Grade 2

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Unit 19 Nonfiction

How Animals Cross the Road

A highway is in Canada. It is wide. It runs through a big park. The park is called
Banff National Park. Bears and coyotes live in the park. Deer, elk, and moose
live in the park. Foxes and wolves live in the park, too. All these animals need to
roam through the park. Some migrate south in the winter. Some migrate north in
the summer. They all look for food. They all find mates.

Many cars and trucks travel on the highway. The cars and trucks travel fast.
Do the fast cars and trucks hit the animals that cross the wide highway as they
roam? No, they do not! They do not because of how the animals cross the road.

How do the animals cross the road? The animals go over and under the highway.
They go over on special bridges. They go under in special tunnels. Grass and
plants grow on the bridges and in the tunnels. This is because the bridges and
tunnels are not for cars. They are not for people. They are for animals. They
keep the roaming animals safe as they cross the road.

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Unit 19 Fiction

The Bridge That Was the Wrong Color

Wes was going to California. He was going to San Francisco. He was going to
walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. Wes said, “I have never seen a gold bridge
before. I can’t wait to see the Golden Gate!”
Wes was surprised when he saw the bridge. “It isn’t gold!” cried Wes. “It is the
wrong color. It is reddish-orange! Why is the bridge called the Golden Gate
when it isn’t gold?”
A park ranger told Wes why. The park ranger said, “The bridge crosses a strait.
A strait is a body of water. It is narrow. It joins two larger bodies of water. The
Golden Gate Bridge crosses the Golden Gate Strait. The Golden Gate Strait is
narrow. It joins two large bodies of water. It joins the San Francisco Bay to the
Pacific Ocean.”
“How did people cross the strait before? They used ferry boats. The ferries were
slow. They took a long time to load. They took a long time to unload. Crossing
the Golden Gate Strait on a reddish-orange bridge is a lot faster!”

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Unit 19 Questions

Show What You Know

Answer the questions based on “How Animals Cross the Road”
and “The Bridge That Was the Wrong Color.” You may look back
at what you have read if you need to.

1. What animal is not named in the story?

A elk
B deer
C owls
D coyotes
2. Wes thought the bridge was gold colored because
A of its name.
B of what he saw.
C of the strait it crossed.
D of what the park ranger said.
3. Both stories are about
A roaming animals and people.
B getting from one side to another.
C joining two large bodies together.
D planting grass and plants on bridges.
4. An animal is not likely to use a ferry
A because a ferry is a kind of boat.
B because a ferry is painted reddish-orange.
C because a ferry takes a long time to unload.
D because grass and plants do not grow on a ferry.
5. The Golden Gate Strait joins
A the San Francisco Bay to Canada.
B the San Francisco Bay to California.
C the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean.
D the San Francisco Bay to the Golden Gate Bridge.
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Unit 19 Questions

Show What You Know (cont.)

6. Practice your handwriting. Pick a word from one of the stories to write
on the line below.

7. List the reasons the animals in Canada might need to cross the highway.

1. to migrate north 3. _ _____________________

2. _______________________ 4. _ _____________________

8. You were told what a strait is in the story. List the three things you
were told about straits.

1. _________________________________________________________

2. A strait is narrow.

3. _________________________________________________________

9. Write one or more sentences that tell what each story is about.

“How Animals Cross the Road” _________________________________

____________________________________________________________

“The Bridge That Was the Wrong Color”_ _________________________

____________________________________________________________

10. Should people be able to walk across all bridges? Tell why or why not.

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

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Unit 23 Nonfiction

The Smallest Birds in the World

Hummingbirds are birds. Hummingbirds are very small. They are the smallest
birds in the world. Hummingbirds are small, but they are good at flying.
Hummingbirds can fly up. They can fly down. They can fly forward. They can fly
backward. They can fly sideways. They can even fly upside down!

To fly, a bird beats its wings. A hummingbird beats its wings very fast. It beats it
wings faster than any other bird. How fast does a hummingbird beat its wings?
Think about a second. A second is a very short time. A hummingbird beats its
wings 80 times a second!
A hummingbird must eat a lot. When it is awake, it must eat about every 12
minutes. This is because a hummingbird needs a lot of energy. It needs a lot of
energy to beat its wings so fast.

