Lesson Plan: The Beauty of the Blue-Footed Booby
II. While Reading Activities
Word Inference
- ponderous |ˈpänd(ə)rəs| adjective-slow and clumsy because of great weight: her footsteps were heavy and ponderous.
- totters |ˈtädər| verb -move in a feeble or unsteady way: a hunched figure tottering down the path.
- voracious |vəˈrāSHəs| adjective-wanting or devouring great quantities of food: he had a voracious appetite.
- missile |ˈmisəl| noun-an object that is forcibly propelled at a target, either by hand or from a mechanical weapon.
- squabble |ˈskwäbəl| noun-a noisy quarrel about something petty or trivial: family squabbles.
- fascinating |ˈfasəˌnādiNG| adjective-extremely interesting: fascinating facts.
- confident |ˈkänfədənt| adjective-feeling or showing confidence in oneself; self-assured: she was a confident, outgoing girl | a confident smile.
- fixate |ˈfikˌsāt| verb –(usu. be fixated on/upon) cause (someone) to acquire an obsessive attachment to someone or something: she has for some time been fixated on photography.
- mate |māt| noun-each of a pair of birds or other animals: a male bird sings to court a mate.
- sibling |ˈsibliNG| noun each of two or more children or offspring having one or both parents in common; a brother or sister.
Reading Comprehension
Fill-ins
Biparental care is the rule among boobies, but longtime mates have perfected the art of symmetry and turn-taking. They spend the same time brooding and feeding the young, and expend the same physical effort as seen in measures of blood cells and body mass.
Grammar Focus:Word -Recognition
The birds are about the size of large sea gulls, with wingspans up to five feet. Adult females are about 20 percent to 30 percent heavier and stronger than males. Boobies stay close to home, and if given the chance, most will live and breed within a few dozen feet of where they were born. They often hunt small, schooling fish in flocks, each hitting the water at 60 miles per hour, its brain protected by specialized air sacs in the skull.
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