chiMpAnzee

Accelerating Academic Achievement

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chiMpAnzeeAccelerating Academic Achievement 2016-2017

Acceplerating Academic Achievement: Reading2016-2017

Principal Investigator: Douglas Fuchs

Research Team: Meagan WalshSamuel PattonNicole DavisMolly Packer

Peabody College, Vanderbilt University

This material was prepared for research conducted at the National Center on Accelerating the Academic Achievement of Students with Severe and Persistent Learning Disabilities, which is funded by Grant No. R324D130003 from the National Center on Special Education Research, Institute for Educational Sciences.

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table of contentsChimpanzees...........................................................6

Jane Goodall and the Chimpanzees.......................8

Chimpanzees and Spider Monkeys.......................10

Save the Chimpanzees..........................................12

Glossary.................................................................14

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Have you ever noticed that chimps look a little like us? That is because we’re related. Chimps and humans are primates. Chimps are a lot like us, but they are also different from us.

Chimps live in rainforests. They spend much of their time in trees. Climbing trees keeps chimps safe from predators. In the rainforest, there is plenty of water for them to drink. There are also fruits to eat. The rainforest is a nice place for the chimps to live.

Chimps’ bodies are designed for life in the rainforest. Chimps have very long arms. They use their long arms to swing through the trees. Chimps also use their arms to travel on the ground. Chimps are smaller than humans, but much stronger. They need their strong arms for swinging and hanging in trees. Their feet are like hands. Chimps can grab and hold things with their feet!

Chimpanzee behavior

Chimps are very smart! Scientists once thought that only humans were smart enough to use tools. The scientists were wrong! In 1960, a scientist named Jane Goodall saw chimpanzees making and using tools. She watched a chimp remove the leaves from a stick. Then, the chimp used the stick like a fishing rod to catch and eat bugs.

Believe it or not, chimps show their feelings! When they get mad, they might yell, stomp their feet, or throw rocks. To show love, chimps hold hands, hug, tickle, and make faces at each other. They even laugh when they play!

If we don’t protect the rainforest, soon there won’t be any chimps left. Chimpanzees are endangered. Humans are cutting down the trees in the rainforest. When humans cut down trees, chimps lose their homes. Today, there are only a small number of chimps left in the wild.

Chimpanzees

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Chimp Fast FactsHow long do they live? 45 years

How big are they? Weight: 70-130 poundsHeight: 4.5-5 feet

How do they care for babies? Female gives birth to 1 baby every 5 years. Babies are com-pletely dependent on their mother until age 3.

What do they eat? Mostly eat:• fruit• leaves

Sometimes eat:• eggs• insects• monkeys• small animals

Do they have predators? leopards, eagles, humans

Size comparison:

1. How do chimpanzees show their feelings?

a. They hold hands, make faces, laugh or yell. b. They use tools to catch and eat bugs. c. They talk to each other in their own language. d. They use their long arms to swing through the trees.

2. What will happen to chimpanzees if we don’t do something soon?

a. They will use tools to build homes in the forest. b. They will protect the rainforest. c. There won’t be any chimpanzees left. d. There won’t be any bugs for chimpanzees to eat.

3. How do we know that chimpanzees are very smart?

a. They use their long arms to swing from trees. b. They are losing their homes.c. They make tools to catch and eat bugs. d. They talk to each other in their own language.

4. Why are humans cutting trees in the rainforest?

a. Humans think chimps are pests and they want to get rid of them.b. Humans are afraid chimps will try and take over.c. Humans want to use the land for other things.d. Humans need to cut down a lot of trees in order to survive.

5. Why is it important for chimps to have long, strong arms and feet like hands?

6. Could chimps live in other environments? What type of environment would a chimp need to survive?

A chimpanzee uses a stick to fish for termites.

Chimpanzees use their long arms to swing from trees.

A chimpanzee can grab things with its foot.

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GLOSSARYCharacteristic: A quality that makes an animal different from others.

Deforestation: The clearing and cutting of trees and forests by humans.

Endangered: An animal or plant in danger of disappearing from the planet forever.

Expert: Someone who know everything there is to know about something.

Groom: To look after the fur of another animal by brushing or cleaning them.

Habitat: The place where a plant or animal lives.

National Park: National park land that is protected by the government because of its beauty or importance.

Observe: To watch something carefully.

Personality: Combination of qualities that make an individual unique.

Primates: A group of mammals that includes apes, monkeys and prosimians. All members of the group have hands and are very social.

Predators: An animal that kills and eats other animals

Rainforest: A tropical forest where it rains most of the year.

Species: A specific kind of animal or plant

Threat: Something that causes danger.

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Forests like this one in the Congo have been cleared by deforestation.

A chimp grooms another chimp. Does this remind you of anything?

Gombe National Park was set up to protect Chimpanzees.

Chimps are endangered because their are fewer today than in the past.

A3 Reading: Grades 3 Pilot 2016-2017