by Laura Crawford

Scott Foresman Reading Street 3.2.1

ISBN 0-328-13337-X

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1. What is the main idea of this book?

2. Use a graphic organizer like the one below to write about the three main ways that scientists study the weather and climate in Antarctica.

1. 2. 3.

3. Find the word preen on page 10. How did you know what it means?

4. A model is a drawing that helps you understand an idea. What are you able to learn from the model of global warming on page 9?

Reader Response

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by Laura Crawford

Antarctica:The Frozen Continent

Editorial Offices: Glenview, Illinois • Parsippany, New Jersey • New York, New YorkSales Offices: Needham, Massachusetts • Duluth, Georgia • Glenview, Illinois

Coppell, Texas • Ontario, California • Mesa, Arizona

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Every effort has been made to secure permission and provide appropriate credit for photographic material. The publisher deeply regrets any omission and pledges to correct errors called to its attention in subsequent editions.

Unless otherwise acknowledged, all photographs are the property of Scott Foresman, a division of Pearson Education.

Photo locators denoted as follows: Top (T), Center (C), Bottom (B), Left (L), Right (R), Background (Bkgd)

Opener: Digital Stock; 1 ©DK Images; 3 ©DK Images; 4 (L, C) Digital Stock; 5 ©DK Images; 6 (L) Getty Images, (B) Digital Stock; 7 (T) NASA, (CR) ©DK Images; 8 (CL) Joyce Photographics/Photo Researchers, Inc., (T) Digital Stock; 9 (BC) Digital Wisdom, Inc., (B) Getty Images; 10 (L, C) Digital Stock; 12 Digital Stock

ISBN: 0-328-13337-X

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For information regarding permission(s), write to: Permissions Department, Scott Foresman, 1900 East Lake Avenue, Glenview, Illinois 60025.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V0G1 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05

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3

Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth. It is a frozen continent covered in ice. The South Pole is on Antarctica. The South Pole is the farthest south that you can go!

Antarctica

South Pole

Southern Ocean

WeddellSea

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4

Antarctica is very windy. It is also very dry. Antarctica is so dry that scientists call it a desert. The small amount of snow that falls there never melts. It is moved around by the wind until it freezes into ice.

Orca whales

Leopard seal

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5

Few people other than scientists have been to Antarctica. It costs a lot of money to send food and supplies there. But penguins, seals, fish, and whales live there year-round.

Emperor penguin

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6

Scientists study the weather in Antarctica. They use a radio called an acoustic sounder. It sends beeping sounds high up into the air. The beeping sounds make an echo that tells scientists the wind’s speed and direction.

Radio tower for acoustic sounder

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7

Satellites help scientists study the weather in Antarctica. Weather information from the satellites is sent down to Earth.

Satellite photo of Antarctic glacier

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8

Scientists in Antarctica also study the weather with balloons. Each day, they launch the balloons into the air. Radios attached to the balloons record information about the air.

Antarctic weather balloon and research station

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9

Scientists are learning about global warming on Antarctica. Global warming happens when air pollution traps heat inside the Earth’s atmosphere. Some parts of Antarctica have become warmer. Other parts are growing colder.

A model showing how air pollution traps heat from the sun. Warmer air could cause the ice to melt.

Antarctica

Heat from Sun

Released heat

Trapped heat

Pollution

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10

Emperor penguins spend their whole lives in Antarctica. Penguins cannot fly. But they are very good swimmers. They use their feet and flippers to swim. Penguins use their bills to preen, or clean and smooth their feathers.

Flipper

Feet

Bill

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11

Female emperor penguins lay one egg. The male emperor penguin takes care of the egg. He snuggles and cuddles the egg with his feet. Soon the chick is ready to hatch. It pecks at the shell until it breaks.

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12

For emperor penguins, seals, fish, and whales, the climate in Antarctica is just right. Scientists will continue to study Antarctica’s climate and watch for signs of change. In this way they are protecting the animals that make their home there.

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1. What is the main idea of this book?

2. Use a graphic organizer like the one below to write about the three main ways that scientists study the weather and climate in Antarctica.

1. 2. 3.

3. Find the word preen on page 10. How did you know what it means?

4. A model is a drawing that helps you understand an idea. What are you able to learn from the model of global warming on page 9?

Reader Response

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