Arctic LifeA Reading A–Z Shared Reading Book

Word Count: 272

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Written by Christina Wilsdon

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Your reader is reviewing the vowel/consonant/ silent e pattern in words such as close, white, and make. This pattern is known as the VCe pattern. As you read together, identify words with this pattern. Then write the words in columns according to whether the word has a long /a/ sound, a long /i/ sound, or a long /o/ sound. Help your reader think of one or more examples of words with the same VCe patterns and add them to the chart. Your reader will share the chart with the class.

Home Connection: VCe patterns

Arctic LifeShared Reading BookLevel 2© Learning A–ZWritten by Christina Wilsdon

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Photo Credits:Front cover, title page, pages 4, 6: © All Canada Photos/Alamy; title treatment: © Nikkytok/Dreamstime.com; back cover: © Wayne Lynch/All Canada Photos/Corbis; page 3 (main): © Michael Lohmann/Premium/age fotostock; page 3 (inset): © Alfonsodetomas/Dreamstime.com; page 5: © imagebroker.net/Superstock; page 7: © W. Lynch/ArcticPhoto; page 8: © Alaska Stock Images/National Geographic Stock; page 9: © Ron Erwin/All Canada Photos/Corbis; page 10: © George D. Lepp/Photo Researchers, Inc.; page 11 (main): © blickwinkel/Alamy; page 11 (inset): © Jim Brandenburg/Minden Pictures; page 12: © Galen Rowell/Corbis; page 13: © Ton Koene/age fotostock; page 14: © Tui De Roy/Minden Pictures

www.readinga-z.com

Written by Christina Wilsdon

Pacific Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

Asia

Europe

Africa

North America

North Pole

Arctic Ocean

Arctic Circle

Pacific Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

Asia

Europe

Africa

North America

North Pole

Arctic Ocean

Arctic Circle

Arctic Life | Shared Reading

43

Some plants grow low.

They snuggle close to soil that is warmed on days when the sun appears.

How Do Arctic Plants Survive?

At the top of the world is the Arctic, a place of ice and snow, of white hares and polar bears.

It is cold most of the year. Yet plants, animals, and people survive there.

3

Arctic Life | Shared Reading

65

Some plants grow fuzz.

The fuzz protects their stems and leaves from cold, dry winds.

Some plants grow fast.

Their flowers open and make seeds as soon as spring sunshine melts the snow.

5 6

Arctic Life | Shared Reading

87

Some animals grow fuzz.

A bumblebee’s fuzz is like a coat that keeps it warm.

How Do Arctic Animals Survive?

Some animals grow fur.

An Arctic fox’s thick fur gets even thicker in winter.

Its furry feet act like fluffy snowshoes.

7

Arctic Life | Shared Reading

109

Some animals grow feathers.

A ptarmigan’s legs and feet are fluffy with feathers that keep it warm and help it walk on snow.

Some animals grow fat.

A polar bear eats plump seals to get fat.

A fat bear can live for weeks without eating!

Snowy white fur helps the bear hide as it sneaks up on seals.

Arctic Life | Shared Reading

1211

Some animals turn white.

An Arctic hare is gray in summer and white in winter.

Being snowy white helps it hide from owls and foxes.

Some people wear warm boots and coats made of caribou skin.

They hunt whales and other animals for food.

How Do Arctic People Survive?

1 1

Arctic Life | Shared Reading

1413

Many Arctic people also buy food in stores.

They buy warm clothes there, too.

Some people travel by dogsled, but most drive snowmobiles.

Plants, animals, and people have lived in the Arctic for thousands of years.

They are right at home in the land of ice and snow.

13