A four-paragraph passage on this 5-page 3rd grade science reading looks at three animals that seem to belong in the wrong group. A whale lives in the ocean but is a mammal, a bat flies but is not a bird, and a penguin swims but is a bird. Ten questions follow in two parts called Find the Facts and Think Deeper. They include three multiple choice items, a fact sort and written answers. The answers page quotes the line for question 9 and gives sample responses.
RI.3.1
“Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.”
Questions 4, 5, 8 and 9 ask students to answer from details in the passage, and question 9 asks them to copy a phrase.
“Explain why a whale, a bat and a penguin belong to the groups they do.”
Questions 1 to 3 and the sort in question 6 match each animal to its traits.
An opening paragraph on traits, then one paragraph each for the whale, the bat and the penguin. The penguin paragraph is at the top of page 2.
Three multiple choice questions on the whale's blowhole, why a bat is a mammal, and the penguin's group and covering. Two written questions and a table that sorts three facts into Whale, Bat and Penguin.
Four written questions. Students say what traits means, explain why a penguin could be mistaken for a fish or whale, copy a phrase about bat wings, and pick the trickiest animal with two reasons.
Checked boxes for questions 1 to 3, the completed sort and sample answers for the rest.
Read in sections
Stop after each animal and ask students to underline the traits that decide its group. They then have the evidence ready for the sort.
Find the phrase
Question 9 asks students to copy a sentence. Show them how to scan for the word wings, then check that the line explains how the wings help the bat.
Sort as an exit ticket
Use question 6 alone at the end of a lesson. Three facts and three columns take only a couple of minutes.
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