Grade 7 Reading Informational Book SAMPLE

Informational Mastery READING

grade 7

Grade 7 Reading Informational Texts

Hunting Morel Mushrooms 7 The Yonaguni Monument 13 Third Man on the Moon 19 The Black Saturday Bushfires 25 Blackout 31 The Spice of Life 37 Making the Lion King 43 Lesser Known Gems 49 The Museum of Failed Products 55

Tyler’s Determination 61 Manhji the Mountain Mover 63

Peace Memorial Park 73 Planet of War 79 How Blue Jeans Are Made 87 Becoming Pam 93 Eating Insects 99 America’s Game, America’s Shame 105 The Six Flags Over Texas 111 A Nostalgic Three Seconds 117 The Best Way to Discover America 123

Hunting Morel Mushrooms

1 Morels are edible mushrooms that grow wild in many areas of North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. There are at least 60 different species of morel mushrooms, with 19 species present in the United States alone. Each year, mushroom hunters search for tasty morels during the short growing season. The harvested morels sell for as much as $80 or more per pound! If you know what kind of gear to bring, when and where to hunt, what to look for, and how to harvest, you can hunt for morel mushrooms, too.

What to Bring

2 To hunt for morel mushrooms, you'll need a map or GPS, boots, long pants, a walking stick, a field guide, and a mesh or burlap sack. The map will help you navigate the forest as you search for mysterious morels. (You'll want to mark any locations where you discover morels so you can return the next year.) Meanwhile, the boots and long pants will protect you from thorns and thistles in the underbrush. The walking stick will help you get around on uneven terrain, but you may also use the stick to move plants and fallen leaves aside so you can search for morels without bending over. Once you find your first mushrooms, the field guide will help you verify that they are morels. Then you can store and transport your morels in the mesh or burlap sack. Mushroom hunters prefer to use mesh or burlap because these materials are breathable. A breathable material allows mushroom spores to disperse as you move around the forest, spreading morels for future seasons.

When to Hunt

3 Morels can “pop” at slightly different times from one year to the next. Mushroom growth depends on air temperature, soil temperature, and rainfall. Generally, morels emerge around the same time as tulips in the spring. The best time to search for morels is when the air temperature reaches 50-60˚F during the daytime and falls to around 40˚F at night. If the season starts out dry, the mushrooms may take a little longer to appear, but don't wait too long to start searching! The life cycle of a morel mushroom is only two weeks long.

Where to Hunt

4 Most mushroom hunters treat the exact locations of their favorite morel patches as closely guarded secrets. Still, there are some areas that are clearly better for morel hunting than others. The best places to look for morels are around dead or dying elm trees, which enrich the soil with nutrients that morels find particularly favorable. You may also find morels growing around cottonwood, ash, or apple trees, on shady hillsides, or in areas of forest that have recently been burned.

What to Look For

5 Morel mushrooms may be difficult to find, but they are easy to recognize. They have textured caps that resemble honeycombs or brains. The most common morels are yellow or gray, but black, brown, and white varieties also exist. You can distinguish between a true morel and an imposter by cutting the specimen in half. If the mushroom is hollow, you can be sure that it's a morel. If the mushroom has a solid, meaty center, however, you should leave it alone. When in doubt, consult your field guide and never consume a mushroom unless you are certain that it is safe. Remember: “One wrong pick, and you'll be sick!”

6 If you see a single morel, scan the area for others. Morel mushrooms often grow in clusters, and “where there's one, you're rarely done!” Look for morels that are large enough to harvest (at least two inches tall).

How to Harvest

7 Once you've discovered a morel, pick it carefully. The best way to harvest a mushroom is to pinch the stem just above the base. This leaves the root system intact so the mushroom has the best chance to grow back the following year. Avoid yanking or pulling a morel from the ground.

The Hunt is On!

8 When springtime comes around and the morels start popping, there's nothing stopping you from joining the hunt. You now know what kind of gear to bring, when and where to hunt, what to look for, and how to harvest morels. The only thing left is for you to get out there and start searching. If the taste of a fresh morel doesn't hook you, the thrill of the hunt will!

1 Which word from paragraph 2 helps the reader understand the meaning of the word disperse?

A breathable

B spreading

C uneven

D return

2 In paragraph 5, an imposter is –

A an imitator

B a threat

C a weakling

D a neighbor

3 What is the definition of the word intact in paragraph 7?

A broken

B organized

C imperfect

D complete

4 According to the selection, how are morels different from other mushrooms?

A Morels are relatively easy to find.

B Morels grow in forested areas.

C Morels should be carried in mesh or burlap sacks.

D Morels are hollow inside.

5 Read the following excerpt from paragraph 2.

Mushroom hunters prefer to use mesh or burlap because these materials are breathable. A breathable material allows mushroom spores to disperse as you move around the forest, spreading morels for future seasons.

This excerpt reveals that mushroom hunters –

A care about preserving morel mushrooms

B are old-fashioned

C lose many of the mushrooms they find

D are too rough when handling morels

6 Under which heading could the reader expect to find information about the shape of a morel mushroom's cap?

A What to Bring

B When to Hunt

C Where to Hunt

D What to Look For

7 Which sentence from the selection helps explain why people hunt for morel mushrooms?

A Morel mushrooms may be difficult to find, but they are easy to recognize.

B If you know what kind of gear to bring, when and where to hunt, what to look for, and how to harvest, you can hunt for morel mushrooms, too.

C If the taste of a fresh morel doesn't hook you, the thrill of the hunt will!

D Most mushroom hunters treat the exact locations of their favorite morel patches as closely guarded secrets.

8 The author most likely included the image in the selection to –

A demonstrate the correct way to pick a morel mushroom

B compare morel mushrooms to other mushrooms

C show what a morel mushroom looks like

D support the idea that morel mushrooms are tasty

9 According to the information in Hunting Morel Mushrooms, where is the best place to search for morels?

A Near tulips

B Near water

C Near elm trees

D Near apple trees

10 The author wrote this selection most likely to –

A educate the reader about poisonous mushrooms

B encourage the reader to try mushroom hunting

C compare morels to other North American mushrooms

D persuade the reader the help preserve morel mushrooms