Spring Branch
Literacy Team
June 16, 2014
Volume 1, Issue 2
Branching Out
Say Hello to the Giant
By W.M. Akers {Generously provided by ReadWords.org.}
“Holy cow!” said Brian.
“That’s not a cow,” said Kara. “It’s a water buffalo.”
“So what? It’s still pretty cool.”
Kara was not impressed. She and her family had been at the zoo for three hours. They hadn’t seen
anything good. First there were mountain lions. They were boring. They just looked like big versions
of the cats they had at home. Next was the insect house: a bunch of dark rooms full of creepy, crawly,
disgusting bugs. Worst of all was the archaeology exhibit. It was nothing but rocks!
The zoo could have been fun if it weren’t so hot out. Kara was surprised the water buffalo
weren’t being boiled alive. Sweat streamed down her face as they finally started walking towards
the next exhibit. It tasted salty and gross. Her feet got heavier with every step. If she didn’t start
having fun soon, she was probably going to die.
It didn’t help that Brian was so cheerful. He had been begging to go to the zoo for months. When
Mom told him they were going, he got so happy that he started sneezing. It took him ten minutes to
stop. Every animal they saw, Brian got more excited. It’s like he didn’t know how boring animals
could be. He kept saying things like, “Wow! Mountain lions!” or “What a cool bug!” or “Hey
Kara—come look at these rocks!” He was two years older than her, but at the zoo he turned into a
little baby.
“I’m thirsty,” said Kara.
“We’ll get lunch soon,” said Mom.
“Do I have to wait for lunch? My mouth feels like the desert.”
Brian’s eyes lit up. “That reminds me!” he said. “There’s a whole exhibit about desert
animals. We’ll get to see sand worms!”
“Mom,” said Kara. “That will be boring.” She stretched out the “O” in boring, so that it took
almost a minute to say. Booooooooooooooooooring. When she was finished, her mom smiled.
“Let’s try to have fun,” she said. “I think there’s a water fountain over there.”
Kara stomped her way to the water fountain. “Stupid zoo,” she said. “Stupid big brother. Stupid desert exhibit. Stupid sand worms!”
She drank water until her stomach hurt. This made her feel better. “Maybe if I get a bad enough
stomachache,” she thought to herself, “they’ll have to take me to the hospital. And maybe the doctors will tell Mom that I can’t go to the zoo ever again.” She tried drinking enough water to make
herself sick. It didn’t work. She just got her hair all wet. She was about to start drinking again when
Mom shouted.
“Kara! Come on!”
“Yeah, Kara!” shouted Brian. “They’re feeding the sand worms in ten minutes. I don’t wanna
miss it!”
Kara ran after them. It was hard with her stomach full of water. She had just caught up when a
sign caught her eye. It said:
MEET THE GIANT GORILLA! TODAY ONLY. ONE O’CLOCK, AT THE MONKEY HOUSE.
“Mom?” she said. “Mom! Mom!” This time, Kara dragged the O in Mom out so that it took almost two minutes to say. Moooooooooooooooooooooooooooom.
“Yes?” said Mom.
“I want to meet the giant gorilla.”
“Oh really? I thought you hated the zoo.”
“I do! But I like people. Gorillas are practically people.”
“There’s no time for that!” said Brian. “We’ve gotta see the sand worms.”
“Please Mom?” said Kara. “It’s the only thing at this stupid zoo that will be any fun.”
Continued on page 2
Reading
Is the
Best Way
to Spend
Your
Summer!
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Staying in Shape.......................... 2
Summer Is ................................... 2
Free but Fun Things to Do in Houston ............................................... 3
Laugh about It! ............................ 3
Ask Us ........................................ 4
A Pink Sheep............................... 5
Maker Challenge………………..6
SPECIAL POINTS OF
INTEREST
 Summer is a time to keep your
body and your mind active.
 Don’t sit in front of the television all day long.
 Share with us interesting things
you have read.
 [email protected]
Staying in Shape
Justin E. from Memorial Middle School
Don’t find yourself huffing and puffing at your first sports
practice after summer. Laying around and watching TV or playing video games all summer does not keep you in shape. There
are many ways to stay fit. Some of them are very quick and even
easy.
Cheap, Easy, Fun and Beneficial Exercises:
Push-ups strengthen your arms and chest muscles.

