All About Grass by Will McGovern H O UG H T O N M IF F L IN H ARCO URT All About Grass by Will McGovern PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover: ©PictureNet/Corbis, Title Page: ©Image Plan/Corbis; 2-3 (b) ©PictureNet/Corbis; ©Image Plan/Corbis All other photos © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishers Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company All rights reserved No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law Requests for 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 China ISBN-10: 0-547-25292-7 ISBN-13: 978-0-547-25292-6 0940 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishers retains 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, into electronic format Why Is Grass Important? Grass is everywhere It is under the swings at the park It is on the soccer ield It is next to the sidewalk in the city Grass is one of the most important plants on earth Many animals eat grass People eat grains, like rice, which are a kind of grass Some kinds of grass, like bamboo, are used for building homes Other kinds of grass keep soil safe from wind and rain How Does Grass Grow? Grass is easy to grow It grows from seeds The seeds need good soil to grow in They need water every day They need sunlight, too The roots of the grass grow down into the soil The roots soak up the water They gather the food they need to grow They keep the grass held to the ground Where Can Grass Grow? Grass can grow in most places It can grow on a small patch of land or in a large ield It can grow in a desert It can grow next to a beach It can grow on the top of a mountain Grass can grow next to a beach Grass Is a Source of Food Many animals eat grass Horses, sheep, and cows eat grass Many farmers plant grass to feed their animals Hay is tall, dry grass Farmers cut hay in the fall After the harvest, they separate the hay into stacks They feed it to their animals in the winter Breakfast cereal is made from grain Grain is another kind of grass So if you think about it, people eat grass, too! Grass Helps Keep Soil Safe Wind can blow soil away Water can wash soil away Some kinds of grass can help to keep the soil in place The roots of the grass hold the soil from below Have you ever seen grass on sand dunes at the beach? That grass helps to keep the sand from washing into the sea Grass keeps the sand on these dunes in place Flowers can add color next to a green lawn Grass Makes Nice Lawns Many people grow grass in their yards Some are very serious about having a perfect green lawn They borrow books about grass from the library They listen to advice from their friends They try to get rid of weeds in the grass Parks Are Full of Grass You can visit a park in many parts of the world You will see large ields of green grass People go to parks to relax and have fun In some parks, signs give people a warning Keep off the grass! You should be ashamed to step on the grass! But it’s hard for people and dogs to stay off of the grass at a park! Many sports are played on grass Sports Are Played on Grass Many sports are played on grass Baseball is one Golf is another Football and soccer are both played on grass Tennis is sometimes played on grass, too In some games, white lines are painted on the grass playing ield The players must stay inside these white borders What you like to best on a ield of grass? 10 Responding Word Builder Can you give advice about how to grow grass? Maybe not! What can you give advice about? Copy this word web and add to it TARGET VOCABULARY riding a bike advice Write About It Text to Self Write a short paragraph Tell what you like to on grass You may like playing a sports game or having a picnic Give reasons to support what you say 11 TARGET VOCABULARY advice ashamed borders borrow harvest patch separate serious Infer/Predict Use clues to figure out more about the selection TARGET STRATEGY Which word has another word in it that is the name of a food? 12 Level: K DRA: 20 Science Strategy: Infer/Predict Word Count: 522 3.2.8 Build Vocabulary HOUGHTON MIFFLIN Online Leveled Books 1387974 ... mountain Grass can grow next to a beach Grass Is a Source of Food Many animals eat grass Horses, sheep, and cows eat grass Many farmers plant grass to feed their animals Hay is tall, dry grass Farmers... played on grass Baseball is one Golf is another Football and soccer are both played on grass Tennis is sometimes played on grass, too In some games, white lines are painted on the grass playing... off the grass! You should be ashamed to step on the grass! But it’s hard for people and dogs to stay off of the grass at a park! Many sports are played on grass Sports Are Played on Grass Many