Talk About It · In the misty glow of dawn, one can see these mysterious visitors aren’t backyard...

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Talk About ItThese wild horses live in

a big marsh in southern

France. What do you see

that tells you they are wild?

Find out more about

wild horses at

www.macmillanmh.com

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http://www.macmillanmh.com

Vocabularydescendants

sanctuary

glistening

threatened

coaxing

fragile

habitat

Context CluesParagraph Clues are words

that can help readers

figure out the meaning

of unfamiliar words.

Use paragraph clues

to figure out what

descendants means.

by Gregory Searle

very year since 1924, a pony swim has

taken place between two tiny islands in the

Atlantic Ocean. Assateague and Chincoteague

Islands are located off the coasts of Maryland

and Virginia. Part of Assateague belongs to

Maryland and part belongs to Virginia. On a

smaller neighboring island, the Chincoteague

ponies graze.

These beautiful animals are descendants of

wild horses. How the ancestors of the ponies

ended up on an island, no one knows for sure.

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The Pony SwimThe calm, quiet privacy of

Assateague provided a sanctuary

for its residents. However, when

several terrible fi res broke out on

Chincoteague, it was clear that

emergency services were needed.

The new Volunteer Fire Department

needed money to buy equipment.

That’s how the idea for the annual

pony swim started.

Every year thousands of people

come to watch the ponies. Many

watch from boats out on the

glistening water. The fi remen

“round up” the wild ponies on

Assateague Island. At fi rst, the

ponies feel threatened and try

to head back into the trees.

After some coaxing, the ponies

swim across the channel to

Chincoteague Island.

These ponies are small, but

they are not fragile. They are very

strong and intelligent animals.

Many farmers want to buy a

Chincoteague pony. Some of the

foals are auctioned off to good

homes. The rest of the ponies swim

back to Assateague Island a few

days later. The fi re department

uses the money that is raised to

update their safety equipment.

Protecting the PoniesThe pony swim is important for

another reason, too. The number of

horses living on Assateague has to

be controlled. If too many horses

are born, there won’t be enough

grass for the rest to eat. Keeping

the numbers under control protects

the habitat and its natural resources

for future generations.

Vocabulary and Comprehension

Reread for Comprehension

Monitor ComprehensionCause and Effect As you read, remember to monitor your comprehension, or check your understanding, of cause and effect. A cause is why something happens. What happens is the effect. Authors do not always provide a cause and effect. Sometimes readers have to make inferences.

A Cause and Effect Diagram will help you identify what happens in a story or article and why. Reread the selection and identify the causes and effects.

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ComprehensionGenreNarrative Nonfiction

is a story or account about

actual persons, living things,

situations, or events.

Monitor Comprehension Cause and EffectAs you read, fill in your

Cause and Effect Diagram.

Read to Find OutWhat is it that makes a wild

horse wild?

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by Cris Petersonphotographs by Alvis Upitis

Main Selection

Wild Horses

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In the deepest, darkest part of night, when the crickets and tree frogs are almost silent, shadowy shapes emerge from the ponderosa pine ridge and tiptoe

down to the glassy Cheyenne River below. Their long tangled manes and tails ruffl e in the night breeze. Ever alert and watchful for predators, they swiftly drink their fi ll. Then they turn on their heels and lunge up the rocky hills to safety.

In the misty glow of dawn, one can see these mysterious visitors aren’t backyard pasture mares with swishing tails and docile, trusting eyes. These horses are wild—from another century, another era, another world. They are American mustangs, whose freedom, adaptability, and toughness defi ne the western wilderness.

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Some of the mares have names. Medicine Hattie is easy to spot. Her dark ears jut out above her ghostly white face and corn-silk mane. Painted Lady’s pure white coat is splashed with brown spots; she always seems to know where the sweetest grasses are.

And there are others. Funny Face has a creamy white blaze that slides down the sides of her face like melting ice cream on a hot day. She loves to stand on the highest rock-strewn spot with her face to the wind. Yuskeya, whose name means freedom in the Sioux language, always stands at the edge of the herd, alert for danger and ready to run.

