What This Book Teaches Best
• Giraffes are the tallest land animals and live in the warm, sunny savanna in Africa.
• A giraffe’s long neck helps it reach “juicy green leaves” on tall trees that other animals cannot touch.
• Giraffes use a long, strong, dark tongue to wrap around branches and pull off leaves, even with sharp thorns.
• Each giraffe has a unique pattern of spots; no two have the exact same shapes or colors on their fur.
• The text highlights survival behaviors and features (drinking stance, short standing naps for safety, fast running, and newborn calf size).

Learning Goals
• Students will describe where giraffes live using details from the text.
• Students will explain how a giraffe’s long neck helps it get food.
• Students will describe how a giraffe uses its tongue to pull off leaves, even when there are thorns.
• Students will explain what is unique about each giraffe’s spots.
• Students will describe what a giraffe must do to drink water and why it is hard to reach the ground.
• Students will identify two facts about how giraffes stay safe or move (short naps standing up; running up to thirty-five miles per hour; traveling long distances).

Key Vocabulary From the Text
• savanna — a warm, sunny place with grass and tall trees.
• juicy — full of liquid; wet and tasty.
• thorns — sharp points on a plant that can poke you.
• unique — one of a kind; not the same as others.
• ossicones — small, fuzzy horns on top of a giraffe’s head.

Discussion Prompts
• Pre-reading question: What body parts might help a giraffe get food and stay safe?
• Comprehension questions: How does a giraffe’s long neck help it reach food that other animals cannot touch?
• Comprehension questions: What does the book say a giraffe must do to drink water?
• Comprehension questions: What is special about each giraffe’s pattern of spots?

Printing Tips

1. Best Printing Method (Recommended)
   “Booklet” Printing (Best if Available)
   If your printer or PDF viewer supports Booklet Printing, use this.
   Settings to use:
   • Print mode: Booklet
   • Paper size: Letter or A4 (either works)
   • Orientation: Landscape
   • Print on both sides: Yes
   • Flip on: Short edge
   • Scaling: Fit to printable area
   • Booklet subset:
   o First test: Front sides only
   o Then: Back sides only
   This will automatically:
   • Pair pages correctly
   • Put the cover on the outside
   • Align everything for folding
   After printing, fold in half and staple along the spine.

2. If “Booklet” Printing Is NOT Available
   You can still print this correctly with manual duplex printing.
   Step-by-step:

3. Open the PDF.

4. Choose Print.

5. Set:
   o Orientation: Landscape
   o Pages per sheet: 1
   o Print on both sides: Yes
   o Flip on: Short edge

6. Print all pages.
   Because each PDF page already contains two facing book pages, the result will still fold cleanly into a book.