Instructions: Read the story and be prepared to answer ... · Copyright © Robert Meeker and Joetta...

Copyright © Robert Meeker and Joetta Brooks 2010, All rights reserved. May not be photographed or reproduced in any way. 197

The Rescued Robins

CMU/CMS-I

The Rescued Robins

At the top of the great cedar tree on a branch, high above the bank of the river lived three baby robins: Arty, Barney and Coco. They were very hungry. They were always hungry, but tonight they were especially hungry because their mother and father had not fed them for hours.

The baby robins cheeped loudly. Their cries disturbed the usual stillness of the meadow. They cheeped so long and so hard that they finally fell asleep.

Barney awakened first, with his little stomach hurting because it was so empty. “Where are they?” he wondered. “Where are my mother and father?” The chipmunks were already asleep in their homes under the roots of the trees. They were tired from carrying in pine nuts all day long. Brown rabbits that had been snugly asleep in their burrows at the edge of the forest began to awaken. It was time for their evening meal.

As daylight faded, the fawns and their mothers emerged slowly from the forest, munching any bit of fresh greenery they found.

The meadow was dotted with hundreds of red-breasted robins waiting to grab juicy worms. Peck, peck, and the first worm was theirs. Peck, peck--

Instructions: Read the story and be prepared to answer questions at the end.

Copyright © Robert Meeker and Joetta Brooks 2010, All rights reserved. May not be photographed or reproduced in any way.198

The Rescued Robins

CMU/CMS-I

the next worm was for the babies, and away they flew to their nests where other baby robins waited to be fed.

Arty, Barney, and Coco were too weak to wiggle and too tired to cheep, so they lay quietly in the nest, beaks open, waiting. Every now and then one of them sobbed. They could only wait for their mother and father to bring them food.

Their parents were good parents. They were responsible parents. Although the nest they built was not very pretty and not very neat, it was strong and wide and deep enough so that no matter how much the babies moved about, they wouldn’t fall out.

So the baby robins wondered where their parents were.

Their next-door neighbor, Mrs. Pink, alighted on the edge of their nest and said, “I’ve heard you babies crying all day, and I haven’t seen either your mother or father, so I will bring you some tasty worms after I feed my own babies. You may not get as much as you like, but my husband will help me. Stop crying and I will be right back.”

Soon she returned with a very long earthworm, and she broke it with her bill to feed each baby a piece.

The parent robins never did come back, so Mrs. Pink simply adopted Arty, Barney, and Coco. “I will be your mother part of the time and I will be a mother to my children the rest of the time. Soon, you will grow strong enough to fly, and none of you will need a mother at all.”

It wasn’t long before all the baby robins were ready to try to fly. Arty had


The Rescued Robins

CMU/CMS-I

no trouble at all. He was the oldest and biggest, so when he stood on the edge of the nest, he put out his wings and jumped off, smoothly flapping his wings until he landed on the ground.

Coco had no trouble either. Soon she was pecking worms beside Arty. Barney could see them, and he was hungry too, but he was afraid to fly.

He sat on the edge of the nest alone. A soft showery mist, like raindrops, was tickling his feathers. It was a long way down to the ground.

A squirrel that lived in a hole in the branch above him ran back and forth along the branch saying, “Look at me, Barney. Run like me. Don’t be scared. If you are afraid to fly, just run down the tree to the ground like this.” Squirrel flicked his tail and scampered down the trunk of the big pine tree.

Barney watched his friend with admiration. “Do you think I could run that fast?” he asked. “Sure.” And Barney did. He ran from the tip of the branch to where it met the trunk of the tree. It was easy.

“See,” said Squirrel, “you can run. You don’t have to fly. Now run down on the trunk, here to the ground where I am.”

Barney made a dash to run down the tree trunk, but his claws did not grab the bark the way the squirrels did, and down he went, falling, falling, falling, cheeping, “Help! Help me, Squirrel!”

Barney flapped his wings to stop his fall, and to his surprise, instead of going down he flew right off the trunk and went straight up like a puff of wind to the very top of the tree. Barney was finally flying!


