HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT

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1 All About Sports by Cynthia Benjamin H O U G H T O N M I F F L I N H A R C O U R T

2 All About Sports by Cynthia Benjamin PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover (r) AFP/Getty Images; Cover (c) Rob Carr/Getty Images; Cover (l) Ezra Shaw/Getty Images; 1 Washington Post/Getty Images; 3 Underwood & Underwood/Corbis; 4 Sports Studio Photos/Contributor/ Getty Images; 5 (l) Wayne Hughes/Alamy; 5 (r) Comstock/Getty images; 6 Washington Post/Getty Images; 7 Kari Marttila/Alamy; 8 PCN Photography/Alamy; 9 (l) JBCN/Alamy; 9 (c) Artville/Getty Images; 9 (r) Datacraft Co Ltd/ Getty Images; 10 CORBIS; 11 EPA European Pressphoto Agency b.v./alamy; 12 (l) Andre Jenny/Alamy; 12 (c) Andre Jenny/Alamy; 12 (r) Andre Jenny/Alamy; 13 Patti McConville/Alamy; 14 (l) Comstock/Getty Images; 14 (r) Datacraft Co Ltd/Getty Images. Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, Attn: Contracts, Copyrights, and Licensing, 9400 South Park Center Loop, Orlando, Florida Printed in the U.S.A. ISBN: XXXX A B C D E F G If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited. Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format.

3 Lacrosse America s First Sport Native Americans have played lacrosse for hundreds of years. In fact, lacrosse is the oldest sport in North America. Today athletes play this exciting game in sports competitions. But Native Americans played lacrosse for very different reasons, including healing the sick and settling conflicts. As many as one thousand players on each side would take turns joining fierce games that might last days before a victory. The playing field might be fifteen miles long! These players weren t just trying to win a game. They were also playing to prepare themselves for war. 2

4 Two college teams play lacrosse in the early 1900s. In 1636, a Frenchman in Canada contributed to our knowledge of lacrosse by writing about the Native American game for the first time. Over time, the sport became more popular, and, by the 1800s, many people in Canada and the United States were playing the game. A college in New York City formed the first college team in the United States in Even high school students in some American schools played lacrosse by the late 1800s. 3

5 4 Two professional lacrosse teams compete in a match in a crowded stadium in Pennsylvania.

6 Lacrosse Today Centuries ago, Native American players used a tree or a rock for a goal. They used wooden sticks to hit balls made from stone, wood, or deerskin. And they played without any gear to protect them. Today, players wear gloves, light pads, and helmets with face masks. They use a rubber ball, and a long handled stick with a net pocket at one end. They play on a field that s 110 yards long (about 100 m) with a net goal at each end. There are only ten players on each team. Playing lacrosse is a different process today, but one thing hasn t changed. Lacrosse is still a fast game. Goal Crosse Lacrosse ball 5

7 Today s lacrosse games are divided into four 15-minute periods. The game is fast-paced, with action moving quickly up and down the field. Even a fraction of a second can mean the difference between scoring a goal or not. Not surprisingly, many kids love lacrosse. They play the sport at school and in regional championships around the country. High school girls run up the field during a lacrosse match. 6

8 Ice Skating History People were ice skating in northern Europe 3,000 years ago. They tied animal bones to their feet, and used long wooden poles to push themselves across the ice. Of course, when metal blades finally replaced the bones of cows, horses, and sheep, skates improved a great deal. People could skate faster, and go longer distances across the ice. People had been ice skating in England for centuries before British soldiers introduced this sport to the United States in the 1740s. Until the 1800s, people could only skate in the winter. But then, in 1879, the first ice skating rink with artificially frozen ice opened in New York City. early handmade ice skates 7

9 American speed skater, Katherine Reutter, won a silver medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. As more and more public rinks opened, ice skating became even more popular. Speed skating, in which athletes race across the ice with great power, became an Olympic sport in Dancing on the Ice In the mid-1800s, an American named Jackson Haines added more flexible movements to ice skating, and changed the sport forever. Suddenly skaters were moving like dancers, leaping, spinning, turning, and jumping high in the air. 8

10 To jump and spin across the ice, skaters needed a better skate. Soon, a skate made for figure skaters was built with a higher boot to give the skaters more support. Figure skates were improved again with the addition of something called a toe pick. At the front part of the blade, a toe pick has sharp edges that help a figure skater get a better grip on the ice when jumping. Over one hundred years ago, figure skating was included in the Winter Olympic Games for the first time. Today, it is one of the most popular events at the Winter Games. toe pick figure skates speed skates 9

11 Baseball America s Game For many years Americans believed that Abner Doubleday invented baseball in 1839 at Cooperstown, New York. But that has turned out to be a make-believe story, or myth. What s the truth? A man named Alexander Cartwright first compiled the rules of baseball in The very first baseball competition took place just one year later in a New Jersey field. In 1897, crowds filled the seats and stood against the outfield fences to watch a baseball game between teams from Baltimore and Boston. 10

12 At first, athletes belonged to amateur baseball clubs that had formed in cities and towns across the country. Fans loved to watch their favorite players compete in this popular American sport. But that changed when baseball became a professional game. Not only did fans pay for admission to watch baseball games in enclosed fields, but teams started to pay their players. Finally, in 1903, teams from the American and National Leagues played each other in the first World Series. A great American tradition was born. Baseball players celebrate after winning the 2011 World Series. 11

13 At the National Baseball Hall of Fame, you can see thousands of items on exhibit. A Baseball Museum What makes baseball special to you? You can find out more about the sport s history, athletes, and teams during a visit to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. One exhibit shows visitors the role that women have played in the game. Another one looks at famous ballparks from the past and present. You can check out the batting records of your favorite players or look at the huge collection of baseball cards. You can wander through the Hall of Fame gallery on the first floor. You can even learn more about how to hit a baseball during one of the museum s special summer programs. 12

14 Before you leave, you can check out the interactive, or hands-on, activities at the Sandlot Kids Clubhouse. You can see how tall you are compared to a chart showing the height of famous baseball players. Who knows, maybe your name will be on that chart one day! 13

15 Time Line: Lacrosse, Skating, Baseball 1636 A French Canadian first writes about a Native American game called lacrosse. 1740s British soldiers introduced ice skating to the United States Alexander Cartwright first listed the rules of baseball An American introduced the first all steel ice skate The first American college lacrosse team was formed Baseball teams play the first World Series. 14

16 Responding TARGET SKILL Sequence of Events Who first played lacrosse? When did British solders bring ice skating to this country? When did baseball teams first play in the World Series? Copy and fill in the chart below. First Native Americans played lacrosse hundreds of years ago. Next? Finally? Write About It Text to World Have you ever played lacrosse or baseball? Have you ever tried ice skating? Write a paragraph explaining which of the sports you like best and why. 15

17 TARGET VOCABULARY athletes compete contribute flexible fraction improve power process Expand Your Vocabulary amateur artificially competitions compiled exhibit knowledge professional tradition victory TARGET SKILL Sequence of Events Tell the time order in which events happen. TARGET STRATEGY Question Ask questions before you read, while you read, and after you read. GEnrE Informational Text gives factual information about a topic. 16

18 Level: Q DRA: 40 Genre: Informational Text Strategy: Question Skill: Sequence of Events Word Count: HOUGHTON MIFFLIN Online Leveled Books