Vocabulary and Facts From Crab Moon. Sample file

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1 6. Barnacles and slipper shells covered the crab s back, like jewels on a crown. What are barnacles? Find out about them. Then, sketch a picture of them using whatever medium you prefer, labeling your sketch with the common name and the biological name along with other information about them. OR write a mini-report on barnacles. A report form is available at the end of the study guide. 7. Have you ever heard of slipper shells? Look for a picture of slipper shells in a field guide book or other reference book. You can also do an image search on the internet for slipper shells. Parents: Remember to preview any images before showing to your children. 8. On the page where Daniel is in the water saying goodbye to the horseshoe crab, seagulls are flying in the air. Learn about seagulls. Then, sketch a picture of a seagull using whatever medium you prefer. Label it with the common name and the biological name along with some information about where they live, their size and what they eat. OR write a mini-report on seagulls. A report form is available at the end of the study guide and their closest living relatives are scorpions, spiders, and other joint-legged animals called arthropods. Learn about arthropods. Then fill in the Arthropods form found at the end of the study guide. 10. Horseshoe crabs may be found from Maine to Mexico. The largest horseshoe crab crowds gather at Delaware Bay. On an outline map of the world, first label where you live. Then, label Maine and Mexico, and shade the shoreline from one to the other, using a pencil or crayon. Also, locate Delaware Bay, and label it. OR find a map of the world. Locate where you live. Then locate Maine and Mexico on it, and trace the shoreline from one to the other with your finger. Remember to also locate Delaware Bay. 11. Each year, thousands of these birds fly 6,000 miles from the tip of South America to their nesting grounds in the Arctic tundra. On your world map, locate and label the tip of South America. Then, locate and label Baffin Island, in eastern Canada, and Greenland. Baffin Island and Greenland are some of the areas of the Arctic tundra. OR Simply locate these places on a map of the world. 12. Two of these migratory birds are the Ruddy Turnstone and the Red Knot. Learn about one of these birds. Then, sketch a picture of the bird using whatever medium you prefer. Remember to label the bird with its common name and its biological name. Add some information about where they live, their size and what they eat. OR write a mini-report about the bird. A report form for each is available at the end of the study guide. 4

2 After Reading Comprehension Questions 1. Had Daniel s mother ever seen horseshoe crabs on the beach before? Yes, when she was Daniel s age. 2. What did Daniel hear when he was on the beach watching the crabs? The surf and the sound of the crabs bumping and scraping each together. 3. When Daniel returned to the beach in the morning, what did he see? Curly black seaweed and a marooned horseshoe crab. 4. How did Daniel rescue the crab? He carefully took hold of her tail and turned her over. 5. The author describes the newly rescued crab to be like a queen. What two characteristics about the crab does the author use in this description? 1. The barnacles and slipper shells are like jewels on a queen s crown. 2. The crab moved quietly as a queen, while pulling her shell through the sand, much like a queen would be pulling her robe behind her as she walked. 6. How does a horseshoe crab steer itself in water and on land? It uses its long, pointed tail. 7. Why don t all the horseshoe crab eggs that are laid each year hatch? Because migrating birds feast on some of them. 8. How do people depend on horseshoe crabs? The blood of horseshoe crabs is used to test medicines and to diagnose certain diseases. Enrichment Activities 1. Take a trip to Cape May Point in New Jersey in June to watch the horseshoe crabs lay eggs, like Daniel did in this story. Or visit at the end of summer to see migratory butterflies, dragonflies and birds. Sketch the animals you see. Take photographs, too. A video camera can be used to record the movements and sounds of the animals. 2. Collect shells at the beach, looking especially for slipper shells. 3. Take a walk on the beach during a full moon. 4. Purchase fresh corn. Shuck it, cook it, and enjoy it. 5. Make cornbread or another food item prepared from corn meal. 6. Visit a zoo, an aquarium or a nature center that has horseshoe crabs. 7. Make a collage that tells about the world Daniel discovered. You can draw, paint, use magazine or newspaper clippings and more. 8. Look at a full moon where you live. Use a telescope to see the surface more clearly, if you have one. Some binoculars are powerful enough to provide a clearer view, too. Check a calendar for when the next full moon will be. 9. Tell someone, like a relative or friend, what you ve learned about horseshoe crabs. 10. Create a webpage about horseshoe crabs. 5

3 6 Other Books You Might Enjoy Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard Crab Moon by Ruth Horowitz* (Easy Reader) Gentle Ben by Walt Morey* Hatchet by Gary Paulsen The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O Dell Little Britches by Ralph Moody* My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George The Raft by Jim LaMarche* (Easy Reader) Rascal by Sterling North* Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls *Current or upcoming titles from the Nature Study and More series from Orrin Street Press.

4 Vocabulary and Facts From Crab Moon 7

5 8 Corn

6 9 Horseshoe Crab