National Geographic Readers - Coral Reefs: Level 3

Spine: 2.5mm

Awesome facts, crazy quizzes and brain-busting games.

L E VE L

Level 3

3

Everything you need to know about Coral Reefs!

RATTINI

Every National Geographic Kids Reader is carefully selected to match your child’s reading ability.

Coral Reefs

Level 1 • Early reader

Level 3 • Becoming independent

LEVEL 3

Level 4 • Independent reader

CORAL REEFS

Level 3 Best suited to kids who are ready for complex sentences and more challenging vocabulary, but still draw on occasional support from adults. They are ideal for readers of Purple and Gold banded books.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS READERS

Level 2 • Becoming fluent

ISBN 978-0-00-831725-6

Adapted by Collins for readers of British English.

Notes for teachers and parents available on collins.co.uk.

9 780008 317256

Kristin Baird Rattini

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04/07/2018 15:27

r e d n U City Sea the This shallow sea looks calm. But under the surface, a coral reef is a busy place.

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What did the coral reef say to the water?

You’re so shallow!

Q

A

Many thousands of different creatures swim and hide along the reef. There they f ind food and shelter. They make their home in this “city under the sea”.

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A coral reef is a very important ecosystem. More sea creatures live around coral reefs than in any other part of the ocean.

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N

m

Eur

ope A

o

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A N A T L

PACI FI C OCEAN

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PACIFIC OCEAN

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th

a i c e r

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Africa

a

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EQUATOR

I N D I AN

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South America

I C

EQUATOR

A N C E

O C E AN

Australia

MAP KEY Coral reef

Antarctica

Reefs are found in many spots around the world. Most reefs grow in shallow, clean ocean waters on either side of the Equator. They need sunlight and warm temperatures all year to Reef Talk ECOSYSTEM: all the living survive. and non-living things in an area

EQUATOR: the imaginary line around Earth, halfway between the North and South Poles

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21/06/2018 10:31

s r e d l i u B f e e R a group of coral polyps

a coral polyp up close

Coral reefs look as if they are made of rocks. But, in fact, they are groups of animals called corals.

Each coral group is made up of many separate coral polyps.

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In reef ecosystems, there are two kinds of coral: hard and soft. Only hard coral polyps form reefs. Hard coral polyps are named for their hard casings.

Hard corals make reefs.

Reef Talk CORAL POLYP: a small, simple sea animal with a tube-shaped body and a mouth with tentacles at the top

Soft corals do not make reefs.

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One coral polyp can be as small as the head of a pin. But when many polyps join together, they make a reef that can stretch for many kilometres.

fan coral with open polyps

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