Lesson 11:Koko Communicates

Level: O
DRA: 38
Genre:
Narrative Nonfiction
Strategy:
Infer/Predict
Skill:
Fact and Opinion
Word Count: 822
Koko
Communicates
4.3.11
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02176-8
ISBN-10: 0-547-02176-3
1032039
1032039
by Justin Marciniak
H O UG H T O N MIF F L IN
Koko
Communicates
by Justin Marciniak
ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Yoshi Miyake
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover © AP Photo/Gorilla Foundation; tp © Bettmann/Corbis; 3 © AP Photo/Gorilla
Foundation; 6 © Roger Allyn Lee/SuperStock; 8 © Bettmann/Corbis; 9 © Ron Cohn/Newscom; 11 © AP Photo/Gorilla
Foundation, Ron Cohn; 12 © Brakefield Photo/Age Fotostock; 13 © Franco Zytz/Age Fotostock; 14 © Reimar Gaertner/
Alamy.
Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Printed in China
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02176-8
ISBN-10: 0-547-02176-3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 RRD 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08
Table of Contents
Koko and Penny
4
A Gorilla Friend
7
Koko and Ron
9
A Kitten for Koko
10
Koko and Ndume
14
One day in August 1972, Francine “Penny”
Patterson was slicing food to feed to Koko the
gorilla. The one-year-old gorilla put her thumb
and fingers against her mouth. Penny felt a
sense of disbelief. Koko had just formed the
American Sign Language sign for food.
The first signs that Koko learned were food,
drink, and more.
3
Koko and Penny
Penny had spent the last month trying
to teach Koko three signs to see if animals
could use language. Teaching Koko was a
difficult project for Penny, a student at Stanford
University in California. Now Koko had done
something unbelievable. She had learned her
first word and communicated with a person.
food/eat
drink
sad
red
time
Koko
Try making these signs yourself.
4
Quick Facts About Koko
Koko was born on July 4, 1971, at
the San Francisco Zoo.
Koko’s full birth name is Hanabi-Ko,
which means “fireworks child” in
Japanese.
She is a western lowland gorilla.
Koko paints.
The incident was the first of many amazing
moments in Koko’s relationships with scientists,
human caregivers, her gorilla friend Michael,
and her pet kittens. During the next few
months, Koko learned more words and could
combine some of them. Penny also became like
a mother to Koko.
5
Koko moved to Stanford University to live near Penny.
When Koko was three, she and Penny
moved from the San Francisco Zoo to Stanford
University. By the time she was five, Koko
knew signs for 200 words. She seemed to be
able to understand spoken English because
she would reply with signs. Her personality
continued to develop.
6
A Gorilla Friend
Two years later, Penny got Michael, a
three-year-old gorilla, to be Koko’s companion.
Penny hoped the two gorillas would one day
start their own family. But Koko seemed angry
about the new arrangement with Michael in
the trailer where she lived. She acted mean and
rude to her new friend.
Eventually, she accepted his presence in her
life. They played hide-and-seek, tickled each
other, and wrestled. Koko still bullied Michael
as if he were her younger brother.
7
Koko works with Penny (left) and June Monroe,
an interpreter for people who cannot hear.
Penny and her assistants started to teach
sign language to Michael. By the time Koko
knew 1,000 words, Michael had learned 500.
Like human siblings, they teased each other.
Still behaving like a jealous sister, Koko
sometimes insulted Michael. She signed that he
was a “stupid toilet.” Michael won the war of
words when he signed that Koko was a “stink
bad squash gorilla.”
8
Koko and Ron
Penny’s friend Ron Cohn took pictures
and videotaped Koko and Michael. He signed
and worked with the gorillas just as Penny did.
However, he also disciplined Koko. Because
Ron made her follow the rules, the naughty
gorilla saved her worst insults for Ron.
Koko knows about 2,000 spoken words and more
than 1,000 signs.
9
A Kitten for Koko
Although Koko acted jealous of Michael
and showed dislike for Ron, she loved pets—
especially kittens. One December, Penny asked
Koko what she wanted for Christmas. Koko
signed the words “doll,” “nuts,” and “cat.”
At Christmas, Penny wrapped a gift of a
cat figure made of cement and velvet for Koko.
When Koko opened her gifts, her behavior
was unexpected. “That red,” she signed (Koko
uses the word red to communicate anger).
Koko ran around in an angry way and banged
on the walls.
10
Koko celebrates her 30th birthday.
The spoiled gorilla finally received a living
kitten several months later. She chose a gray
cat without a tail. Penny asked Koko what she
wanted to name it. “All Ball,” she signed. Koko
seemed to have learned how to rhyme, and
Penny figured the round, tailless kitten looked
like a ball. Later, Koko signed, “Koko love.”
11
The way Koko carried her kitten was the same
way mother gorillas carry babies.
Koko carried the kitten on her thigh and
the back of her neck. Mother gorillas carry
their babies in the same places. She was
carrying All Ball as if he were her baby. She
was very gentle. Koko also cleaned him and
inspected him as a mother gorilla would her
own biological child.
12
Then, in December of 1984, something
terrible happened. All Ball escaped and was hit
by a car. Penny told Koko about the accident,
but Koko did not respond. A few minutes later,
Penny heard Koko crying. Gorillas don’t cry
with tears, but they seem to say, “Whoo-whoo.”
Learning that animals are upset when they miss
someone is surprising and sad.
Koko’s Pets
After All Ball died, Koko had two other kittens.
Her second kitten was a reddish-orange kitten.
Koko named it Lips-Lipstick. Later, Koko picked
out another gray cat.
When asked for a name,
Koko signed, “Smoke,” so
Penny and her assistants
called it Smoky.
13
Koko and Ndume
In 1991, Penny acquired another male
gorilla, Ndume. She and other researchers still
hope that Koko will have a baby someday and
will be curious to see if she will teach it sign
language. In the meantime, Koko continues to
teach Penny and humankind what some animals
can learn, feel, and do.
Penny hopes to move
the gorillas to Hawaii,
which has better
weather for gorillas.
14
Responding
Fact and Opinion What
facts does the author provide in Koko
Communicates? What opinions does the author
share? Copy and complete the chart below.
TARGET SKILL
Fact
Opinion
p. 11: Koko chose a
gray cat without a
tail.
p. 8: Still behaving
like a jealous sister,
Koko sometimes
insulted Michael.
?
?
HMRLR_GO_Tmap.eps
Write About It
Text to World Pretend that you have been
asked to create a new sign to add to American
Sign Language. Write one paragraph in which
you explain how to make the new sign for the
word of your choice.
15
TARGET VOCABULARY
arrangement
biological
disbelief
endeared
hastened
incident
pounced
presence
tempted
utter
Fact and Opinion Decide if an idea can be proved or if it is a feeling or belief.
TARGET SKILL
Infer/Predict Use text clues to figure out what isn’t directly stated by the author.
TARGET STRATEGY
GENRE Narrative Nonfiction gives factual information by telling a true story.
16
Level: O
DRA: 38
Genre:
Narrative Nonfiction
Strategy:
Infer/Predict
Skill:
Fact and Opinion
Word Count: 822
Koko
Communicates
4.3.11
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02176-8
ISBN-10: 0-547-02176-3
1032039
1032039
by Justin Marciniak
H O UG H T O N MIF F L IN