edHelper.com
National Parks and Monuments
 Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park

A Short Reader

Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 3 to 5
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   3.5

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    southern, elevation, deserts, lower, environment, finding, landscape, however, unique, dangerous, limbs, base, depend, level, sting, beauty
     content words:    Joshua Tree National Park, Colorado Desert, Mojave Desert, Tree National Park, National Park

Print Joshua Tree National Park
     Print Joshua Tree National Park  (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)

Quickly Print - PDF format
     Quickly Print: PDF (2 columns per page)
     Quickly Print: PDF (full page)

Quickly Print - HTML format
     Quickly Print: HTML

Proofreading Activity
     Print a proofreading activity

Feedback on Joshua Tree National Park
     Leave your feedback on Joshua Tree National Park  (use this link if you found an error in the story)

Joshua Tree National Park
By Meg Leonard 		  
1     Joshua Tree National Park is in southern California. It contains parts of two deserts. One is the Colorado Desert. It has a lower elevation. The Colorado Desert's elevation is less than 3,000 feet above sea level. The other is the Mojave Desert. Many new visitors think the environment here is very harsh. They may have a hard time finding the beauty. However, many people learn to value Joshua Tree National Park with time. Over half a million acres of the park is wilderness. Visitors who hike in the wilderness can see things that few people ever see.
 
2     How did the park get its name? The Joshua tree got its name from Mormon pioneers. They thought it looked like a man named Joshua with his arms outstretched. The tree has a brown trunk. It doesn't have growth rings, so it is hard to tell the age of a Joshua tree. The leaves are dark green. They look like knives and can be very sharp. They stick out of the top of the limbs. The Joshua tree can have flowers. It does not bloom every year. The blossoms are creamy-white. The blooms appear from February to late March. If the Joshua tree does not bloom, it doesn't grow new limbs. The blossoms mark where the new limbs will be.

Paragraphs 3 to 4:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
Copyright © 2009 edHelper