IAR: Grade 4 - ELA
By Sara Cowley
starstarstarstarstar
Last updated over 1 year ago
17 Questions
Read the story “Just Like Home.” Then answer the questions.
Just Like Home
by Mathangi Subramanian
1 When the recess bell rang, Priya sighed and slowly hung up her smock. At her old school, she spent recess climbing the monkey bars and sharing secrets with her friends. Now she sat in the corner of the field and watched the other kids play without her.
2 The only thing Priya liked about her new school was art. They hadn’t had art at her old school, but here art was a whole hour. The studio had the most wonderful things, like aluminum pie tins, plaster of Paris and India ink. During art, Priya forgot that she didn’t have any friends at her new school. All she thought about was whatever she was working on.
3 As she cleared her table, Priya noticed a box of sidewalk chalk sitting on the counter by the window. She grabbed and stuffed it in her pockets. Then she took her usual place at the end of the recess line.
4 While she and her classmates filed through the halls and out into the yard, Priya thought about how she and her mother used to draw chalk patterns on the long driveway leading up to their old apartment building. The patterns were called rangoli, and they looked like stars and roses. Priya’s mother said that the drawings were to welcome guests to their home. All the families in India, where Priya’s family was from, did rangoli every morning, just like Priya and her mother. Their new apartment had barely any sidewalk in front of it, and there was no room for rangoli. Priya missed the early mornings she and her mother would spend drawing feathery, colorful patterns on the cement.
5 Priya walked over to the basketball court and sat on the hot pavement. She was glad to have something to do besides sit in her corner. She pulled the box out of her pocket and took out a bright red piece of chalk and began drawing the rangoli patterns she loved best. She drew flowers with huge, swirling petals and stars with eight points. She colored them green, yellow and blue, all colors her mother had used. She liked the soft, solid feeling of the chalk in her hand, and the way that the dust left patterns on her fingers.
6 “That’s pretty,” a voice said.
7 She turned around and saw that Enrique, a boy in her class, was watching her.
8 “It’s called rangoli,” she said. “They do this in India, where my parents are from.”
9 “You know what that reminds me of?” he asked, kneeling down beside her. “The floor of my grandmother’s house in Mexico has tiles that have designs like that.”
10 “What do you mean?” Priya asked.
11 “Hand me a piece of chalk,” Enrique said. “I’ll show you.” Enrique sat down on the pavement and began to draw. He used green, orange, and yellow chalk to draw flowers that were more detailed than Priya’s, but still had huge, curvy petals. Then he drew circles inside circles, and surrounded them with small diamonds. Priya kept drawing too, in between and around Enrique’s designs.
12 “What are you guys doing?” a voice asked.
13 Priya and Enrique had been so absorbed in drawing that they hadn’t noticed that their classmate Farah had been watching them.
14 “Hey,” Farah said, sitting down beside them, “that looks like the rugs in my Uncle’s house in Iran. Except on the rugs, the shapes are bigger, and aren’t as curly.”
15 “Show us,” said Enrique, handing her a piece of chalk.
16 Farah took the chalk and began drawing. She drew shapes that were full of straight lines and bold colors. They were bigger than the shapes Priya and Enrique had drawn, and they overlapped each other in diagonals to form new shapes. She colored the drawings purple, dark blue, and white.
17 “Wow!” Ms. Lopez, Priya’s teacher, said. “That’s beautiful!”
18 Priya, Enrique and Farah stood up and looked at what they had done. The pavement was covered in bright colors and shapes: triangles, circles, squares and diamonds, all mixed together. Their classmates began to drift over to see what was happening.
19 “It looks like a universe, with lots of planets and stars,” said Lily.
20 “It looks like a coral reef full of tropical fish,” said Jasper.
21 “What do you think it looks like Priya?” said Enrique.
22 Priya looked at Enrique and Farah. Their knees, elbows, and fingers were covered in red, yellow, green and blue chalk dust. Priya smiled and said, “It looks like home.”
“Just Like Home,” by Mathangi Subramanian. Reprinted with permission from Skipping Stones Multicultural Magazine, March–April 2012.
