Build a paragraph: point, evidence, explanation
Grade 7 Reading Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Saturday Hours at the Cedar Hill Library (notes)
[1] For years, the Cedar Hill Library closed its doors at noon on Saturdays, even though many families were free in the afternoon. [2] Last fall, the town council voted to keep the library open until five o'clock for a three-month trial. [3] Librarians tracked every visit during the trial and compared the totals with the same months of the year before.
[4] Saturday visits rose from about 120 to about 310. [5] More than half of the new Saturday visitors were families with children under twelve. [6] The librarians also hosted a craft hour on three of the Saturdays, and about thirty children came each time.
[7] The extra staff hours cost the town about nine hundred dollars a month. [8] Some visitors said the building felt warmer and friendlier in the afternoon sun, when light fills the reading room. [9] After the trial ended, the council voted to keep the longer hours for good.
Plan card
Point: Longer Saturday hours helped families with children.
Evidence: More than half of the new Saturday visitors were families with children under twelve [5].
Explanation: ____Bo has the point and the evidence. Which sentence explains how the evidence supports the point?
- Families with young children are often busy on weekdays, so afternoon hours let them visit when they could not before.
- Soon most children in Cedar Hill will read above grade level because of Saturdays.
- So many families with children under twelve came to the library on Saturdays.
- This shows that the longer hours were good for families.
Saturday Hours at the Cedar Hill Library (notes)
[1] For years, the Cedar Hill Library closed its doors at noon on Saturdays, even though many families were free in the afternoon. [2] Last fall, the town council voted to keep the library open until five o'clock for a three-month trial. [3] Librarians tracked every visit during the trial and compared the totals with the same months of the year before.
[4] Saturday visits rose from about 120 to about 310. [5] More than half of the new Saturday visitors were families with children under twelve. [6] The librarians also hosted a craft hour on three of the Saturdays, and about thirty children came each time.
[7] The extra staff hours cost the town about nine hundred dollars a month. [8] Some visitors said the building felt warmer and friendlier in the afternoon sun, when light fills the reading room. [9] After the trial ended, the council voted to keep the longer hours for good.
Plan card
Point: The longer Saturday hours made the library work better for the town.
Evidence: ____
Explanation: A rise that large means many people who had stayed away came once the doors stayed open.Esme's paragraph is missing a part. Which sentence from the notes belongs in the empty evidence box?
- Saturday visits rose from about 120 to about 310 during the trial.
- More than half of the new Saturday visitors were families with children under twelve.
- Some visitors said the building felt warmer and friendlier in the afternoon sun.
- More people visited because the library stayed open when they were free.
Trees and Hot Sidewalks (notes)
[1] A seventh-grade science class wondered whether trees really cool a street or only make it look nicer. [2] On a sunny afternoon in July, the class set one thermometer in the shade of an oak tree and another in full sun, three meters away. [3] Both thermometers sat on the same sidewalk, and each was read every ten minutes for an hour.
[4] The thermometer in the shade averaged 84 degrees Fahrenheit. [5] The thermometer in the sun averaged 97 degrees, a difference of 13 degrees. [6] The class also noticed that the shaded patch of sidewalk felt cool under bare feet, while the sunlit patch felt hot.
[7] A parent in the class said that oak trees are her favorite kind of tree. [8] Trees also give shade to people waiting at a bus stop, and they make the street more pleasant to walk along. [9] At the end of the hour, the class concluded that one oak tree can make a sidewalk noticeably cooler.
Plan card
Point: Thermometer readings showed that shade made the spot cooler.
Evidence: two sentences from the notes
Explanation: (still to write)Jun needs two pieces of evidence for the point on the card. Which pair of sentences backs it up best?
- Sentences [5] and [6]
- Sentences [2] and [3]
- Sentences [4] and [5]
- Sentences [7] and [8]
Trees and Hot Sidewalks (notes)
[1] A seventh-grade science class wondered whether trees really cool a street or only make it look nicer. [2] On a sunny afternoon in July, the class set one thermometer in the shade of an oak tree and another in full sun, three meters away. [3] Both thermometers sat on the same sidewalk, and each was read every ten minutes for an hour.
[4] The thermometer in the shade averaged 84 degrees Fahrenheit. [5] The thermometer in the sun averaged 97 degrees, a difference of 13 degrees. [6] The class also noticed that the shaded patch of sidewalk felt cool under bare feet, while the sunlit patch felt hot.
