Lesson 6:A Busy Beaver

y Michael FalconHOUGHTON MIFFLIN

y Michael FalconPHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover Yva Momatiuk/John Eastcott/Minden Pictures. 1 Yva Momatiuk/John Eastcott/MindenPictures. 2 © Alan & Sandy Carey/OSF/Animals Animals - Earth Scenes. 3 Gerry Ellis/Getty Images. 4 M. A. Battilana/Alamy.5 Matthew Johnston/Alamy. 6 Yva Momatiuk/John Eastcott/Minden Pictures. 7 Michael Quinton/Minden Pictures/GettyImages. 8 Ace Stock Limited/Alamy. 9 M. A. Battilana/Alamy. 10 Jerry and Marcy Monkman/EcoPhotography.com/Alamy.Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing CompanyAll rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic ormechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the priorwritten permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Requestsfor 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 ChinaISBN-13: 978-0-547-02566-7ISBN-10: 0-547-02566-11 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0940 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishersretains 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, intoelectronic format.

BeaverLook at this beaver.It is cutting a tree downwith its teeth.It will build a dam.2

DamThe dam will stop the water in astream and make a pond.A beaver uses mud and branchesto build its dam.3

SwimmingA beaver lives in a pond becausethe deep water keeps it safe.Most animals that like to eatbeavers are not good swimmers.They can’t hunt the beaversin the water.4

Beaver homeA beaver builds its homein the pond made by its dam.It builds a round home of mudand branches.A beaver has to swim under thewater to get into its home.5

Branch6A beaver eats plants that growin the pond.It also eats leaves and bark on thetrees that grow around the pond.A beaver uses its sharp teethto cut off branches.In the fall, it puts branchesin the pond so it can eat themin the winter.

Beaver tailA beaver uses its tail to warn otherswhen an enemy comes too close.A beaver will slap its tailon the water.The tail’s flat shape makesa loud smack!That slap says “Danger!”to other beavers.7

Broken damSometimes the stream will floodand break the beaver’s dam.Then the pond disappears!The beaver must get to workand build its dam again.8

Baby beaverBaby beavers are born in the pond.A beaver leaves the pond when it istwo years old.Then the young beaver workshard, too!It builds a new dam and makesa new pond.9

Beaver pondIf you spend time at a beaver pond,you will know why a beaver isso busy.You will see the beaver’s amazinghome and dam.10

RespondingTARGET SKILL Text and GraphicFeatures What do the photos in this bookshow you? Look back at the pictures in thebook. Copy the chart below. Fill in whatyou learned.PhotosBeaver?Page2?What They ShowChewing a tree?Write About ItText to World Write a few sentencesthat summarize why beavers are so busy.Use some ideas from the chart above.Remember that a summary tells the mostimportant ideas in just a few sentences.11

TARGET VOCABULARYbeaksbranchesbreakdeepesthangingpondshapewindingTARGET SKILL Text and GraphicFeatures Tell how words go with photos.TARGET STRATEGY Question Askquestions about what you are reading.GENRE Informational text gives factsabout a topic.12

Level: IDRA: 16Genre:InformationalStrategy:QuestionSkill:Text and Graphic FeaturesWord Count: 3232.2.6HOUGHTON MIFFLINOnline Leveled Books1032497