Bricks Reading

150 Level 2
Dictation SCRIPT

Unit 1. My Giant Rabbit

Dear Diary,
You won’t believe this! My pet rabbit is so big! He is huge! He is as big as my dog. I call him
Mr. Big.
Mr. Big lives inside my house. You can hold little rabbits in your arms. Mr. Big is too heavy to
hold. I can’t pick him up off the floor.
Mr. Big eats 16 cups of lettuce every day. But I gave him two carrots today. Mr. Big was very
hungry. He went into the garden and ate all the lettuce! He is naughty.
When my dog slept, Mr. Big jumped on him. Mr. Big chased my cat around the house. Oh,
my! Goodbye, dear diary. I have to go. Mr. Big is chasing the cat again.

Unit 2. Four Giant Dogs

Many people have small dogs for pets. But some people love giant dogs.
The tallest dog is the Irish Wolfhound. It is very strong. It has no fear. It can hunt wolves.
And it can guard homes.
The Great Dane is a giant dog. It is as big as a small horse. But it is intelligent and loyal. So
sometimes it works as watchdogs.
The English Mastiff is a very heavy dog. It can weigh 70 kilograms. This dog drools a lot.
When it shakes its head, drool flies everywhere.
The most famous giant dog is the Saint Bernard. It is from Switzerland. It does search and
rescue in the mountains. Most are just pets.
Which dog do you choose as a pet?

Unit 3. Jack in the Musical Museum

Jack’s class went to the Musical Museum. Jack was a trouble maker. So the teacher always
watched him. Jack and his friends looked around the museum.
First, they saw a pipe organ. It was huge. It had many, many metal pipes. Jack asked, “Can I
climb on it?” His teacher answered, “No! You just play it. You don’t climb it.”
Next, they saw an African drum. It was made from an animal skin. Jack hit it so hard. It
made a loud sound, tom-tom-tom! “Be careful,” his teacher said.
Last, they saw a harp. It had many strings. It made a pretty sound. Jack pretended he was
playing the harp. His friends laughed but the teacher sighed.
Jack said, “This Musical Museum is fun! Can we stay here all day?”

Unit 4. Special Musical Instruments

Hello. My name is Jacob. I work in the Musical Museum. Let me tell you about some of our
musical instruments.
First, let’s look at the pandeiro. It is from Brazil. It is like a tambourine. You shake it with one
hand. You hit it with your other hand. People use it in Brazilian music like samba.
Now, just look at this quena. It is like a flute. It is made out of reeds that grow in the water.
The people of the Andes Mountains play it.
Look! Here is an accordion from Germany. It is over one hundred years old. It still works.
People play accordions at folk dances.
Our museum has many more interesting musical instruments. Come visit! You can
experience the wonderful world of music.
 Unit 5. Three Fun Invention

The teacher tells her class, “Imagine you are scientists. What kind of inventions do you
make?”
Jessie says, “I make a new flytrap. An old flytrap can kill one fly at a time. But the new
flytrap shoots out a ray of light. Zap! It kills all the flies.”
Max says, “I invent a new basketball. The basketball has a computer in it. You throw it at
the basket and you don’t miss. The computer guides the ball right into the basket.”
Liz says, “I invent a giant robot fly. It is so big. I can ride on it. I can fly above the
schoolyard. I tell it where to go, and it flies there.”
“Very interesting ideas!” the teacher says. “But you should be careful of Jessie’s flytrap,
Liz.”

Unit 6. Chester Made Earmuffs

Sometimes kids make great new things.

The year was 1873. Chester Greenwood was 15 years old. It was winter in America. The
water on the ponds was ice. Chester liked to skate on ice skates.
Chester skated and skated. Chester’s ears got cold. He put a scarf on his head. But then his
face got itchy. Chester didn’t need a scarf on his head. Only his ears were cold. He just
needed something to warm his ears.
Chester found some wire. He made the wire into two circles. He asked his grandmother,
“Please sew fur around the wires.” He joined the wires with a metal headband. Chester made
something new! He called them earmuffs. Now his ears stayed warm.
People around the world still wear earmuffs today.
 Unit 7. Bath Day at the Animal Shelter

Three friends help at the animal shelter. They try to bathe the animals.
Michelle bathes a cat. Cats don’t like to get wet. The cat tries to scratch Michelle. She wears
gloves and pets the cat. The cat becomes calm and Michelle can clean the cat.
Nadia bathes a guinea pig. Water must not get into the guinea pig’s ears. She covers his
ears with a head cap. Then she pours warm water on him. Water doesn’t get into his ears. The
guinea pig gets clean.
Larry bathes a dog. He sprays it with water. The dog shakes its body and runs away. Larry
gets wet.
Michelle and Nadia say, “That was easy and fun!” Larry frowns. He says, “No, bathing
animals is the hardest work in the world.”

Unit 8. How Wild Animal Bathe

Wild animals clean themselves in different ways.

Lions lick their fur to clean it. They lick all over their bodies. In the morning, a mother lion
licks her cub’s face clean with her tongue.
Elephants wash themselves in a river. They suck water into their long noses. Then they
spray the water all over their bodies. They get clean! They also spray mud on their bodies. It
can look strange. But it keeps flies away.
Some monkeys take long baths. They go into hot springs. This gets them clean. It also
keeps them warm in the winter.
Many birds take baths in the dust. Chickens and ostriches do too. The dust cleans their
feathers. Tiny insects bite birds. The dust makes the insects go away.
All these animals bathe. Which animal really gets clean?