[7] A parent in the class said that oak trees are her favorite kind of tree. [8] Trees also give shade to people waiting at a bus stop, and they make the street more pleasant to walk along. [9] At the end of the hour, the class concluded that one oak tree can make a sidewalk noticeably cooler.
Plan card
Point: The oak tree's shade made the sidewalk cooler.
Evidence: The shaded thermometer averaged 84 degrees, and the sunny one averaged 97 degrees [4, 5].
Explanation: ____Kira has the point and the evidence. Which sentence explains how the evidence supports the point?
- The shaded thermometer averaged 84 degrees, and the sunny one averaged 97 degrees.
- So the oak tree's shade made the sidewalk cooler.
- Planting oak trees along streets everywhere will end summer heat waves.
- Because both thermometers sat on the same sidewalk for the same hour, the 13-degree gap points to the shade, not to a different spot.
Trees and Hot Sidewalks (notes)
[1] A seventh-grade science class wondered whether trees really cool a street or only make it look nicer. [2] On a sunny afternoon in July, the class set one thermometer in the shade of an oak tree and another in full sun, three meters away. [3] Both thermometers sat on the same sidewalk, and each was read every ten minutes for an hour.
[4] The thermometer in the shade averaged 84 degrees Fahrenheit. [5] The thermometer in the sun averaged 97 degrees, a difference of 13 degrees. [6] The class also noticed that the shaded patch of sidewalk felt cool under bare feet, while the sunlit patch felt hot.
[7] A parent in the class said that oak trees are her favorite kind of tree. [8] Trees also give shade to people waiting at a bus stop, and they make the street more pleasant to walk along. [9] At the end of the hour, the class concluded that one oak tree can make a sidewalk noticeably cooler.
Plan card
Point: ____
Evidence: The shaded thermometer averaged 84 degrees, and the sunny one averaged 97.
Explanation: Both sat on the same sidewalk during the same hour, so the 13-degree gap comes from the shade.Luz's paragraph is missing a part. Which sentence belongs in the empty point box?
- The class read both thermometers at ten-minute intervals for an hour.
- Shade from one oak tree made the sidewalk cooler.
- The shaded thermometer averaged 84 degrees.
- Oak trees cool streets better than any other kind of tree.
Why Some Roman Roads Still Exist (notes)
[1] The ancient Romans built thousands of miles of roads to link their distant towns with the armies that protected them. [2] Today, parts of some of those roads can still be walked, and a few are still driven on. [3] Their lasting power was no accident, because Roman builders followed a careful series of steps.
[4] First, workers dug a deep trench and filled it with layers of stone, gravel, and sand. [5] These layers made a firm base that did not sink easily under heavy loads. [6] Next, they laid flat paving stones on top and shaped the surface so it curved gently upward in the middle.
[7] Rain ran off the curve into ditches at the sides, so water did not sit on the road and soften it. [8] Some roads ran in nearly straight lines for many miles, which kept travel between towns as short as possible. [9] Travelers today can still see worn grooves made by cart wheels in some of the old stones.
Plan card
Point: The way Romans built the road bed kept their roads from sinking.
Evidence: two sentences from the notes
Explanation: (still to write)Milo needs two pieces of evidence for the point on the card. Which pair of sentences backs it up best?
- Sentences [5] and [7]
- Sentences [1] and [2]
- Sentences [6] and [9]
- Sentences [4] and [5]
Why Some Roman Roads Still Exist (notes)
[1] The ancient Romans built thousands of miles of roads to link their distant towns with the armies that protected them. [2] Today, parts of some of those roads can still be walked, and a few are still driven on. [3] Their lasting power was no accident, because Roman builders followed a careful series of steps.
[4] First, workers dug a deep trench and filled it with layers of stone, gravel, and sand. [5] These layers made a firm base that did not sink easily under heavy loads. [6] Next, they laid flat paving stones on top and shaped the surface so it curved gently upward in the middle.
[7] Rain ran off the curve into ditches at the sides, so water did not sit on the road and soften it. [8] Some roads ran in nearly straight lines for many miles, which kept travel between towns as short as possible. [9] Travelers today can still see worn grooves made by cart wheels in some of the old stones.
Plan card
Point: Good drainage protected Roman roads.
Evidence: Rain ran off the curve into ditches at the sides, so water did not sit on the road and soften it [7].