Read the poem “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me.” Then answer the questions.
Life Doesn’t Frighten Me
by Maya Angelou
Shadows on the wall
Noises down the hall
Life doesn’t frighten me at all
Bad dogs barking loud
5 Big ghosts in a cloud
Life doesn’t frighten me at all.
Mean old Mother Goose
Lions on the loose
They don’t frighten me at all
10 Dragons breathing flame
On my counterpane
That doesn’t frighten me at all.
I go boo
Make them shoo
15 I make fun
Way they run
I won’t cry
So they fly
I just smile
20 They go wild
Life doesn’t frighten me at all.
Tough guys fight
All alone at night
Life doesn’t frighten me at all.
25 Panthers in the park
Strangers in the dark
No, they don’t frighten me at all.
That new classroom where
Boys all pull my hair
30 (Kissy little girls
With their hair in curls)
They don’t frighten me at all.
Don’t show me frogs and snakes
And listen for my scream,
35 If I’m afraid at all
It’s only in my dreams.
I’ve got a magic charm
That I keep up my sleeve,
I can walk the ocean floor
40 And never have to breathe.
Life doesn’t frighten me at all
Not at all
Not at all.
Life doesn’t frighten me at all.
“Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” from AND STILL I RISE by Maya Angelou, copyright © 1978 by Maya Angelou. Used by permission of Random House, an imprint and division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved.
Both "Just Like Home" and "Life Doesn't Frighten Me" can be found here.
Scroll further down to read "Life Doesn't Frighten Me."
Just Like Home
by Mathangi Subramanian
1 When the recess bell rang, Priya sighed and slowly hung up her smock. At her old school, she spent recess climbing the monkey bars and sharing secrets with her friends. Now she sat in the corner of the field and watched the other kids play without her.
2 The only thing Priya liked about her new school was art. They hadn’t had art at her old school, but here art was a whole hour. The studio had the most wonderful things, like aluminum pie tins, plaster of Paris and India ink. During art, Priya forgot that she didn’t have any friends at her new school. All she thought about was whatever she was working on.
3 As she cleared her table, Priya noticed a box of sidewalk chalk sitting on the counter by the window. She grabbed and stuffed it in her pockets. Then she took her usual place at the end of the recess line.
4 While she and her classmates filed through the halls and out into the yard, Priya thought about how she and her mother used to draw chalk patterns on the long driveway leading up to their old apartment building. The patterns were called rangoli, and they looked like stars and roses. Priya’s mother said that the drawings were to welcome guests to their home. All the families in India, where Priya’s family was from, did rangoli every morning, just like Priya and her mother. Their new apartment had barely any sidewalk in front of it, and there was no room for rangoli. Priya missed the early mornings she and her mother would spend drawing feathery, colorful patterns on the cement.
5 Priya walked over to the basketball court and sat on the hot pavement. She was glad to have something to do besides sit in her corner. She pulled the box out of her pocket and took out a bright red piece of chalk and began drawing the rangoli patterns she loved best. She drew flowers with huge, swirling petals and stars with eight points. She colored them green, yellow and blue, all colors her mother had used. She liked the soft, solid feeling of the chalk in her hand, and the way that the dust left patterns on her fingers.
6 “That’s pretty,” a voice said.
7 She turned around and saw that Enrique, a boy in her class, was watching her.
8 “It’s called rangoli,” she said. “They do this in India, where my parents are from.”
9 “You know what that reminds me of?” he asked, kneeling down beside her. “The floor of my grandmother ’s house in Mexico has tiles that have designs like that.”
10 “What do you mean?” Priya asked.
11 “Hand me a piece of chalk,” Enrique said. “I’ll show you.” Enrique sat down on the pavement and began to draw. He used green, orange, and yellow chalk to draw flowers that were more detailed than Priya’s, but still had huge, curvy petals. Then he drew circles inside circles, and surrounded them with small diamonds. Priya kept drawing too, in between and around Enrique’s designs.
12 “What are you guys doing?” a voice asked.
