LEVELED BOOK • K

All About Kites

•R
K•N
Written by Elizabeth Austin • Illustrated by Maria Voris

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All About Kites

A Reading A–Z Level K Leveled Book • Word Count: 636

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All About Kites
Level K Leveled Book
© Learning A–Z Correlation
Written by Elizabeth Austin LEVEL K
Illustrated by Maria Voris
Fountas & Pinnell J
All rights reserved. Reading Recovery 17
www.readinga-z.com
DRA 18
www.readinga-z.com
Illustrated by Maria Voris
Written by Elizabeth Austin
All About Kites
 Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

History of Kites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Many Uses for Kites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Make Your Own Kite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

All About Kites • Level K 3

and tools?
know that kites can be both toys
shapes, and colors. Did you
make. Kites come in many sizes,
toys. And it’s very simple to
A kite is one of the oldest

Introduction
 The inventor Ben Franklin had the idea
that lightning was made of electricity. He
wanted to prove his idea. One day when
it was stormy, he tied a metal key to a kite
string. Then he flew the kite up into the
storm clouds. Lightning from the storm
hit his kite. The electricity ran down the
wet string to the metal key. When he reached for the key, he
got a surprise. The electricity jumped from the key and gave
him a shock! Do not try this yourself. It’s not safe to do.
When Ben Franklin tried to do it again, he was hurt badly.
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5 All About Kites • Level K
He flew over the wall of the fort and scared the soldiers!
way to get inside the fort. So he tied himself to a huge kite.
a man who used a kite to attack a fort. He couldn’t find a
kite was written over 2,000 years ago. The story is about
made the first kite. But one famous Chinese story about a
wings and easily floats high in the sky. No one knows who
Kites were named after the kite bird. The kite bird has wide
History of Kites
 Many Uses for Kites
Some people have used kites for fishing. They put a
fishhook and bait on the long kite tail. The kite tail dragged
in the water. When a fish saw it, it bit the bait and was
caught on the hook. Then the kite was pulled in.
All About Kites • Level K 7

8
and how cool the air was.
The gauges measured how fast the wind was blowing
Weather kites carried scientific gauges into the sky.
 Different shapes of kites fly in different
ways. Flat, diamond-shaped kites fly
easily. Box-shaped kites can hang still in
the air for a long time.
Stunt kites twist and twirl on many
strings. Large parafoil
kites act almost like
parachutes. Giant
dragon kites flutter.
Fighting kites can
be used to cut other
kites’ strings.
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9 All About Kites • Level K
hit with bullets.
kites were hard to
the kites. The moving
aim better. Soldiers shot at
The kites trained soldiers to
also used as flying targets.
enemy troops. Kites were
kites with cameras to spy on
Years ago, some armies used
 Make Your Own Kite
You’ll need:
• two lightweight, smooth sticks,
one 3 feet (90 cm) long, the
other 2 feet (60 cm)
• a large plastic trash bag, cut open
• a long strip of lightweight cloth
or plastic for the tail
Step 1:
• scissors Form a cross shape
with the sticks. Wrap
• strong tape
tape around the
• a very long string sticks where they meet.
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11 All About Kites • Level K
 Step 4:
Fold the corners of the diamond over
the ends of the sticks. Tape the corners
tightly to the sticks.
Kite Safety
Step 5: • Remember to choose an open,
For a tail, tape the strip of cloth or safe place to fly your kite.
plastic to the bottom of the kite. • Don’t fly it near power lines.
• Keep it away from trees, roads,
and airports.
• Don’t fly a kite in the rain or
when you hear thunder.
• Be sure nothing is on the ground
to trip over.
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13 All About Kites • Level K
the sticks.
shape wider than the ends of
it. Make sure to cut the diamond
bag. Cut a diamond shape around
Lay the cross on the open plastic
Step 3:
middle of the bridle.
end of the rest of the string to the
string is called the bridle. Tie one
to each end of the long stick. This
string. Tape each end of the string
Cut off a 4-foot (120 cm) piece of
Step 2:
 Glossary
bridle (n.) 
a kind of harness that guides movement
with ropes or strings (p. 13)
fishhook (n.) a curved metal hook put on the end of
a fishing line (p. 7)
flutter (v.) to flap or vibrate in the wind (p. 10)
gauges (n.) 
tools used to measure something, such as
heat, wind, and cold (p. 8)
parafoil (n.) 
a lightweight sail, like a small parachute
(p. 10)
shock (n.) 
a sharp jolt when electrical current touches
a person’s body (p. 6)
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15 All About Kites • Level K
Happy flying!
out a little more until your kite is high in the sky.
Let go of the kite and slowly let out some string. Then let
Hold your kite up by the bridle and run into the wind.
ground around you. Is there anything you could trip over?
sure that there are no power lines or big trees. Look at the
On a breezy day, take your kite to a flat, open area. Be