Root Words
This Latin root means “to break.”
What is rupt
In the text, the word “decay” means—
What is to break down or to rot
This word can mean a room for a baby or a place where young plants are grown.
What is nursery
What is the central idea of the section “What Is a Swamp?
What is:A swamp is a wetland area full of water, plants, and animals that depend on each other to survive.
The section “How Are Swamps Formed?” uses which text structure to explain how swamps develop?
What is Cause and effect?
This Greek root means “the study of,”
What is ology
What does the comparison “a swamp is like a giant sponge” help the reader understand?
What is That a swamp absorbs and holds water?
This word can mean the first light of morning or the moment when you begin to understand something.
What is dawn?
Which detail best supports the idea that swamps help prevent floods?
What is: Swamps act like sponges, soaking up extra rainwater and slowly releasing it?
What transition words in the text show the order in which a swamp forms?
What are “Over time,” “As time passed,” and “When the water is shallow enough”?
This Greek root means “life”
What is Bio
The author uses sensory words like “damp,” “dark,” and “stillness” mainly to—
What is Create a vivid image of the swamp’s atmosphere?
A community of living and nonliving things that interact with each other in an environment.
What is an ecosystem?
The introduction describes paddling through a swamp to help the reader—
What is Visualize the sights, smells, and sounds of a swamp environment?
How does the author organize information to help the reader understand the process of swamp formation?
What is By using sequence and diagrams that show the stages of lake to marsh to swamp?
This Latin root means “across” or “beyond”
What is trans
In the introduction, the author writes, “Not even a whisper of a breeze stirs the warm, moist air.” What type of figurative language is used, and what mood does it create?
What is personification? It creates a quiet, eerie mood that emphasizes the stillness and mystery of the swamp.
The natural home or environment where an organism lives and finds food, water, and shelter.
What is a habitat?
The text explains that swamp plants help clean the water and prevent floods. How do these details support the central idea?
What are supporting details that show swamps are important ecosystems? They explain how swamps help the environment by filtering water and controlling flooding.
The author describes the transformation from lake to marsh to swamp. What text structure is used, and how does it help readers understand the process?
What is sequence?
Found in words like ecosystem and ecology, this root comes from the Greek word oikos, meaning “house” or “environment.”
What is eco
The author writes, “... the stillness is broken only by the distant hoot of an owl.” What type of figurative language is used here, and how does it help the reader?
What is imagery? It appeals to the senses—smell, sound, and sight—to help the reader vividly imagine the swamp’s atmosphere
A group of living things that are the same kind and can produce offspring that can also reproduce.
What is species
How do supporting details help a reader identify the central idea of a nonfiction text?
What is by providing evidence and examples that explain or prove the main point of the text?
What is the purpose of using different text structures like sequence, compare and contrast, or cause and effect in nonfiction texts?
What is to organize information clearly and help readers understand how ideas are connected?