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Camels in the Desert

4th grade nonfiction passage about desert animals: 164 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade nonfiction desert animals 164 words

Camels in the Desert

A desert is hot, dry, and sandy, and few animals can live there. The camel is one that can. Its body is built for the heat and the dry ground.

A camel's hump is not full of water, as many people think. It holds fat. When food is hard to find, the camel's body uses that fat for energy. A camel can also go for several days without a drink. When it finds water, it can gulp down a great deal at once.

Other parts of the camel help, too. Its wide, flat feet spread out like snowshoes, so they do not sink into the soft sand. Its long eyelashes and thick eyebrows keep out sand and sun, and it can close its nostrils during a sandstorm. Its thick fur helps protect it from the hot sun.

For thousands of years, people have used camels to carry heavy loads across deserts. Because of their strong bodies, camels are sometimes called ships of the desert.

Questions

  1. What is inside a camel's hump? in the text

  2. What does a camel's body do with that fat when food is hard to find? in the text

  3. What can a camel do when it finds water? in the text

  4. Why are a camel's wide, flat feet useful in the desert? think about it

  5. How does a camel protect itself during a sandstorm? in the text

  6. Why might camels be called ships of the desert? think about it

Words to know

desert
a very dry place that gets little rain
hump
a round lump that sticks up on an animal's back
nostrils
the two openings of the nose used for breathing
loads
heavy things that are carried
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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 · 156 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.7

A desert is hot, dry, and sandy. Few animals can live there. The camel can. Its body is made for the heat and the dry ground.

A camel's hump is not full of water. Many people think it is, but it holds fat. When food is hard to find, the camel's body uses the fat for energy. A camel can go for days without a drink. When it finds water, it can gulp down a lot at once.

Other parts of the camel help, too. Its feet are wide and flat. They spread out like snowshoes, so they do not sink into the sand. Long eyelashes and thick eyebrows keep out sand and sun. It can close its nostrils in a sandstorm. Its thick fur helps keep off the hot sun.

For thousands of years, people have used camels to carry heavy loads across deserts. Camels are strong, so they are called ships of the desert.

▲ This passage · 164 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.2

A desert is hot, dry, and sandy, and few animals can live there. The camel is one that can. Its body is built for the heat and the dry ground.

A camel's hump is not full of water, as many people think. It holds fat. When food is hard to find, the camel's body uses that fat for energy. A camel can also go for several days without a drink. When it finds water, it can gulp down a great deal at once.

Other parts of the camel help, too. Its wide, flat feet spread out like snowshoes, so they do not sink into the soft sand. Its long eyelashes and thick eyebrows keep out sand and sun, and it can close its nostrils during a sandstorm. Its thick fur helps protect it from the hot sun.

For thousands of years, people have used camels to carry heavy loads across deserts. Because of their strong bodies, camels are sometimes called ships of the desert.

■ Harder · 182 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.9

A desert is a scorching, dry, sandy region, and very few animals are able to survive there. The camel is one that can, because its body is superbly adapted to the heat and the parched ground.

Contrary to what many people believe, a camel's hump is not filled with water. It stores fat. When food is scarce, the camel's body converts that fat into energy. A camel can also travel for several days without a drink, and when it finds water, it can gulp down an enormous amount all at once.

Other features of the camel help it survive as well. Its wide, flat feet spread out like snowshoes, so they do not sink into the soft sand. Its long eyelashes and thick eyebrows shield its eyes from sand and sun, and it can seal its nostrils shut during a sandstorm. Its thick fur also helps protect it from the blazing sun.

For thousands of years, people have relied on camels to carry heavy loads across deserts. Because of their remarkable strength and endurance, camels are sometimes called ships of the desert.

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 desert, hump, nostrils and loads 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 4 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 "Camels in the Desert"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 164 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.2. 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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