About Trees
A Reading A–Z Level P Leveled Reader
Word Count: 769 About Trees
Photo Credits:
Cover, back cover, title page, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12 (bottom left), 14, 15: © ArtToday;
page 4: © Getty Images; page 9 (main): © Robert Estall/CORBIS; page 9 (inset):
© Royalty-Free/Getty Images; page 10: Royalty-Free/Getty Images; page 11
(main): Royalty-Free/Getty Images; page 11 (bottom left), 12 (all except bottom
left): © Hemera Technologies; page 13: © David Aubrey/CORBIS
3 4
Leaves
5 6
Branches Trunk
Branches are the arms that hold up a Tubes in the tree’s trunk carry water
tree’s leaves. Branches spread leaves out from the roots up to the leaves. They
to get as much sunlight as they can. The also carry sap, or food, down from the
leaves give shade to other living things leaves to the roots. These tubes are like
on sunny days. highways, carrying traffic back and
forth. They are close to the outside of
Branches start out as twigs, then they
the tree, just under the bark.
grow thicker each year. As a tree grows,
its bark cracks open so the branches and
trunk can expand. New bark is always
growing under the old, ready to protect
the tree. If new bark gets stripped away,
a tree can die.
branch leaves
twigs
trunk roots
7 8
active highways
old growth
bark
9 10
Sap Seeds
Leaves use water plus sunlight and air Deciduous trees grow flowers, which
to make food for the tree. This food is make seeds that are inside fruit or nuts.
in the form of liquid sugars. Sometimes Conifers make cones instead of flowers.
people eat some kinds of tree sugars for The cones do the same job for conifers
food. You’ve probably had tree sugar for that flowers do on other trees. They
breakfast—pouring it over your pancakes make seeds to grow more trees. Each
or waffles. Have you guessed what tree seed holds its own supply of food to
sugar this is? It’s maple syrup, and it keep it alive until it’s ready to sprout.
comes from the food, or sap, of a sugar
pine nuts
maple tree.
A bucket apple
collects seeds
sap from
a tap in a
maple tree.
apple fruit
pinecone
Pancakes
swim in
maple
syrup. apple
blooms
acorn
11 12
Growing Conclusion
How does a tall While trees look like they aren’t doing
tree grow from a much, they are working. They make
small seed? The their own food by changing sunlight
seed soaks up and air into sugars. This helps keep
water until it can the air clean, too.
seed leaves
send out a root.
Trees are homes and food for birds
With more water,
and other animals. Look to see which
leaves inside the
animals make homes in trees near your
seed case grow
home. Some
until they push up
animals,
and out. Once this
including
has happened, we
humans, eat
say the seed has seed case
sap, fruit,
sprouted.
and seeds
Now the sprout from trees.
roots
can make its own Others eat
food and no This shows how a sprout grows bark and
from a seed.
longer needs the leaves.
seed’s store of energy. The seed leaves
will make food for the new sprout. Holes in trees
make safe homes
for many owls.
13 14
Glossary
bark the rough covering on a tree’s
branches and trunk (p. 7)
chlorophyll green coloring in leaves that can
turn water, air, and sunlight into
food (p. 5)
conifers trees, such as pine and spruce,
with needle-like leaves (p. 5)
deciduous trees that lose their leaves in the fall
trees and grow them in the spring (p. 5)
nutrients things from soil and food that
living things use to stay healthy
and grow (p. 10)
protect to keep something from harm (p. 7)
sap the liquid sugars trees make for
their food (p. 8)
Trees do many things. Tree leaves shade seed case the outer covering of a seed (p. 13)
us on sunny days. They also shade new sprout to begin growing (p. 12)
sprouts from the heat of the sun so they Index
won’t burn. Tree roots hold the soil in chlorophyll, 5, 6 maple syrup, 11
place that trees and other plants need to cones, 12 redwood, 4
grow. From saplings to mighty giants, fruit, 12, 14 sprout, 13
trees stand tall. giant sequoia, 4 sugar maple, 11
15 16
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