Suggested levels for Guided Reading, DRA, Lexile, and Reading Recovery are provided in the Pearson Scott Foresman Leveling Guide. Life Overseas by Peggy Bresnick Kendler Genre Expository nonfiction Comprehension Skills and Strategy Main Idea and Details Cause and Effect Inferring Text Features Captions Heads Map Glossary Scott Foresman Reading Street 3.5.2 ISBN-13: ISBN-10: 978-0-328-51418-2 0-328-51418-7 9 0 0 0 0 9 78 0328 51418 2
Life Overseas by Peggy Bresnick Kendler Note: The total word count includes words in the running text and headings only. Numerals and words in chapter titles, captions, labels, diagrams, charts, graphs, sidebars, and extra features are not included.
Every effort has been made to secure permission and provide appropriate credit for photographic material. The publisher deeply regrets any omission and pledges to correct errors called to its attention in subsequent editions. Unless otherwise acknowledged, all photographs are the property of Pearson. Why Do Americans Live Overseas? Every year many people move away from the United States. Each year, about 250,000 people leave the United States to live in foreign countries! Sometimes people move overseas by themselves, but other times, entire families move together. Sometimes Americans decide to move to another country because they have relatives or friends there. Sometimes they have learned about a place and want to see it firsthand. Either way, they will experience a different culture and see many differences. Many Americans move overseas each year. Photo locations denoted as follows: Top (T), Center (C), Bottom (B), Left (L), Right (R), Background (Bkgd) Opener: Tibor Bognar/Corbis; 1 Tibor Bognar/Corbis; 3 Lester Leftkowitz/Getty Images; 4 (B) Eric Curry/Corbis, (TR) Tibor Bognar/Corbis; 5 Corbis; 7 Robert Essel/Corbis; 8 Mark C. Burnett/Photo Researchers, Inc.; 9 Jeffrey L. Rotman/Corbis; 14 Leif Skoogfors/Corbis; 16 (T) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, (B) Victor M. Trisvan/AP/Wide World Photos; 19 (T) David Gillison/Peter Arnold, Inc., (B) Paul Conklin/PhotoEdit; 20 Andres Leighton/AP/Wide World Photos; 22 Jeff Greenberg/PhotoEdit ISBN 13: 978-0-328-51418-2 ISBN 10: 0-328-51418-7 Copyright by Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For information regarding permissions, write to Pearson Curriculum Rights & Permissions, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458. Pearson is a trademark, in the U.S. and/or in other countries, of Pearson plc or its affiliates. Scott Foresman is a trademark, in the U.S. and/or in other countries, of Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V0G1 13 12 11 10 09 3
Americans relocate to other countries for many reasons. A person may take a job overseas. High school and college students may study in other countries. People who serve in the military may be deployed to another country to protect the United States or to fight in a war. Other people may move to help people in other countries learn to live better lives. Most often, Americans live in other countries for a designated amount of time and then return to the United States. However, sometimes Americans like their new homes so much that they decide to stay in their new countries. When people live in other parts of the world, they usually learn the native language of the country in which they live. They must learn the local customs too. In a foreign country, daily life may be unfamiliar at first because the food, clothing, and weather can all be very different, even exotic. We all can learn about other countries by reading or by watching TV programs. Americans who move to other countries, however, learn even more by experiencing day-to-day life. They learn to understand and respect the differences among people from different cultures. North America South America Europe Africa Asia Australia 4 5
Working Abroad Today many Americans leave the United States and relocate abroad for work. Sometimes, there is a more interesting job available in another country, or a job that pays more money. Other times, a foreign country is the only place where a person s career can thrive. Many large companies have offices all over the world. Sometimes Americans who work for large companies may be transferred to that company s overseas office. When this happens, the person s family often moves abroad too. American artists, writers, and musicians often move to other countries to work. Settling in a new place and meeting new people can spark creative ideas or offer inspiration unavailable at home. In foreign countries, artists can find new scenes to paint and writers can find new places to write about. Some musicians may discover that their music is more popular in countries outside the United States. Some Americans are able to find better jobs in other countries. 6 7
Scientists may need to work in other countries. Scientists live where their research takes them. Archeologists are scientists who study ancient people and their cultures. They learn about these people by studying artifacts, such as tools and bones, that have been dug up. Archeologists work at the digging sites, which are all over the world. Anthropologists are scientists who study how other people live. Anthropologists must live where the people they are studying live so they can understand that group s way of life. Anthropologists might live in the jungles of South America, in the Sahara desert in Africa, or even in Australia s Outback. Diplomats are government workers who represent the United States abroad. They work to build understanding between the United States and the country where the government has assigned the diplomat to live and work. Just as American students may learn Spanish, French, or another language in school, students in other countries may learn English in school. American teachers sometimes live in foreign countries to teach English to children or adults. That way, students in foreign countries such as Japan, China, or France can learn English from an English speaker. Anthropologists study how other people live. 8 9
Studying Abroad American students who attend school in other countries are called exchange students. An exchange student lives with a host family while attending school. The student lives in the family s home. Usually, a student from that foreign country lives with a family in the United States and attends school at the same time. High school students can be part of an exchange program. Many exchange students study abroad to learn another language. There are plenty of opportunities for them to speak another language while living with a host family. Plus, the exchange students have the opportunity to talk with native speakers those who have grown up speaking the language. Students understand that speaking a foreign language with native speakers improves their own skills. Exchange students also learn about the culture and customs of their host countries. They experience holiday celebrations and they get to try new varieties of food. Although exchange students may miss their families, they still usually enjoy living and studying abroad. It is an adventure that most high school students won t have unless they become exchange students. These students often make new friends while they are abroad, and they have many new experiences to share with their own family and friends upon their return. 10 11
