Booklet: Weekly Reader Volume 71, Issue 12, 1990, used at Tryon Street Elementary School · Greer Heritage Museum collection

Title

Booklet: Weekly Reader Volume 71, Issue 12, 1990, used at Tryon Street Elementary School

Accession Number

2026.28.27.1

Accession Date

30 April 2026

Accession Creator

Adrienne Fuehrer

Depositor

Found in collection

Description

Weekly Reader booklet from January 5, 1990. Includes informative text and many pictures. Includes information on a recent California earthquake, the start of the 1990s, earthquake safety, sharks, and actor Chris Burke.
A handwritten note on the front labels the reader as having been used at Tryon Street Elementary School.

Date

5 January 1990

Format

paper

Storage Location

Box 34 Folder 2

Text

Weekly Reader
Edition 4
Volume 71
Issue 12
January 5, 1990

[handwritten] Tryon St. Elementary School

Vocabulary Box
tremendous - very great; huge
collapse - to fall down or cave in
codes - rules used as guides
Many houses and other buildings in San Franscisco were shaken off their foundations and had to be torn down
California Rebuilds After Earthquake
October 17, 1989, was a big day in California's history. At 5:04 p.m., the area around San Francisco started to shake. The ground trembled and shuddered for 15 seconds. That was a short shake, but it caused a tremendous amount of damage.
Several buildings collapsed. Some bridges and highways cracked and fell. About sixty people were killed, and hundreds more were injured. Thousands were
(Continued on page 2)
California Rebuilds After Earthquake
(Continued from page 1)
left homeless.
The October earthquake measured 7.1 on the Richter scale. The Richter scale is used by scientists to measure the strength of earthquakes. The October quake was one of the strongest and most damaging earthquakes that California has ever had.
California has had many earthquakes in the past, and scientists say it will continue to have earthquakes in the future. California is an earthquake danger zone. It is located in an area where two parts of Earth's surface meet. These parts, called plates, rub against each other, causing the earth to move and shake. (See page 3.)
In the months since the big earthquake, people have started rebuilding. Some badly damaged buildings have been torn down and may be rebuilt. Buildings with less damage are being repaired. Broken highways are bridges are being repaired too.
Scientists say earthquakes can occur anywhere in the U.S. They are studying building codes in areas where earthquakes are most likely to occur. Many of these areas have strict building codes, but scientists say that in other areas new codes may be needed. The codes are needed to make sure that new buildings, highways, and bridges will move and give instead of cracking and collapsing during an earthquake.
News Short
The 1990s Begin
Every January 1, a new year begins. This year, the new year is special because the 1980s are over, and the 1990s are beginning.
Here are some events that happened in the 1980s.
* 1980: Mount Saint Helens, a volcano in Washington, erupted on May 18.
* 1981: Ronald Reagan became President of U.S.
* 1983: Sally Ride became the first American woman to go into space.
* 1986: January 20 was declared Martin Luther King Day
* 1986: Voyager 2 took photographs of Uranus.
* 1989: George Bush became President of the U.S.
Scientists say the Pacific Plate and North American Plate are trying to move past each other. Sometimes their movement causes earthquakes.
Some plates push against each other in opposite directions.
Science News
What Makes Earth Quake and Shake?
Scientists say the surface of Earth is made up of about 20 plates. These plates are enormous pieces of rock that slowly move. At the edges where they meet, the plates push hard against each other. Sometimes the plates cannot take the pressure, so they crack and break. This causes an earthquake. The place where the rock cracks is called a fault.
Sometimes the two sides of a fault push against each other. When they slip, it causes an earthquake. Earthquakes can occur almost anywhere. But they occur most often where two plates meet.
California has many earthquakes because two large plates meet there. These two plates are always pushing against each other. Over the years, they've cracked many times. One famous crack is the San Andreas Fault. Scientists expect a gigantic earthquake in this area someday.
Earthquake Safety Tips
If you are indoors, you should
* get under a table, desk, bed, or doorway and stay calm;
* stay away from windows and shelves;
* not turn on electric light switches
If you are outdoors, you should
* stand in an open area and stay calm;
* stay away from tall and heavy things.
In California's recent quake, the ground cracked, leaving holes in some areas.
SHARKS
Sharks are large, meat-eating fish. Unlike other fish, sharks have no bones. Their skeletons are made of cartilage, a tough, flexible material.
Some sharks have five or six rows of teeth, one behind the other. Except for the front row, the teeth lie flat. When teeth fall out, new ones grow to fill the spaces.
Whale sharks are the largest fish. They can be as long as 60 feet. Whale sharks have mouths 6 feet wide filled with 3,000 teeth! They use their mouths as scoops.
Angel sharks spend much of their time lying motionless at the bottom of the ocean. They bury themselves almost completely in sand or mud.
Science Feature
Hammerhead sharks hunt in packs and are dangerous to other sharks, fish, and to humans. Their eyed and nostrils are at the ends of their long, flat heads.
Saw sharks poke the mud of the ocean bottom with their strange snouts, looking for food. They attack and cut their prey with very sharp teeth. Saw sharks have not been known to attack people.
Great white sharks are the most dangerous of all sharks. They swim and attack very quickly. Great whites eat dolphins, seals, and other sharks. They have been known to attack boats as well as humans,

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