Every year about this time thousands of penguins rejoice to see the sun peep above the horizon in Antarctica. The return of the sun after 6 long months of chilly darkness means spring has arrived. For penguins it's time to shed a few pounds of blubber, find a mate, and bask in the sunshine for the next 6 months. For a small band of scientists and technicians who wintered over at the south pole, it's time for supply drops, mail, and fresh fruit. Outside the temperature begins to climb from a frigid -70 deg.
Spring is in the air.
It's called the autumnal equinox. Younger students should read the appropriate Kid's Story, below, which summarizes the grown-up headlines. Content area reading is when students are not learning to read but are reading to learn information. The last and first paragraphs summarize and rephrase the main concepts of the article. The reading level is lower than the grade level to facilitate the acquisition of new concepts.