suggested levels for guided reading, dra, lexile, in the...

TheThe WWaatteer r CCyyccllee

ofof AAffrriiccaa

Suggested levels for Guided Reading, DRA,™ Lexile,® and Reading Recovery™ are provided in the Pearson Scott Foresman Leveling Guide.

ISBN 0-328-13658-1

ì

Reader Response1. Why do boat trips end at the lower Congo River?

2. Create a cause-and-effect graphic organizer like the one below to organize information about the water cycle. Fill in your organizer to show what happens and why it happens.

3. Read this sentence:

As the summer heat melted the ice in Tim’s drink, moisture formed on the outside of his glass.

What words could be used in this sentence as synonyms for moisture?

4. How does the water cycle affect your community? How is that similar to or different from the examples of the water cycle given in this book?

Cause Effect

Vocabulary

densest

eaves

expanse

moisture

ventured

Word count: 1,453

Note: The total word count includes words in the running text and headings only. Numerals and words in chapter titles, captions, labels, diagrams, charts, graphs, sidebars, and extra features are not included.

13658_CVR_FSD C-D13658_CVR_FSD C-D 1/25/06 5:49:52 PM1/25/06 5:49:52 PM

The Water Cycle

of Africa

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

Coppell, Texas • Ontario, California • Mesa, Arizona

by Kathleen Cox

13658_001-024_FSD.indd 113658_001-024_FSD.indd 1 11/22/05 10:57:28 AM11/22/05 10:57:28 AM

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 ©Patrick Ward/Corbis; 1 ©Karl Ammann/Corbis; 3 ©Wayne Lawler; Ecoscene/Corbis; 4 ©Luciano Corbella/DK Images; 8 Susan J.Carlson; 11 ©Sean Sexton Collection/Corbis; 12 ©Patrick Ward/Corbis; 14 ©Chris Hellier/Corbis; 16 (Bkgd) ©Nevada Wier/Corbis; 18 (B)©Paul Almasy/Corbis; 19 ©Karl Ammann/Corbis; 20 Corbis

ISBN: 0-328-13658-1

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. Printed in China. 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.

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V0H3 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06

13658_001-024_FSD.indd 213658_001-024_FSD.indd 2 4/6/06 2:43:54 PM4/6/06 2:43:54 PM

Earth’s Water SupplyIt is easy to take the Earth’s supply of water for

granted. Huge oceans send wave after wave of pounding water against thousands of miles of shoreline. Shimmering rivers wind through cities and villages around the world. Rain and snow fall all over the planet year after year. Most of all, whenever we turn on a faucet inside our home to cook or wash our hands, we always seem to have more than enough water.

When we see so much water around us, it is hard to believe that the Earth’s supply of fresh water is limited.

3


Water storage in the atmosphere

Groundwate

r discharge

Water evaporates.

Streamflow

Water condenses into clouds.

Water storage in oceans

4

The e Water r Cycle

Water collects in the Earth’s lakes, rivers, and oceans. Then this moisture evaporates. It changes to vapor, a gas that goes into the air.

The vapor travels higher in the atmosphere, where the air is colder. The vapor gets colder and condenses, or turns into tiny droplets of water.


All living things depend on the Earth’s water cycle to stay alive.

Water storage in ice and snow

Water falls as precipitation.

Snowmelt runoff to streams

Surface runoff

Freshwater storage

Water seeps into the ground.

Groundwate

r storage

5

Millions of these droplets come together and form a cloud. When a cloud becomes too heavy, the water falls back down to Earth as rain, sleet, hail, or snow, which are all forms of precipitation.

When it lands on the ground, the precipitation seeps into the soil, where it helps plants to grow. It also goes into oceans, lakes, and rivers. Then the water cycle begins again.


�

The Rivers of AfricaAfrica has three of the world’s longest

rivers: the Nile River, the Congo River, and the Niger River. It also has the Zambezi River.

The rain that falls each year affects these rivers. If there is no rain for weeks or months, the water level goes down. More and more of the river bank is exposed, showing how the volume of water in the river is decreasing.

