Voyageurs contains miles and miles of

waterways and hundreds of islands. The first day

we took a guided boat tour of Rainy Lake. We
got off to explore Little American Island. Gold
was discovered there in the 1860s. My family
explored the entire island. My sister and I found
Dear Jonathan, an abandoned gold mine. We also discovered
Are you enjoying your summer vacation? tools and other equipment the miners had left
It must be nice to live in California. I bet you behind, but we were disappointed that we didn’t
go to the beach every day. You don’t know how find any gold.
lucky you are.
The second day of the trip we decided to
I’ve totally been enjoying my summer become modern-day voyageurs. Voyageurs are
vacation. My family took an amazing trip to
Voyageurs National Park, which is located in
Minnesota. You wouldn’t believe how big this
national park is! There were so many fun and
challenging things for us to do.
Voyageurs looks like it has more water
than land. I couldn’t believe it when my dad
said we had to leave our car in the parking
lot. Voyageurs is called a “boater’s park”
because you need a boat to explore many of
the places in the park. There are more than
thirty lakes, which were formed when glaciers
carved basins in the rock.

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 what they call the people who canoed through the view was spectacular. It took us several hours,
the waterways in the past. Voyageurs were but it was definitely worth it.
traders and trappers who traveled in birch bark My dad says people can ski and snowshoe
canoes. The canoe looked totally unsteady and I through Voyageurs National Park during the
had never been in one before, so I was kind of winter. I can’t wait to explore the park again in
nervous. After I got used to being in the canoe, December. I can imagine myself traveling across
it was awesome to be so close to the water. We the frozen water on a snowmobile. I never knew
paddled around all the islands. there were so many adventurous things to do at a
The next day we decided we would try national park! DID YOU
camping. I thought this was unbelievable: You KNOW?
Sincerely,
can’t drive to any of the campsites inside the Visitors to Voyageurs
park! We had to bring everything we needed with
Alejandro National Park can
touch rocks that are
us on a boat. This meant that we had to carry our half as old as the
tent, stove, lantern, food, and sleeping bags with world. The park’s rocky
us. It was a challenge to get everything to the landscape was formed
two billion years
site, but once we got there it was amazing. We before the time of
heard loons singing, and my dad swore he heard the dinosaurs.
a wolf howling in the distance that night.
My parents decided we should take a
wilderness hike on our last day at the park. We
had to take a boat to get to the beginning of the
trail. We walked through beautiful forests, climbed
over rocky ridges, and passed several lakes. After
a long journey, we ended up at Cruiser Lake and

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 An park’s history and special features. Yosemite’s

Outdo or visitor centers feature informative displays,

Classroom
photographs, maps, and short videos and films.
These resources help visitors understand how
the park was created. They tell about the people
who have lived in Yosemite in the past. Visitors
When you want to learn about something also learn about how wildlife in Yosemite adapts
in nature, what do you do? Do you read a
and survives.
book from the library? Do you find a fact-
filled website? Have you ever visited a national People can also use the resources at
park? National parks are great places to find the visitor center to plan their visit. They can
information about nature. Most national parks learn about all the places there are to see in
have resources that help visitors learn about Yosemite. Yosemite Falls and Half Dome are two
the park’s habitat, plants, and animals. of the park’s most popular sites. Visitors can
also learn about all the things there are to do.
A national park is an area of land that is
Hiking, camping, fishing, and
protected by the government. National parks
horseback riding are all things
serve many purposes. They preserve places
that have great natural beauty. They also
protect the land and its natural resources.
This includes the plants and animals that live
in each park. Another important purpose is
to educate visitors.
Yosemite National Park is located in
California. It has four visitor centers. A visitor
center is a great place to learn about the

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 people enjoy doing in Yosemite. More adventurous which includes mule deer, black bears, squirrels,
visitors can climb to the top of Half Dome. This is and owls. This helps visitors find and appreciate
probably Yosemite’s most famous landmark. wildlife in a safe way. Almost ninety-five percent
Many national parks have nature centers. This of Yosemite is labeled “wilderness.” This means the
is another place where visitors can learn about ecosystems on this land cannot be affected or
the park. In Yosemite, visitors can explore the changed by people.
Nature Center at Happy Isles. This is a family- National parks are places where all people
friendly nature center that features natural can explore and appreciate nature, but they
history exhibits. Interactive displays provide are also places where we can learn a lot about
information about the park’s wildlife. Learning nature. These “outdoor classrooms” provide many
about the park’s special features helps people different kinds of resources. No matter which
understand why it is important to protect the land. national park you visit, DID YOU
you are sure to learn KNOW?
Many parks have park rangers. These are
people who know a lot about a national park. something new about Yosemite is home to many
endangered and threatened
Yosemite’s park rangers tell visitors about the a special part of our
species of animals. Several
plants and animals they might see during country. kinds of frogs, birds, and
mammals, such as the red
their visit. Park rangers often lead hikes.
fox and bighorn sheep, are
They take visitors to places such as preserved inside the park.
Nevada Fall, Mirror Lake, and Glacier
Point. They help people understand the
special features of the park.
Park rangers also lead nature walks
through Yosemite Valley. They provide
information about the park’s wildlife,

