Paired Readings: 1. The Mermaid of Kona, Hawaii 2. From City to Farm

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1 Name: Immersion: Homework Oct. Week 3 Directions: Read the paired texts separately. Read the first one, then look over it again and annotate it. Next, read the second one, then look over it again and annotate it. To annotate: circle words you don t know and use a dictionary or a parent to find the definition. Write the definition in the annotation box. Put a question mark next to any confusing parts. Star any parts that seem very important, and make notes about what it s important in the annotation box. Paired Readings: 1. The Mermaid of Kona, Hawaii 2. From City to Farm My Annotations The Mermaid of Kona, Hawaii By ReadWorks While many people dream of mermaids mythological aquatic creatures, with the body of a human and tail of a fish few people actually try to become one. How can someone become a mermaid if they don t exist? Just ask Dana Richardson, who is a professional mermaid in Hawaii! As a child, I always felt very connected to the ocean and played mermaids in the water, says Dana. My love of the ocean took me to different types of work as a lifeguard, swim instructor, boat crew member, underwater photographer, snorkel instructor and safety swimmer, boat captain, surfer, and marine mammal naturalist. I just decided to take it to the next level and grow a tail! Dana doesn t mean literally. In 2008 she began making mermaid tails from sequins, fringe, and shiny fabric that she wears while free-diving in the waters around Kona, Hawaii. Free-diving means diving without any protective equipment. It requires you to hold your breath while swimming deep underwater. As she dives in, Dana not only looks like a mermaid; she experiences what it is like to swim like one too. Free-diving is all self-discipline and mind-over-matter, she says. Breath is a big part of free-diving, relaxing the body and lungs in order for the body to stay oxygenated longer. That ultimately takes practice, discipline, and patience. The waters around Dana s home in Kona are filled with wildlife, including dolphins and whales. Kona is by a sheltered sea where the waters are calm for swimming. Dana has been swimming with the creatures of Kona since the early 2000s. Some of them have even learned to recognize her.

2 When I m swimming in the ocean I never touch or feed any of the sea life, and match whatever mood they are in out of respect. I let them come to me. I ve had some amazing dolphin swims, and it s very cool since I know a lot of them. Many times they have rubbed against me. One time in particular, a dolphin and I were swimming, and he stopped next to me and came so close, he put his dorsal fin under my arm and glided with me down about 40 feet. Dana knows how to swim with sea life because she is a trained marine naturalist. She understands the behavior of sea life and knows how to safely interact with it. Every morning when she swims with sea life she gets to experience her other home. The ocean beneath the depths really is another world. The waves, plankton, coral, fish, turtles, rays, dolphins, whales, and sharks are all co-related and need each other to survive. Watching how the world works so gracefully in that circle of life underwater is a beautiful thing. Dana uses her platform as a mermaid to teach people to protect the ocean. Mermaids have appeared in folklore (which means traditional stories) from all parts of the world. In folklore they can be associated with goodwill and love, or with danger and shipwrecks. The most famous mermaid story may be Hans Christian Anderson s The Little Mermaid, which was adapted into a Disney cartoon in While mermaid sightings have been reported for centuries, the United States National Ocean Service stated in 2012 that no evidence of mermaids has ever been found. Some believe that the sightings have actually been of manatees, a marine mammal. Manatees are common in the Caribbean and are likely the creature Christopher Columbus reported as a mermaid. For Dana Richardson being a mermaid just makes sense. I ve always felt more comfortable underwater than on land, she says. As a child I felt a strong draw to the ocean, and dreamed of communicating with whales and dolphins. As a mermaid, I now get to share the undersea magic! Would you like to follow your dream, even if it seems outlandish? Dana reminds everyone, One person can truly make a difference. By following your heart and offering the world your unique gifts, you will inspire others to do so. The world needs you! From City to Farm By ReadWorks Jason Detzel was bored with his work as a psychologist for the United States Air Force, and he was tired of spending all day in an office. Many people enjoy working in an office environment with computers, but Dr. Detzel felt that in the city he was losing touch with something