About 70 percent of all Africans are farmers. The rain and the nearby rivers provide the water for their crops. When water is scarce, the farmers lose their crops, and many of them go hungry.

Africa, like everywhere else on Earth, depends on the water cycle.

7

Tropical Wet

Tropical Wet and Dry

Semiarid

Desert

Subtropical Dry Summer

Subtropical Moist

Highland

S o u t h

A t l a n t i c

O c e a n

I n d i a n

O c e a n

Equator

S A H A R A

NA

MIB

DE

SE

RT

KALAHARIDESERT

RAINFOREST

S A V A N N A

S AVA N N A

8


Climate map of Africa

The Climates of AfricaAfrica is split almost exactly in half by the equator.

Tropical rain forests cover much of the land at the equator. They average at least seventy inches of rainfall each year.

The rain forest’s many plants make it a perfect home for many animals. Rain forests have the densest vegetation on Earth.

On either side of the tropical rain forests are grasslands called savannas. The tall grasses and the climate provide the ideal environment for lions, leopards, elephants, and numerous species of birds.

Africa also has deserts. The huge expanse known as the Sahara, in the northern half of the continent, is the world’s largest desert. The Kalahari and the Namib are smaller deserts in the southern half of Africa. These dry areas receive very little rainfall. Summer temperatures can reach as high as 120 degrees in the daytime. During the winter, nighttime temperatures can fall below freezing.

9


The Aswan Dam was built to control river flooding.

10

Climate, Geography, and Africa’s Rivers

Africa’s climate plays an important role in the life of each African river. During the dry season, when there is little or no rain, the flow of the rivers slows down. Less water flows into inland lakes and the ocean. During the rainy season, the rivers become swollen with rain, and all the new water heads downstream to lakes and the ocean.

In some parts of Africa, where the rainy season lasts for weeks and months, the rivers often flood and spill over their banks. Dams and reservoirs tame the rivers by controlling the flow of water, thus helping prevent flood damage and allowing crop irrigation.

Africa’s geography also shapes the course of its rivers. Africa’s major rivers start in the highlands or in the mountains. Hot vapor rises into the air from warm regions. Winds carry moisture to the hilly areas where the air is cooler. The cooler air condenses the vapor into moisture that creates clouds.


11


The Zambezi River, which is Africa’s fourth longest river, has the magnificent Victoria Falls, where the river drops 400 feet.

As the River TravelsAs the river continues to follow its natural course,

it sometimes explodes over cliffs to make beautiful waterfalls. It can also pick up speed as it flows over big boulders, creating rapids. The Congo River in southwestern Africa has a long series of rapids combined with a series of waterfalls. The Nile River and Zambezi River also have stretches of rushing rapids and cascading falls.

12


After leaving the highlands, an African river enters the savannas. Here, the land tends to level out, and the river slows down. It creates a snakelike course that bends in every direction. The river may also widen dramatically. When the Congo River flows through the savanna on its journey to the ocean, some stretches of the river are at least seven miles wide.

13


Africans use river water to irrigate the crops that provide most of the continent’s food.

14


15

The wandering path of each river adds many miles to its length. The bends and turns, however, take the river through more land, serving the needs of many living things.

After Africa’s rivers pass through the grassy savannas, they enter plains, where the waters deposit sediment that the river has collected during its journey. Sediment improves the quality of the soil and crops.

These plains also contain wetlands that slow down the movement of the floodwaters in and out of the land in the river basin. For centuries, travelers have taken food, water, and shelter in the wetlands before and after they ventured across the desert. The final leg of the river’s voyage usually ends at a lake or in the ocean.


The Mighty NileThe Nile River travels in a south-to-north direction

on its long journey to the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is divided into two sections. The Blue Nile begins as a small spring that comes up from the ground upstream from a lake in the highlands of Ethiopia. The White Nile begins at Lake Victoria, which is the largest lake in Africa.

Before the Aswan Dam was completed in 1971, the Nile River would flood its banks during the rainy season. The farmers always planted their crops right after the floodwaters lowered.