Lie down on your stomach with your hands placed a bit
wider than your shoulders.

Keep your body straighter and lower your body to the
ground by bending your arms.

Straighten your arms and raise your body. Whew! One
done.
Sit-ups strengthen your stomach muscles.

Lay on the your back with your hands behind your head.
Keep the natural curve of your back.


Relax your neck muscles.


Stand tall with your feet together and your arms at your side.
Lay flat on your back and just sit up slightly about 30 degrees. Do not sit all the way up.
Jumping Jacks increase your heart rate which is very
healthy.
Slightly bend your knees and jump separating your legs and
raising your hands over your head at the same time.

Jump again to bring your legs together and bring your arms
back down.
Remember to stretch your muscles before you begin to exercise. Drink water to quench your thirst. Keep track of what you
have done. Try to add a couple more repetitions each week.
Along with exercising your brain by reading, you will benefit
by exercising your body as well.
If you want to read an excellent book about a gorilla, you should read The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. The narrator of the novel is Ivan, the
gorilla. He has lived in captivity most of his life. As the book begins, he lives in a cage in the middle of a shopping mall. He has several friends in the mall and
Summer Is...
Summer is
snow cones and popsicles
water sprinklers and shorts.
Summer is
the warmth of the sun
cuddling my body
and the chill of an evening
rain clearing my head.
Summer is
tans, and skinned knees
bicycles and swimming pools.
Summer is
no school, but learning
anyway.
Summer is fun.
Say Hello to the Giant Gorilla continued from page 1
“I don’t know…” said Mom.
“It’s today only.”
“Okay.”
Inside the monkey house, a long line of people waited to meet the giant gorilla. Normally Kara hated waiting, but this
would be worth it. It’s one thing to look at animals all day, to see them sleeping and eating and doing all that boring stuff.
But to meet a gorilla is something nobody ever gets to do. Kara hummed while she waited.
“Please stop humming,” said Brian.
“I can’t,” said Kara. “Gorillas love music. He’ll expect me to be humming.”
“That’s not true,” said Brian. “You don’t know anything about gorillas.”
Brian was grumpy because they were missing the sand worms. Kara didn’t care. Everyone knows gorillas are better
than sand worms. But he was right—she didn’t know anything about gorillas. What if it was scary? What if it was mean?
What if it bit her hand? Kara wouldn’t tell Brian, but as the line inched forward, she got more and more frightened. By the
time it was her turn, she was sweating almost as much as she had outside.
“Go ahead, Kara,” said Mom. “It’s time to meet the giant gorilla.”
Kara was about to ask to leave, to say she was to scared, to quit. But one look at her brother convinced her not to
chicken out. “All right,: she said. “I love gorillas.: She turned the corner, her toes trembling and her palms sweating, and
there was the ape. “Holy cow,” she muttered.
She had expected the gorilla to be scary. To be tough. To be mean. But instead, it was beautiful, with a long flat face,
round sloping shoulders, and nostrils big enough to hold a cigar. It looked at her with big, brown eyes and yawned.
“He’s pretty sleepy today,:” said the zookeeper. “He drank too much water.”
“I know how he feels,: said Kara. “It’s a boy? An old man. Over thirty years old.”
“What’s his name?”
“Christopher. Do you want to shake his hand?”
“It isn’t dangerous?”
“He’s been doing this a long time. Never hurt anybody yet. Come on. Christopher, say hello.”
The gorilla stuck out its hand. Kara took it in her sweaty palm. It was soft, cool, and gentle. It looked like Christopher
was smiling. She laughed.
“I think we’re going to be friends!” Kara said.
Read more interesting facts about gorillas at
“I think you already are,” said the keeper.
letstryreading.wordpress.com
2
© 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved
Free but Fun Things to Do
In and Around Houston
Houston is the 4th largest city in the United States. It has over 2 million citizens, but that doesn’t
count all of us who live just outside of Houston. I know that the adults hate the traffic problems that
occur because the city is so large, but there are many benefits to living in Houston. The greatest
benefit is that there are wonderful things to do here. Many of those fun things don’t cost any
money.
Free Things to Do in the Houston Area:
Discovery Green is located downtown near Minute Maid Park. Check out their web site
(discoverygreen.com) because events change regularly. Through June they will have a children’s
writers’ workshop every Saturday. All children are welcome.
JPMorgan Chase Tower Observation Deck is located at 600 Travis in Houston. It is the highest public observation deck in Houston. The building is 75 stories high, but the observation deck is
on the 60th floor. The elevator is so fast that it only takes a minute to reach the 60th floor. Go on a
clear day and enjoy the view.
Hermann Park is a wonderful place to spend a day. This is the park’s 100th birthday. They
have done a lot to update the park. The lake is lovely. You won’t be able to resist the play area.
There are 2 water areas to run through. They have also added some interesting art throughout the
park. Bring a lunch and enjoy the day out of doors.
Waugh Street Bridge Bat Colony is just north of Allen Parkway and south of Buffalo Bayou.
A colony of about 250,000 Mexican free-tailed bats live in the gaps under the bridge. They come
out at dusk looking for delicious insects to eat. Be patient because sometimes they are a bit late.
Art Car Museum is not your typical museum. It is at 140 Heights Boulevard. You will have to
see this one. It is wonderful. You won’t believe the art that can be created using an automobile.
Houston Arboretum & Nature Center is right beside Memorial Park. While it is very close to
downtown, you won’t know it during your visit. There are miles of trails to hike, interactive exhibits that allow you to touch the things that interest you. It also has a garden built to attract butterflies
and hummingbirds. If you like nature, try this one.
Port of Houston has a free 90 minute boat tour of the port. You can tour the channel coming up
close to the enormous freighters that come into our ports. A guide will share information throughout
the tour. The tour is free, but you must make a reservation. http://www.portofhouston.com/
community-outreach/sam-houston-boat-tour/
Free Thursday happens at many of our art museums. Check with the museum that interests you
for their free days.
Public Library is always free. Many of them have special activities for the summer. It is a
great place to cool off, sit in a quiet spot and read.
Laugh about It!
What did the flower say to
the bike?
“Petal!”

