3 2 8 all about grass (science)

by Will McGovernAll About Grass All About Grass PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover: ©PictureNet/Corbis, Title Page: ©Image Plan/Corbis; 2-3 b ©PictureNet/Corbis; 5 ©Image Plan/Corbis.. People e

by Will McGovern

All About

Grass

by Will McGovern

All About

Grass

All About

Grass

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover: ©PictureNet/Corbis, Title Page: ©Image Plan/Corbis; 2-3 (b) ©PictureNet/Corbis;

5 ©Image Plan/Corbis.

All other photos © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishers

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

All rights reserved No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers, Attn: Permissions, 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, Florida 32887-6777

Printed in China

ISBN-10: 0-547-25292-7

ISBN-13: 978-0-547-25292-6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0940 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11

If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers retains title to the materials and they may not be resold Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited.

Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format.

Why Is Grass Important?

Grass is everywhere It is under the swings at the park It is on the soccer

i eld It is next to the sidewalk in the city Grass is one of the most important plants

on earth

Many animals eat grass People eat grains, like rice, which are a kind of grass Some kinds of grass, like bamboo, are used for building homes Other kinds of grass keep soil safe from wind and rain

How Does Grass Grow?

Grass is easy to grow It grows from seeds The seeds need good soil to grow

in They need water every day They

need sunlight, too

The roots of the grass grow down into the soil The roots soak up the water

They gather the food they need to grow They keep the grass held to the ground

3

Where Can Grass Grow?

Grass can grow in most places It can grow on a small patch of land or in a

large i eld It can grow in a desert It can grow next to a beach It can grow on the top of a mountain

Grass can grow next to a beach.

Grass Is a Source of Food

Many animals eat grass Horses,

sheep, and cows eat grass Many farmers plant grass to feed their animals

Hay is tall, dry grass Farmers cut

hay in the fall After the harvest, they

separate the hay into stacks They feed it

to their animals in the winter

Breakfast cereal is made from grain

Grain is another kind of grass So if you think about it, people eat grass, too!

5

Grass Helps Keep Soil Safe

Wind can blow soil away Water can wash soil away Some kinds of grass can help to keep the soil in place The roots

of the grass hold the soil from below

Have you ever seen grass on sand dunes at the beach? That grass helps to keep the sand from washing into the sea

Grass keeps the sand on these dunes in place.

Grass Makes Nice Lawns

Many people grow grass in their

yards Some are very serious about

having a perfect green lawn

They borrow books about grass from the library They listen to advice from

their friends They try to get rid of weeds

in the grass

Flowers can add color next to a green lawn.

Parks Are Full of Grass

You can visit a park in many parts of the world

You will see large i elds of green grass People go to parks to relax and have fun

In some parks, signs give people a

warning Keep off the grass! You should

be ashamed to step on the grass!

But it’s hard for people and dogs to stay off of the grass at a park!

Sports Are Played on Grass

Many sports are played on grass

Baseball is one Golf is another Football and soccer are both played on grass

Tennis is sometimes played on grass, too

In some games, white lines are painted

on the grass playing i eld The players

must stay inside these white borders

Many sports are played on grass.

What do you like to do best on a i eld

of grass?

TARGET VOCABULARY Word Builder Can

you give advice about how to grow grass?

Maybe not! What can you give advice

about? Copy this word web and add to it

Text to Self Write a short paragraph Tell

what you like to do on grass You may like

playing a sports game or having a picnic

Give reasons to support what you say.

Write About It

riding a bike

advice

11

ashamed

borders

borrow

harvest patch separate serious

TARGET VOCABULARY

TARGET STRATEGY Infer/Predict Use clues to figure out more about the selection.

Which word has another word in it that is the name of a food?

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

Online Leveled Books

Level: K

DRA: 20

Science

Strategy:

Infer/Predict

Word Count: 522

3.2.8 Build Vocabulary