Fourth Grade
Worksheets
Maria's Story: A Village of Land Mines
You probably like to play outside. You might have fallen down a time or two. You might have even stepped on a rock with your bare feet, or you might have gotten a splinter. Maria has to worry about stepping on even bigger and more dangerous things than you do.
Maria is a child just like you. She likes to play. She likes to be with her family. She likes to be outside. There's one big difference between Maria and you, though. Maria lost her leg and lost her father. How did that happen? She lost both in a land mine accident.
Maria lives in a country called Colombia. Land mines are in many places in Colombia. They are weapons. However, they are not weapons in the same way as guns are. Guns are fired and shot by people. Land mines are hidden on the ground or below the ground. They can explode when someone steps on them. It can happen to a soldier that steps on it. It can happen to a father. It can happen to a child. The land mine does not know the difference.
