Compare and Contrast: Cartoons Come to Life by Adrienne Hathoway

In the movie Toy Story, a group of toys come to life. In a TV commercial, a car races down the highway. The car is going so fast that it flies into the air. Suddenly, the car has stripes and claws. It has turned into a tiger! How do all these things happen? The answer is in the fascinating world of computer animation.

Animation has been around for a long time. You may remember Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny. These cartoon characters were created in a procedure called cel animation.

Cel-animation cartoons are drawn on clear sheets of plastic. To make them move, the artist draws a series of pictures. The artist makes each picture slightly different from the one before. Then, the artist shows the pictures at an accelerated pace. This process makes the cartoons seem to move. To make longer films, like Bambi or Snow White, artists need to draw thousands of cels. It is very tedious work.

A newer technique uses computers to make cartoons seem alive. It is different from cel animation in many ways. One of the most significant changes is very simple. If you look closely, you’ll notice that cel animation cartoons look flat. You can see them move but they don’t look real. The images are two-dimensional---they have height and width, but they have no depth.

Computers enable animators to create lifelike, three-dimensional, or 3-D, images. First , the animator or artist records the shape of an object, animal, or person from all sides. Once recorded in the computer, the 3-D image can be rotated, moved, and twisted. The artist can add and change details. The image is transformed into a cartoon character with its own personality and flair. Cartoon artists have discovered a sensational new tool. Cartooning will never be the same.

  1. What is one main difference between the two kinds of animation?
  2. Cel animation is more interesting to watch
  3. Cel animation images are two-dimensional, while computer animation images are three-dimenisional
  4. Movies with cel animation are longer
  5. Both forms of animation are difficult to create
  6. Computer and cel animation are alike because
  7. Both are used only in movies
  8. Both are done on a computer
  9. Both make images that move and seem to come to life
  10. Both are easy to do
  11. Which of the following statements is true?
  12. Cel animation images are big, but computer animation images are small
  13. Computer animators record the shape of objects from all sides
  14. Cel animation is only in black and white but computer animation is in color
  15. Cel animation is new, and computer animation is old
  1. Which of the sentences below states a fact?
  2. Computer animation is great art
  3. Cartoons are only for kids
  4. Animation has been around for a long time
  5. New cartoons are terrific pictures of real people
  6. Which sentence is the best description of computer animation?
  7. Cel animation cartoons look flat
  8. Cartoon artists have discovered a terrific new tool
  9. With computer animation, an artist can draw two dimensional images
  10. Computer animation makes it possible to create lifelike images

Kid Inventors by Carole Osterink

Toys and games are fun, but inventing them is serious business. Big toy companies have adults who do nothing but think up new toys. Sometimes they even work in locked rooms so no one can steal their ideas!

But not every new toy is invented that way. Some of the best inventions are made by kids.

Thirteen-year-old Casey Golden loved to play golf. He invented a way to make the game more fun. He invented a new golf tee. It is called the Biotee. Most golf tees are made from wood, but Casey’s tee is made out of recycled paper. It does not harm the environment. Casey started his own company to make his new tee. He’s already had orders for millions of them.

Jessica Peach invented a toy when she was only eight. Jessica likes to jump rope. She jumps alone and she jumps with friends. To jump alone, you need a short rope. With friends, you need a long rope. So Jessica invented an adjustable jump rope. The length of Jessica’s jump rope can be modified. It can be made long to jump with friends. Or it can be made short to jump alone. When you are done jumping, you can even turn the jump rope into a belt. Now Jessica has a business to sell her jump ropes.

Do you have a great idea for a new invention? Give your idea a try. It may become the next Biotee or latest jump rope!

  1. How is the Biotee different from most golf tees?
  1. It is made out of recycled paper, not wood
  2. The inventor loved to play golf
  3. Casey had orders for millions of Biotees
  4. The inventor started his own company
  1. How are Casey Golden and Jessica Peach alike?
  1. Both invented something before the age of ten
  2. Both work for a big toy company
  3. Both invented toys that didn’t harm the environment
  4. Both started their own companies to make and sell their inventions
  1. All inventions are created
  1. By accident
  2. After hours of hard work
  3. In little locked rooms
  4. With creative thinking
  1. In big toy companies, inventing toys is serious business because
  1. Toys are hard to find and expensive
  2. The more toys a company sells, the more money it makes
  3. Not many companies make them
  4. The best toys are invented by kids
  1. Before Jessica invented the Adjustable Jump Rope, she had to
  1. Use two different ropes to jump alone or with friends
  2. Stop jumping rope with her friends
  3. Stop jumping rope alone
  4. Borrow belts from her friends

Classification:Video Games: Past and Present by Hannah Bok

In 1930, pinball machines were the closest thing to video games. These machines were very large. People had to go to restaurants and bowling alleys to play them.

