Bricks Reading 200 Lv.

UNIT 1 – Work of Love: Animal Keepers

Who They Are and What They Do

Animal keepers work in zoos. They have very important jobs! They keep
wild animals safe, healthy, and happy. They give animals food and water.
They care for sick animals. They clean the animals’ homes.

Different Kinds of Animal Keepers

There are many kinds of animal keepers. Some animal keepers care for
dangerous animals, like tigers or alligators. These animals can hurt animal
keepers. Other animal keepers help different animals, like koalas, dolphins,
or parrots. These animals do not hurt animal keepers. Some animal
keepers care for baby animals. All animal keepers love and care for
animals. Wild animals can be happy, healthy, and safe with animal keepers.

How to Become an Animal Keeper

Get experience with many animals:
√ Care for pets
√ Work at a farm
√ Work with different wild animals
√ Study animal care
√ Get a job at a zoo
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UNIT 2 – Animal Shelter Fun!

Today, Amy helps at an animal shelter. Now, she is an animal keeper.

Amy takes care of the dogs.
First, she feeds the dogs. She opens the kennels. She puts food in each
dog’s bowl. The dogs run to the bowls and eat. She gives them fresh water.
Oh no! She forgets to lock one kennel door. The dog runs out! Amy runs
after him! The dog is scared! Finally, he goes into his kennel. Amy locks the
kennel door. Phew!
Next, she plays with the puppies. She looks at the puppies in the box.
She sees a black-and-white one. She takes the puppy out of the box. They
play on the floor. She tickles the puppy. The puppy pees on her! Too funny!
Last, Amy puts the puppy back. She cleans the mess.
What a day! Animal keepers work hard to take care of animals! But it is a
fun job, too!
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UNIT 3 – Sweet Golden-Brown Breakfast!

I’m Chef Chuck. Today, we will make 8 pancakes.

Step 1: Gather and Measure the ingredients.

Dry Ingredients
• 2 cups (474 ml) flour
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) sugar
• 2 teaspoons (5 ml) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
Wet Ingredients
• 2 cups (474 ml) milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup (119 ml) butter

Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Step 3: Crack the eggs into another bowl. Mix the egg yolks and whites.
Add the butter and milk. Mix all wet ingredients with a fork.
Step 4: Bring the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix all dry and wet
ingredients together.
Step 5: Get a large frying pan. Next, heat the pan on the stove. Is it hot?
Great!
Step 6: Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the hot pan for each pancake. Can you
see bubbles? Super! Now, flip each pancake. Are they golden brown? Yes?
Your pancakes are finished!
Step 7: Serve your pancakes with syrup, fresh fruit, or anything else you
like!

This is Chef Chuck saying good-bye. Happy cooking and eating!

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UNIT 4 – Good Food Fixes Everything

September, 6th

Dear Diary,
My best friend Jason is angry with me! He doesn’t talk to me. He only
watches TV now. I must make him feel better. I am making him pancakes!
First, I gather the dry and wet ingredients. I put them in different bowls.
Then, I mix the dry and wet ingredients together. Next, I heat a large frying
pan. It’s hot now. I pour all the batter into the pan. I am making one giant,
delicious pancake for Jason. Now, the pancake’s top is bubbling. I flip the
pancake. I wait, wait, and wait. Now, the pancake’s bottom is golden
brown.
I put the pancake on a plate. I use golden syrup to write, “I’m sorry!” The
pancake looks very special. Everything is ready!
Jason comes into the kitchen! I serve him the giant pancake. He smiles,
eats, and says, “I forgive you.” I believe good food fixes everything.
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 Bricks Reading 200 Lv.1

UNIT 5 – Need Creates Change

Cartoons are fun for many children. But some children could not enjoy
cartoons before. Deaf children could not hear cartoons or understand the
characters. But now, they can watch and understand many cartoons! In
Russia, people created cartoons for deaf children.
How did they do it? First, they took famous cartoons and changed them.
They put a small box at the bottom of the cartoons. In the box, they
changed the characters’ words into sign language. In sign language, people
communicate by moving their bodies, hands, arms, and faces. Deaf people
talk this way. The sign language in the box helps deaf children understand
the characters’ words. Children cannot hear cartoons, but they can enjoy
the cartoons!
Then the cartoon makers had another idea. The idea was to help all deaf
people. They wanted deaf people to enjoy many movies. So they kept
working hard. Now, they are putting sign language into other popular
movies, too!
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UNIT 6 – Superboy of Class 201!

Yesterday, Mike, a new student, joined our class. He is deaf, so he was

shy. We wanted to be friends with him, so we made an animation for him.
First, we wrote the plot and the script. Then we changed the story into
sign language. It was fun but not easy!
This morning, we showed him our animation. Here are the scenes of the
story:

#Scene 1: A new boy comes to class. He is quiet and shy.