13 Priya and Enrique had been so absorbed in drawing that they hadn’t noticed that their classmate Farah had been watching them.
14 “Hey,” Farah said, sitting down beside them, “that looks like the rugs in my Uncle’s house in Iran. Except on the rugs, the shapes are bigger, and aren’t as curly.”
15 “Show us,” said Enrique, handing her a piece of chalk.
16 Farah took the chalk and began drawing. She drew shapes that were full of straight lines and bold colors. They were bigger than the shapes Priya and Enrique had drawn, and they overlapped each other in diagonals to form new shapes. She colored the drawings purple, dark blue, and white.
17 “Wow!” Ms. Lopez, Priya’s teacher, said. “That’s beautiful!”
18 Priya, Enrique and Farah stood up and looked at what they had done. The pavement was covered in bright colors and shapes: triangles, circles, squares and diamonds, all mixed together. Their classmates began to drift over to see what was happening.
19 “It looks like a universe, with lots of planets and stars,” said Lily.
20 “It looks like a coral reef full of tropical fish,” said Jasper.
21 “What do you think it looks like Priya?” said Enrique.
22 Priya looked at Enrique and Farah. Their knees, elbows, and fingers were covered in red, yellow, green and blue chalk dust. Priya smiled and said, “It looks like home.”
“Just Like Home,” by Mathangi Subramanian. Reprinted with permission from Skipping Stones Multicultural Magazine, March–April 2012.
Life Doesn’t Frighten Me
by Maya Angelou
Shadows on the wall
Noises down the hall
Life doesn’t frighten me at all
Bad dogs barking loud
5 Big ghosts in a cloud
Life doesn’t frighten me at all.
Mean old Mother Goose
Lions on the loose
They don’t frighten me at all
10 Dragons breathing flame
On my counterpane
That doesn’t frighten me at all.
I go boo
Make them shoo
15 I make fun
Way they run
I won’t cry
So they fly
I just smile
20 They go wild
Life doesn’t frighten me at all.
Tough guys fight
All alone at night
Life doesn’t frighten me at all.
25 Panthers in the park
Strangers in the dark
No, they don’t frighten me at all.
That new classroom where
Boys all pull my hair
30 (Kissy little girls
With their hair in curls)
They don’t frighten me at all.
Don’t show me frogs and snakes
And listen for my scream,
35 If I’m afraid at all
It’s only in my dreams.
I’ve got a magic charm
That I keep up my sleeve,
I can walk the ocean floor
40 And never have to breathe.
Life doesn’t frighten me at all
Not at all
Not at all.
Life doesn’t frighten me at all.
“Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” from AND STILL I RISE by Maya Angelou, copyright © 1978 by Maya Angelou. Used by permission of Random House, an imprint and division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved.
Read the story “The Elephant and the Crocodile.” Then answer the questions.
The Elephant and the Crocodile
by H. Berkeley Score
1 An Elephant and a Crocodile were once standing beside a river. They were disputing as to which was the better animal.
2 “Look at my strength,” said the Elephant. “I can tear up a tree, roots and all, with my trunk.”
3 “Ah! but quantity is not quality, and your skin is not nearly so tough as mine,” replied the Crocodile, “for neither spear, arrow, nor sword can pierce it.”
4 Just as they were coming to blows, a Lion happened to pass.
5 “Heyday, sirs!” said His Majesty, going up to them, “let me know the cause of your quarrel.”
6 “Will you kindly tell us which is the better animal?” cried both at once.
7 “Certainly,” said the Lion. “Do you see that soldier’s steel helmet on yonder wall?” pointing at the same time across the river.
8 “Yes!” replied the beasts.
9 “Well, then,” continued the Lion, “go and fetch it, and bring it to me, and I shall be able then to decide between you.”
10 Upon hearing this, off they started. The Crocodile, being used to the water, reached the opposite bank of the river first, and was not long in standing beside the wall.
11 Here he waited till the Elephant came up. The latter, seeing at a glance how matters stood, extended his long trunk, and reached the helmet quite easily.