The Rescued Robins

CMU/CMS-I

QUESTIONS

1. Where did Arty, Barney, and Coco live?

2. Why were the three baby robins cheeping so loudly?

3. Who was missing from the nest?

4. When evening came, several animals came out of the forest to eat. Can you name them?

5. Why did Mrs. Pink fly over to the babies’ nest?

6. Mrs. Pink adopted Arty, Barney, and Coco. What did she have to teach them?

7. Once Coco and Arty flew to the ground and were able to get their own food, who was left in the nest?

8. Who was the first to learn to fly?

9. Barney had trouble learning to fly. Who helped him to not be scared?

10. How did Barney finally learn to fly?

Instructions: Answer these questions about the story using complete sentences.


The Rescued Robins

CMU/CMS-I

Instructions: Color Barney and draw your own version of Squirrel watching him.


The Rescued Robins

CMU/CMS-I

STOP


The Rescued Robins

CMU/CMS-I

VOCABULARY LIST

Print

disturb - to bother or interrupt

meadow - land that is covered with grass

cheep - peeping from a bird

wonder - to be curious

roots - the underground part of a plant

snugly - cozy; close together

burrows - a hole dug in the ground by an animal used for a home

fawn - a baby deer

emerge - to come into view

munch - to eat with a chewing action

greenery - green foliage or plants

dotted - scattered randomly

peck - to strike with a beak

Instructions: Below is a list of vocabulary words from the story. They are in bold, and their definitions follow. Print the vocabulary word in the space provided. Make sure to study the definitions so you can remember the meanings.


The Rescued Robins

CMU/CMS-I

Printwiggle - to move back and forth with

quick, jerky motions

sob - to cry uncontrollably

responsible - to look after; to be in charge of

alight - to come down and settle from the air

adopt - to take and raise as one’s own

smooth - even and uninterrupted in flight

flapping - waving wings

shower - a short fall of rain

mist - a body of water droplets in the air

tickle - to touch or stir gently

flick - a light quick movement

scamper - to run or go quickly and lightly

admiration - a feeling of pleasure, wonder, and approval

dash - to move with sudden speed

surprise - to encounter suddenly or unexpectedly

puff - a short sudden gust of wind


The Rescued Robins

CMU/CMS-I

sob shower flick wonder disturb greenery dotted adopt

wiggle tickle dash roots fawn puff

VOCABULARY DEFINITIONS

Instructions: In this exercise you will match the vocabulary word with the correct definition and write it on the space provided. Cross off each word at the bottom of the page once it has been used. Try not to look back at the previous pages. Use your memory.

1. -a short fall of rain

2. -a light quick movement

3. -a short sudden gust of wind

4. -to bother or interrupt

5. -a baby deer

6. -green foliage or plants

7. -to cry uncontrollably

8. -to take and raise as one’s own

9. -to be curious

10. -the underground part of a plant

11. -scatter randomly

12. -to touch or stir gently

13.-to move back and forth with quick jerky motions

14. -to move with sudden speed

Review: If you are having difficulty remembering the definitions, turn back to find the correct meaning.


The Rescued Robins

CMU/CMS-I

alight cheep snugly peck mist surprise scamper responsible

meadow emerge burrows munch flapping admiration smooth

Instructions: In this exercise you will match the vocabulary word with the correct definition and write it on the space provided. Cross off each word at the bottom of the page once it has been used. Try not to look back at the previous pages. Use your memory.

15. -to look after; to be in charge of

16. -a body of water droplets in the air

17. -even and uninterrupted in flight

18. -peeping from a bird

19. -cozy; close together

20. -to come into view

21. -land that is covered with grass

22. -to encounter suddenly or unexpectedly

23. -to run or go quickly and lightly

24. -a hole dug in the ground used for a home

25. -to come down and settle from the air

26. -to strike with a beak

27. -to eat with a chewing action

28. -waving wings

29. -a feeling of pleasure wonder, and approval

Review: If you are having difficulty remembering the definitions, turn back to find the correct meaning.


The Rescued Robins

CMU/CMS-I


The Rescued Robins

CMU/CMS-I

STOP

Instructions: Read the story and be prepared to answer ... · Copyright © Robert Meeker and Joetta...

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