least 30 seconds.
112
• Visit your doctor and dentist for
checkups. Get all the shots you
need.
114
Unit 2: Community Heroes
Week 1: Watch the Birch Tree page 1
to use with Babu’s Song WORD COUNT: 251
DECODABLE WORDS
Target Phonics Elements
long a (ai)
paint, wait
long a (ay)
driveway, may, play
HIGH-FREQUENCY WORDS
Review: about, America, around, could, have, of, move, said, two, were, world, you
115
Week 2: It Won’t Be Easy! page 25
to use with Tomás and the Library Lady WORD COUNT: 142
DECODABLE WORDS
Target Phonics Elements
long e (e)
be, he, me, secret, she, we
long e (ea)
Beast, Beast’s, each, easy, feast, mean, please, pleased, really, Sneaky, tea
long e (ee)
fleeing, meeting, seemed
long e (ey)
key, Stanley
long e (y)
easy, really, sneaky
HIGH-FREQUENCY WORDS
special
Review: any, before, do, every, from, have, one, other, what, would
116
Week 3: Franny’s Rain Forest page 47
to use with Fighting the Fire WORD COUNT: 224
DECODABLE WORDS
Target Phonics Elements
long i (i)
mind, find
long i (ie)
flies
long i (igh)
bright, high, night, right
long i (y)
fly, my
HIGH-FREQUENCY WORDS
Review: do, friends, have, here, many, morning, says, through, to, very, was
117
Week 4: Three Goats and a Troll page 71
to use with One Grain of Rice WORD COUNT: 173
DECODABLE WORDS
Target Phonics Elements
long o (o)
don’t, go, hold, no, only, so, Troll, Troll’s, won’t
long o (oa)
coat, croaked, goat, goats, moaned, soaked
long o (oe)
goes, Joe, Moe, Doe, toe
long o (ow)
below, grows, low, slowly, throw
HIGH-FREQUENCY WORDS
Review: from, have, into, of, onto, other, said, there, they, to, where, who, you, your
STORY WORD
bridge
118
Week 5: Luke’s Tune page 93
to use with African-American Inventors WORD COUNT: 149
DECODABLE WORDS
Target Phonics Elements
long u (ew)
few
long u (u)
music
long u (u_e)
flute, huge, Luke, Luke’s, tune, tunes, used
HIGH-FREQUENCY WORDS
building, machine, scientist
Review: America, beautiful, began, come, country, do, every, from, give, live, of, said,
some, to, was, what, world
STORY WORDS
India
119
HIGH-FREQUENCY WORDS TAUGHT TO DATE
Grade K Grade 1 change how our together Grade 2
a about climbed instead out too against
and across come into over two America
are after could it people under among
can again does jump place until another
do against done knew poor up because
for air down know pretty upon began
go all early laugh pull use blue
has along eat learn put very building
have also eight live ride walked country
he always enough love run want different
here another every make saw warm English
I any eyes many says water even
is around fall minutes school way island
like away father more searching were machine
little ball find mother should who morning
look be four move shout why move
me because friends never show work number
my been from new so would off
play before full no some write other
said begin funny not soon yellow picture
see below girl nothing sound your scientist
she better give now straight second
the blue goes of sure special
this boy gone old their study
to brought good once then though
was build great one there word
we buy grew only they world
what by head open thought year
where call help or three
with carry her orange through
you certain house other today
120
DECODING SKILLS TAUGHT TO DATE
CVC letter patterns; short a; consonants b, c, ck, f, g, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v; inflectional ending -s
(plurals, verbs); short i; consonants d, j, qu, w, x, y, z; double final consonants; l blends; possessives