#Scene 2: The classmates welcome him. The boy smiles. Then the
students sign their names. The boy also signs his name, “Superboy!”

#Scene 3: At that moment, the teacher signs to the students, “The class
turtle is missing. I can’t find it.”

#Scene 4: Superboy flies around the room and finds the turtle. The
teacher smiles and signs, “Thank you and welcome to Class 201!”

After the animation, Mike signed, “That animation was very funny! I
really feel like Superboy!” Then he ran to his desk and took the turtle off
the bookshelf. Everyone laughed. He really was Superboy!
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UNIT 7 – The Scoop

Baskin-Robbins is a place to buy ice cream. Here’s the story of its history.

The People
In 1953, Burton Baskin and Irvine Robbins opened Baskin-Robbins 31 Ice
Cream. The first shop opened in the United States. They wanted to sell fun
ice cream, not just ice cream.

The “Fun” Ideas

What does the “31” mean? The 31 means a flavor for every day of the
month. It also means 31 original flavors. What about the small pink
spoons? People use the small pink spoons to try any flavor for free.
When people find their favorite flavor, they buy that ice cream.

The Ice Cream

Baskin-Robbins created more than 1,000 flavors. Some original flavors are
Pralines ‘n’ Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Very Berry Strawberry. Today,
they continue to make more and more flavors.

The Places
Now, there are more than 2,800 Baskin Robbins shops in the United States.
Around the world, there are 3,000 more shops in over 30 countries. Baskin
Robbins shops continue to change and grow in number.
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UNIT 8 – What’s Your Holiday Ice Cream?

Today, we had a special contest. Students made ice cream for world
holidays. Some students made unique ice cream for their own countries!
Dawn is from Canada and she picked Halloween. This holiday is on
October 31. She mixed chocolate pieces, pumpkin, and vanilla ice cream.
She put a candy bone on top. It looked scary and tasted terrible! Kevin is
from Japan and he chose The Emperor’s Birthday. It is on December 23. He
used vanilla ice cream and put a strawberry on top. It looked like the
Japanese flag. It was really delicious!
Ben is from Israel and he picked Hanukkah. It is an eight-day holiday. He
fried strawberry ice cream and put nine candles on top. The candles are
very important in Hanukkah. He lit the candles. We just looked at his ice
cream because it was too beautiful!
Kevin won the contest. His ice cream showed the meaning of his
country’s holiday. It also tasted the best! We celebrated and ate everyone’s
ice cream. Some were good, and some were bad. It was a flavorful day!
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UNIT 9 – What Are Those Things in the Sky?

What Are Clouds?

Clouds are droplets of water or ice crystals.

How Clouds Form

Clouds form from water vapor. When warm air goes up, it takes water
vapor up, too. Then water vapor cools and grows bigger. Droplets of water
or ice crystals form. When many come together, a cloud forms.

Colors of Clouds
Some clouds look white because they reflect the sunlight. Some clouds are
darker because they are thick or heavy. The sun’s light cannot reflect
through thick or heavy clouds, so they look dark.

Kinds of Clouds
• Cirrus clouds are high in the sky. They are usually thin and white. They
mostly form by ice crystals.
• Alto clouds are not high or low in the sky. They are middle clouds. They
sometimes look gray. They are usually made of water droplets. When it is
cold, they can form from ice crystals.
• Cumulus clouds are low and closer to the Earth. They are usually white
and look like popcorn. They mostly form by water droplets.
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UNIT 10 – A White, Fluffy Cloud

Long ago, an old father lived with his young son. The son had problems
every day.
One day, the son said, “Father, you always fix my mistakes.” The father
looked at his son. “Yes. But I am old. Look at me. I have gray hair. I will not
help you forever.” The son began to cry. But the father said, “Let’s be happy
now.” So they ate dinner and talked for a long time. Then they went to
bed. In the morning, the father looked terrible. “I am sick. I need
medicine.” But the medicine did not work. The father died and went up to
the sky.
That day, the son sat outside. He had a problem, but he could not solve it.
He looked at the sky. Then he saw something. “Father!” the son yelled. A
white, fluffy cloud came down. It was his father! He fixed his son’s
problems. Then he went away.
Now, every time fathers die, they change into clouds. They come down to
help us. Look up. They are white and look down on us.
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UNIT 11 – New Year’s around the World

Anchor: How do other countries celebrate New Year’s Day? Let’s ask our
reporters. Lisa, where are you now?
Reporter 1: I’m in Korea. Koreans celebrate the Lunar New Year. They call it
Seollal and it is in February. Families visit their hometowns and eat
tteokguk. It means rice cake soup. Families play fun games and talk
together.

