Temple Grandin’s Designs for Calmer Cattle
A shadow across a walkway may not seem important to a person. To a cow moving through an unfamiliar space, though, it can be a reason to stop. Temple Grandin studied details like this to understand how livestock-handling areas could work better for animals and people.
Grandin was born on August 29, 1947. As an adult, she became an animal scientist and a professor at Colorado State University. Her work includes designing facilities where cattle can be guided for tasks such as veterinary care. She is also known for speaking and writing about her experience as an autistic person. Autism affects people in different ways, so her experience does not represent every autistic person.
When Grandin looked at a livestock facility, she paid attention to what animals might see and hear. Cattle may hesitate at sudden changes in flooring, moving objects, or distracting shadows. If handlers notice what is causing an animal to stop, they can sometimes remove the distraction instead of forcing it forward.
- livestock:
- Farm animals raised or cared for by people.
- veterinary:
- Related to the medical care of animals.
- hesitate:
- To pause because of uncertainty or difficulty.
- distraction:
- Something that takes attention away from what someone or an animal is doing.
- tendency:
- A usual way of acting or behaving.
- observation:
- The act of watching carefully to learn something.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is the main idea of the passage, and which two details support it?
- 2Why might a cow stop at a shadow in a walkway?
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About this explanatory article passage for Upper Elementary
“Temple Grandin’s Designs for Calmer Cattle” is a explanatory article reading passage about Animal handling, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (505 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.