EDUCATORS PUBLISHING SERVICE 800.225.5750 www.epsbooks.com

®

By Sheila Clark-Edmands

Illustrated by Mick Reid

The Shark

Set 6A

The SharkPrefix a- (alike), Suffix -able (huggable)

The Inventor of the Telephoneph (dolphin)

The Boy Who Thought Friends Could Be Boughtought (thought), aught (caught)

The Statue of Libertyue (clue), ew (chew, few), tu (statue)

The City of Troyoi, oy (coins, cowboy)

The Hawkaw, au (hawk, saucer)

Valley Forgeey (donkey, prey)

The Tomb of King Tutkn (knight), wr (wrist), mb (climb), gh (ghost)

The Voyager Spacecraft: Messages for Outer Space Suffix -age (package)

A Tale of King MidasOpen Syllables

752 words

The Shark

Focus Concepts

Prefix a-

aboutacrossadaptedafloatafraidagoalertalonealongamazingamountsanotheraroundaway

Suffix -able

remarkable

Sight Words*a, although, another, any, are, been, come, do, floor, has, have, into, is, live, of, one, other, people, said, some, something, the, The, they, through, to, today, tough, what, where, you, your

Consonant Sounds all consonants sh (ship)ch (chin)th (this, thin)wh (whisk)ck (clock)tch (catch)dge (judge)

ff (cliff)ll (will)ss (miss)

qu (quilt)soft c (cent)soft g (gym)

Vses = /z/ (rose)

kn (knight)

Welded Soundsang (sang)ing (ring)ong (strong)ung (stung)ank (bank)ink (wink) onk (honk)unk (trunk)

Syllable Patternsopen single syllables (so, he, fly)closed syllable exceptions (child, cold, find, post, roll)twin-consonant syllable divisionnontwin-consonant syllable division consonant-le

Vowel Soundsa (ax)i (hit)o (ox)u (up)e (bed)

al (ball)wa (wasp)

a (lake)i (bike)o (rode)u (tune)e (Pete)

ay (spray)ou (mound, cousin, doughnut, you)ea (eat, bread, steak)oa (goat)ai (paint)ee (sheep)oo (food, cook)igh (light)ie (pie, chief)

er (fern, berry)ur (surf)ir (squirt)ear (earth)wor (world)or (fork)ar (car, warthog)

ow (snow, plow)oe (toe)

Affixes suffix -ed (melted, smelled, winked)suffixes -s, -es, -ing, -er, -est, -en, -ish, -ly, -y, -ful, -ness, -lessprefix a- (alike)

Previously Taught Skills

*Sight words are nonpatterned or very low-patterned words of high frequency.

The Shark

By Sheila Clark-Edmands

Illustrated by Mick Reid

Acquisitions/Development: Bonnie LassEditor: Elissa GershowitzEditorial Manager: Sheila Neylon

Design: Karen LomigoraTypesetting: Tammy Keithley

© 2007 by Educators Publishing Service, a division of School Specialty Publishing, a member of the School Specialty Family. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.

978-0-8388-3870-9

4 5 6 7 8 PPG 13 12 11 10 09

Printed in USA

1

What animal are you most afraid of? If you said “shark,” you’re not alone. The shark is surely the most feared sea animal. Sharks are found in all the world’s seas and at almost all depths. Although they live in seas throughout the world, they are most common in warm waters.

2

Sharks come in all sizes. The smallest one, the dwarf shark, can fit comfortably in your hand. The largest one, the whale shark, is the largest of all fish. Large ones may be around 50 feet long, but some have been known to reach 60 feet in length!

3

The amazing shark has been around for millions of years. We have found the remains of shark teeth that are at least 140 million years old. Sharks have not changed much across the ages. The sharks of today look much as they did all those millions of years ago.

4

Sharks are not like most fish. For one thing, most fish have skeletons made of bone, just like people. But a shark’s skeleton is all cartilage, with no bone at all. Cartilage is softer than bone and can bend. It’s the stuff under your skin at the end of your nose.

5

A shark’s gills are different from a fish’s gills. Most fish have one gill flap on each side of their head that they pump water past in order to breathe. Sharks have between five and seven gill slits. Most sharks can’t pump water past these slits. They must constantly swim with their mouths open to force water through their mouths and past their gills.

6

Most fish have swim bladders. These organs, which are like air-filled balloons, help fish stay afloat in the water at all times. Sharks don’t have swim bladders. If they stop swimming, they start to sink. But sharks do have something else that helps them stay afloat—with a little effort on their part. In their huge livers, they store large amounts of oil. Oil is lighter than water and helps the shark stay afloat, as long as the shark is not completely still.