Anchor: That’s interesting! And Kate, are you in Vietnam?

Reporter 2: Yes. The Vietnamese call the Lunar New Year Tet. Children bow
to their elders. They also eat banh chung. It is a sweet, sticky rice cake.
They wrap it in a banana leaf. For fun, families like to play games, sing, and
talk together.

Anchor: Thanks, Kate. Mike, you’re our last reporter. Tell us about
Kazakhstan.
Reporter 3: The Kazakhstan New Year starts on March 22 and lasts for 4
days. They call it Nauryz. People eat a meat dish. It has horsemeat and
noodles. They also watch horse races. These races are very popular!
Sometimes, they play fun games and talk together.

Anchor: Amazing! Every country celebrates the New Year in a different

way. New Year’s Day is special everywhere!
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UNIT 12 – The Best of Both Worlds

Hello Tammy,

How are you? I am doing great!

I don’t have school tomorrow. Do you know why? It is Lunar New Year’s in
Korea. I feel so happy!
You know, my mom is Korean and my dad is Vietnamese. So, my grandma
will come from Vietnam! She will bring some yummy mut. It is candied
fruit. We eat it on New Year’s. My Korean grandma will make tteokguk. I
like this delicious rice cake soup. In Vietnam, children get new clothes on
Lunar New Year’s. But I wanted a colorful Korean hanbok, so my dad
bought a new one for me. My hanbok is pink and white.
I must bow to my Korean grandma and my Vietnamese grandma. They
will give me pocket money! I want to buy new toys.
In the evening, we will play yutnori, a Korean game. My mom likes
yutnori. She beats my dad every time! Lunar New Year’s is going to be
awesome!

Your friend,
Sunhee.
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Sunhee
UNIT 13 – Where Did Kings Live?

Welcome to Changdeokgung. Many Joseon kings lived in this palace. It was

also very popular with the Joseon princes. This brochure will be about
Route A in Changdeokgung. Please visit the information center when you
have questions or need help.

1. Donhwamun
Donhwamun is the main palace gate. It is about 600 years old. Donhwa
means “goodness.”

2. Injeongjeon
Injeongjeon is a huge hall. Long ago, there were many events in
Injeongjeon. Princes became kings here. There were also many parties for
important visitors.

3. Seonjeongjeon
Seonjeongjeon is the king’s office. The king and his servants had meetings
here every day. They talked about problems in Joseon.

4. Heejeongdang
Heejeongdang is the king’s bedroom. He slept and had meals here. The
king also had tea with his brothers at Heejeongdang.

5. Kyujanggak
Kyujanggak is the palace library. The king studied and read many books
here. Today, there are about 30,000
books in Kyujanggak.

There are many more amazing places in Changdeokgung. Pick up a

brochure for Route B to visit other places, too.
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UNIT 14 – Building for the King

Kyungmin was a famous carpenter in the Joseon period. He built many

great things.
One day, Kyungmin had a meeting with King Taejo. The king wanted to
build a new palace. “We will call it Changdeokgung,” the king said. “Make
it very grand.” But Kyungmin was worried. “What does the palace need?
How can I build it?”
Kyungmin went home. He hit his head on the front gate. “Ouch!”
Kyungmin cried. Suddenly, he had a good idea! “Changdeokgung should
have a great gate. I will call it Donhwamun.” Then Kyungmin went inside his
house. He saw his wife in the living room. She was preparing for a party.
“Kings need a place for parties. I will make a huge hall and call it
Injeongjeon.” Kyungmin walked to his bedroom. “The king’s bedroom will
be cozy. I will call it Heejeongdang.” Finally, Kyungmin saw his son studying.
“The palace needs a library, too. I will make a large library and call it
Kyujanggak. The king can study and read there.”
Kyungmin felt better. “Changdeokgung will be a great palace!” he
thought.
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UNIT 15 – The Sound of South African Soccer

Soccer is a well-liked sport around the world. Fans cheer in many

different ways. They shout, sing, and dance. In South Africa, soccer fans
blow vuvuzelas.
A vuvuzela is like a trumpet. It is 65 centimeters long. It can be any color.
People made it with tin first. Now, they make it with plastic. It is easy to
make a sound on the vuvuzela. First, put your lips on the mouthpiece.
Then make a sound like a fart. Blow out very hard! One vuvuzela sounds
like an elephant, but many vuvuzelas together sound like angry bees.
Some South Africans believe the kudu horn was the first vuvuzela. Long
ago, African villagers used it to call people to meetings. In the 1990s,
people started using it differently. They used it for cheering soccer players.
In 2010, the World Cup was in South Africa. The whole world heard the
loud sound of the vuvuzela. Some people did not like the vuvuzela because
it was too loud. But many people also liked it. They thought it made soccer
more exciting!
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UNIT 16 – Vuvuzela Saves the Day!

