Simon Visits
Waikiki Beach
Level J/K
by Kathy Staugler
Illustrated by Travis Schaeffer
© 2013 n2y
Unique Learning System®
Leveled Book, Simon Visits Waikiki Beach, Level J/K
1
Simon is visiting Waikiki Beach.
Waikiki Beach is in Hawaii. Hawaii is
an island in the middle of the Pacific
Ocean. Simon gets a beach towel and
sits in the white sand
near the ocean water.
2
Simon watches the waves in the
ocean. Waves are energy that move the
water. As Simon looks at the waves, he
sees a surfer on a board riding on top of
the wave. The wave moves the surfer to
the shore. Simon wonders what makes
these waves high and low, big and small.
3
The wind plays a big part on the size of
the wave. Simon thinks about a flag in the
wind. The wind makes ripples in the flag.
The ripples in the flag look like the waves
in the ocean. When the wind is stronger,
the waves in the ocean get bigger.
4
As Simon sits on the beach, the water
in the ocean is getting closer to him. The
sandcastle that Simon built is being washed
away by the ocean waves. Soon the water
is moving towards his beach towel. Simon
moves back but the water still gets closer.
Simon wonders why the water is moving
closer on the beach.
5
The tide is coming in! Tides are a rise
and fall in the level of water in the ocean.
When the tide is high, the water moves
over the sandy beach area. When the
tide is low, the water moves away from the
beach area. The ocean beach has two
high tides and two low tides every day.
6
Simon is curious. What causes the
tide on the beach? Tides are caused
by gravity between the Sun, the Moon
and Earth. Gravity is the invisible pull
on Earth that keeps our feet on the
ground. Simon did not know that the
Sun and Moon have gravity too.
7
The Moon is closer to Earth than the
Sun. The Moon’s gravity is the main cause
of tides. The Moon’s gravity pulls up a
bulge of water in the ocean. When these
bulges move to shore, they make the high
tide. The high tide is moving the water
closer and closer to Simon’s beach towel.
8
The Earth and
Moon are always
moving. The tide
will change when
the Moon is facing
different parts of the Earth. As the Moon
moves past Waikiki Beach, the tide will
go lower. The Moon circles the Earth one
time every 25 hours. That’s called Moon
time! Moon time is longer than our 24-hour
day. That means the high and low tides will
happen at different times every day.
9
The low tide is now on Waikiki Beach.
Simon moves his beach towel closer to the
water. He starts to build a sandcastle. But
when the tide gets high, the water will again
wash away his castle. Now Simon knows
about high tides and low
tides on Waikiki Beach.
yes
no
Simon Visits Waikiki Beach
visit
like
stronger
Simon
Waikiki Beach
Hawaii
island
watch / see
bigger
closer
beach towel
sand
ocean
water
move
high
low
wave
energy
surfer
wind
pull
flag
sandcastle
tide
gravity
cause
Sun
Moon
Earth
25 hours
© 2013 n2y
Unique Learning System®
Within each category, pictures are listed from left to right in the order in which they appear in the text.
Leveled Book, Simon Visits Waikiki Beach, Level J/K
Index for Photographs
The images found in this lesson fall under a Creative Commons license. Please note the citation
listed for each individual image below. For information on use or redistribution of any of these
images, please visit: http://creativecommons.org/about/licenses/
Title, Page 1 - http://farm1.staticflickr.com/14/14330266_31d968488c_o.jpg
Page 2 - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Surfer_at_Banzai_Pipeline,_North_
Shore_%28Oahu%29.jpg
Page 3 - http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4087/5015454773_9f118cf88c_o.jpg
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5031/5799610255_d129dfc64b_o.jpg
Page 4, Page 6, Page 9 - http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7002/6626468541_237320636f_o.jpg
Page 5, Page 6 - http://images.cdn.fotopedia.com/flickr-14486450-hd.jpg
© 2013 n2y
Unique Learning System®
Leveled Book, Simon Visits Waikiki Beach, Level J/K