with ’s; end blends; short o; inflectional ending -ed; short e; contractions with n’t; s blends;
r blends; inflectional ending -ing; short u; contractions with ’s; digraphs sh, th; compound words;
long a (a_e), inflectional ending -ed (drop final e); long i (i_e); soft c, g, -dge; digraphs ch, -tch, wh-;
inflectional ending -es (no change to base word); long e (e_e), long o (o_e), long u (u_e); silent
letters gn, kn, wr; 3-letter blends scr-, spl-, spr-, str-; inflectional endings -ed, -ing (double final
consonant); long a (ai, ay); inflectional endings -er, -est; long e (e, ea, ee); e at the end of long e
words; long o (o, oa, oe, ow); 2-syllable words; long i (i, ie, igh, y); 2-syllable inflectional endings
(changing y to ie); long e (ey, y); inflectional ending -ed (verbs; change y to i); r-controlled vowel
/ûr/er, ir, ur; inflectional endings -er, -est (drop final e); r-controlled vowel /är/ar; abbreviations
Mr., Mrs., Dr.; r-controlled vowel /ôr/or, oar, ore; compound words; diphthong /ou/ou, ow; final
e (mouse, house); diphthong /oi/oi, oy; prefixes re-, un-; variant vowels /u̇ /oo, /ü/oo, ew, ue, u_e;
possessives; variant vowel /ô/a, au, aw; singular and plural possessive pronouns; 2-syllable
words; r-controlled vowel /âr/air, are, ear; contractions; short a, e, i, o, u; consonant blends dr, sl,
sk, sp, st; consonant digraphs ch,-tch, sh, th, wh, ph; long a (a_e), i (i_e), o (o_e), u (u_e); soft c and g;
long a (a, ai, ay, ea, ei); consonant blends scr, spr, str; long e (e, ea, ee, ey, ie, y); prefixes re-, un-, dis-;
long i (i, ie, igh, y); compound words; long o (o, oa, oe, ow); inflectional endings -s, -es; long u (ew,
u, ue, u_e); inflectional ending -ing
121
Photography
Cover, 1: Andersen Ross/Getty Images. 10: James Watt/Visuals Unlimited. 11: Digital Vision/
PunchStock. 13: Michael Melford/The Image Bank/Getty Images,Inc. 15: Jonathan Blair/CORBIS.
17: Theo Allofs/Photonica/Getty Images, Inc. 19: Digital Vision/PunchStock. 20: Burke/Triolo
Productions/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images. 21: Lynn Stone/Index Stock Imagery. 23: Brand X
Pictures/PunchStock. 31: Brand X Pictures/PunchStock. 33: Alamy/Comstock Images.
35: Photodisc. 36: Jules Frazier/Getty Images. 38: Royalty-Free/CORBIS. 39: Lucidio Studio Inc./
CORBIS. 41: Brand X Pictures/PunchStock. 44: Doug Menuez/Getty Images. 45: BananaStock/
PunchStock. 55: Powerstock/Index Stock Imagery. 57: Carolina K. Smith, M.D./Shutterstock.
59: Digital Vision/PunchStock. 60: Taipan Kid/Shutterstock. 61: Scott Nielson/Bruce Coleman
Inc. 63: StockTrek/Getty Images. 64: (bkgd) NASA, (inset) Getty Images/PunchStock.
65: Royalty-Free/CORBIS. 67: (br) Roger Ressmeyer/CORBIS, (tl) Roger Ressmeyer/CORBIS.
68: NASA. 69: Dembinsky Photo Associates/Richard Hamilton Smith. 77: PunchStock/
Creatas. 80: Royalty-Free/CORBIS. 81: PictureQuest/Image Ideas. 83: Royalty-Free/CORBIS.
84: BananaStock/PunchStock. 86: Scenics of America/PhotoLink/Getty Images. 87: Comstock/
PunchStock. 89: PunchStock/Brand X Pictures. 90: Royalty-Free/CORBIS. 91: PictureQuest/Image
Ideas. 99: LWA-Stephen Welstead/CORBIS. 101: Comstock/PunchStock. 102: Photodisc Collection/
Getty Images. 104: Image Source/PunchStock. 106: (tl) Dr. David M. Phillips/Visuals Unlimited,
(tc) Dr. Dennis Kunkel/Visuals Unlimited, (tr) Tina Carvalho/Visuals Unlimited, (bc) Royalty-Free/
CORBIS. 109: Comstock/PunchStock. 111: DHHS/USDA. 113: Steve Satushek/The Image Bank/Getty
Images.
Grade 2 • Unit 2
www.macmillanmh.com
MHID 0-02-202256-2
ISBN-13 978-0-02-202256-3
10000
EAN
9 780022 022563
2