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To fi nd these horses, cross Cascade Creek where the South Dakota Black Hills meet the prairie, and turn right onto a pothole-strewn gravel road. This is the land of silver sagebrush and cowboy legends. Scraggly buzzards perch on fence posts near the entry gate to the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary, home for more than three hundred wild horses and one determined cowboy-conservationist named Dayton Hyde.

Dayton was a gangly, growing thirteen-year-old boy when he met his fi rst horse. It was a dirt-colored pony he found drinking from a puddle of old soapy dishwater behind his family’s summer cabin in northern Michigan. He recalls that for a time he thought all horses blew bubbles out of their noses.

Soon after that encounter, word came from Dayton’s cattle rancher uncle in Oregon that his cowboys had just captured a band of wild horses. Dayton hopped a westbound train and arrived on his uncle’s doorstep, where he grew up as a cowboy learning to love the western range and its wild horses.

Mustangs are descendants of the horses brought to America by Spanish explorers nearly fi ve hundred years ago. By 1900, more than two million smart, fast, surefooted wild horses roamed the West.

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When newly invented barbed wire fences began crisscrossing the rangelands, the horses lost access to sources of food and water and became a pesky problem for local residents. Thousands of them were slaughtered for fertilizer or pet food. By 1950, less than seventeen thousand survived.

After a Congressional act prohibited the capture or slaughter of wild horses in 1971, the wild horse population again grew quickly. Many died of thirst and starvation in the harsh western winters. In an attempt to manage the size of the herds, the United States government gathered up the animals and maintained them in fenced feedlots until they could be adopted.

One day in the early 1980s, Dayton Hyde, who by this time owned his uncle’s ranch and had a grown family of his own, drove by one of these feedlots. Shocked and dismayed by the sight of dozens of muddy and dejected horses locked in a corral, he felt he had to do something.

Cause and Effect What caused the mustang population to increase during the 1970s?

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After months of searching and many long days spent convincing government offi cials to accept his plan of creating a special place for wild horses, he acquired eleven thousand acres of rangeland and rimrock near the Black Hills in South Dakota. Here, among yawning canyons and sun-drenched pastures, he hoped wild horses—some too ugly, old, or knobby kneed to be adopted—could run free forever.

Before he could ship his wild horse rejects to their new home, Dayton had to build eight miles of fences to ensure they wouldn’t wander into his neighbors’ wheat fi elds. He also fenced in a fi fty-acre training fi eld where the horses would spend their fi rst few days on the ranch adjusting to their new surroundings.

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On a miserably cold fall day, huge creaking semi-trailers fi lled with snorting, stomping steeds fi nally arrived at the ranch. After hours of coaxing, Dayton succeeded in getting Magnifi cent Mary to skitter off the trailer. She was a battle-scarred, mean-eyed mare with a nose about twice as long as it should be. The rest of the herd clattered behind her, eyes bulging with fear.

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Dayton’s worst fear was that the horses would spook and charge through his carefully constructed six-wire fence, scattering across the prairie like dry leaves in a whirlwind. Aware that wild horses often feel threatened by being watched, he sat in the cab of his old pickup truck, peeking at them out of a corner of his eye. Finally, after nearly a week of around-the-clock vigilance, he swung open the gate from the training fi eld to his wild horse sanctuary.

Many years have passed since Dayton held his breath and pushed that corral gate open. Every spring, dozens of his wild horses give birth to tottering colts that learn the ways of the back country from their mothers. They share the vast, quiet land with coyotes, mountain lions, and countless deer. Star lilies, bluebells, and prairie roses nod in the wind along with the prairie short grass that feeds the herd.

