HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
by Jeremy Briggs Illustrated by Pat & Robin DeWitt Copyright by Houghton Mifflin 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 or retrieval system without the prior written permission of Houghton Mifflin Company unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Address inquiries to School Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Company, 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116. Printed in China ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02816-3 ISBN-10: 0-547-02816-4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 NOR 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08
The Assignment Monday morning started out like any other school day. Then, Ms. Castle assigned topics for the school science fair. When you receive your assignment you ll see the topic you re to cover, as well as your partner s name, Ms. Castle said. And before any of you ask: No, you cannot change topics or partners. Anna waited to see what topic she would get. Please don t let it be bugs, she said under her breath. Ms. Castle stopped in front of Anna s desk. She placed the piece of paper in front of Anna. Science topic: Beetle Partner: Tali Perkins A small groan escaped Anna s mouth. Ms. Castle cleared her throat as if she were giving Anna a warning. Anna kept quiet. Beetles and Tali Perkins, Anna thought, talk about a double whammy. Tali Perkins was the smartest girl in class maybe in the whole grade. Anna couldn t believe her bad luck. She looked behind her. Ms. Castle passes out the assignments. 2
Tali was frowning. Clearly she wasn t any happier about the project or her partner than Anna was. She s probably worried that I ll mess up her perfect straight A average, thought Anna. 3
For the rest of the day, Anna couldn t help thinking about the beetle project and her new partner. Two things Anna feared beetles and Tali and she d have to work with both. Her confidence had shriveled to the size of a pea. Ordinarily, it wasn t the type of assignment that bothered Anna. She had to do two things: 1. Create a display. 2. Talk about the subject at the fair. Anna was pretty good at art and didn t need to make the display too complex. It was working with Tali that worried her. Tali was a know-it-all. She could really rub it in when she knew an answer and someone else didn t. Even worse than working with Tali was the subject creepy, crunchy, crawly beetles. Anna didn t even like the thought of beetles. 4
It all started two years ago, when Anna went camping with her parents. While walking in the woods, Anna pulled some bark off an old log. Beetles swarmed everywhere, down the log, onto the ground, and across Anna s feet! That night, Anna didn t get much sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she thought she could feel something crawling on her arm or in her hair. This project was literally going to give her nightmares! The Bug Encyclopedia In the morning, Tali ran up to Anna before class started. Did you know that an elephant stag beetle is the largest beetle in our state? Tali asked. She thrust a picture of an elephant stag beetle in front of Anna. Its jaws looked big enough to crush a small car. Um, no, I didn t know that, Anna said. The idea of giant beetles made her woozy. Yup. And that s not all. There are about 900 different kinds of stag beetles. A stag beetle s jaws can be as long as the rest of its body. And a common name for the stag beetle is the pinching bug. That s because the males can deliver a painful pinch! She pinched the air with her fingers. 5
Wow, thought Anna. Tali is a walking, talking bug encyclopedia! I told Ms. Castle we d catch a stag beetle and put it on display, Tali continued. She approved our proposal so we re good to go. WHAT? You mean you got permission about our project without even asking me? Aren t we supposed to be partners? Anna felt her face get hot. Weren t we supposed to make decisions together, to learn teamwork? Tali shows Anna a picture of a beetle. 6
Anna wondered if it was too late to get Tali to make a compromise. Couldn t they send away for a beetle that was already dead? Anna thought it would be much more interesting and safe to study a dead beetle than to look at one that might accidentally crawl up your arm. I didn t think you d mind, Tali said. I know you re not very good at science. Anna s mouth dropped open at this insult. Before she could say anything, Tali turned and walked away. 7
