Revise and edit a draft
Grade 6 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Octopus Escape Artists (student draft)
[1] Octopuses are some of the cleverest animals in the sea, and they are famous for escaping from tight places. [2] An octopus has no bones, so it can squeeze through a hole that is hardly bigger than its hard beak. [3] An octopus can change color in a fraction of a second, this helps it hide from enemies. [4] Octopuses are really cool animals.
[5] In one test, an octopus learned to unscrew a jar to reach a treat inside. [6] Another octopus carried half a coconut shell across the sea floor and hid under it later. [7] Others have learned which of two shapes leads to a treat. [8] Octopuses are also good at solving problems. Underlined: sentence 3: An octopus can change color in a fraction of a second, this helps it hide from enemies.
Ari wants to fix sentence 3 without causing a new problem. Which version does that?
- An octopus can change color in a fraction of a second, so enemies cannot spot it anywhere in the sea.
- An octopus can change color in a fraction of a second. Which helps it hide from enemies.
- An octopus can change its color in a fraction of a second, this helps it hide from its enemies.
- An octopus can change color in a fraction of a second, which helps it hide from enemies.
Octopus Escape Artists (student draft)
[1] Octopuses are some of the cleverest animals in the sea, and they are famous for escaping from tight places. [2] An octopus has no bones, so it can squeeze through a hole that is hardly bigger than its hard beak. [3] An octopus can change color in a fraction of a second, this helps it hide from enemies. [4] Octopuses are really cool animals.
[5] In one test, an octopus learned to unscrew a jar to reach a treat inside. [6] Another octopus carried half a coconut shell across the sea floor and hid under it later. [7] Others have learned which of two shapes leads to a treat. [8] Octopuses are also good at solving problems. Planned revisions to paragraph 2: The main point should come first, and the next sentence should link back to it.
Bo plans two revisions to paragraph 2. Which plan makes both changes in an order that works?
- Move sentence 7 to the start of the paragraph, then begin sentence 5 with “For example,”.
- Move sentence 8 to the start of the paragraph, then begin sentence 5 with “For example,”.
- Move sentence 8 to follow sentence 5, then begin sentence 6 with “For example,”.
- Move sentence 8 to the start of the paragraph, then begin sentence 5 with “However,”.
Octopus Escape Artists (student draft)
[1] Octopuses are some of the cleverest animals in the sea, and they are famous for escaping from tight places. [2] An octopus has no bones, so it can squeeze through a hole that is hardly bigger than its hard beak. [3] An octopus can change color in a fraction of a second, this helps it hide from enemies. [4] Octopuses are really cool animals.
[5] In one test, an octopus learned to unscrew a jar to reach a treat inside. [6] Another octopus carried half a coconut shell across the sea floor and hid under it later. [7] Others have learned which of two shapes leads to a treat. [8] Octopuses are also good at solving problems. Revision: sentence 4 is replaced with: Squeezing, hiding, and escaping make an octopus very hard to catch.
Esme replaces sentence 4 with the new sentence. Why does the change help the reader?
- It makes the paragraph longer, so the writer looks like someone who knows a lot about octopuses.
- It sums up the three tricks above it, so the reader sees what the facts add up to.
- It sounds more exciting and makes the whole draft better for anyone who happens to read it.
- It fixes the comma problem in sentence 3, so the reader no longer runs into a mistake there.
Shade Trees for Pine Road (student draft)
[1] Our town should plant shade trees along Pine Road, where students wait for the school bus every single morning. [2] The road has no trees, so the sidewalk and the wooden bench become uncomfortably hot and bright by seven thirty. [3] Shade would make the wait much cooler and shade would also protect kids' skin from the harmful sun. [4] Trees are really nice to have around.
[5] Riders there wait comfortably in the shade on sunny days, and they complain much less about the heat than students here do. [6] A town in the next county planted maples along its bus route ten years ago, and the trees are now tall and thick. [7] Trees also absorb rainwater, which helps the road drain more quickly after heavy storms in the spring. [8] The same plan has worked successfully in other towns across the state. Planned revisions to paragraph 2: The town that planted the trees should come first, and the sentence about the riders should link back to it.