What did one wall say to the
other wall?
“Meet you at the corner.”

Peter: Mother, how is a snail
stronger than an elephant?
Mother: I don’t know.
Peter: A snail can carry its
own home, but an elephant can
only carry its own trunk.

Dentist: Stop making a face. I
haven’t even touched your
teeth.
Tommy: I know, but you are
stepping on my foot!

If you have a fun joke to share
with our readers, please send it
to me:
[email protected].
You can find my mailing
address on the last page.
Wet area at Hermann
Go to squiglysplayhouse.com
for more jokes and plenty of
games.
Houston from the
JP Morgan Observation Deck
3
Ask Us
Q: My brothers and I want a pet to take care of and to have fun with over the summer. Do
you have a good suggestion?
Interesting Zoo Facts

The first modern zoo was established in 1752 in Vienna, Austria.

Most zoos use a natural enclosure and barrier instead of the
bars and cement floors that they
used to have.

Zoos used to capture their specimens in the wild. Today most of
the animals come from captive
breeding programs.

Some zoos work to keep animals
from becoming extinct. The Los
Angeles and San Diego zoos
took the California condor from
24 left to 170 birds now existence. They are trying to release
them to live in the wild again.

Some zoos take in animals that
have been abandoned by their
owners.

The Houston Zoo houses their
elephants in a three-acre natural
area.

Elephants can hear each other for
up to 5 miles.

