There are four seasons in a year. They are spring, summer, fall, and winter. Each season lasts about three months. Spring is the season when new life begins. The weather becomes warmer. Warm weather, rain and light make plants grow. Some plants that looked dead during the winter grow again. Tulips are plants that come up every spring.

Summer begins on June 20th for people who live in the United States. June 20th is the longest day of the year for us. We have more sunlight that day than on any other day. Insects come out in summer. One bug that comes out in summer likes to bite. The bite hurts, and it itches. Do you know what that bug is? It's a deer fly.

Summer ends and fall begins during September. In fall, we begin to get less light from the sun. In the North, leaves begin to die. When they die, they turn brown. Then, they fall off. Nuts fall from trees. They are saved by squirrels to eat in the winter.

Winter begins just a few days before Christmas. December 21st is the shortest day of the year for us. We have less light that day than on any other day. In winter, many animals have to live on food that they stored during the fall. There are no green plants for the animals to eat. Winter ends when spring begins on March 20th. The seasons keep changing. Plant life begins and ends each year.

Leslie, L. & Caldwell, J. (1995). Qualitative Reading Inventory-II. New York, NY; Addison Wesley Longman Publishers.