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Thousands of visitors arrive each summer to get a glimpse of wild horses in their natural habitat, a habitat that has been preserved through Dayton’s careful planning. Throughout the grazing season, he moves the herd from one area of the ranch to another so the horses don’t damage the fragile rangeland. In the process, he searches for his marker mares: Painted Lady, Medicine Hattie, Funny Face, Yuskeya, Magnifi cent Mary, and several others. When he spots them all, he knows the whole herd is accounted for.

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Cause and Effect What were the events that caused the wild horses from the feedlot to be protected in the Sanctuary?

Sometimes in the fall while he’s checking on the horses, Dayton notices a gaunt, aging mare whose ribs stand out through her ragged coat. He knows this old friend won’t survive the winter. As the pale December daylight slips over the rimrock, the old mare lies down and goes to sleep for the last time. After years of running free, the wild mustang returns to the earth and completes the circle of life.

The wild mustangs Dayton Hyde once discovered crowded into a feedlot now gallop across the Cheyenne River free as the prairie wind. They splash through the glistening water and bolt up a ravine. Here in this rugged wilderness, one man’s vision of a sanctuary for wild horses has become a reality.

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Cris Peterson lives on a big dairy farm in Wisconsin. Tending 500 cows keeps Cris pretty busy, but she still finds time to write. Cris writes a lot about farm life and animals. She often uses her own experiences to inspire her books. Cris believes it is very important to give readers a true picture of farms and animals, so she chooses her details carefully.

Ride Away with Cris and Alvis

Alvis Upitis has provided the photographs for many of Cris’s books. He is a good partner. When Cris was very busy with farm work and did not think she’d have time to write, Alvis encouraged her to try.

Other books by

Cris and Alvis

Find out more about

Cris Peterson and Alvis Upitis

at www.macmillanmh.com

Write About ItExplain why you think it’s important for some people to be

able to understand animals through their actions.

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Comprehension Check

Summarize

Summarize Wild Horses. Include only

the most important information in

your summary. Use your Cause and

Effect Diagram to help you.

Think and Compare

1. What caused the fragile wild horse population to almost

disappear? Monitor Comprehension: Cause and Effect

2. Reread page 638 of Wild Horses. What does the author

mean by saying these horses are from “another era,

another world”? Analyze

3. What would you do if you found a horse drinking soapy

dishwater? Apply

4. Why is it important to care for and protect animals?

Explain your opinion. Evaluate

5. Read “The Wild Ponies of Chincoteague” on pages 634–635.

Compare Assateague Island with the Black Hills Wild Horse

Sanctuary. How are the two places alike? How are they

different? Use details from both selections in your answer.

Reading/Writing Across Texts

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retold by Gillian Reed

Pecos Bill was the best cowboy and toughest man there ever was. He had bounced out of his family’s wagon when he was a baby and landed in the Pecos River. He was raised by coyotes, but he didn’t talk about that very much.

One day, Bill showed up on the Texas range, wearing a blue bandanna and big Stetson hat. “Hey, partner,” Pecos Bill roared at a gold prospector, “I’m lookin’ for some real cowhands. Got me a ranch in New Mexico — well, to tell the truth, New Mexico is my ranch. I need some tough guys to work for me. I’m looking for the kind of man who can eat a pot of beans in one gulp and pick his teeth with barbed wire.”

Pecos BillThe Tale

ofLanguage ArtsGenreTall Tales are stories with

events so exaggerated that

they are beyond belief. Tall

tales are an American form

of storytelling.

Literary ElementsHyperbole is the use of

exaggeration for emphasis.

The author does not expect

it to be believed.

A Figure of Speech is an

expressive use of language

that is not meant to be

taken literally.

Pecos Bill’s description of a tough guy is hyperbole. It’s a humorous exaggeration that the reader is not meant to believe.

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Language Arts

The prospector said some tough cowhands were camped out 200 miles down the river. Bill and his horse set off in that direction, and before long, a mountain lion leaped from a boulder straight down on Pecos Bill.

Bill’s horse didn’t wait around to see what happened next. If he had, all he would have seen was a blur of flying fur. He would have heard nothing but hideous snarls and groans. When the fur settled, the big cat was apologizing to Bill.