Some farmers also protected their homes from the heavy rains by building circular homes with cone-shaped grass roofs that had no eaves. They were designed so that the water just flowed right off the roof. Other farmers living in the Nile River basin left their homes during the flood season.

16


The Nile River—the world’s longest river—flows for about 4,180 miles through northeastern Africa.

17


The Congo River is more than 2,700 miles long.

The Congo RiverThe Congo River journeys through western central

Africa. The Congo is the continent’s most important river for navigation. Boats carry people and cargo to many areas that lack roads. The Congo River links many remote areas together.

Many of the more than one million people who live in the Congo River basin fish from the riverbanks. People hunt the wildlife that roam near the riverbanks or farm the rich land that is fertilized by the floodwaters.

As the upper Congo tumbles into lower land, tributaries increase its size and speed, making it

18


Hippopotamuses delight in the Congo’s watery forests.

impossible for boats to travel this part of the Congo. At Kisangani, the river widens and slows down. Boats can move along this section until they finally enter the lower Congo. Here, all boat trips end. They cannot navigate the river’s long series of waterfalls and rapids as the Congo nears its final destination—the Atlantic Ocean.

Much of the Congo River travels through tropical, steamy rain forests that receive more than ninety inches of rain each year. Moisture seems to hang in the air. The Congo is a welcoming home to hundreds of species of freshwater fish and lots of birds, such as pelicans and storks.

19


20


The Niger River is a valuable lifeline for the people of Mali.

The Niger RiverThe Niger River flows for more than 2,600

miles. This river begins its journey in the mountains of Guinea. It winds and twists through the Republic of Mali. The Sahara Desert covers much of northern Mali, so the Niger River is extremely important in helping herders keep their animals alive.

The Niger River has created one of the largest deltas in Africa. This region contains swamplands filled with rare pygmy hippopotamuses, African manatees, and swamp otters that play on sandbars. Fish and water birds inhabit the Niger.

SummaryAfrican rivers benefit from the water cycle,

which brings the rain that nourishes each waterway. In turn, the rivers bring water to the nearby land, where it benefits the people and the animals that live near the river. The river water also benefits all the crops that are so important for Africans’ survival.

The water from the river also provides important moisture. Over time, this moisture slowly evaporates and becomes the vapor that plays a necessary role in the water cycle—forming the clouds overhead. These clouds furnish the precipitation that begins the water cycle all over again. The water cycle is a perfect recycling system. Each river in Africa is a lifeline, and so is the water cycle. Human beings need to respect this natural recycling resource.

21


22

Glossarydensest adj. thickest or most crowded.

eaves n. overhang on the edge of a roof that extends out from a house.

expanse n. wide open area of land or sky.

moisture n. water in liquid or vapor form.

ventured v. braved the dangers of something.

13658_001-024_FSD.indd 2213658_001-024_FSD.indd 22 11/22/05 11:01:34 AM11/22/05 11:01:34 AM 13658_001-024_FSD.indd 2313658_001-024_FSD.indd 23 11/22/05 11:01:35 AM11/22/05 11:01:35 AM13658_001-024_FSD.indd 2413658_001-024_FSD.indd 24 11/22/05 11:01:36 AM11/22/05 11:01:36 AM

Reader Response1. Why do boat trips end at the lower Congo River?

2. Create a cause-and-effect graphic organizer like the one below to organize information about the water cycle. Fill in your organizer to show what happens and why it happens.

3. Read this sentence:

As the summer heat melted the ice in Tim’s drink, moisture formed on the outside of his glass.

What words could be used in this sentence as synonyms for moisture?

4. How does the water cycle affect your community? How is that similar to or different from the examples of the water cycle given in this book?

Cause Effect

Vocabulary

densest

eaves

expanse

moisture

ventured

Word count: 1,453

Note: The total word count includes words in the running text and headings only. Numerals and words in chapter titles, captions, labels, diagrams, charts, graphs, sidebars, and extra features are not included.

13658_CVR_FSD C-D13658_CVR_FSD C-D 1/25/06 5:49:52 PM1/25/06 5:49:52 PM

previous: next:

suggested levels for guided reading, dra, lexile, in the...

Documents