Leo's Grasshopper Journal: Fragments and Run-Ons

Leo's Grasshopper Journal (First Draft)

1Today my sister Amara and I explored the grassy field behind our apartment building. We wanted to find grasshoppers for my science journal. The afternoon was bright and warm, so we wore our sun hats. Amara brought a magnifying glass. I brought my notebook, a pencil and a bottle of water. We walked slowly and quietly along the edge of the field.

2At first we did not see a single grasshopper. The grass was green and brown, and so were the grasshoppers. Then one jumped right past my shoe. It landed on a dry stem it was almost the same color as the stem. Amara spotted another one. Sitting very still on a leaf.

3Grasshoppers have six legs, the back legs are long and strong. These legs help them jump far. Many grasshoppers have wings, too. They can fly away when they are in danger. Like when a hungry bird swoops down.

4After a while, we heard a soft buzzing sound. Amara read in her nature book that many grasshoppers make sounds by rubbing their back legs against their wings. We sat in the grass and listened for a long time. Amara closed her eyes so she could hear better. The sound seemed to come from every part of the field. Then, all at once, the buzzing stopped.

5Before we left, we watched one grasshopper eat. It chewed a blade of grass with its strong jaws. Because grasshoppers eat leaves and grass. I want to learn more about grasshoppers I will come back to the field next summer.