The shark has been called “the perfect hunter.” It is perfectly adapted for a life spent searching for food. Most sharks are carnivores, which means they eat meat. These meat-eating sharks catch and eat fish, including other kinds of sharks!

7

8

Sharks tend to have sleek, rounded bodies that are shaped like torpedoes. This streamlined shape helps the shark slip quickly through the water. The shark’s skin looks smooth and sleek, but it’s not. It is, in fact, covered with small, sharp, tooth-like scales. These scales make the shark’s skin very tough.

Sharks have a keen sense of smell, which helps them search for food. A shark can pick up smells from a quarter mile away.

9

The shark’s sense of hearing works together with its sense of touch. Its main way of hearing is something called a lateral line. This is a strip of cells that run along the sides of its body and into its head. This line picks up sound and movement. The sounds the shark hears best are at the low end of the sound range, too low for people to hear. It also picks up the slightest water movement. It is alert to any thrashing movements—signs that a fish might be hurt and easy to catch.

10

Sharks see best in dim light, which is why they tend to hunt in early morning or at night. They also have a sixth sense. Every animal gives off a weak electric current when it is in water. Sharks have pores, or small openings, on their heads that tell them where the current is coming from. A fish may lie hidden under the sand on the sea floor, but the shark can still pick up the electric current it gives off.

11

12

The shark’s mouth is perfectly adapted to hunting. Its teeth are quite remarkable. It has several rows of them. Most rows are slanted toward the rear of the mouth. Each row is slightly larger than the last. When the shark bites a victim, its sharp teeth slice through the flesh. The rear teeth hold fast to the victim. It’s easy to get something into a shark’s mouth, but try getting it back out! The shark always has the same number of teeth. If a tooth is lost, another grows in its place. A shark may grow 24,000 teeth in ten years’ time.

13

14

The more we learn about sharks, the more amazing and remarkable they seem!

The Shark

Focus Concepts

Prefix a-

aboutacrossadaptedafloatafraidagoalertalonealongamazingamountsanotheraroundaway

Suffix -able

remarkable

Sight Words*a, although, another, any, are, been, come, do, floor, has, have, into, is, live, of, one, other, people, said, some, something, the, The, they, through, to, today, tough, what, where, you, your

Consonant Sounds all consonants sh (ship)ch (chin)th (this, thin)wh (whisk)ck (clock)tch (catch)dge (judge)

ff (cliff)ll (will)ss (miss)

qu (quilt)soft c (cent)soft g (gym)

Vses = /z/ (rose)

kn (knight)

Welded Soundsang (sang)ing (ring)ong (strong)ung (stung)ank (bank)ink (wink) onk (honk)unk (trunk)

Syllable Patternsopen single syllables (so, he, fly)closed syllable exceptions (child, cold, find, post, roll)twin-consonant syllable divisionnontwin-consonant syllable division consonant-le

Vowel Soundsa (ax)i (hit)o (ox)u (up)e (bed)

al (ball)wa (wasp)

a (lake)i (bike)o (rode)u (tune)e (Pete)

ay (spray)ou (mound, cousin, doughnut, you)ea (eat, bread, steak)oa (goat)ai (paint)ee (sheep)oo (food, cook)igh (light)ie (pie, chief)

er (fern, berry)ur (surf)ir (squirt)ear (earth)wor (world)or (fork)ar (car, warthog)

ow (snow, plow)oe (toe)

Affixes suffix -ed (melted, smelled, winked)suffixes -s, -es, -ing, -er, -est, -en, -ish, -ly, -y, -ful, -ness, -lessprefix a- (alike)

Previously Taught Skills

*Sight words are nonpatterned or very low-patterned words of high frequency.

EDUCATORS PUBLISHING SERVICE 800.225.5750 www.epsbooks.com

®

By Sheila Clark-Edmands

Illustrated by Mick Reid

The Shark

Set 6A

The SharkPrefix a- (alike), Suffix -able (huggable)

The Inventor of the Telephoneph (dolphin)

The Boy Who Thought Friends Could Be Boughtought (thought), aught (caught)

The Statue of Libertyue (clue), ew (chew, few), tu (statue)

The City of Troyoi, oy (coins, cowboy)

The Hawkaw, au (hawk, saucer)

Valley Forgeey (donkey, prey)

The Tomb of King Tutkn (knight), wr (wrist), mb (climb), gh (ghost)

The Voyager Spacecraft: Messages for Outer Space Suffix -age (package)

A Tale of King MidasOpen Syllables

752 words