Explain a topic in writing
Grade 6 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Frogs and Toads (informative draft)
[1] Frogs and toads belong to the same group of animals, yet they differ in ways that help each survive. [2] Both are amphibians, so they begin life in water as tadpoles and breathe through lungs and skin as adults. [3] Frogs usually have smooth, moist skin and long legs for leaping, and they live close to ponds and streams. [4] Toads are different. [5] Toads can live farther from water than frogs can, because their thicker skin loses moisture more slowly in dry air. [6] Frogs are really neat. [7] Many toads have glands behind the eyes that release a bitter fluid, which discourages animals from eating them. [8] Frogs rely more on speed and long leaps to escape danger, while toads rely on their bitter fluid and their camouflage. [9] Biologists use these traits to tell the groups apart, although the names are not used the same way in every language. [10] Some species blur the line between the two groups, so scientists look at many traits at once rather than relying on a single feature.
Bo thinks [6] is vague and too casual. Which sentence rewrites it with exact facts in a formal voice, without adding unsupported claims?
- Frogs have really nice features that make them very special animals to learn about in school.
- Frogs have webbed feet and eat flies and fish, which makes them the strongest swimmers in the world.
- Frogs are super cool jumpers with crazy strong legs, no joke, and they look awesome.
- Frogs have large eyes and strong hind legs that carry them in leaps many times their own body length.
Esme wants a final sentence after [10] that gathers the comparison without adding a new fact. Which sentence does?
- Because frogs and toads share ancestry but differ in skin, legs and habitat, biologists treat them as related but separate groups.
- Because of their differences, toads are better animals than frogs and deserve more protection from people in the countryside and in the towns.
- Frogs and toads belong to the same group of animals, yet they differ in ways that help each survive in nature.
- Because frogs and toads share ancestry, scientists have found that toads grow larger than any frog in the world.
Wind and Solar Power (informative draft)
[1] Wind turbines and solar panels both produce electricity without burning fuel, so neither releases carbon dioxide while operating. [2] A wind turbine uses moving air to spin blades, which turn a generator. [3] A solar panel uses sunlight to push electrons through special materials, and no moving parts are needed. [4] Wind farms work best in open, windy places such as plains and coasts. [5] Solar panels work in many places. [6] Both are very awesome. [7] Wind power is strongest at night in some regions, while solar power peaks at midday. [8] Because the two sources peak at different times, a grid that uses both can supply steadier power. [9] Engineers also store extra energy in batteries for hours when neither source is strong.
Kira wants a new [5] that compares solar panels with wind farms on where each works best. Which sentence does?
- Solar panels are found on roofs, in fields and in small devices such as calculators and garden lights that sit along a path.
- Wind farms work best on plains and coasts, where the air moves steadily across open ground and water without much trouble.
- Solar panels, by contrast, work best where sunlight is strong and steady, though they still produce some power on cloudy days.
- Solar panels, by contrast, cost less each year as manufacturers learn to build them more cheaply and sell them in more stores.
Luz thinks [6] is vague and too casual. Which sentence rewrites it with an exact fact in a formal voice, without adding unsupported claims?
- Both of these are super awesome ways to make power, no cap, and people should love them.
- Both sources are free and will replace coal plants within ten years across the whole world.
- Both sources are very good ones for the world and for the people who live in it.
- Both sources reduce air pollution because neither burns fuel to make electricity.
Two River Civilizations (informative draft)
[1] Two of the earliest civilizations grew along rivers: Egypt along the Nile and Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates. [2] Both depended on the rivers for water, fish and fertile soil. [3] The Nile flooded each year at a predictable time, leaving a layer of rich silt on the fields. [4] The Tigris and Euphrates flooded too. [5] Egyptians used the regular floods to plan their farming calendar. [6] Mesopotamians built canals and levees to control the water. [7] Rivers are cool. [8] Because Egypt's river valley was surrounded by desert, it was harder for outsiders to enter. [9] Mesopotamian cities, in open plains, built walls and often competed with one another for land and water.
Esme wants a new [4] that compares the Tigris and Euphrates floods with the Nile floods in [3]. Which sentence does?
- The Tigris and Euphrates also flowed through lands where people built cities of mud brick and clay beside the water, where the rivers ran.
- The Tigris and Euphrates also flooded, but their floods came at less predictable times and sometimes washed away crops.
- The Nile flooded each year at a predictable time, which let farmers count on rich silt each season.
- The Tigris and Euphrates flow through what are now Iraq and Syria and reach the Persian Gulf after many miles.
Pia thinks [7] is vague and too casual. Which sentence rewrites it with exact facts in a formal voice, without adding unsupported claims?
- Rivers were very important to early people in many different ways, and people liked them.
- Rivers gave early farmers water for crops and a way to move grain and goods.
- Rivers were totally awesome, so early folks built everything right next to them, no cap.
- Rivers gave early farmers water for crops, and steam engines moved their grain to market.
Noah wants a final sentence after [9] that gathers the comparison without adding a new fact. Which sentence does?
- Because the two rivers behaved differently, Egypt relied on a steady calendar while Mesopotamia relied on canals and walls.
- Because Egypt had a river valley, Egypt was a better place to live than Mesopotamia and had happier people.
- Because the two rivers behaved differently, Egypt built the first airport while Mesopotamia built the first harbor.
- Two of the earliest civilizations grew along rivers: Egypt along the Nile and Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates.
Sharks and Dolphins (informative draft)
[1] Sharks and dolphins look alike at a glance, yet they belong to different groups of animals. [2] A shark is a fish, which means it breathes with gills and its body is supported by cartilage instead of bone. [3] A dolphin is a mammal, so it breathes air through a blowhole and feeds milk to its young. [4] They also move differently. [5] Dolphins are smart. [6] Both animals are shaped for speed, with streamlined bodies and strong tails. [7] Scientists call this similarity convergent evolution, in which unrelated animals develop similar features because they face similar challenges. [8] Dolphins must rise to the surface to breathe, but sharks can take oxygen from the water. [9] These differences help scientists decide which animals are related.
Jun wants a new [4] that compares how sharks and dolphins move their tails. Which sentence does?
- A shark swings its tail from side to side, while a dolphin moves its tail up and down.
- A dolphin moves its tail up and down, and this motion pushes it forward through the water.
- Sharks and dolphins both live in oceans around the world, and they both eat fish.
- A shark has a pointed fin on its back, and a dolphin often leaps above the waves.
Tala thinks [5] is vague. Which sentence rewrites it with an exact fact in a formal voice, without adding unsupported claims?
- Dolphins have large brains for their body size and can learn to solve new problems.
- Dolphins are totally genius, like, the smartest swimmers ever, no doubt about it.
- Dolphins are very clever animals that people like to watch and learn about.
- Dolphins can solve any puzzle and speak three human languages after a short lesson.
Ren wants a final sentence after [9] that gathers the comparison without adding a new fact. Which sentence does?
- Because dolphins are smart, they are more important to the ocean than sharks and should be protected first by governments around the world.
- Because sharks and dolphins differ in breathing, body structure and tail motion, scientists classify them separately despite their similar shapes.
- Sharks and dolphins look alike at a glance, yet they belong to different groups of animals in the sea.
- Because sharks and dolphins look alike, scientists have shown that sharks will become mammals over a very long time.
