Central Idea
Thunderstorms are dangerous. Every thunderstorm contains lightning, and lightning kills more people each year than tornadoes or hurricanes!
What is the central idea of the passage?
What is Thunderstorms are dangerous?
A girl named Chloe is scared to ride her bike, but her father encourages her to keep trying, even after she falls, until she is smiling and riding on her own.
What is the main theme of the story?
What is You should never give up?
White soft flakes fall down,
Covering the sleeping grass,
Winter’s cold, white hug.
What type of poem is this?
What is Haiku?
Bees fly from flower to flower to collect nectar for food. As they move, pollen sticks to their fuzzy legs and rubs off on the next flower. Because of this movement, new seeds and fruits are able to grow.
What text structure is used?
Cause & Effect
You might think an alligator floating still in the water is just being lazy. However, these reptiles are actually "cold-blooded," which means they cannot make their own body heat. In the morning, they crawl onto logs to soak up the sun’s warmth. Later, if they get too hot, they slip into the cool water to lower their temperature.
What is the author's purpose for writing the paragraph? What evidence supports your answer?
By explaining how alligators control their body temperature. Alligators lay in the sun and when they get too hot they get in the water to cool down.
Do you know what to do to remain safe during a thunderstorm? First, go inside a sturdy building or a vehicle and close the windows. Also avoid water, high ground, and metal objects.
What is the central idea of this passage?
What is What to do to stay safe in a thunderstorm?
Mateo saw the new student, Leo, sitting alone at lunch with a worn-out, taped-up notebook. Some kids whispered that it looked like trash. Later, Mateo saw Leo drawing incredibly detailed spaceships in that same notebook. Mateo sat down and asked, "Can you show me how to draw that?" Leo smiled, and they spent the rest of recess drawing together. By the end of the week, three other students had joined their "Space Club."
What is the main theme of the story?
What is Never judge how something or someone looks?
A tiny seed beneath the snow,
Waits for the sun to help it grow.
It pushes through the dark and cold,
Until its green leaves start to unfold.
What type of poem?
What is Rhymed verse?
Frogs and toads are both amphibians, but they have different skin. A frog has smooth, slimy skin and lives near water. In contrast, a toad has dry, bumpy skin and can live further away from ponds.
What text structure is used?
Comparison
Sea turtle hatchlings face many dangers on Florida beaches. Bright lights from nearby hotels can confuse them, causing them to crawl toward the street instead of the ocean. To help, people can turn off porch lights or use "turtle-friendly" bulbs during nesting season. Additionally, picking up trash on the beach ensures the tiny turtles have a clear path to the water. Everyone must do their part to protect these amazing creatures.
What is the author's purpose for writing this paragraph? What evidence supports your answer?
Explaining the dangers that turtle hatchlings face and ways that people can help such as turning lights off, pick up trash on the beach
An average beehive consists of about 20,000 bees. Within the colony, there are three types of bees, the Queen, the Drone and the Worker bees. Each have its own important job
What is the central idea of this passage?
What is All bees have very important jobs?
Sarah had practiced for the 50-yard dash for months. On the morning of the big race, it poured rain, and the track was a muddy mess. During the race, Sarah slipped and fell into a puddle. Her knees were stung and her shoes were soaked. She wanted to quit and cry, but she saw her teammates cheering. Sarah hopped up, wiped the mud off her hands, and finished the race. She came in last, but her coach gave her the "Heart of the Team" award for not giving up.
What is the main theme of the story?
What is Trying hard is more important than winning or Never give up?
The oak tree reaches its long fingers
toward the blue ceiling.
Birds build their homes in its pockets,
and it never asks for a penny in return.
What type of poem?
What is Free verse?
The local park was covered in litter, and the playground equipment was rusting. Because the trash was dangerous for kids, the neighborhood held a "Clean-Up Day." As a result of their hard work, the park became a safe place to play again.
What text structure is used?
Cause & Effect
Florida farmers work hard to grow oranges. They must protect trees from cold freezes and pick the fruit by hand to prevent bruising. This careful work is why Florida juice is the best.
How is the purpose developed?
By giving examples of the hard work required to produce good fruit
Worker bees, on the other hand, are extremely busy. They are female bees that lay no eggs. Their many jobs include cleaning, gathering pollen, building new comb, and taking care of the larvae (baby bees).
What is the central idea of this passage?
What is Worker bees have many jobs?
Old Mr. Henderson’s yard was full of weeds and trash. Jada decided to help, but she didn’t want him to know it was her. Every Tuesday, she secretly pulled weeds and planted small flowers near his porch. Weeks later, she saw Mr. Henderson sitting on his porch, smiling at the new flowers and talking to a neighbor about how happy the garden made him. Jada felt a warm glow in her chest, even though no one knew she was the gardener.
What is the main theme of the story?
What is Doing something kind is its own reward or Being kind to others?
There once was a fellow named Joe,
Who had a very large toe.
He tied it with string,
Like a tiny round thing,
And used it to hop to the show!
What type of poem and support with evidence?
The poem is Limerick because it has five lines with an AABBA pattern and it's funny.
First, gather your wood and nails. Next, measure and cut the pieces to the right size. Then, nail the sides together carefully. Finally, paint the wood to protect it from the rain.
What text structure is used and provide evidence to support your answer?
Chronology because the signal words first, next and finally show order of steps.
Astronauts train for years before going to space. They practice underwater to feel weightless and study science to run experiments on the Space Station. This training keeps them safe and helps them learn new things about our universe.
How does the author develop the purpose?
By describing what they do for training.
"Raccoons have flexible fingers to turn doorknobs. They eat plants, insects, fish, and even trash. These smart creatures are able to eat almost anything they find"
What is the central idea of this passage?
What is Raccoons are clever animals that can eat a wide variety of foods?
A gardener used two pots to carry water. One pot was perfect, but the other had a crack that leaked half its water. The cracked pot felt ashamed of its flaw. One day, the gardener pointed to the trail: “Look at the beautiful flowers growing only on your side of the path. I planted seeds there because I knew you would water them.”
What is the main theme of the story?
What is
Everyone is unique, even if they aren't perfect.
Patter, patter, tap!
The sky is crying on the roof.
Wet puddles are mirrors
on the sidewalk.
What type of poem is this and what evidence supports your answer?
free verse poem because it does not follow a specific rhyme scheme or a set rhythmic pattern.
Both camels and llamas are used to carry heavy loads in dry places. However, camels have large humps on their backs to store fat, while llamas have flat backs. Additionally, camels live in the hot deserts of Africa and Asia, but llamas live in the cool mountains of South America.
What is the text structure that is used and give evidence to support your answer?
Comparison because it's comparing how camels and llamas are both used to carry heavy loads and how camels have humps and llamas have flat backs
Most plastic ends up in landfills where it stays for hundreds of years. However, if you recycle your water bottles, they can be turned into new things like playground slides or even t-shirts. Recycling is a simple way to protect our Earth.
How does the author develop the purpose of encouraging recycling?
By showing positive ways of using recycled items.