RIC-6946 The Comprehension Box 1 - Sample student cards

Mauve 6
Birds
that can’t fly
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Do you ever wish that you could fly?
Imagine taking off into the sky and feeling
the cool air, the peace and quiet and the freedom of being way
up there above everything, gliding around and having fun. Think
of all the places you could go and the things you could see.
And it wouldn’t cost you anything!
Wouldn’t it be wonderful? Wouldn’t it be great to be a bird and to fly!
Sadly, there are birds that are not so lucky. Some birds can’t fly. Think
about how unfair that is. Think how you would feel if you were a bird
that couldn’t fly and do all the fun things other birds do.
There are about 40 different types of birds that can’t fly. These
include penguins, emus, kiwis and ostriches. Some of these birds
can run fast and others can swim very well—but they can’t fly.
Scientists think that these birds didn’t need to fly
to escape their enemies or that they just didn’t
have many enemies. Because of this, their
bodies changed over time until they could
no longer fly. Some of them now have
big toe claws they can use if they are
attacked.
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Some of the differences between birds that can’t fly
and those that can are that they have shorter wings,
more feathers and the breastbone (called a keel)
where their wing muscles join in their chest is much smaller.
I think it’s good these poor birds that can’t take off into the
sky don’t know how unlucky they are and what they’re
missing out on.
R.I.C. Publications ® Comprehension box 1 (126)
Prim-Ed Publishing