Lerato lived in a small village in South Africa. One day, her father gave her
a vuvuzela. “It makes a loud sound like an elephant. People blow it at
soccer matches,” he said. Lerato blew the vuvuzela, but no sound came
out. She felt sad. “Keep practicing!”Lerato’s father said.
Later, the people in the village went to get water. Suddenly, Lerato saw a
tall man in her neighbor’s house. He was stealing money! He was a thief!
Lerato was scared. She looked for an adult. But no one was there.
“I must call the villagers back!” Lerato thought. “But my voice is too soft!”
Then she remembered the vuvuzela. She tried to blow again. She blew
very hard. A great sound came out! Pbpbrrrrwwwooo! The thief was
scared and ran into the street. The people were running at him. He ran the
other way and never came back!
All of the villagers thanked Lerato and her vuvuzela. “You saved the
village!” They said. “You and your vuvuzela are heroes!”
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UNIT 17 – Animals and Their Habitats

Animals live in different homes all over the world. Animals’ bodies change
to help them live well in their homes.

Giraffe
The giraffe lives on the plains in Africa. It has a very long neck. Why does
it have a long neck? It’s because lots of lions hunt and eat giraffes. So the
giraffe’s long neck helps it look for lions. It can see very far away with its
neck. A giraffe’s long neck also helps it get food. It eats the leaves on high
trees.

Poison Dart Frog

Poison dart frogs live in the rainforests in South America. They are very
bright and colorful. Their colors tell other animals “Don’t eat me! I have
poison!” Every animal watches out for these dangerous frogs.

Snowy Owl
This owl lives in the Arctic. The snowy owl uses its excellent eyesight and
hearing to hunt. It can see and hear animals from far away. The snowy owl
has white feathers so it can hide well. This helps the owl go near the
animals and hunt them.
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UNIT 18 – The Helpful Fennec Friends

Phillip and Fry are Fennec foxes. They live in the hot desert. One night,
they see a man sleeping on the ground. He has a cage. Inside it, there is an
Arctic fox!
“The hunter will sell the Arctic fox,” says Phillip.
“Let’s help it escape!”
“Why?” Fry does not understand.
“Arctic foxes live in cold places. And they have very warm fur. But here the
desert is too hot. So it will die!” Phillip explains. “Also, look at its ears.”
“They are so small! Can it hear well with such small ears?” asks Fry.
“Of course,” says Phillip.
“But why are its ears so small?” asks Fry.
“The small ears help the Arctic fox keep its body heat,” Philip says.
“Then it must be really hot for the Arctic fox here! Oh, poor fox. I want to
help it,” Fry says.
Phillip and Fry open the cage. They take the Arctic fox to an airport
nearby. The Arctic fox thanks them. It hides on a plane to Greenland.
Phillip and Fry are very happy!
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UNIT 19 – Good Posture for Everyone

Do you want to look tall and strong? Do you want to have more energy?
Then just improve your posture. It’s easy to do!

Standing
Do not stand with your feet together. Stand up straight and tall. Put your
chin down a little. This will keep your head straight. Let your arms hang
down.

Sitting
You need to have a good chair. It should not be too soft or hard. Sit with
your back against the back of the chair. Keep both feet flat on the ground.
Try not to lean forward or backward.

Walking
Follow the steps for standing. Keep looking straight ahead. Do not push
your head forward. Let your arms swing in a natural way.

Sleeping
First, your mattress should not be too soft or hard. It should be
comfortable for you. Second, try to sleep on your back. Finally, use a good
pillow. It can support your head and neck.

Just follow these simple steps. You will grow taller and your body will be
stronger!
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UNIT 20 – Good Posture Makes a Soccer Star

Kit is a star soccer player in an English soccer team. He is tall and strong
but he was not always like this.
When Kit was 10, he tried to play soccer. He loved the game. But he was
very small and weak. Some of the children laughed at him. His coach did
not let him play in the matches.
However, Kit did not give up. He joined a gym and started to exercise. He
learned about good posture. A trainer said, “It will help you grow taller and
stronger.” So he did exercises to improve his posture every day. He worked
on his back and shoulder muscles. He did other exercises to make his legs
and body stronger. At home and at school, he checked his posture many
times.
Kit grew taller and stronger. At age 12, he joined another soccer team.
They played Kit’s old team and he scored the winning goal! This time no
one laughed at him.
Kit continued to play soccer and exercise every day. Good posture and
exercise made him a star!