3 important. So the Richmond, Virginia, resident quit his job and started a farm.* He and his business partner found 80 acres of available land in a small town called Claverack, N.Y., and signed a 10-year lease. They bought hammers, crowbars, nails, and wood. While some farms used a lot of machinery, they decided they wanted to do as much as possible with their own hands. They built a corral for the cows so that the cows would stay inside the pasture where they could move around and graze. They built pig shelters where the pigs could be protected from the weather in the winter. They built a house for the chickens where the hens could lay eggs and Dr. Detzel could collect them. *He started a farm after quitting his job because he wasn t happy. He used to be a psychologist. After almost a year and a half, Diamond Hills Farm had grown to include 10 pigs and 20 cows, including a baby calf that Dr. Detzel was feeding with a bottle. The farm was also home to 100 laying hens, which provided eggs, and 100 other chickens that would be used for their meat. After many months of growth, Dr. Detzel felt like he'd already made something important both for himself and for the land he and his partner owned. "I'm definitely happier being out in the fields with my animals. Even if there are bad days, I'm still happy," Dr. Detzel said. "When you're inside all day, you don't get to see nature working." After starting the farm, Dr. Detzel began seeing many aspects of nature at work. Instead of driving around the farm, he usually walked, and he could feel the texture of the earth beneath his boots. In the winter, the farm became a blinding sea of white. In the summer, it turned into a lush sea of green. Dr. Detzel's work didn't bore him anymore. "The job is different every day on the farm. It's amazing," he said. "You're a farmer. You're a veterinarian. You're a plumber. You're definitely a carpenter a lot. With animal husbandry, all that stuff is different every day on the farm. You're a jack of all trades, master of none. That's what I like about it." As a farmer focusing on raising animals, one of Dr. Detzel s most important tasks was to grow a lot of healthy grass for the animals to eat. Each morning, he rang a bell to let the cows know it was time to move to another section of the corral in another part of the pasture where there was plenty to eat. The droppings, left by the cows and chickens that followed behind them, helped grow more green grass to replace what the cows had eaten. Learning how to manage the animals had been one of the biggest challenges of starting the farm, Dr. Detzel said. He learned that it was important to stick to a routine. That s why he rang the same bell and

4 called to the cows in the same way each day. The routine helped keep the cows calm and cooperative. They weigh much more than I do, and they could push through much, much bigger things than I could ever build, he said of his animals. So it's a matter of keeping them where you want them by keeping them happy. The cows were most happy, he knew, if they were someplace with lots of good water and plenty of healthy grass. If they weren t satisfied with the amount of grass in a pasture, they always let him know with their loud mooing. It wasn t easy for Dr. Detzel to be accepted by the other farmers in his community. With all his tattoos, he looked very different. When he started the farm he was in his early 30s, while most other farmers were older. There weren t many young people starting farms, because it had become harder and harder for small family farms to make much income. Dr. Detzel said that had begun to change when more people became locavores. A locavore is someone who tries to eat food grown and raised nearby. By shopping at their local farmers market, many locavores hope to reduce the amount of energy used to ship food long distances. Many locavores like knowing where their food comes from and being able to talk to the farmers about what chemicals were used and how the animals were treated. Some locavores say food that travels less and spends less time in storage tastes much better. Dr. Detzel likes his new job, but it s much harder to make money. As of July 2013, he was working two jobs 40 hours a week at a local deli and 35 hours or so each week on the farm. But he says it s worth it. I'm much happier," he said. Paired Text Question Set These texts are paired because they both discuss the pursuit of a personal passion. 1. Thinking about what you read in "The Mermaid of Kona, Hawaii, where does Dana Richardson go free-diving?

5 2. Thinking about what you read in "The Mermaid of Kona, Hawaii, how does Dana feel about being in the ocean? Support your answer with evidence from the text. 3. Thinking about the article, From City to Farm, describe the farm where Dr. Detzel lives. 4. Thinking about the article, From City to Farm, How does Dr. Detzel feel about being on a farm? Support your answer with evidence from the text. 5. Thinking about both articles, compare how Dana Richardson feels about being in the ocean with how Dr. Detzel feels about being on a farm. 6. Explain how the place where a person is can affect him or her. Support your answer with evidence from both articles.

6 There are no vocabulary words this week due to teacher work days.