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Unit 23 Fiction

How Hungry Was Bea?

Bea was hungry. Bea said, “I am hungry. I am very hungry. I’m as hungry as a
hummingbird.”
Bea’s dad laughed. He said, “Bea, I think you meant to say something else. I
think you meant to say, ‘I’m as hungry as a bear.’ When people are very hungry,
they say, ‘I’m as hungry as a bear.’”
Bea said, “I said what I meant. I meant what I said. I’m as hungry as a hummingbird.
A bear is big. A hummingbird is small, but a hummingbird eats a lot.
“Think about how much you weigh. Could you eat half of what you weigh in a
day? A hummingbird eats half of what it weighs in a day. A bear does not eat
half of what it weighs in a day.
“To eat that much, hummingbirds eat all the time. They must eat about every
12 minutes.”
“I want to eat very soon. I want to eat a lot. I’m as hungry as a hummingbird!”

©Teacher Created Resources, Inc. 97 #2912 Paired Passages

Unit 23 Questions

Show What You Know

Answer the questions based on “The Smallest Birds in the World” and “How
Hungry was Bea?” You may look back at what you have read if you need to.

1. A hummingbird can beat its wings how many times in one second?
A 90 times
B 40 times
C 60 times
D 80 times
2. How much does a hummingbird eat?
A half of what Bea weighs
B half of what a bear weighs
C half of what it weighs in a day
D half of what it weighs every 12 minutes
3. Both stories are about
A Bea.
B bears.
C flying.
D hummingbirds.
4. Most likely, Bea wants to eat soon because she is hungry and
A needs energy.
B is flying with her Dad.
C weighs as much as a bear.
D eats every 12 minutes when she is awake.
5. A fact is true. A fact is not made up. What answer is a fact and not
just part of a story?
A Bea said what she meant.
B Bea’s Dad laughed at Bea.
C A hummingbird can fly backward.
D Bea said, “I’m as hungry as a hummingbird.”
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Unit 23 Questions

Show What You Know (cont.)

6. Practice your handwriting. Pick a word from one of the stories to write
on the line below.

7. List the ways hummingbirds can fly.

1. _______________________ 4. _ _____________________

2. _______________________ 5. _ _____________________

3. _______________________ 6. _ _____________________

8. People talked in one story. List who talked in the story.

1st________________ 2nd______________ 3rd_ ______________

9. Write one or more sentences that tell what each story is about.

“The Smallest Birds in the World”_ ______________________________

____________________________________________________________

“How Hungry Was Bea?”_______________________________________

____________________________________________________________

10. Should people say “I am hungry as a hummingbird”? Why or why not?

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

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 Answer Key (cont.)
7. why safe: no one would come, too 7. 1-stone put on sledge, 2-rope tied
cold, too icy, too windy; why not around stone, 5-ramps taken down
safe: on ice that became an iceberg Unit 22
8. warm clothes—body; hat—head; 1. B
hood—head and neck; goggles— 2. B
eyes; gloves—hands 3. A
Unit 18 4. D
1. B 5. A
2. D 8. Monday, Friday; sad, happy;
3. B Night, Day
4. D Unit 23
5. C 1. D
7. shallow, close to surface, long, 2. C
growing in every direction 3. D
8. deep grooves 4. A
Unit 19 5. C
1. C 7. up, down, forward, backward,
2. A sideways, upside down
3. B 8. Bea, Bea’s Dad, Bea
4. A Unit 24
5. C 1. C
7. migrate south, look for food, find 2. B
mates 3. A
8. A straight is a body of water, joins 4. B
two larger bodies of water 5. D
Unit 20 7. water thick-knee: eggs are
1. B protected; crocodile: protects eggs;
told when eggs are in danger
2. D
8. 4,2,1,5,3
3. B
Unit 25
4. A
1. B
5. C 2. A
8. 4,3,2,5,1 3. D
Unit 21 4. C
1. C 5. C
2. D 7. customer paid extra; Abe walks
3. B to customer’s house, gives back
4. D six cents
5. B 8. one penny, five pennies, ten pennies
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