Knowledge
Is a butterfly a vertebrate or an invertebrate?
Invertebrate (it does not have a backbone)
This text feature gives the definition of unknown words and is found in the back of the Reader.
Glossary
Maya had a box of mixed buttons. She put the red ones in one pile, the blue ones in another, and the green ones in a third. Maya likes to classify her buttons by color. What does classify mean?
To sort into groups
The prefix un- means this.
Not
TASK CARD 1. Read the passage. "Frogs begin life in the water. A mother frog lays soft eggs in a pond. The eggs hatch into tadpoles. Tadpoles have gills and a tail, so they breathe and swim like fish. After a few weeks, the tadpole grows legs, and its gills change into lungs. Then the young frog hops onto land." What is the main idea of the passage? (A) Frogs lay eggs in ponds. (B) A frog's body changes as it grows from life in water to life on land. (C) Tadpoles swim like fish. (D) Frogs are cold-blooded.
B
An animal's body temperature changes with the temperature around it. Is the animal warm-blooded or cold-blooded? Name one group of animals that fits.
Cold-blooded. Reptiles, amphibians, or fish
This text feature gives the reader information about the key topic of a section.
Heading
Seals, whales, and fish spend their whole lives in the sea. Rivers, lakes, and oceans are their homes. These are aquatic animals. What does aquatic mean?
Living in or near water
What does the word nonliving mean?
Not living (not alive)
TASK CARD 2. Read the passage. "Penguins live in some of the coldest places on Earth. They cannot fly, but they are excellent swimmers. A penguin's wings work like flippers and push it quickly through the water. Thick layers of fat and tightly packed feathers keep a penguin warm. When winter winds blow hard, penguins also huddle together in large groups." Which detail best supports the idea that penguins are adapted to life in cold places? (A) Penguins cannot fly. (B) A penguin's wings work like flippers. (C) Thick layers of fat and tightly packed feathers keep a penguin warm. (D) Penguins are excellent swimmers.
C
I have feathers and wings, but I cannot fly. I lay eggs and I am warm-blooded. Which group of animals am I in? Name one animal that fits.
Birds. Penguin or ostrich
You want to find the page where the chapter on birds begins. Which text feature should you use?
Table of contents
The snake rubbed against a rock until its old, dry skin came off in one long piece. Underneath was a bright new layer of skin. Snakes molt when they grow too big for their skin. What does molt mean?
To shed old skin so new skin can grow
Choose the best conjunction: Fish breathe with gills, ____ mammals breathe with lungs. (and, but, so)
But
TASK CARD 3. Read the passage. "Sea turtles spend almost all of their lives in the ocean. They are reptiles, so they are cold-blooded and have scales on their skin. Sea turtles do not have gills. They must swim to the surface to breathe air with their lungs. Each year, a mother sea turtle returns to the beach where she was born. She digs a nest in the sand and lays her eggs. Then she goes back to the sea, and the eggs hatch on their own." Which statement best summarizes the passage? (A) Sea turtles are reptiles that live in the ocean but return to land to lay their eggs. (B) Sea turtles are reptiles that breathe underwater with gills. (C) A mother sea turtle digs a nest in the sand and lays her eggs. (D) Reptiles are cold-blooded animals that have scales.
A
Give two ways reptiles are different from amphibians.
Any two: reptiles have dry, scaly skin and amphibians have thin, moist skin; reptiles lay fewer eggs on land and amphibians lay many soft eggs in water; amphibians have gills when they are young and lungs as adults, and reptiles have lungs
A picture of a frog has lines pointing to its eye, legs, and webbed toes. Each line has a label. Name this text feature.
Diagram
The room was always 70 degrees. It never got warmer in the afternoon or cooler at night. The temperature stayed constant. What does constant mean?
Staying the same
Choose the correct pronoun: The zookeeper feeds the lions every morning. The zookeeper feeds ____ every morning. (they, them)
Them
TASK CARD 4. Read the passage. "In winter, the air and the water turn cold. A frog is cold-blooded, so its body temperature drops when the temperature around it drops. Food is also hard to find in winter. Many frogs bury themselves in the mud at the bottom of a pond. They stop eating and moving. Their bodies use only the fat stored inside them to stay alive until spring." Based on the passage, why do many frogs hibernate in winter? (A) They are warm-blooded and need to stay warm. (B) Their bodies cool down and food is hard to find. (C) They want to lay eggs in the mud. (D) They cannot swim in cold water.
B
Put these events in the life cycle of a toad in order, then explain how the toad's breathing changes. (A) The tadpole grows legs. (B) The mother lays eggs in a pond. (C) The adult lives on land. (D) The eggs hatch into tadpoles.
B, D, A, C. The toad breathes with gills as a tadpole, and the gills change into lungs so it can breathe air on land.
Some words in a passage are in dark, thick print. Explain why an author does this and where you could find the meaning of the word.
Bold print shows important words or concepts. The meaning can be found in the glossary.
You can feel a row of bumpy bones down the middle of your back. These bones protect your spinal cord. They also help your body stand up and bend. This row of bones is called your spine. What does spine mean?
Backbone
Combine these two sentences into one sentence using the word so: The tadpole has gills. It can breathe underwater.
The tadpole has gills, so it can breathe underwater.
TASK CARD 5. Read the passage and look at the diagram. "Fish are built for life in water. A fish breathes with gills. Water flows in through its mouth and passes over the gills, which take oxygen out of the water. Fins help a fish swim, steer, and balance. Scales cover its skin and protect its body. Fish are also cold-blooded, so their body temperature changes with the water around them." DIAGRAM: A picture of a fish with labels and arrows pointing to the gills, the fins, the scales, and the tail. How does the diagram help the reader better understand the passage? Include your claim and use two details from the text to support your response.
Claim: The diagram shows where the fish's body parts are, so the reader can picture the parts the text describes. Any two details: the text says gills take oxygen out of the water, and the diagram labels where the gills are; the text says fins help a fish swim, steer, and balance, and the diagram shows where the fins are; the text says scales cover the skin, and the diagram labels the scales.