edHelper.com
Dinosaurs

The Flyer Colony

The Flyer Colony
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 3 to 5
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.22

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    opening, leading, directly, halfway, investigate, face, adult, reptile, fell, warning, crest, seconds, likely, possible, beak, leathery

Print The Flyer Colony
edHelper.com subscriber options:
     Print The Flyer Colony  (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)
     Quickly print reading comprehension
     Print a proofreading activity

Feedback on The Flyer Colony
     Leave your feedback on The Flyer Colony  (use this link if you found an error in the story)

The Flyer Colony
By Mary Lynn Bushong 		  
1     The cliff face overlooking the lake was riddled with caves. Large, seemingly featherless creatures dropped from those openings, spreading their wide leathery wings to catch the updrafts of air.
 
2     One red-gold adult stood in her cave opening. Behind her was a nest with a single leathery egg. Her mate had just returned from fishing in the lake and was settling down to warm the egg.
 
3     The pteranodon's head looked too large for her thin neck as she watched the soaring bodies that rose and fell in the air before her. There was a loose pattern to their flights as they got ready to claim their breakfasts from the water.
 
4     The slight breeze ruffled the hairy-looking feathers that covered her body, helping to hold in her body heat. Then without warning, she dropped out of the cave opening. For just a moment she plummeted toward the ground. Then she opened her wide wings. In seconds she went from an uncontrolled fall to flying like a skillfully controlled aircraft.
 
5     Each of her wings was ten feet long. The leathery membrane extended from her shoulder to her leg and out to the tip of her wings. Halfway along each leading wing edge were three clawed toes.

Paragraphs 6 to 13:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
Copyright © 2008 edHelper