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 life. Now this land and the plants and animals
that live there are protected. In a single day,
I might see something as small as a grass frog
and as large as an
DID YOU
American crocodile. KNOW?
Everglades National
Park is the third largest
Hi, my name is Brian. I’m 10 years old, and I national park in the
love to travel. There are national parks located lower 48 states.
throughout the United States. I love visiting these
places. They help me learn about the many
different habitats, plants, and animals in our
country. Some national parks are dedicated to
preserving nature. I want to tell you about two
parks, located in two very different parts
of the country, that protect some amazing
natural landscapes.
If you look at a U.S. map, you’ll see
Everglades National Park on the southern tip of The Everglades is known as the “River of
Florida. I’ve spent weeks exploring the park, but Grass.” I think this is the perfect name for this
it is huge! It contains almost 1.5 million acres of park. If you look at it from above, you will see a
land. The park was established in 1947. The main slow-moving river full of saw grass. I have to be
purpose was to preserve the natural landscape. careful when I visit the Everglades. It contains
a delicate ecosystem that includes slow-moving
Over centuries, people drained the water.
waterways, ponds, and marshes.
This damaged the land and the plant and animal

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 Thousands of miles away is Hawai’i Volcanoes the American crocodile, and the Florida panther.
National Park, located in the western part of the Hawai’i is home to animals that have lived there
country. I traveled to the southeastern part of for thousands of years. Now animals such as the
the island on Hawai’i to get there. Compared to nene (goose), the Hawaiian petrel (bird), and the
the Everglades, it is a much smaller park. It covers hawksbill turtle are endangered. Park rangers
just over 333,000 acres of land. work hard to protect and preserve these species.
Established in 1916, this park is also dedicated I love being able to visit two very different
to preserving nature. I read that one purpose of places. National parks make it possible for me and
the park is to “protect, conserve, and study the all people to explore, learn about, and appreciate
volcanic landscapes.” The park contains two of the the natural world. DID YOU
KNOW?
world’s most active volcanoes, Kilauea and Mauna
Loa. I still can’t believe that I can go to a park Lava flows have added
about 500 acres of
and see volcanoes! land to the island of
I see a completely different kind of landscape Hawai’i since 1983.

when I visit Hawai’i. This area has been created

and influenced by volcanic eruptions over millions
of years. It is amazing to see Kilauea and Mauna
Loa. During my last visit, I saw a river of bright
orange lava rolling over the black volcanic rock
and down to the ocean. The same day I walked
barefoot across black sand beaches.
Both parks provide a refuge for many
endangered species. In the Everglades, I learned
about endangered animals such as the manatee,

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 and other researchers can study these places
and learn about an ancient culture, without fear
of the sites being damaged or built upon.
Mesa Verde contains over 4,700
archeological sites. The people who lived in Mesa
Verde are called Ancestral Puebloans. At first,
National parks are located throughout they built villages, towers, and temples on top of
the United States. Some areas of land were the mesa. Hundreds of people lived in the villages
designated as national parks because they have and farmed the land on the mesa top. They lived
great natural beauty. The land is protected so
that people can visit, explore, and enjoy the park
for many years.
Mesa Verde National Park is located in
Colorado. This national park features stunning
landscapes, including canyons and sandstone
cliffs. But the park also has great scientific
and educational value. Today visitors can learn
about the past as they explore Mesa Verde’s
natural beauty.
WORD
Mesa Verde National Park was established in WORK
1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt Mesa means “table”
said the goal was to “preserve the works of and verde means
man.” Mesa Verde includes dwellings that were “green” in Spanish.

