Two short texts about the Venus flytrap give 4th grade students different facts about one plant. Text 1 explains the snap trap and its trigger hairs, and Text 2 explains why a plant in the poor bog soils of the Carolinas must eat insects. Students combine facts from both in a mind map, tagging each one as (Text 1) or (Text 2), then write three sentences that use both sources. The three pages practice RI.4.9.
RI.4.9
“Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.”
The mind map mixes facts from both texts, and The Need to Feed branch only makes sense once students join the nitrogen fact from Text 2 with the trap from Text 1.
Students read that the leaf snaps shut if an insect touches two trigger hairs within 20 seconds, and that digestive juices break the bug down over five to twelve days.
Students read that the plant grows only in wet, boggy soils in North Carolina and South Carolina, where the soil lacks nitrogen.
Four branches with named prompts, such as Home Sweet Bog, The Need to Feed, and Dinnertime, plus one branch students name themselves.
Students write three complete sentences that combine information from both texts.
Research skills
Tagging facts with (Text 1) and (Text 2) is an early form of citing sources. Point this out before students start their first research report.
Science center
Place a picture or a real Venus flytrap beside the sheets. Students can point to the trigger hairs as they fill in the branch about what makes the trap close.
Writing check
Look at the three final sentences. Students who write two sentences from Text 1 and one from Text 2 have not really combined the sources yet.
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