An elephant pregnancy lasts 22
months. That is the longest of
any mammal.
A: It may sound odd, but have you ever considered tadpoles? They are easy to care for and
won't get in the way of or stress out your parents. Tadpoles are also a fun way to study the
life cycle of a frog! It's even fun to capture them! Just find a nearby creek or lake and
chances are that there are some tadpoles there. Be certain that an adult is with you so that
everyone is safe. Bring a small net and a jar. Add some of the pond water to the jar, scoop
up the tadpoles and drop them in the jar. You want the stuff in the pond water because
tadpoles will eat it. You will need to release them back to the same water once they have
become frogs. I have done this several times, and it’s great fun.
Q: What are some nutritious snacks I can make for myself?
A: There are many healthy, easy to make, and nutritious options for a healthy snack! One
of my personal favorite snacks is apple and peanut butter. Have an adult cut the apple into
thin wedges. Slather peanut butter all over each wedge. It is also fun to add “goodies” to
the peanut butter: raisins, sprinkles, bananas—anything is great on this snack. If you don’t
like apples, celery is also very good with peanut butter. I can’t wait to make this snack this
afternoon.
Q: I'm not really sure what I should bring to the beach with me? Please help?
A: You are right; it is important to bring the right things to the beach with you. First, you
must have sunscreen! The sunscreen should be applied regularly—read the directions on
the bottle. Second, bring lots of water! With the hot summer sun beating down on you, it is
very easy to get dehydrated which can result in headaches and passing out. To protect
yourself and enjoy the day—drink plenty of water. Third, bring sunglasses. I'm sure you've
been told never to stare too long at the sun. It is very hard not to do that. The sun is all
around us! It is very bad for your eyes. That extra little bit of protection makes all the difference. Finally, don’t forget the things that will help you enjoy the day: a towel, food, and
beach toys. We are very lucky to have the beach so close to us. Enjoy it!
Q: I'm in fifth grade this year and will be moving up to middle school after summer. What
should I expect?
A: Well, given that I can't be certain which middle school you will be attending, here is
some general advice you might find handy next year.
First, you will need a bigger backpack. Middle school requires more books and notebooks. You will have more stuff to carry—from class to class and from home to
school and back again.
Second, brace yourself for the different schedule. Your teachers probably won’t all be
in the same hall. You will have to travel all over the school. You only have 4-5
minutes to go from one classroom to the next classroom. At first this will feel
scary. You will get a schedule on the first day; put it in a safe place. After a
couple of days of checking the schedule and moving around the school, you
won’t understand why you were scared.
Third, stay organized. If your school doesn’t give you a planner, get one or make one.
You can write down your assignments and due dates in the planner. Keep your
backpack organized as well. Put your homework where it can be found. Keep
your project pieces together. It is terrible to do the work of the project and then
lose pieces because you were not organized.
4
Middle school is so much fun. Enjoy it. If any problems occur, simply ask someone for
help: teacher, librarian, principal. They are all happy to help you enjoy your years at the
school.
A Pink Sheep
Jared and his family are going to the petting zoo. Jared is nervous. What if one of the animals bites him?
“The animals won’t bite as long as you are nice to them,” Mom says.
“I’m always nice to animals,” says Jared.
When they get to the zoo, he sees all kinds of animals. There are chickens and lambs. There is a goat and a cow.
Jared puts a nickel in a dispenser. A big handful of animal pellets come out. They smell like dirty socks. He holds the pellets up to a
goat, and the goat grabs them with his tongue. The tongue is soft, and it tickles Jared’s hand.
“Ah!” Jared yells and jumps back from the goat.
“Bleeeeeet” says the goat. He wants more food. Jared doesn’t have any more food to give him. He keeps walking backward until he
feels something fluffy against the back of his legs. A whole flock of sheep are standing together.