12 They then made their way together back again across the river. The Elephant, anxious to keep up with the Crocodile in the water, forgot that he was carrying the helmet on his back, and a sudden lurch caused the prize to slip off and sink to the bottom. The Crocodile noticed the accident, so down he dived, and brought it up in his capacious mouth. They then returned, and the Crocodile laid the helmet at the Lion’s feet. His Majesty took up the helmet, and addressing the Elephant, said:
13 “You, on account of your size and trunk, were able to reach the prize on the wall but, having lost it, you were unable to recover it. And you,” said the Lion, turning to the Crocodile, “although unable to reach the helmet, were able to dive for it and save it. You are both wise and clever in your respective ways. Neither is better than the other.”
“The Elephant and the Crocodile” by H. Berkeley Score—Public Domain
Read the passage from “The Wild Horses of Assateague Island.” Then answer the questions.
from “The Wild Horses of Assateague Island”
A National Treasure
1 The wild horses of Assateague Island are descendants of domesticated animals brought to the island over 300 years ago. Horses tough enough to survive the scorching heat, abundant insects, stormy weather and poor quality food found on this windswept barrier island have formed a unique wild horse society. Enjoy their beauty from a distance, and you can help make sure these extraordinary wild horses will continue to thrive on Assateague Island.
2 “My treasures do not click together or glitter. —They gleam in the sun and neigh in the night.” —Bedouin proverb.
Where did they come from?
Were the horses shipwreck survivors . . .
3 Local folklore describes the Assateague horses as survivors of a shipwreck off the Virginia coast. While this dramatic tale of struggle and survival is popular, there are no records yet that confirm it.
. . . or settlers' horses?
4 During the 17th century free-roaming horses, cows, sheep and pigs caused expensive crop damage to local farms. Farmers were required to pay taxes on all mainland livestock and fence them in.
5 Like people in the 21st century, these resourceful coastal residents looked for ways to avoid paying this tax. They turned to nearby Assateague Island with its abundance of food, shelter and a natural “corral” made of water to solve their problem.
6 It is likely that modern Assateague horses are descendants of those hardy animals turned loose on the island to graze tax-free.
Living the wild life in Maryland
7 Assateague’s horses are uniquely adapted to survive on a barrier island. How do they do it?
What do they eat?
8 The horses spend most of their time grazing on abundant but nutrient-poor saltmarsh cordgrass, saltmeadow hay and beach grass. The horses’ short stature is a result of hundreds of years of adaptation to this low quality diet. Genetically they are considered horses, even though they are now pony size.
9 The Assateague horses drink over twice the amount of water that domesticated horses will due to their salty food supply. All that drinking combined with a high salt diet contributes to their bloated appearance.
Where do they live throughout the year?
10 Spring brings cool, rainy weather and fresh plant growth to the island. Many of the horses live in the marshes close to their best food sources. Foals are usually born in late spring and live with their mothers in a family group called a “band.” Each band is usually made up of 2–10 mares, their offspring, and a stallion.
11 Hot, humid, and full of insects, summer brings a new set of challenges. The horses escape the mosquitoes and flies of the marsh by spending more time on the beach and in the surf, letting the refreshing ocean breezes carry away airborne pests. Cooler fall weather and fewer insects allow the bands to move from the beaches back to the marshes and their abundant grasses.
12 The horses prefer to browse in shrub thickets during the damp, chilly, winter season. Their thick, furry coats will protect them from ferocious winter winds and the occasional snowstorm.
Do they receive veterinary care?
13 While action may be taken to end the suffering of a gravely ill, seriously injured, or dying horse, no measures are taken to prolong the lives of Maryland’s wild horses. As with other species of Assateague wildlife, horses that are sick or weak do not survive. This helps maintain a hardy, healthy population of wild horses.
14 Virginia’s horses are privately owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department and receive some veterinary care.
Where can you see the wild horses?
