Transitions and conclusions
Grade 6 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Lights Out for Sea Turtles (student draft)
Lights Out for Sea Turtles
[1] Every summer, female sea turtles crawl onto sandy beaches to lay their eggs. [2] About two months later, the baby turtles, called hatchlings, dig out of the nest at night. [3] They head straight for the ocean, guided by the brightest horizon, which is usually the open sky over the sea.
[4] Bright lights on shore can confuse the hatchlings. [5] They may crawl toward a parking lot or a road instead of the water. [6] As a result, many of them never reach the sea, and cars and hungry animals threaten them on land.
[7] To help, some towns have passed lighting rules for beaches. [8] Homes near the shore must use dim, shielded lights during nesting season. [9] In addition, volunteers walk the sand at night and guide lost hatchlings toward the waves. [10] Because protecting nests takes cooperation, every resident can help by turning off porch lights.
Ari adds a link to the start of sentence 4. Which word shows how it connects to sentence 3?
- However,
- For example,
- As a result,
- Also,
In sentence 6, the writer uses 'As a result.' What does it show about sentences 5 and 6, Bo?
- Sentence 6 shows a different view that disagrees with sentence 5
- Sentence 6 tells what happens because of the problem in sentence 5
- Sentence 6 shows a time that comes long before the events in sentence 5
- Sentence 6 gives one more example of the problem described in sentence 5
Paragraph 3 begins with 'To help.' What does that opening do, Esme?
- It signals that paragraph 3 turns from the problem to ways of solving it
- It gives another example of how bright lights confuse the hatchlings
- It goes back in time to when the eggs were first laid on the beach
- It tells readers a new section is starting, without saying how it relates
Walk to School Wednesday (student draft)
Walk to School Wednesday
[1] Our school should establish a Walk to School Wednesday that takes place every week of the school year. [2] First, walking gives students valuable exercise before class begins. [3] Teachers at schools with walking programs often report that students arrive more alert and ready to learn.
[4] A weekly walking day would also benefit the whole neighborhood. [5] Fewer cars would line up at the front entrance, so the street would be safer for the students who cross it each morning. [6] Parents would spend less time waiting in traffic.
[7] Some families live too far away to walk the entire distance to school. [8] They could park a few blocks away and walk the remaining distance together as a group. [9] Students who ride the bus could get off one stop early and join the walkers.
[10] For these reasons, our school should begin Walk to School Wednesday this fall semester.
In sentence 5, the word 'so' joins two ideas. What does it show, Kira?
- That fewer cars lead to a safer street for students
- A step that happens later in time than the first idea
- An example of the idea that comes right before it
- A contrast between two different ideas in the paragraph
Sentence 10 begins 'For these reasons.' What should the rest of the sentence do, Luz?
- Move on to a different topic, such as school lunch menus
- Repeat sentence 1 word for word so the draft feels finished
- Add a brand-new reason that has not appeared yet in the draft
- Restate the main claim in new words, based on the reasons
Why Cities Need Parks (student draft)
Why Cities Need Parks
[1] A city park may look like a simple patch of grass, but it performs important work for the people who live nearby. [2] The trees in a park provide shade, and shade can keep the surrounding streets noticeably cooler on hot days. [3] Grass and soil also absorb rainwater that would otherwise rush into storm drains and sometimes cause flooding.
[4] Parks benefit people as well as the environment. [5] Children can run, climb and play organized games there. [6] Adults can walk, rest or meet friends after work. [7] Because parks provide everyone with a free place to gather, they can bring a neighborhood closer together.
[8] Some cities are growing quickly and have very little open land left. [9] Leaders in those cities can protect a few acres of green space before developers build over it. [10] Saving land for a park costs money today, but it gives a community shade, recreation and a meeting place for many decades.
Milo wants sentence 8 to link paragraph 3 to the benefits in paragraphs 1 and 2. Which revision works best?
- Even so, some cities are growing quickly and have very little open land left.
- In the same way, some cities are growing quickly and have very little open land left.
- For example, some cities are growing quickly and have very little open land left.
- Next, some cities are growing quickly and have very little open land left.
Which sentence would make the best new ending for the draft, Pia?
- Cities should also build more shopping centers and restaurants near their busy parks.
- Parks are nice places to visit on a sunny day, and many people enjoy walking in them.
- Some parks also have playgrounds with slides and swings, picnic tables and shady paths.
- Parks do more than fill space: they cool streets, soak up rain and bring neighbors together.
How Bees Cool the Hive (student draft)
How Bees Cool the Hive
[1] A honeybee hive must stay close to 95 degrees Fahrenheit so that the young bees can develop properly. [2] On a hot day, the worker bees have to cool the hive instead of letting it overheat. [3] Some workers stand near the entrance and fan their wings to push fresh air through the hive. [4] Other workers fly to a pond, collect water and carry it back to the colony. [5] They spread tiny drops of water across the honeycomb. [6] As the water evaporates, it carries heat away, much like sweat cooling a person's skin.
[7] Cold weather brings the opposite problem. [8] In winter, the bees cluster tightly around the queen and the young, and they shiver their flight muscles to generate heat. [9] The bees on the outside of the cluster slowly trade places with the bees in the center, so none of them stays in the cold for long. [10] Together, these different jobs keep the hive at the right temperature throughout the year.
Sentence 7 says cold weather brings 'the opposite problem.' How does that phrase link paragraph 2 to paragraph 1, Ren?
- It shows paragraph 2 repeats the same jobs in other words
- It shows paragraph 2 gives an example of how bees cool the hive
- It shows paragraph 2 turns from cooling the hive to warming it
- It shows paragraph 2 happens before the hot-weather jobs
Tala wants a link at the start of sentence 4. Which phrase fits best?
- In contrast to those workers, other workers fly to a pond, collect water and carry it back to the colony.
- At the same time, other workers fly to a pond, collect water and carry it back to the colony.
- Then, after the fanning, other workers fly to a pond, collect water and carry it back to the colony.
- As a result of that fanning, other workers fly to a pond, collect water and carry it back to the colony.
Sentence 10 begins with 'Together.' What does that word help the writer do, Zee?
- Pull the cooling and warming jobs into one point
- Add a new job for the bees to do in the hive
- Show that cooling and warming are really the same job
- Repeat the first sentence of the draft word for word