edHelper.com
|
edHelper.com |
Mosquitoes |
| edHelper's suggested reading level: | grades 3 to 5 | |
| Flesch-Kincaid grade level: | 4.28 |
| Print Mosquitoes (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more) |
| Quickly Print: PDF (2 columns per page) |
|
| Quickly Print: PDF (full page) |
| Quickly Print: HTML |
| Print a proofreading activity |
| Leave your feedback on Mosquitoes (use this link if you found an error in the story) |
|
Mosquitoes
By Erin Horner |
|
1 Would you rather have a male mosquito or female mosquito land on you? I'd rather have a bunch of boy bugs on me, and it's not because I like boys better. Male mosquitoes don't bite! Females, on the other hand, are always looking for their next victim. When a female mosquito lands on you she first inserts her proboscis into your skin. This might not hurt, but it will itch later! Then she will begin to suck your blood. She will keep sucking until she is full. Her saliva contains a special chemical. This chemical keeps your blood from clotting. It helps her get an easy-to-drink meal. Her saliva is also what causes the annoying itch that will soon follow. After filling up, she flies off. But a bit of her saliva is left behind in your skin. Your body does not like it! It thinks the saliva is an intruder and tries to fight it off. This reaction causes a red bump or wheal. The saliva causes the bite to itch. The .....