Unit 9. Annie in the Old West

One day, Annie found an old ring. She put it on her finger. Then…whoosh!… her bedroom
was gone!
Annie looked around. She was in the Old West. The town had streets of dirt. The houses
were made of wood. All the men wore cowboy hats. Some rode horses and had guns.
Annie was thirsty. She saw a building with a big sign: O.K. Restaurant. She went into it.
Some cowboys were playing a game of cards. One cowboy laughed. He said, “I won!”
Another cowboy shouted, “No! You cheated!” They started to fight. The owner of the
restaurant said, “Stop fighting!” He shot his gun in the air. Bang! Bang!
“Uh oh,” Annie said “I better run.” She ran and touched her ring. Then… whoosh!…she was
back in her bedroom again. “Whew! I’m safe at last.”
 Unit 10. The Past and the Present

Things changed a lot from the past. You will not believe how different things are today!
In the past, children played board games together. There were no computers. In the present,
most children play computer games.
In the past, people washed clothes in a wash tub. They washed them clean on a washboard.
In the present, we put clothes in a washing machine.
In the past, it took months for sailing ships to go from America to Europe. In the present,
airplanes fly that far in 7 hours.
In the past, it took months for a letter to go from New York to London. Letters went on
sailing ships too. But in the present, an e-mail gets there in a few seconds.
Things are much, much faster these days. Things are much easier too.

Unit 11. Leo Tried to Hunt

Leo was an African lion. One day he said, “I’m hungry. Let’s go hunt some animals.” The
other lions said, “Good idea. We are hungry too.”
The lions saw some giraffes. They hid in the grass. But the giraffes were very tall. They
looked down and saw the lions. The giraffes ran away.
The lions saw an ostrich. But the ostrich saw the lions. She put her head down. She looked
like a bush. Leo said, “Where did the ostrich go?”
Leo saw some zebras. They had black and white stripes. The lions walked through the grass.
Then they ran after the zebras. The zebras ran away. The lions saw many, many stripes. They
didn’t know who to run after.
“Let’s go home,” Leo said. “I’m not really hungry.”

Unit 12. Very Special Animals

Hello students,
I am Ms. Smith. Today, I will tell you interesting things about the animals.
Many animals have special bodies. They can help keep the animals alive.
Giraffes have long legs and long necks. They can eat the leaves in tall trees. Giraffes also
have long, strong tongues. They wrap them around leaves, and pull the leaves off.
Polar bears have thick fur. This keeps them stay warm. Their fur is white like snow. Other
animals can’t see them. But their noses are black. So they cover their noses with their paws.
Camels have big humps on their backs. These humps have fat inside. On long trips, the
camels’ bodies use the fat for food. Camels can also go for days without water.
Other animals in the world have special features too. Aren't they amazing?

Unit 13. Chris at the Campground

Dear Grandpa and Grandma,

Yesterday I went to a campground. It was beside a lake. I went in my wheelchair to the lake.
First, I rode in a paddlewheel boat. I got out of my wheelchair. I sat in the boat. I turned a
handle with my hands. I made the boat go all over the lake.
Then, I sat around the campfire. There were many other kids. We toasted marshmallows on
a stick. We cooked hotdogs too. We drank hot chocolate.
Someone played the guitar, and we all sang some funny songs. We laughed and laughed
and laughed.
That night we all went to sleep in a tent. We talked for hours. We told jokes and scary
stories.
It was so much fun. I want to go back again with you later!
Love,
 Chris

Unit 14. Great People with Disabilities

Some great people have disabilities. But they try hard to do great things.
Stephen Hawking is a very smart man. He is a genius. But he can’t move his body. He can’t
even talk. But he still thinks amazing new thoughts about math.
Stevie Wonder can’t see. But he is a famous musician. He writes many songs. He plays
many musical instruments. He makes people happy.
Abbey Curran can’t move well. But Abbey is a beauty queen. She helps other people with
disabilities.
Julia Roberts is a movie star. When she was young, she stuttered. It was hard for her to
speak. She worked very hard to talk clearly. She is now a famous star.
Do you have a disability? You may have some problems. But you can do great things.

Unit 15. Steve Writes a Scary Story

Steve must write a story for homework. Steve says, “What can I write about?” Then he looks
at a monster on TV. He says, “Yes! I will write about a monster!”
In Steve’s story, five children walk in the forest. They hear a sound. They say, “This is
strange.”
Then Bigfoot suddenly appears. Bigfoot is two meters tall. He has very, very huge feet.
The children run very fast. Bigfoot runs after them. One of the boys throws his backpack at
Bigfoot. But he doesn’t stop. He grabs the shirt of one boy. Then Bigfoot opens his huge
mouth. “Nooooo!,” the poor boy screams.
The teacher reads Steve’s story to the class. Everyone says, “That is one scary monster!”
One girl asks, “Did that r-r-really happen?”
Steve chuckles. “Yes. In my dreams.”
 Unit 16. Monsters in Books

Since a long time ago, there are many stories about monsters. Some monsters are real.
Some are not.
Jules Verne wrote a story about a giant squid. The squid is 10 meters long. In the story, it
attacks sailors. Giant squids do not live only in the story. They are real monsters. They live in
all of the world’s oceans.
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote about a Balrog. It is a giant demon of fire and darkness. It chases
Gandalf and his friends. So Gandalf fights it and kills it. Balrogs are not real. Whew!
Lewis Carroll wrote about the Jabberwock. No one knows what it is like. Some people think it
looks a bit like a dragon. It’s a good thing that the Jabberwock is not real!
Are there stories about monsters in your country? Are those monsters real?