“How can I make it up to you?” it asked. “You can’t, but I’m putting this saddle on you,” said

Bill. “You scared off my horse, and I hate walkin’.”So Pecos Bill rode the cat to the tough guys’

campsite. Those tough men took one look at Bill on that mountain lion and made him their new boss. Then the whole crew headed out for New Mexico.

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Back on the ranch, Pecos Bill caught a wild black horse for himself and named it Widow-Maker. That crazy horse had the power of twelve horses and wouldn’t let anyone but Bill ride him.

Pecos Bill also got himself a spouse. He first spied Slue-Foot Sue on the Rio Grande. She was riding a catfish the size of a boat and whooping at the top of her lungs.

The day she married Bill, Slue-Foot Sue wore a dress with one of those old-time bustles. The bustle was a steel-spring contraption that made the back of her dress stick out a mile.

After the wedding, Sue wanted to ride Widow-Maker. Now, Pecos Bill loved Slue-Foot Sue, so he attempted to talk her out of this notion.

“Widow-Maker won’t let anybody ride him but me. He’d throw you in a second.”

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But Sue insisted, and Bill finally let Sue give it a try. Sue got on Widow-Maker, who bucked and jumped and bucked again. Then he threw Slue-Foot Sue, and she sped into the sky like she’d been shot from a cannon. When Sue finished going up, she plummeted down. And when she hit the ground, she bounced on her steel-spring bustle and flew up again, even higher than before. She even hit her head on the moon.

For days, Pecos Bill watched his bouncing bride. Up and down she went. Every time Sue landed, she bounced up higher, until she came down to Earth only once every few weeks.

It took a long time for Pecos Bill to find another bride as accomplished as Slue-Foot Sue. And he never again allowed a wife of his to ride Widow-Maker.

Connect and Compare1. Find two examples of hyperbole in the descriptions of

Slue-Foot Sue and her adventures. Hyperbole

2. Which descriptions of Pecos Bill’s actions and of his life let

you know that this a tall tale? Apply

3. Compare Widow-Maker to the mustangs described in Wild

Horses. How are they similar? How are they different?

Reading/Writing Across Texts

Sue was not actually shot from a cannon, but the comparison helps the reader picture what happened. This comparison is a figure of speech.

Find out more about tall tales at www.macmillanmh.com

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Write About a Scientific

Observation

Red-Tailed Hawk

by Jack F.

Yesterday I watched a hawk in the park.

It was brown. Its white chest was speckled

with brown, too. It flew in big circles,

holding its wings straight out. It was

hunting. Then it landed on the trunk of an

old pine tree.

Through binoculars, I could see the hawk’s

red tail feathers. Its claws were light gray,

and they looked as sharp as fishhooks. That

makes it easy for the bird to catch its prey.

Its beak was sharp and curved, too.

After a while, it

flew away, flapping its

powerful wings.

I included words that give specific details.

I observed a hawk in flight. Then I wrote this observation.

Writing

Word ChoiceScientific observations

include specific details

that tell exactly what the

writer saw, heard, and

felt. Choose words that

make scientific writing as

accurate as possible.

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Your TurnPretend that you are a scientist. You must

observe an animal and write about what you

see. The animal could be a wild animal that

you observe from a distance, such as a rabbit

or a bird. It could be an insect. It could

even be your pet. Take notes while

you observe. Then write down what

you saw and heard—maybe even

smelled! Use the Writer’s Checklist

to check your writing.

Writer¢s Checklist Ideas and Content: Did I include the most

important details in my observation?

Organization: Did I list details in the order in

which I observed them?

Voice: Does my observation focus more on facts

than on opinions?

Word Choice: Did I include specific details?

Sentence Fluency: Did I vary the length of

my sentences?

Conventions: Did I use comparative and

superlative forms correctly?