In 1970, the game Pong was invented. Pong had a computer in it. People liked this new game. It was a lot like Ping-Pong. But this machine was big, too. Pong was played mostly in arcades.

One year later, a new game was made. This game could be put on home computers. People loved being able to play video games at home.

One of the first video-game characters was Pac Man. Pac Man looked like a yellow smiling face. He chased little figures around the screen and then ate them!

Many other games followed Pac Man. Today, video games have better graphics and sounds. Some even fit in your hand!

What do you think will be the next step in video games?

  1. In which group do video games belong?
  1. Board games
  2. Water games
  3. Electronic games
  4. Outdoor games
  1. The game Pac Man does not fit in the group of
  1. Games with moving figures
  2. Games that look like Ping-Pong
  3. Games that are played on screens
  4. Games that are played indoors
  1. Why did people like Pong?
  1. They could press a button
  2. They could play it at home
  3. It was like football
  4. It was like ping-pong
  1. Why do you think so many people play video games today?
  1. They have nothing else to do
  2. They can play these games only at home
  3. They can play these games almost anywhere
  4. They don’t like other kinds of games

Unsolved Mysteries adapted by Paul Mores

Wanted:Proof of Bigfoot

It is human or beast? Is it dangerous or gentle? Does it exist at all? These and other questions surround the mystery of Bigfoot. Native American legends tell of a giant creature called Sasquatch that roamed the mountains of the Pacific Northwest and western Canada. Some people believe that a large, hairy creature---Bigfoot---still lives there. They claim to have seen him or his footprints. His foot measures 16 inches (41 cm) long and 6 inches (15cm) wide! Scientists are not convinced that Bigfoot is real. But those who claim to have seen him were convinced enough to run!

The Bermuda Triangle Puzzle

Strange things are happening in the Bermuda Triangle. Or are they? Planes, ships, and people seem to vanish into thin air in this triangular area of ocean. More disappearances happen in this part of the world than anywhere else.

Some people think that supernatural forces are at work here. Others say that the strange events are just accidents. They are caused by natural conditions in the area. The water is rough, and storms come up without warning. Some people are afraid to travel through the Bermuda Triangle. Others laugh and think this mystery is a bunch of nonsense. What is the truth?

Nessie Is Still at Large

What lurks in the deep, dark waters of Lock (lok) Ness? Some people say that a monster lives underwater in this lake in Scotland. Blurry photographs show a small head. But Nessie, as some people call her,hides from view. No one can prove that she exists.

Some scientists suggest that Nessie may be a kind of dinosaur. Others say that people just imagine they have seen the Lock Ness Monster. What do you think?

  1. In which category could the Lock Ness Monster, the Bermuda Triangle, and Bigfoot all be placed?
  1. Things That Are Unexplained
  2. Scary Beasts
  3. Puzzles That Have Been Solved
  4. Dangerous Places
  1. Which unsolved mystery does not belong in the category “Strange Creatures”?
  1. The Loch Ness Monster
  2. The Bermuda Triangle
  3. Bigfoot
  4. Sasquatch
  1. Which statement is true of all three unsolved mysteries?
  1. No one can prove them to be true
  2. They are all caused by natural conditions
  3. No sane person believes them
  4. Scientists have explanations for all of them
  1. At the end of the article, why does the author ask, “What do you think?”
  1. The author is scared and wants to be calmed
  2. The author thinks the reader knows the real answer
  3. The author wants the reader to form his or her own opinion
  4. The author cannot think of anything else to say
  1. Which of the following statements is an opinion?
  1. Strange forces are at work in the Bermuda Triangle
  2. Planes, ships, and people have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle
  3. The Bermuda Triangle is a triangular patch of ocean
  4. Some people are afraid to travel through the Bermuda triangle