Many American students go to college after high school. Some choose to go to college in the United States. Others attend college in a foreign country. Some students do both. They go to college in the United States, but study in another country for part of one year or for an entire year. College students who choose to study in other parts of the world usually enjoy traveling, meeting new people, and learning new customs. These students may enjoy the adventure of living in another country or learning a new language, but they might also miss the United States. Life is different for college students studying abroad than for high school exchange students, because college students live in dormitories with other students instead of in homes with host families. College students are responsible for attending school and deciding how to spend their free time. Sometimes adults go to school overseas too. Schools in other parts of the world may offer classes that aren t found in the United States. For example, if someone is interested in the history of England, he or she may be able to learn more about it by living and studying in England. College students may spend a year studying abroad. 12 13
Serving Abroad Americans may travel to and live in other parts of the world when they enlist in a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. These Americans may go to other countries in order to protect the United States. When a member of the military is assigned to work in another country, that person becomes stationed in the country. The person might be stationed there for just a few months or for several years. While stationed abroad, the member of the military may request to be granted leave. Requesting leave is similar to asking for vacation, so the military member s superiors must approve the request. If the United States is at war with another country, members of the U.S. military may be sent to the country in which the war is being fought. Soldiers undergo training beforehand so they can defend themselves and fight in the war. Then they travel overseas with a unit, or group of other soldiers to fight. Some members of the military live overseas to serve and protect our country. 14 15
Some American military personnel live overseas even when the United States is not engaged in war. During peacetime, members of the military often take their families with them to live overseas. American military personnel live on military bases when they move abroad. A base is a center of operations for the military. The family of a military member lives on the base too. The United States has military bases in many different countries around the world, including Italy, Germany, South Korea, and Japan. Military personnel, along with their families, may move from base to base throughout the world. Most bases contain housing, schools, stores, hospitals, restaurants, and recreation facilities. Some military members and their families move from base to base for many years. Even though they serve the United States, they don t have a permanent home in this country. Military bases are all over the world. Former President Bill Clinton visited bases while in office. 16 17
Helping Abroad Americans also move overseas to help people in other countries. These Americans are called volunteers. Volunteers are people who spend time working, without pay, to help others. The Peace Corps is part of the United States government, and it sends people overseas to volunteer. Since 1961, when the Peace Corps was founded, more than 178,000 Americans have participated by helping people in 138 disadvantaged nations around the world. Americans who join the Peace Corps live and volunteer abroad for a period of two years. Peace Corps volunteers come from different backgrounds and have various skills. They are placed in countries where people are in need of such skills. Peace Corps volunteers help in many ways. Some volunteers help local people start and run businesses. Others are health volunteers who teach people about healthy lifestyles. Peace Corps volunteers help people all over the world. 18 19
Education volunteers may teach English to children or business people. Or they may work with teachers in foreign countries to help them improve their own skills. Other Peace Corps volunteers help people become better farmers. They also improve communities by building roads, wells, bridges, or schools. Another group of Peace Corps volunteers focuses on conserving the environment. These people work with park rangers to protect and conserve endangered wildlife and teach people to respect and care for the land. Adults of any age can join the Peace Corps, but most people who volunteer are young adults. They usually go overseas without their families and live in the cities, towns, or villages of the people they are helping. Many famous Americans have spent time working as Peace Corps volunteers. One example is Jason Carter. Jason is the grandson of Jimmy Carter, the thirty-ninth president of the United States. As you have read, many Americans live parts of their lives in foreign countries. They may work, study, serve in the military, or volunteer abroad. These people like to learn about other countries, languages, cultures, and customs. Volunteers move to other countries to help the people living there. 20 21
Now Try This You Are Moving Abroad! In this book you ve learned about some of the reasons Americans move to other parts of the world. You may even know some Americans who have moved overseas! Think about some reasons Americans live in other countries. Today, you will pretend that you are moving to another country. First, decide why you are moving. Is a family member in the military? Has your mother or father found work in another part of the world? Are you going because you have decided to go to school in another country? Are you a volunteer? The choice is yours! Here s How to Do It! On a separate piece of paper, make a chart like the one below. On the left side of the chart, write the questions. On the right side, fill in your responses. When you have completed the chart, share your plans with a classmate. WHERE are you going? WHY are you going? WHO will go with you? HOW will you get there? WHEN will you go, and for how long? WHAT will you do in the new country? 22 23
Glossary abroad adv. outside your country; to a foreign land. ancient adj. of times long past. anthropologists n. people who study human beings, dealing especially with their fossil remains, physical characteristics, cultures, customs, and beliefs. archeologists n. people who study the people, customs, and life of ancient times. deployed v. to spread out troops into position for combat action. stationed v. having been assigned a station; placed. transferred v. changed or moved from one person or place to another. volunteers n. people who work without pay. Reader Response 1. What is the main idea of this book? Use the chart below to write the main idea and three details from the book to support this idea. Detail: Detail: Detail: Main Idea 2. What inference can you make about how people communicate when they go overseas? 3. Think about the word abroad. Look at its definition in the Glossary. What is your explanation for how the word came to be used this way? 4. How did the headings in this book help you as you read? 24