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The Pistol Shrimp and Its Watchful Goby

4th grade nonfiction passage about animal partners in the sea: 199 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade nonfiction animal partners in the sea 199 words

The Pistol Shrimp and Its Watchful Goby

On the sandy floor of a warm sea, a small animal named the pistol shrimp has a problem. It is good at digging, but it can barely see. Luckily, it has found a partner.

The partner is a little fish called a goby. The shrimp digs a burrow in the sand, and the goby shares it. The shrimp keeps the burrow tidy, pushing out sand and pebbles. The goby has sharp eyes, and it keeps watch.

The two stay in touch in a clever way. The shrimp rests one feeler on the fish. If the goby sees danger, it flicks its tail. The shrimp feels the flick and dashes into the burrow, with the goby right behind it.

The pistol shrimp gets its name from its big claw. It can snap that claw shut so fast that it makes a bubble of water, and the bubble pops with a loud bang. The sound can startle or stun tiny animals nearby, which makes it easy for the shrimp to catch food.

This is a good example of two different animals helping each other. The shrimp builds the home, and the goby guards it. Neither one could do as well alone.

Questions

  1. What problem does the pistol shrimp have? in the text

  2. What does the goby do for the shrimp? in the text

  3. What does the shrimp do for the goby? in the text

  4. How does the goby warn the shrimp? in the text

  5. How does the pistol shrimp make a loud bang? in the text

  6. Why would the shrimp be in trouble without the goby? think about it

Words to know

burrow
a hole or tunnel an animal digs to live in
goby
a small fish that often lives on the sea floor
feeler
a thin body part an animal uses to touch things
startle
to surprise someone so they jump or freeze
stun
to make an animal dizzy or unable to move for a moment
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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 · 148 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.8

On the sandy floor of a warm sea lives a small animal called a pistol shrimp. It is good at digging, but it can hardly see. Luckily, it has a partner.

The partner is a little fish called a goby. The shrimp digs a burrow in the sand, and the goby shares it. The shrimp keeps the burrow neat. The goby has sharp eyes. It keeps watch.

The two stay in touch. The shrimp rests a feeler on the fish. If the goby sees danger, it flicks its tail. The shrimp feels it and dashes into the burrow. The goby follows.

The pistol shrimp has a big claw. It snaps the claw shut so fast that it makes a bubble. The bubble pops with a loud bang. The bang can stun tiny animals, so the shrimp can catch food.

The shrimp builds the home. The goby guards it.

▲ This passage · 199 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.9

On the sandy floor of a warm sea, a small animal named the pistol shrimp has a problem. It is good at digging, but it can barely see. Luckily, it has found a partner.

The partner is a little fish called a goby. The shrimp digs a burrow in the sand, and the goby shares it. The shrimp keeps the burrow tidy, pushing out sand and pebbles. The goby has sharp eyes, and it keeps watch.

The two stay in touch in a clever way. The shrimp rests one feeler on the fish. If the goby sees danger, it flicks its tail. The shrimp feels the flick and dashes into the burrow, with the goby right behind it.

The pistol shrimp gets its name from its big claw. It can snap that claw shut so fast that it makes a bubble of water, and the bubble pops with a loud bang. The sound can startle or stun tiny animals nearby, which makes it easy for the shrimp to catch food.

This is a good example of two different animals helping each other. The shrimp builds the home, and the goby guards it. Neither one could do as well alone.

■ Harder · 202 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.1

On the sandy floor of a warm sea, a small creature known as the pistol shrimp faces an unusual problem. It is an excellent digger, but its eyesight is extremely poor. Fortunately, it has found a reliable partner.

That partner is a little fish called a goby. The shrimp excavates a burrow in the sand, and the goby shares it. The shrimp keeps the burrow tidy by pushing out sand and pebbles, while the goby, with its sharp eyes, stands guard.

The pair communicates in a clever way. The shrimp rests one feeler against the fish, and if the goby notices danger, it flicks its tail. The shrimp feels the movement and dashes into the burrow, with the goby right behind it.

The pistol shrimp is named for its enormous claw, which it can snap shut so quickly that it creates a bubble of water. The bubble pops with a loud bang that can startle or stun tiny animals nearby, which makes it easy for the shrimp to catch a meal.

The partnership is a fine example of two different animals helping each other. The shrimp builds the home and the goby guards it, and neither could do nearly as well alone.

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 burrow, goby, feeler, startle and stun 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 6 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 "The Pistol Shrimp and Its Watchful Goby"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 199 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.9. 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. 5 ask for something the text says directly and 1 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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