“Baaaaaaah!” they say. They are looking for food from Jared, too. One of the sheep is a little different from the others. It’s a black
sheep with a pink face.
Jared walks up to the funny animal. “Why do you have a pink face?” he asks the sheep.
“Why do you have a brown face?” the sheep asks.
“Because that’s the color of my skin!” Jared says. Suddenly, he realizes the sheep is talking. “Hey! You can talk!”
“Only you can hear me,” says the sheep. “And only you can see my true color.” At this, the sheep magically turns bright pink.
“Let me introduce myself, I am Gael, the sacred pink sheep. I live in shame.”
“Why are you ashamed? You are beautiful!”
“I cannot show my true self to the other sheep,” he says.
“Why not?”
“They won’t accept me with my pink face,” says Gael.
Jared couldn’t believe this. The other sheep seemed nice—just hungry. He takes a nickel from his pocket; He gets more smelly
treats and walks over to the other sheep.
“Little boy, have you brought us food?” asks the biggest sheep.
“I have,” says Jared. “But first, I have a question.”
“You can address it to me,” says the biggest sheep. “I am the leader, Conrad.”
“Conrad, are any of you secretly...pink?”
All the sheep begin to laugh.
“Clearly we are not pink, silly boy” says Conrad. “You can see our colors.”
“What if one of your sheep was secretly pink?”
“Secretly pink? We would never accept him! He would be a black sheep,” Conrad laughed at his own joke.
Gael, the pink sheep, is standing alone on the other side of the petting zoo. He hears every word Conrad says. He begins to cry pink
tears. As the tears fall to the ground, little, pink flowers begin to grow.
“Look!” says Jared, pointing. “There is your pink sheep. Making flowers grow!”
“Ohhh!” all the other sheep gasp. “They are beautiful.”
Jared walks to Gael. He picks one of the flowers. Conrad the sheep eats the flower from Jared’s hand.
“This is delicious!” he exclaims.
All around Gael, beautiful pink flowers have begun to grow. Gael himself is glowing pink. “Behold!” says Gael. “My true form!”
Conrad stares at Gael for a very long time. “I accept you,” Conrad
finally says. “I wasn’t right to think there’s something wrong with a pink
sheep. You have made the most beautiful flowers with your magic.
“Thank you, Jared,” says Gael. “I have a family again.”
“Jared!!” Jared’s mother is calling for him. “It’s time to go home!”
“I have to go!” Jared says, running back to his mother.
“So, did you enjoy feeding the animals at the petting zoo today?”
Mom asks.
“More than you’ll ever know!” said Jared.
In his hand is a beautiful pink flower. Jared knows he will always
remember this day. He will never forget that being different can also be
beautiful.
© 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved
5
6
ACROSS
DOWN
1. what one can do to chill out in a Houston
summer
4. you can do this for short distances or for long
ones
5. where you would float away the day
9. the home of pounding waves
12. split this cold treat with a friend
13. early stage of a frog's life
15. plastic blocks with bumps
17. three strikes and you are out
18. when you can sleep under the stars
2. the juice of this summer fruit can be seen running down many chins
3. Texas state flower
6. use this to speed past all of the pedestrians
7. a sweet summer flower
8. don't balance on this--skip over it
10. a walking adventure; take a compass and
water
11. a place to hang out with the beasts of the
world
14. this is where one might fire-cook dinner
16. vehicle for river travel
Find the answers in next week’s edition.
Happy Trails
By ReadWorks
The morning she left for Camp Kanawa, Maria awoke with a lump in her throat and an ache in her stomach. She had gone on plenty of sleepovers. She’d even spent a whole weekend at Aunt Jolie and Uncle Ed’s. So why was she so nervous?
No breakfast today, she thought, imagining the ache turning into nausea and a horrible road trip after a full meal. Then the smell of French toast
wafted upstairs. As usual, Maria’s stomach grumbled as soon as the French toast-scented air hit her nostrils. On the other hand, maybe a good
breakfast is exactly what I need.
She gave her arms and legs a good stretch and ambled downstairs.
“There’s my big camper!” her mom said, squeezing Maria’s shoulders with one arm the way she did when she wanted to give a hug, but was in
