Read a web, chart or timeline organizer

Grade 6 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Web organizer

   How an Octopus Stays Safe

   [1] The center circle reads: An octopus has several ways to escape from hungry predators. [2] Branch one says the octopus changes the color and pattern of its skin within a second to match nearby rocks or sand. [3] Branch two says the octopus has no bones, so its soft body can slip through a gap about as wide as its hard beak. [4] Branch three says the octopus squirts a dark cloud of ink that hides its escape and can dull a predator's sense of smell. [5] Branch four says the octopus shoots water out of a funnel on its body, which pushes it quickly away. [6] A note under branch one explains that tiny color cells in the skin, called chromatophores, stretch open or close. [7] A note under branch two adds that the beak is the hardest part of the octopus. [8] A note under branch four says the funnel works like a small jet.

2. 1.

   Ari watches an octopus slide through a narrow crack between two rocks. Which branch explains how that works?

   • It shoots water out of its funnel, which forces a path through the narrow crack between the rocks
   • Its eight strong arms push the rocks apart until the gap is wide enough for its body to pass
   • Its skin color cells open and close, so its body blends in with the nearby rocks
   • It has no bones, so its soft body can squeeze through a gap about as wide as its beak
3. 2.

   The note under branch one names the skin cells called chromatophores. What does that note add to branch one, Bo?

   • It shows color change is the strongest defense, since the skin cells work in under a second
   • It explains how the color change works, since the tiny skin cells stretch open or close
   • It explains how the body fits through gaps, since the beak is the hardest part
   • It explains why the colors change, since octopuses show their mood to each other
4. 3.

   Esme writes a title for this web. Which title fits all four branches?

   • Why Predators Cannot Catch an Octopus
   • Why an Octopus Is Smarter Than Fish
   • How an Octopus Escapes From Danger
   • How an Octopus Changes Its Color

5. Use this

   [1] The chart has three columns: planet, average distance from the Sun in millions of kilometers, and days for one orbit around the Sun, counted in Earth days. [2] The first row lists Mercury at 58 million kilometers with an orbit of 88 days. [3] The second row lists Venus at 108 million kilometers with an orbit of about 225 days. [4] The third row lists Earth at 150 million kilometers with an orbit of about 365 days. [5] The fourth row lists Mars at 228 million kilometers with an orbit of about 687 days. [6] A note under the chart says that one orbit is one full trip around the Sun. [7] A second note says the distances are averages because each orbit is a slightly stretched circle.

7. 4.

   Which statement does the whole chart support, Kira?

   • The closer a planet is to the Sun, the more days its orbit takes
   • The farther a planet is from the Sun, the more days its orbit takes
   • Each planet is about twice as far from the Sun as the planet before it
   • The planets with longer orbits are larger than the planets with short orbits
8. 5.

   The second note says the distances are averages. What does that tell Luz?

   Use the picture in question 4.

   • The distances were rounded to whole numbers so the chart would fit neatly on the page
   • A planet's distance changes a little during its orbit, since the path is a stretched circle
   • Each planet stays at one fixed distance from the Sun during its whole orbit around it
   • The orbit days are less reliable than the distances because averages were used for them too

9. Use this

   [1] The timeline has five dated boxes along one line, and two notes sit below the last boxes. [2] April 1860: the first riders leave St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, carrying mail about 1,900 miles. [3] Mid-1860: riders change horses at stations about every ten to fifteen miles so that each horse can run fast. [4] November 1860: riders carry news of the presidential election to the West. [5] October 1861: telegraph lines from the east and west meet, and messages cross the country in minutes. [6] Late October 1861: the company announces that the Pony Express will stop. [7] A note under the 1861 boxes says a telegraph message needs minutes, while a Pony Express letter needs about ten days. [8] A last note says the Pony Express ran for about eighteen months.

11. 6.

    What most directly led the company to stop the Pony Express, Noah?

    • Telegraph lines from the east and west met, so messages crossed the country in minutes
    • News of the presidential election reached the West more slowly than the company expected
    • The company ran out of fast horses after its first winter of riding across the mountains and plains
    • Riders began changing horses at stations spaced ten to fifteen miles apart along the route
12. 7.

    Which statement do the dates and notes support, Pia?

    Use the picture in question 6.

    • Most people wrote fewer letters once the Pony Express stopped running
    • A telegraph message crossed the country far faster than a Pony Express letter did
    • A Pony Express letter took minutes to arrive, and a telegraph message took about ten days
    • The telegraph reached California before the first riders left Missouri

13. Venn diagram

    The Arctic and Antarctica

    [1] The left circle is labeled the Arctic, the right circle is labeled Antarctica, and the overlap is labeled both. [2] The left circle says the Arctic is a frozen ocean surrounded by land. [3] The left circle also says polar bears catch seals on the Arctic sea ice. [4] The right circle says Antarctica is a continent of land covered by a thick ice sheet and surrounded by an ocean. [5] The right circle also says penguins nest along Antarctic coasts and on nearby islands. [6] The overlap says both places have freezing winters, with months of darkness. [7] The overlap also says both places have summers with months of sunlight. [8] A note below says the two places are at opposite ends of Earth.

14. 8.

    Ren finds the phrase "a continent of land covered by a thick ice sheet." Where does it belong in the diagram?

    • In the Arctic circle, because polar bears catch seals on ice that covers the land
    • In the Antarctica circle, because the Arctic is described as a frozen ocean instead
    • In the overlap, because both places stay covered with ice for much of the year
    • In the overlap, because ice sheets form wherever the winters are freezing and dark
15. 9.

    Which statement is true of both places, according to the overlap, Tala?

    • The same kinds of animals live on the ice in both places, such as penguins and polar bears
    • The sun shines for the same number of hours each day of the year in both places
    • Penguins nest along the coasts and on nearby islands, and polar bears share the ice with them
    • Winters bring months of darkness, and summers bring months of sunlight
16. 10.

    Which conclusion do the left and right circles support when read together, Zee?

    • Arctic ice rests on land, while Antarctic ice floats on an ocean
    • Arctic ice melts completely each summer, while Antarctic ice stays frozen
    • Arctic ice floats on an ocean, while Antarctic ice rests on land
    • Ice floats on an ocean in both places, and each place has its own animals