Making Inferences Level Two Mrs. Hunsaker

The Blind Men and the Elephant There is an old story about six blind men who went to see an elephant. Of course they couldn’t really see it. They thought they could tell what it was like by feeling it. The first man said, “The elephant is like a tree.” The second said, “You are wrong, The elephant is like a thick rope.” The third said, “You are both wrong. The elephant is like a wall.” The fourth man said, “You are all wrong. The elephant is like a fan.” The next man said the elephant was like a snake. And the last said that it was really like a spear. Each man was certain that he alone was right.

The six blind men all were right each touched a different animal. each touched a different part of the elephant.

The first man touched the elephant’s trunk. leg. tail.

The fourth man touched the elephant’s ear. tusk. side.

The moral of the story is “Blind men are wise.” “An elephant is a big animal.” “Be sure you get all the facts.”

Slugs No one would want a slug for a pet. It’s not a pretty animal. It looks like an earthworm with horns. A gardener is always on the watch for slugs. Slugs love green leaves. They can eat their way quickly through a garden, killing all the plants. Yet slugs have helped people too. They have saved the lives of many soldiers. This happened in World War 1. Soldiers were being killed by poison gas. Sometimes they couldn’t tell if there were gas in the air until it was too late. Soldiers began bringing slugs with them into battle. If the slugs died, the men knew there was poison gas in the air. To a gardener, the slug is an ugly pest. But to those soldiers, it was a hero.

People don’t keep slugs as pets because slugs cost too much to feed. are poisonous. are ugly.

Gardeners watch out for slugs because they can sell them to the army. the slugs eat plants. the slugs make good fertilizer.

One place where slugs would not be found is in a vegetable garden kitchen cupboard. flower box.

The slugs saved the soldiers because they could eat poison gas. the gas would kill them. they ate the enemy’s food.

One Hump or Two? Have you ever seen a camel in a zoo? Which kind did you see? One kind of camel is called a dromedary. It has one hump. The other is called the Bactrian camel. It has two humps. The dromedary is taller and faster than the Bactrian camel. But the Bactrian camel is stronger. It can carry a much heavier load. Both camels can go several days without eating or drinking. They can store food in their humps. Camels used to be very important in some desert countries. People used them for transportation and food. But today most people in these countries cross the desert in trucks and eat food from cans.

A one-humped camel can go farther than a two-humped camel. would beat a two-humped camel in a race. is easier to ride than a two-humped camel.

A two-humped camel is taller than a one-humped camel. is more gentle than a one-hundred camel. can carry more weight than a one-humped camel.

If a dromedary goes several days without eating. it dies. it rows a second hump. its hump gets smaller.

From the story we can guess that there are fewer camels now than there used to be. there are more camels now than there used to be. camels are smaller than they used to be.

Niagara Falls Is Falling Niagara Falls may be the most famous waterfall in the world. But it’s not the highest. In fact, it’s not even close. Angel Falls in South America is the world’s highest, at 3,212 feet. Niagara Falls is only 167 feet high – and it’s getting smaller. It’s wearing itself down. The bed of the Niagara River is made of soft rock. The river carries water into Lake Ontario from the other four Great Lakes. This is a lot of water, and it’s been flowing for thousands of years. Just 300 years ago, Niagara Falls was much higher than it is today. In another 300 years, it will probably be much smaller.

Niagara Falls used to be the highest waterfall in the world. used to be higher than it is now. is 300 years old.

Niagara Falls is in Venezuela. on the Niagara River. in a lake.

If the bed of the Niagara River were of harder rock, Niagara Falls would be higher. Niagara Falls would be lower. there would be no Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls wasn’t there 300 years ago. will have disappeared in 300 years. will look very different in 300 years.

Jumping Rope Today, jump-rope games are played by both boys and girls. But this was not always true. Until about 100, jumping rope was nearly always a boys’ game. Its rules were simple; whoever jumped the longest was the winner. Now, jump-rope games are played to chanted rhymes. How many of these rhymes do you know? Your grandmother may remember some of the same ones. Many can be heard in playgrounds all over the United States. But children are not the only rope- jumpers. A boxer training for a fight jumps rope as part of his exercise every day.

A hundred years ago, few girls jumped rope. jump-rope games hadn’t been invented. only boxers jumped rope.

A hundred years ago, jump-rope games were the same as they are today were simpler than they are today. took more strength to play

Many of the rhymes that children jump rope to now are very new. have been passed along for many years. were made up by boxers.

A boxer jumps rope to train himself to hit harder. run faster. move his feet quickly.

You are ready to move to the next level!