Kira plans two revisions to paragraph 2. Which plan fixes the order and adds the right link word?
- Move sentence 6 to the end of the paragraph, then begin sentence 5 with “Today,”.
- Move sentence 6 to the start of the paragraph, then begin sentence 5 with “Instead,”.
- Move sentence 6 to the start of the paragraph, then begin sentence 5 with “Today,”.
- Move sentence 7 to the start of the paragraph, then begin sentence 5 with “Today,”.
Shade Trees for Pine Road (student draft)
[1] Our town should plant shade trees along Pine Road, where students wait for the school bus every single morning. [2] The road has no trees, so the sidewalk and the wooden bench become uncomfortably hot and bright by seven thirty. [3] Shade would make the wait much cooler and shade would also protect kids' skin from the harmful sun. [4] Trees are really nice to have around.
[5] Riders there wait comfortably in the shade on sunny days, and they complain much less about the heat than students here do. [6] A town in the next county planted maples along its bus route ten years ago, and the trees are now tall and thick. [7] Trees also absorb rainwater, which helps the road drain more quickly after heavy storms in the spring. [8] The same plan has worked successfully in other towns across the state. Revision: sentence 4 is replaced with: A row of shade trees would turn a hot, bare sidewalk into a cooler place to wait.
Luz replaces sentence 4 with the new sentence. Why does the change help the reader?
- It fixes the repeated word in sentence 3, so the reader is not slowed down by it.
- It sounds better than the old sentence and makes the paragraph more interesting to read.
- It makes the draft longer, so the writer will seem to know much more about trees.
- It paints a clear picture of the change the writer wants, so the reader can imagine it.
The Night the Lights Went Out (student draft)
[1] Last winter, the electric power went out at our house just as we sat down for dinner. [2] The lights flickered once, and then the whole kitchen went dark and quiet. [3] My mom found a flashlight and a lantern in the hall closet, and it made everyone feel better. [4] Dad set the lantern in the middle of the table, and we passed around the bowls of soup.
[5] Suddenly, the lights buzzed back on, and everybody blinked in the unexpectedly bright kitchen. [6] We finished our soup by the glow of the lantern, and my brother told a joke about a talking toaster. [7] After dinner, we dug out an old deck of cards and played game after game by lantern light until our eyes got heavy. [8] It was a good night. Underlined: sentence 3: My mom found a flashlight and a lantern in the hall closet, and it made everyone feel better.
Sentence 3 is unclear. Which version fixes it for Milo without causing a new problem?
- My mom found a flashlight and a lantern in the hall closet, and their soft glow made everyone feel better.
- My mom found a bright flashlight and a lantern in the hall closet, and it made everyone feel much better.
- My mom found a flashlight and a lantern in the hall closet, and their soft glow made everyone forget about dinner.
- My mom found a flashlight and a lantern in the hall closet, and there soft glow made everyone feel better.
The Night the Lights Went Out (student draft)
[1] Last winter, the electric power went out at our house just as we sat down for dinner. [2] The lights flickered once, and then the whole kitchen went dark and quiet. [3] My mom found a flashlight and a lantern in the hall closet, and it made everyone feel better. [4] Dad set the lantern in the middle of the table, and we passed around the bowls of soup.
[5] Suddenly, the lights buzzed back on, and everybody blinked in the unexpectedly bright kitchen. [6] We finished our soup by the glow of the lantern, and my brother told a joke about a talking toaster. [7] After dinner, we dug out an old deck of cards and played game after game by lantern light until our eyes got heavy. [8] It was a good night. Planned revisions to paragraph 2: The lights should come back at the right moment in the evening, and that sentence should open with a word that fits its new place.
Noah plans two revisions to paragraph 2. Which plan puts the lights back at the right moment and fixes the opening word?