In Maryland
15 Maryland’s horses are owned and managed by the National Park Service. They are free-roaming wildlife and could be anywhere in the park. During the summer months many bands can be found on the beach. You can often see the horses and other wildlife by driving slowly along park roads. Protect island habitat by parking only in designated parking areas. The “Life of the Forest” and “Life of the Marsh” trails are good places to look, especially during spring, fall and winter seasons.
16 Do not feed or pet the horses. Horses that learn to come up to the road are hit and killed by cars.
In Virginia
17 Virginia’s horses are privately owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department and are fenced in large enclosures.
18 Look for the horses in the marshes along Beach Road and from the observation platform on the Woodland Trail.
Text and photographs from "The Wild Horses of Assateague Island," National Park Service, US Department of the Interior.
Read the article titled “Wild Ponies of Chincoteague.” Then answer the questions.
Wild Ponies of Chincoteague
by Annika Brynn Jenkins
1 The last Wednesday and Thursday of every July are amazing days at Chincoteague (SHING-kuh-teeg). That’s pony-penning time on this island just off the coast of Virginia.
2 The ponies normally live wild on nearby Assateague Island. To keep the herd from getting too big, some new foals are sold each year at auction on Chincoteague. To get there, the ponies are rounded up and herded across the narrow channel between the two islands.
Wednesday Morning—Really Early!
3My family and I woke at 4:30 in the morning to drive to Chincoteague. I was so excited, I jumped out of bed. The drive from our home in Virginia Beach was just two hours, but it seemed like a week.
4 After we got there, we took a small boat into the channel. The weather was wet and dreary, and I felt like an icicle as raindrops fell cold against my cheeks. But in my mind I was dancing! All I could think was, It’s almost time for the ponies to cross!
5 First, I heard faint whinnying sounds drifting through the salty air. Then I could see the ponies on the Assateague shore. The “Saltwater Cowboys” were rounding them up. I loved the ponies at first sight! I wondered if they were thinking, What’s happening? Where are we going?
6 The cowboys waited a bit for the tide to change. Meanwhile, I imagined myself flying through the wind on a black-and-white mare. Oh, how I wished I could have a horse like that! Then, all of a sudden, I heard a shout from the crowd on the Chincoteague shore. I nearly jumped overboard with excitement! The ponies were stepping into the channel.
7 Before I knew it, pony heads were bobbing in the water. The swim across the channel didn’t take long, but I wish it could have lasted a lifetime. It was so beautiful that I took a photograph of it in my mind.
Going to Town
8 After the crossing, the ponies had a chance to rest. Some slept, and some of the foals suckled their mothers’ milk. They were getting their strength back for the next event.
9 That would be the pony parade to the carnival grounds, where we would watch the auction. I could see a ferris wheel and a roller coaster, but I kept going. I wanted only to see the ponies. The cowboys were herding them right down Main Street!
10 My sisters and I sloshed through the mud to get to the corral where the ponies were held for the auction. I couldn’t believe it when I got to pet a brown-and-white foal through the fence. It felt like love itself! His coat was coarse and smelled like a salty sea breeze. I was surprised that his nose felt so soft, like velvet. I imagined him thinking, Can I go home with you?
11 Later, I got to ride a tame Chincoteague pony. When I first climbed on, a shiver of excitement went down my spine. He was ready to go, and I wanted to gallop away with him.
Day of the Auction
12 There were so many people at the auction, I couldn’t see what was happening. I had to stand on my tiptoes to get a glimpse of each foal that was brought out. But I could hear the bidding and the crowd going wild. When the price was as high as it could go, the auctioneer yelled, “Sold!” Then another foal would come out, and the bidding would start all over again.
13 After it was over, we visited Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island. There were tall grasses, shady trees, sandy beaches, and mosquitoes— lots of mosquitoes. I also saw the corral where the ponies stayed before their swim.
Going Home
14 On Friday morning, the ponies that weren’t sold at auction swam back across the channel. I sat on the rocks on Chincoteague’s shore and looked to Assateague. It’s a nice, peaceful place, I thought. The ponies are lucky to be home where there’s grass to graze and land to roam.
