A five-paragraph reading on the nervous system starts this 4-page 5th grade science sheet. It covers the brain's 86 billion neurons, tiny electrical signals, nerve signals that travel over 100 meters per second, how sleep helps memory, and why helmets and seat belts protect the brain. Four multiple-choice questions and two written responses follow, and question 3 asks students to explain the author's comparison of the senses to scouts. A final page gives the answers.
RI.5.1
“Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.”
Question 6 asks students to use what the passage says about sleep and memory to explain why staying up late is a bad idea.
RI.5.4
“Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.”
Question 3 asks why the author calls the senses scouts, using the clues in paragraph 3.
Five paragraphs with a photo of a boy catching a baseball. Key terms such as nervous system, 86 billion neurons, sleep helps memory and helmets are in bold.
Four multiple-choice questions on the number of neurons, signal speed, why the senses are called scouts and which two safety habits protect the brain.
One question asks how neurons pass messages and how the senses and muscles work together when you touch something hot. The other asks why staying up late before a test is a bad idea.
Checked answers for questions 1 to 4 and model responses for questions 5 and 6.
Bold word hunt
Ask students to circle each bold term before they read. It gives them a map of the passage and a head start on questions 1 and 2.
Science and literacy
Do the reading in a literacy block and the questions in science. Question 3 asks about an author's word choice, which suits a mini lesson on figurative language.
Sentence frames
For question 6, give struggling writers a frame such as Sleep helps memory because. The passage names what the brain does at night.
Get started today
