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Whales and Fish: Alike but Different

3rd grade nonfiction passage about whales compared with fish: 170 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade nonfiction whales compared with fish 170 words

Whales and Fish: Alike but Different

Whales and fish share the ocean. Both have smooth bodies that glide along, and both are good swimmers. A whale might even look like a very big fish at first. Even so, whales belong to a different group from fish.

Start with breathing. A fish takes in air from the water through its gills. A whale has lungs, just as you do, so it must rise to the surface for each breath. The air goes in through a blowhole at the top of its head.

Look at the babies. Most fish lay eggs, and the baby fish hatch out. A mother whale gives birth to a live baby, called a calf. The calf feeds on milk that its mother makes.

Look at the tail. A fish moves its tail from side to side. A whale moves its tail up and down.

Finally, a whale is a mammal, like a dog or a cat, and it is warm blooded. Most fish are cold blooded. These differences set whales apart from fish.

Questions

  1. What is one way a whale and a fish are alike? in the text

  2. How does a fish take in air? in the text

  3. What is a baby whale called? in the text

  4. How does a whale move its tail? in the text

  5. Why must a whale come up to the surface? think about it

  6. What kind of animal is a whale? think about it

Words to know

blowhole
the hole on top of a whale's head used for breathing
calf
a baby whale
mammal
an animal that has hair or fur and feeds its babies milk
surface
the top of the water
gills
body parts that let a fish breathe in water
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 138 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.6

A whale and a fish both live in the sea. Both have a smooth body. Both swim fast. A whale can look like a big fish. But a whale is not a fish.

Look at breathing. A fish takes in air from the water with gills. A whale has lungs, like you. It must come up to the surface to breathe air. It breathes through a blowhole on top of its head.

Look at the babies. Most fish lay eggs. A mother whale has a live baby, called a calf. The calf drinks milk from its mother.

Look at the tail. A fish moves its tail from side to side. A whale moves its tail up and down.

A whale is a mammal, like a dog or a cat. It is warm blooded. Most fish are cold blooded.

▲ This passage · 170 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.5

Whales and fish share the ocean. Both have smooth bodies that glide along, and both are good swimmers. A whale might even look like a very big fish at first. Even so, whales belong to a different group from fish.

Start with breathing. A fish takes in air from the water through its gills. A whale has lungs, just as you do, so it must rise to the surface for each breath. The air goes in through a blowhole at the top of its head.

Look at the babies. Most fish lay eggs, and the baby fish hatch out. A mother whale gives birth to a live baby, called a calf. The calf feeds on milk that its mother makes.

Look at the tail. A fish moves its tail from side to side. A whale moves its tail up and down.

Finally, a whale is a mammal, like a dog or a cat, and it is warm blooded. Most fish are cold blooded. These differences set whales apart from fish.

■ Harder · 202 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.9

A whale and a fish both make their homes in the sea. Each has a smooth, streamlined body that glides easily through the water, and each is able to swim quickly. At first glance, a whale might even seem to be nothing more than an enormous fish. In truth, however, a whale is not a fish at all.

Consider how each animal breathes. A fish absorbs air that is mixed into the water by using its gills. A whale, on the other hand, has lungs just as you do, so it must rise to the surface to breathe air, which it takes in through a blowhole on top of its head.

Consider their babies. Most fish lay eggs, and the young fish hatch out of them. A mother whale gives birth to a live baby called a calf, and the calf drinks milk from its mother.

Consider the tail. A fish moves its tail from side to side, but a whale moves its tail up and down.

Finally, a whale is a mammal, like a dog or a cat, and it is warm blooded, while most fish are cold blooded. These differences explain why a whale does not belong with the fish.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put blowhole, calf, mammal, surface and gills on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 2 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 5 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "Whales and Fish: Alike but Different"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 170 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.5. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are six. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 2 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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