Descriptive Writing

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Answer Questions

Go On

Test StrategyThink and SearchRead on to find the answer.

Look for clues in more than

one place.

A shark is not a welcome sightTo most who swim the sea.When they see that hunter comingMost will turn around and flee.

What is a

Shark?What is aWhat is a

Shark?Shark?

A shark is quite a creature.Its shape is long and lean.It swims in waters north and south And waters in between.

A shark has skin that might look smoothBut actually is rough.If you rub that scaly skin You’ll be sorry, sure enough.

A shark has jaws that open wideWith lots of teeth to spare.So when it breaks a tooth or twoIt doesn’t really care.

by Howard McCarthy

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Go On

Te

st S

trate

gy

Shark studies scientist?

Getting to Know SharksSharks! They are strange and amazing creatures..

Living FossilsSharks are living fossils. They are among the oldest living

creatures on Earth. Many sharks look the same as sharks that lived 100 million years ago.

Sharks are different from other fish in several ways. They have no bones! Instead, a shark’s skeleton is made of a material called cartilage. Your nose and ears are made of cartilage.

Most sharks have several rows of teeth. When a shark loses a tooth, another one moves up to take its place. Great white sharks lose their teeth at least once a week, but there are always more teeth to take their place.

Sharks do not lay eggs like other fish. Their newborn sharks can swim fast and hunt food at birth.

Up Close and PersonalHow do scientists learn about sharks? They study them

up close in the ocean. For protection, they wear shark-proof diving suits and get into iron shark cages. Scientists study how sharks hunt, what they eat, and where they go in the sea.

Scientists also catch sharks and attach tags to them. A tiny computer is in each tag. It records where the shark is, how deep it goes, and how fast it swims. One shark swam more than 1,800 miles in three months!

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Answer Questions

Go On

Wolves of the SeaSharks have been called “wolves of the sea.” That is

because most sharks are feared hunters. The largest shark, though—the giant whale shark—is harmless. It feeds on tiny sea animals that it strains out of the water with its gills.

Many people fear sharks, but being attacked by a shark is quite unlikely. Out of 370 different kinds of sharks, only 27 species are known to attack humans. The most dangerous are the great white, hammerhead, tiger, bull, and blue sharks.

The most feared shark of all is the great white. A great white can grow to more than 20 feet (6 meters) long and weight 4,000 pounds (1,800 kilograms)! Though great white sharks have been known to attack people, you are much more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a shark. When sharks do attack, they may be mistaking humans for their prey. They prefer to eat other sharks, dolphins, seals, and sea lions.

Seeing SharksThere are places where

people go scuba diving to see sharks, but for most people, the best place to go is the aquarium. Many aquariums keep sharks. They are not too difficult to care for—and they are popular! Visit an aquarium if you want to see these living fossils in real life.

The whale shark is the largest fish in the sea. It grows up to 49 feet (15 meters) in length!

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Writing PromptShould people study sharks? Write a two-

paragraph speech that tells what you think. Use

information from the selection to help you write

your speech.

STOP

Directions: Answer the questions.

1. Why is a shark NOT a welcome sight?

A Sharks only swim in icy waters.

B Sharks are afraid of people.

C People are afraid of sharks and sharks are afraid of people.

D Sharks are hunters and 27 species of sharks attack humans.

2. Why do scientists use shark cages to study sharks?

A Sharks cannot see the cages.

B Cages protect them as they watch the sharks.

C Cages help sharks get used to seeing people.

D The cages move faster than the sharks do.

3. Why are sharks amazing?

A That is why scientists study the habits of sharks.

B Sharks are not fish.

C Their bones are very strong.

D Sharks have been around for 100 million years and are among the

oldest living creatures on Earth.

4. Why are sharks called “living fossils”?

5. Think about why scientists study sharks. What makes their work

important? Use details from the selection in your answer.

Tip

Look for information.

Te

st S

trate

gy

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Talk About It · In the misty glow of dawn, one can see these mysterious visitors aren’t backyard...

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