too much of a rush for a full embrace. She walked briskly to the stove, placed two pieces of French toast on a plate and tapped a canister above
them, powdered sugar snowing down.
“Just like you like it: super fluffy, slightly crispy…”
“...and lightly dusted,” said Maria, already in position, armed with knife, fork, napkin and full glass of milk.
Maria poured a puddle of maple syrup beside the toast and topped each piece with a little mountain of whipped cream.
“Get started while it’s hot. Your father’s coming down in a minute. I told him to shave. Don’t want the grizzly bear—I mean, grizzly beard—to
send your new bunkmates running for the woods.”
“Okay, okay,” Maria’s dad said with a sneaky smile. “Clean as a whistle. Just like you ordered.”
“Just like I ordered?”
“The mustache stays. Admit it, you love it.”
Maria’s mom shrugged.
“I think it’s hip,” Maria said, dipping a bite in some syrup.
“Well, your old man is hip,” her dad said, moving his head the way he did when he wanted to look
like a cool surfer dude but looked more like an Egyptian robot. “In fact, I was the most popular kid at
my camp.”
“For the record, it was a science camp,” Maria’s mother reminded her, “and his rise to fame was
thanks to what was known as The Great Explosion.”
“Accident or genius? The world may never know,” Maria and her dad said in unison, using their
deepest, most mysterious voices. They slowly broke out of character and into laughter.
“In all seriousness, Maria, popularity is not important,” her mother said, looking her straight in the eyes. “Finding the people who like your for
you—that’s what matters.”
“Your mom speaks the truth, Sugar,” said Maria’s dad, wiping his thick mustache with a napkin. “Just be yourself. You’ll have a blast.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Just be yourself. Just be yourself. Maria repeated the words like a mantra she sat with her new cabin mates in a circle on the grass.
“Cool bracelet,” said the skinny, freckled redhead sitting next to her.
“Thanks. I made it in an embroidery class I took this winter.”
“Whoa! That’s impressive. Can you teach me how?”
“If you teach me how to do a braid just like the one in your hair. I’ve mastered the art of French toast eating, but definitely not French braiding.”
A loud whistle hushed the girls’ laughter and buzzing all around them. They looked up to see a beautiful older girl blowing into an acorn top
between her thumbs. Her skin was tan and eyes were dark brown, like Maria’s, but her dirty blonde hair made Maria feel bored of her plain, black
hair.
“Hello! I’m Audrey, one of your two cabin counselors.”
“And I’m Gina, your other cabin counselor,” said the pale girl with curly, brown hair and eyes that were icy blue in color, yet warm.
“And you ladies are the Dragonflies!” Audrey lifted her arms in the air as she announced it. “Each cabin here at Camp Kanawa is named after a
different insect.”
“The Cockroach boys—age twelve and thirteen like you—think they’ve got the best mascot. I beg to differ. Dragonfly girls are as tough as
dragons and graceful as ...well, dragonflies.”
“That sounded better when we rehearsed it,” Gina said lightheartedly.
The ache in Maria’s stomach had officially turned into butterflies—the excited kind.
© 2013 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved
It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.
Walt Disney
7
Branching Out
Feedback
We want to hear from you. What did
you think of this edition of Branching
Out? Do you have a piece that you
want to share with our reading audience? Maybe you have taken on the
Maker’s Challenge and have something to share. Please share your
thinking and writing with us at the
following address or through email.
Diane Fanning
West Transition Center
2100 Shadowdale
Houston, Texas 77043
[email protected]
You can also find more to read and
do at the following site:
letstryreading.wordpress.com
Branching Out
Diane Fanning
West Transition Center
2100 Shadowdale
Houston, Texas 77055
diane.fanning @springbranchisd.com
Spring Branch
Literacy Team
The Maker Challenge
Let’s build a Found Poem.
Look around you for words and
phrases. Cut them out and collect them from places like old
newspaper, magazines, junk mail,
cereal boxes—any place where
words and phrases exist. Put
them together in a poem and
share them with me. To the left
is an example of a found poem. I
hope to read yours.
You will find an address to send
your examples in the green area
beside this section.