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 Coral Reefs: Donald's Tale

Coral Reefs: Donald's Tale
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.52

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    die-offs, Starburst, happening, sewage, devastation, questionable, carbonate, biodiversity, mudslides, conservation, satellite, mass, scientist, spectacular, stress, environment
     content words:    National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Florida Keys, Mother Nature, El Nino

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Coral Reefs: Donald's Tale
By Jennifer Kenny 		  
1     Donald's father traveled around the world for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. His current work was to study the coral reefs. Donald knew them as beautiful, but he didn't know much more about them than that. As Donald's father prepared to visit the coral reefs near the Florida Keys, Donald became inquisitive.
 
2     "What exactly is coral?" Donald asked.
 
3     "It's an animal, a polyp. It creates a calcium carbonate shell around itself. Inside, it lives in harmony with zooxanthellae, algae that produce food and share it with the coral. When colonies of living coral grow for hundreds of years atop older ones, reefs form," Dad answered.
 
4     "The coral reefs always look so amazing. Their names reflect that. Starburst, Brain, and so on are so cool," Donald said.
 
5     "Coral reefs are spectacular! There's no denying that. However, as a scientist, I recognize that they are so much more than that. Did you know that coral reefs are the largest living structures on Earth?" Dad asked.
 
6     "No," Donald responded.
 
7     "Then I bet you didn't know," Dad continued, "that coral reefs are home to approximately twenty-five percent of all fish species."
 
8     "No, I didn't," Donald agreed.
 
9     "Coral reefs also create natural barriers that protect dwellings, farmlands, and beaches. Numerous people around the world rely on coral reefs for their livelihoods. Coral reefs have also been used for some health treatments, too."

Paragraphs 10 to 23:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
Extended Activities:

1.  Research the connection between humans and climate change.

2.  Create a 3-D coral.

3.  Pick one type of coral. Write 10 interesting facts about it.

4.  What does bleaching mean in terms of coral?

5.  How do humans utilize coral?

6.  Find out information on one type of fish that lives in coral.


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