Explanation: ____Noah has the point and the evidence. Which sentence explains how the evidence supports the point?
- The Romans knew more about rain than any scientist alive today.
- A road that stays dry keeps its firm surface, so the curve and ditches helped the stones stay in place.
- Drainage clearly protected the roads.
- Rain ran off the curved surface into ditches at the sides, so water did not sit on the road and soften it.
Why Some Roman Roads Still Exist (notes)
[1] The ancient Romans built thousands of miles of roads to link their distant towns with the armies that protected them. [2] Today, parts of some of those roads can still be walked, and a few are still driven on. [3] Their lasting power was no accident, because Roman builders followed a careful series of steps.
[4] First, workers dug a deep trench and filled it with layers of stone, gravel, and sand. [5] These layers made a firm base that did not sink easily under heavy loads. [6] Next, they laid flat paving stones on top and shaped the surface so it curved gently upward in the middle.
[7] Rain ran off the curve into ditches at the sides, so water did not sit on the road and soften it. [8] Some roads ran in nearly straight lines for many miles, which kept travel between towns as short as possible. [9] Travelers today can still see worn grooves made by cart wheels in some of the old stones.
Plan card
Point: Roman builders prepared the ground carefully before laying the road.
Evidence: ____
Explanation: A deep, layered base spreads out heavy weight, so the road does not sink.Pia's paragraph is missing a part. Which sentence from the notes belongs in the empty evidence box?
- Rain ran off the curve into ditches at the sides.
- Some roads ran in nearly straight lines for many miles.
- Workers dug a deep trench and filled it with layers of stone, gravel, and sand.
- Roman roads were the most impressive structures of their time.
Scraps in the Cafeteria at Birch Lane School (notes)
[1] Last year, Birch Lane School began sorting the food scraps from lunch into a green bin instead of throwing them away. [2] Before this change, all of the scraps from the cafeteria went into the regular trash, along with paper, wrappers, and napkins. [3] The custodian weighed the trash cans every Friday for ten weeks before the change and for ten weeks after it.
[4] Before the green bin, the school threw away about 85 pounds of trash each week. [5] After the green bin, the weekly trash fell to about 52 pounds. [6] The food scraps were collected by a local farm, where they were turned into compost for the fields.
[7] Students at the school voted to name the green bin Big Bin, and the name now appears on a sign above the lid. [8] The custodian also reported that the trash cans smelled less, because wet scraps were no longer sitting in them. [9] The school plans to teach each grade how to sort its scraps correctly next fall, so that the green bin stays clean.
Plan card
Point: Sorting scraps made the school's trash lighter.
Evidence: The weekly trash dropped from about 85 pounds to about 52 pounds [4, 5].
Explanation: ____Tala has the point and the evidence. Which sentence explains how the evidence supports the point?
- The weekly trash dropped from about 85 pounds to about 52 pounds.
- So sorting scraps made the trash smaller.
- The drop of about 33 pounds a week is roughly the weight of the scraps that now go to the green bin instead of the trash.
- Soon the school will stop making trash altogether.
Scraps in the Cafeteria at Birch Lane School (notes)
[1] Last year, Birch Lane School began sorting the food scraps from lunch into a green bin instead of throwing them away. [2] Before this change, all of the scraps from the cafeteria went into the regular trash, along with paper, wrappers, and napkins. [3] The custodian weighed the trash cans every Friday for ten weeks before the change and for ten weeks after it.
[4] Before the green bin, the school threw away about 85 pounds of trash each week. [5] After the green bin, the weekly trash fell to about 52 pounds. [6] The food scraps were collected by a local farm, where they were turned into compost for the fields.
[7] Students at the school voted to name the green bin Big Bin, and the name now appears on a sign above the lid. [8] The custodian also reported that the trash cans smelled less, because wet scraps were no longer sitting in them. [9] The school plans to teach each grade how to sort its scraps correctly next fall, so that the green bin stays clean.
Plan card
Point: ____
Evidence: The school threw away about 85 pounds of trash each week before the green bin, and about 52 pounds after.
Explanation: The scraps no longer went into the trash cans, so the trash weighed less each week.Zee's paragraph is missing a part. Which sentence belongs in the empty point box?
- Taking out the wet scraps left the trash cans with less to carry.
- The school threw away about 52 pounds of trash each week after the green bin.
- The green bin made the school's weekly trash lighter.
- Recycling programs solve the trash problem for schools everywhere.