Insectophobia Anna couldn t believe what Tali had done. Maybe Tali did know more about science, but Anna s ideas should count. Anna took a while to cool down, then she wrote an email to Tali. Tali, I m a little upset that you chose our project without my input. I think it was unfair of you to do that. It also hurt my feelings when you said I didn t know much about science. I know a lot about science. I just don t like beetles. I ve had beetles crawl over my feet, and it was NOT FUN! Couldn t we use beetle specimens that are already dead for our project? Your partner, Anna The next morning, Tali jumped out from behind her school locker. Surprise! she shouted. Tali held up a collage of beetle photographs. What are you doing? Anna asked. 8
I think you have insectophobia. That means fear of bugs. One way to cure it is by slowly getting used to beetles. So I brought these pictures to help you prepare for tonight. Tonight? That s when we go beetle collecting, Tali said excitedly. Did you know that there are more than 300,000 different kinds of beetles, and they live almost everywhere on Earth? For our presentation, we should give people an idea of just how many beetles there really are. Tali tries to help Anna get over her fear of beetles. 9
A Beautiful Beetle? Tiptoeing through the park with a flashlight that night, Anna tried to concentrate on Tali s words. Tali s advice had worked, at least so far. All day, Anna had looked at the beetle collage. She d been reluctant at first, but she had to admit that some of the beetles looked pretty interesting. But looking at pictures of beetles and meeting one in the woods were two different things. Anna and Tali look for beetles in the park. 10
At last, they reached a huge fallen oak tree near the middle of the woods. Focus your flashlight on the tree trunk, and I ll pull off some bark, Tali said. Anna closed her eyes. Just don t scream, she whispered to herself. When Anna opened her eyes, she didn t scream at all. Instead, she saw the most amazing bug she had ever seen. Wow, that s too cool to be afraid of, Anna said. 11
Tali s Surprise The next morning, Anna made a home for their beetle with some bark and leaves. As she worked, she realized that her ideas about Tali had changed. Maybe Tali was a bit of a know-it-all, but she had helped Anna overcome her fear. When Anna had finished the beetle display, she invited Tali to come over to see it. This is amazing! Tali said. Now we just have to prepare the talk to give to the class, Anna said. Um, I thought you could be in charge of that part. Tali s face turned pale. No way! We re a team, said Anna. That night, Anna got an email from Tali. 12
Hi Anna, You re afraid of beetles, but I am afraid to speak in front of a group. That s a million times worse. Help! Your partner, Tali Anna decided to do some research of her own. The next day, she shared what she d learned with Tali. Lots of people are afraid of speaking in public, but there are things you can do to get over it, Anna said. Practicing with a partner is one way to help. I m your partner, so let s practice. When presentation day finally came, Tali still seemed nervous. When it was Tali s turn to speak, she took a deep breath and began to tell the class all the facts she d learned about the beetle. When she finished, the class clapped. The students gathered around the glass to look closely at the beetle. Then, to Tali s surprise, Anna reached in and touched it! Tali and Anna watch the beetle in its container. 13
After school, the girls took the beetle back to the park to set it free. I can t believe I m saying this, but I ll miss that old beetle, Anna said. That s not all I ll miss, said Tali. We might be different, but I think we make a pretty good team. No reason to break it up then, Anna said. Let s try out a new project: being friends. Tali smiled. She couldn t come up with a better idea than that. Anna and Tali set the beetle free. 14
Responding TARGET SKILL Sequence of Events Think about the sequence of events that took place in Anna s Beetle Surprise. Copy the chart below. Then list the order of events from Anna s assignment to the presentation. Add more boxes as needed. Anna finds out her topic and partner. Tali has a project idea.? Write About It Text to Self What effects did working on the project with Tali have on Anna? Write a paragraph responding to this question. 15
TARGET VOCABULARY complex compromise decomposition detached elegant equations principle reluctant shriveled specimens TARGET SKILL Sequence of Events Identify the time order in which events take place. TARGET STRATEGY Infer/Predict Use text clues to figure out what the author means or what might happen in the future. GENRE Realistic Fiction is a present-day story with events that could take place in real life. Write About It In a famous quotation, Aung San Suu Kyi said, Please use your freedom to promote ours. What freedoms do you value most? Why? Write a letter to the editor of a Burmese newspaper explaining the freedoms you have and why they are important to you. 16
Level: R DRA: 40 Genre: Realistic Fiction Strategy: Infer/Predict Skill: Sequence of Events Word Count: 1,489 6.2.8 HOUGHTON MIFFLIN Online Leveled Books 1032882