built by people about 1,400 years ago. Scientists

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 there for about six centuries. Later, many of the center and museum. Visitors can look at displays,
inhabitants built stone dwellings beneath the cliffs. photographs, and ancient artifacts, including
The overhanging cliffs provided shelter for the Native American arts and crafts. These resources
people and their homes. The Ancestral Puebloans bring to life the culture of the Ancestral Puebloans.
lived in this area for about 700 years before they Imagine what might have happened to the
migrated to other areas, including what is now ancient cliff dwellings if Mesa Verde had not
New Mexico and Arizona. been named a national park. The dwellings might
There are over 600 cliff dwellings in Mesa have been destroyed or torn down. Scientists
Verde. Today visitors can take self-guided hikes or might not have been able to learn about the
ranger-led tours through some of the park’s most ancient people who lived there. Visitors would not
famous and important sites. The Cliff Palace is one DID YOU learn about the people
of the largest sites in the park. Research shows KNOW? who built such amazing
that this site contained 150 rooms and 23 kivas. The ancient inhabitants structures and lived below
of Mesa Verde made
Kivas were rooms used for religious purposes. the cliffs.
petroglyphs (pictures
Most of the buildings in Mesa Verde are much carved into rock surfaces)
smaller. This indicates that the Cliff Palace had and decorated the walls
of their dwellings with
special importance.
colorful paintings.
Another famous site is the Balcony House. This
medium-sized site contains about forty rooms. Many
archaeologists have studied this site. They learned
how this house was built over time. The house grew
as more rooms and passageways were added.
You don’t have to be a scientist to explore
Mesa Verde’s history. The park includes a visitor

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 The first national park was Yellowstone. In
1872 President Ulysses S. Grant declared that
Yellowstone should be protected and made it
a national park. Most of Yellowstone’s land is
located in Wyoming. People were impressed by
its great natural beauty and amazed by its many
geysers, which are openings in the ground where
Parks are great places to have fun and get hot water erupts. Many people thought this land
some exercise. You may have played at a park should be preserved. This means that they did
before. A park is an area of land where people not want people to live on this land or damage it.
can play and have fun. But did you know that
Most parks have a visitor’s center. This is a
there are national parks located all throughout
place where people can learn about the park.
the United States? National parks sometimes
The visitor’s center includes informative displays,
cover enormous areas of land, but they are still
photos, and maps. Visitors can learn about the
places where people can learn, explore nature,
park’s history and
and have fun.
A national park is an area of land that is
protected by the government. National parks
include land that has great natural beauty.
Sometimes there is a reason that this land needs
to be protected. A wide variety of plants and
animals live in national parks, and they cannot be
hunted or harmed. National parks also include
important natural resources.

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 special features. This helps people understand
why it is important to protect and preserve the
land. Park rangers help visitors explore the park.
They lead nature walks and hikes while providing
important information about the park’s plant and
animal life.
National parks can also help us learn about Emerald Pool is one of the most colorful hot springs at Yellowstone.
our country’s past. Some parks are located on
land where people lived long ago. In some parks, volcanoes! Most parks include walking and hiking
you can see the homes that these people built. trails. Visitors have the opportunity to explore
Because these places are part of a national park, nature up close.
they are protected. Scientists can study them to Like the parks near your home, national parks
learn about our history. They also look at cultural are places where people can have fun. There
artifacts, or objects that people made and used are so many things to do. Many people enjoy
long ago. These objects help us understand how camping, canoeing, and fishing. Other visitors
people in this area used might take a leisurely nature walk. But there
DID YOU
KNOW? to live. are more exciting things to do as well. Rafting
In 2011, almost 279 National parks are down a river gives people a sense of the power
million people visited located in many different and beauty of nature. Climbing a mountain is a
national parks in the challenging and exciting way to explore a park.
U.S. The national park geographical areas. This
system includes 398 means that visitors can Many consider our national parks as national
areas and covers 84 explore everything from treasures. They are places that belong to all
million acres. Parks are
located in every state deserts, mountains, and people. Each national park is a place that people
except Delaware. canyons to glaciers and can visit and enjoy for years to come.

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 Student Response Sheet Individual Reading

Name
Key Question
Why should we protect national parks?

On Your Own
1. Read the Key Question. Then read the selection. Look for details in the
selection that help you answer the Key Question. Highlight these details.
2. Now look back at the selection. Write the details you highlighted on the
Idea Web below.

Special features
of a national park

3. Think about the Key Question. Write your answer to the Key Question
using the details you found in the selection you read.

My First Answer

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 Student Response Sheet Student Response Sheet
Team Discussion Individual Reading

Name
Key Question
Why should we protect national parks?

Share Your Ideas

Meet with your team. Talk about each selection your team read.
1. Summarize the ideas and information in the selection you read. Show the
Idea Web you made.
2. Look at the Idea Webs your team made. Compare the information from
each of your selections by looking at all the webs you made. Answer these
questions together.
• What are some of the purposes of national parks?
• What special features make national parks worth protecting?
Next, write the details that answer the Key Question on the Idea Web. Write
only the details that are in every selection your team read.

Why should we
protect national parks?

Answer the Key Question

Review the details on your team’s web. As a team, write an answer to the
Key Question. Use details from the selections to support your answer.

Why should we protect national parks?

Our Team’s Answer

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