When we think of seaweed, we usually picture brown or green plants a foot or so in length.  Seaweeds are also of other colors.  Some are red.  Some kinds grow to lengths of a hundred feet!  These form giant seaweed forests, where many kinds of fish take shelter.  What is the main idea?

• Why some seaweed grows so large
• What seaweed is like
• Why seaweed is red

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Not all animals that live in the water are fish.  Frogs and tadpoles, for example, spend part of their lives in water.  They are amphibians, not true fish.  Whales and seals are warm-blooded mammals.  Some snakes live partly in water too.  What is the main idea?

• Why just fish live in water
• Why whales live in water
• Which animals live in water

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

The red, green and amber traffic light is a safety signal.  Yet some drivers don't see it.  Some drivers don't obey it.  People cross the street without looking at it.  Often the traffic light turns out to be a signal of death.  What is the main idea?

• What the traffic light signals
• Why all people obey traffic lights
• Why all people disobey traffic lights

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

There are about 13,000 wild horses in our country.  Most are in the high lands of the Southwest.  The horses find great difficulty in getting food during the winter months.  Snow covers the grass and small bushes that they feed on.  Their numbers grow smaller each year.  What is the main idea?

• Where wild horses live
• Why grass and bushes can't be seen
• What is happening to our wild horses

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

A man from another country counted all the car accidents.  He found out that cars painted pink or any light hade seem to be safer.  The light colors are more easily seen.  Cars of two or three different colors may be even safer.   What is the main idea?

• Which color cars are safest
• How to paint a car
• What colors can't be seen

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Great waves that sweep in from the ocean are known as tidal waves.  Actually a tidal wave has nothing to do with the tides.  It is caused by an undersea earthquake called a seaquake, or by storms far out to sea.  A tidal wave may rise over fifty feet high.  What is the main idea?

• How high tidal waves may be
• How to start a tidal wave
• What tidal waves are like

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

An octopus isn't fast enough to swim after a fish. The octopus must wait for a fish to swim by. When the fish comes within reach, the octopus whips out his long arm to grasp it. Then the octopus has a tasty meal. What is the main idea?

• How much fish an octopus eats

• Why the octopus likes to eat

• How an octopus gets its food

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

If you are feeling sad, you can make yourself feel better by doing a few simple things. You can take a walk (or get another form of exercise), you can talk to a friend, or you can write down your feelings. Writing down the good things in your life will help too. Doing something good for someone else will also help you feel better. If you still feel a little sad, act happy. It works like magic to make you feel better!
What is the main idea?

• Sometimes people feel sad.
• You should do good things for others.
• We're not always happy.
• There are many ways to make yourself feel better. 

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

Floods can cause tremendous damage.  They can ruin houses, roads and buildings. Floods can take down trees and cause mudslides. It often leaves mud, sand and debris behind.  It can take months to clean up after a flood.
 What is the main idea?

• Floods can cause a lot of damage.
• Floods cause mudslides.
• Floods damage houses and roads. 

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

The earth's surface is constantly changing.  All over the world everyday there are earthquakes, floods and volcanoes that quickly change our world. Some changes are too small to see.  Others cause tremendous damage and costs millions of dollars to clean up.
What is the main idea?

• It is expensive to clean up the damage
• Sometimes we can't see the changes. 
• The Earth's surface is always changing.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.6.2