15 In the afternoon, I got to ride again. The pony was strong and spirited, and I had to hold him back. Riding him is something I’ll always remember. And how could I ever forget the gallant ponies swimming across the channel—their hearts so full of courage and wildness!
Wild Ponies of Chincoteague Island by Annika Brynn Jenkins. Text copyright © 2004 by National Wildlife Federation. Reprinted from the July 2004 issue of Ranger Rick ® Magazine, with the permission of the copyright owner, the National Wildlife Federation ®
Both "The Wild Horses of Assateague Island" and "Wild Ponies of Chincoteague" can be found here.
Scroll further down to read "Wild Ponies of Chincoteague."
from “The Wild Horses of Assateague Island”
A National Treasure
1 The wild horses of Assateague Island are descendants of domesticated animals brought to the island over 300 years ago. Horses tough enough to survive the scorching heat, abundant insects, stormy weather and poor quality food found on this windswept barrier island have formed a unique wild horse society. Enjoy their beauty from a distance, and you can help make sure these extraordinary wild horses will continue to thrive on Assateague Island.
2 “My treasures do not click together or glitter. —They gleam in the sun and neigh in the night.” —Bedouin proverb.
Where did they come from?
Were the horses shipwreck survivors . . .
3 Local folklore describes the Assateague horses as survivors of a shipwreck off the Virginia coast. While this dramatic tale of struggle and survival is popular, there are no records yet that confirm it.
. . . or settlers' horses?
4 During the 17th century free-roaming horses, cows, sheep and pigs caused expensive crop damage to local farms. Farmers were required to pay taxes on all mainland livestock and fence them in.
5 Like people in the 21st century, these resourceful coastal residents looked for ways to avoid paying this tax. They turned to nearby Assateague Island with its abundance of food, shelter and a natural “corral” made of water to solve their problem.
6 It is likely that modern Assateague horses are descendants of those hardy animals turned loose on the island to graze tax-free.
Living the wild life in Maryland
7 Assateague’s horses are uniquely adapted to survive on a barrier island. How do they do it?
What do they eat?
8 The horses spend most of their time grazing on abundant but nutrient-poor saltmarsh cordgrass, saltmeadow hay and beach grass. The horses’ short stature is a result of hundreds of years of adaptation to this low quality diet. Genetically they are considered horses, even though they are now pony size.
9 The Assateague horses drink over twice the amount of water that domesticated horses will due to their salty food supply. All that drinking combined with a high salt diet contributes to their bloated appearance.
Where do they live throughout the year?
10 Spring brings cool, rainy weather and fresh plant growth to the island. Many of the horses live in the marshes close to their best food sources. Foals are usually born in late spring and live with their mothers in a family group called a “band.” Each band is usually made up of 2–10 mares, their offspring, and a stallion.
11 Hot, humid, and full of insects, summer brings a new set of challenges. The horses escape the mosquitoes and flies of the marsh by spending more time on the beach and in the surf, letting the refreshing ocean breezes carry away airborne pests. Cooler fall weather and fewer insects allow the bands to move from the beaches back to the marshes and their abundant grasses.
12 The horses prefer to browse in shrub thickets during the damp, chilly, winter season. Their thick, furry coats will protect them from ferocious winter winds and the occasional snowstorm.
Do they receive veterinary care?
13 While action may be taken to end the suffering of a gravely ill, seriously injured, or dying horse, no measures are taken to prolong the lives of Maryland’s wild horses. As with other species of Assateague wildlife, horses that are sick or weak do not survive. This helps maintain a hardy, healthy population of wild horses.
14 Virginia’s horses are privately owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department and receive some veterinary care.
Where can you see the wild horses?
In Maryland
15 Maryland’s horses are owned and managed by the National Park Service. They are free-roaming wildlife and could be anywhere in the park. During the summer months many bands can be found on the beach. You can often see the horses and other wildlife by driving slowly along park roads. Protect island habitat by parking only in designated parking areas. The “Life of the Forest” and “Life of the Marsh” trails are good places to look, especially during spring, fall and winter seasons.
16 Do not feed or pet the horses. Horses that learn to come up to the road are hit and killed by cars.
In Virginia
17 Virginia’s horses are privately owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department and are fenced in large enclosures.