- Move sentence 5 to follow sentence 7, then change its opening word from “Suddenly,” to “Finally,”.
- Move sentence 5 to follow sentence 7, then change its opening word from “Suddenly,” to “Meanwhile,”.
- Move sentence 5 to follow sentence 7, then change the opening word of sentence 8 to “Finally,”.
- Move sentence 5 to follow sentence 6, then change its opening word from “Suddenly,” to “Finally,”.
The Night the Lights Went Out (student draft)
[1] Last winter, the electric power went out at our house just as we sat down for dinner. [2] The lights flickered once, and then the whole kitchen went dark and quiet. [3] My mom found a flashlight and a lantern in the hall closet, and it made everyone feel better. [4] Dad set the lantern in the middle of the table, and we passed around the bowls of soup.
[5] Suddenly, the lights buzzed back on, and everybody blinked in the unexpectedly bright kitchen. [6] We finished our soup by the glow of the lantern, and my brother told a joke about a talking toaster. [7] After dinner, we dug out an old deck of cards and played game after game by lantern light until our eyes got heavy. [8] It was a good night. Revision: sentence 8 is replaced with: I still remember how one little lantern turned an ordinary dinner into my favorite night.
Pia replaces sentence 8 with the new sentence. Why does the change help the reader?
- It makes the story longer, so the writer will end with more words than other students.
- It tells why the night mattered to the writer, so the story ends on a clear feeling.
- It sounds fancier and more interesting, which makes the story better for anyone reading it.
- It fixes the unclear word it in sentence 3, so the reader knows what made the family feel better.
Why Leaves Change Color (student draft)
[1] Every autumn, the green leaves on many trees turn bright shades of red, orange, and yellow. [2] During spring and summer, leaves are green because they hold a lot of chlorophyll, a chemical that captures sunlight. [3] The tree uses that sunlight to make food from air and water, and that keeps the leaves busy all summer. [4] Leaves are very interesting.
[5] Yellow and orange colors that were hiding in the leaf begin to show. [6] Red colors are different, because the leaf makes them fresh in the fall from trapped sugar. [7] In the fall, the days get shorter and cooler, so the tree stops making chlorophyll and the green fades. [8] Soon the leaves drop, and the tree rests until spring. Underlined: sentence 3: The tree uses that sunlight to make food from air and water, and that keeps the leaves busy all summer.
Sentence 3 leaves Ren's reader guessing. Which version fixes it without causing a new problem?
- The tree uses that sunlight to make food from air and water, and making food keeps the leaves busy all summer.
- The tree uses that sunlight to make food from air and water, and making food keep the leaves busy all summer.
- The tree uses that sunlight to make food from air and water, and making food keeps the leaves busy all year.
- The tree uses that sunlight to make food from air and water, and that fact keeps the leaves busy all summer.
Why Leaves Change Color (student draft)
[1] Every autumn, the green leaves on many trees turn bright shades of red, orange, and yellow. [2] During spring and summer, leaves are green because they hold a lot of chlorophyll, a chemical that captures sunlight. [3] The tree uses that sunlight to make food from air and water, and that keeps the leaves busy all summer. [4] Leaves are very interesting.
[5] Yellow and orange colors that were hiding in the leaf begin to show. [6] Red colors are different, because the leaf makes them fresh in the fall from trapped sugar. [7] In the fall, the days get shorter and cooler, so the tree stops making chlorophyll and the green fades. [8] Soon the leaves drop, and the tree rests until spring. Revision: sentence 4 is replaced with: Behind the bright colors of fall, a green food factory is quietly shutting down.
Zee replaces sentence 4 with the new sentence. Why does the change help the reader?
- It fixes the unclear word that in sentence 3, so the reader sees what keeps the leaves busy.
- It sounds livelier and more interesting than the old sentence, which readers usually enjoy.
- It names the big idea of the next paragraph, so the reader knows what the details will explain.
- It shows off the writer's science words, so the draft will look like a page from a science book.