18 Look for the horses in the marshes along Beach Road and from the observation platform on the Woodland Trail.
Text and photographs from "The Wild Horses of Assateague Island," National Park Service, US Department of the Interior.
Wild Ponies of Chincoteague
by Annika Brynn Jenkins
1 The last Wednesday and Thursday of every July are amazing days at Chincoteague (SHING-kuh-teeg). That’s pony-penning time on this island just off the coast of Virginia.
2 The ponies normally live wild on nearby Assateague Island. To keep the herd from getting too big, some new foals are sold each year at auction on Chincoteague. To get there, the ponies are rounded up and herded across the narrow channel between the two islands.
Wednesday Morning—Really Early!
3My family and I woke at 4:30 in the morning to drive to Chincoteague. I was so excited, I jumped out of bed. The drive from our home in Virginia Beach was just two hours, but it seemed like a week.
4 After we got there, we took a small boat into the channel. The weather was wet and dreary, and I felt like an icicle as raindrops fell cold against my cheeks. But in my mind I was dancing! All I could think was, It’s almost time for the ponies to cross!
5 First, I heard faint whinnying sounds drifting through the salty air. Then I could see the ponies on the Assateague shore. The “Saltwater Cowboys” were rounding them up. I loved the ponies at first sight! I wondered if they were thinking, What’s happening? Where are we going?
6 The cowboys waited a bit for the tide to change. Meanwhile, I imagined myself flying through the wind on a black-and-white mare. Oh, how I wished I could have a horse like that! Then, all of a sudden, I heard a shout from the crowd on the Chincoteague shore. I nearly jumped overboard with excitement! The ponies were stepping into the channel.
7 Before I knew it, pony heads were bobbing in the water. The swim across the channel didn’t take long, but I wish it could have lasted a lifetime. It was so beautiful that I took a photograph of it in my mind.
Going to Town
8 After the crossing, the ponies had a chance to rest. Some slept, and some of the foals suckled their mothers’ milk. They were getting their strength back for the next event.
9 That would be the pony parade to the carnival grounds, where we would watch the auction. I could see a ferris wheel and a roller coaster, but I kept going. I wanted only to see the ponies. The cowboys were herding them right down Main Street!
10 My sisters and I sloshed through the mud to get to the corral where the ponies were held for the auction. I couldn’t believe it when I got to pet a brown-and-white foal through the fence. It felt like love itself! His coat was coarse and smelled like a salty sea breeze. I was surprised that his nose felt so soft, like velvet. I imagined him thinking, Can I go home with you?
11 Later, I got to ride a tame Chincoteague pony. When I first climbed on, a shiver of excitement went down my spine. He was ready to go, and I wanted to gallop away with him.
Day of the Auction
12 There were so many people at the auction, I couldn’t see what was happening. I had to stand on my tiptoes to get a glimpse of each foal that was brought out. But I could hear the bidding and the crowd going wild. When the price was as high as it could go, the auctioneer yelled, “Sold!” Then another foal would come out, and the bidding would start all over again.
13 After it was over, we visited Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island. There were tall grasses, shady trees, sandy beaches, and mosquitoes— lots of mosquitoes. I also saw the corral where the ponies stayed before their swim.
Going Home
14 On Friday morning, the ponies that weren’t sold at auction swam back across the channel. I sat on the rocks on Chincoteague’s shore and looked to Assateague. It’s a nice, peaceful place, I thought. The ponies are lucky to be home where there’s grass to graze and land to roam.
15 In the afternoon, I got to ride again. The pony was strong and spirited, and I had to hold him back. Riding him is something I’ll always remember. And how could I ever forget the gallant ponies swimming across the channel—their hearts so full of courage and wildness!
Wild Ponies of Chincoteague Island by Annika Brynn Jenkins. Text copyright © 2004 by National Wildlife Federation. Reprinted from the July 2004 issue of Ranger Rick ® Magazine, with the permission of the copyright owner, the National Wildlife Federation ®