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The Bowerbird's Decorated Stage

5th grade nonfiction passage about bowerbirds and their displays: 206 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction bowerbirds and their displays 206 words

The Bowerbird's Decorated Stage

In the forests of Australia and New Guinea lives a bird that builds an art show. The male bowerbird does not make a nest. Instead, he builds a structure called a bower, only to impress a female.

Different kinds of bowerbirds make different kinds of bowers. One kind builds an avenue, two walls of sticks that make a little lane. Another stacks twigs around a central post, like a tiny hut. The bird works hard to keep the bower neat, and he clears the ground in front of it.

Then he decorates. Some bowerbirds collect blue objects such as berries, feathers and bottle caps. Others choose shells, flowers or bright leaves. He puts the pieces in just the right places, and he may swap them when they fade. Some males even paint the walls with chewed fruit.

When a female visits, the male dances and makes loud calls. She looks at the bower and at his show. If she likes what she sees, she may choose him as a mate. Then she builds a nest of her own, away from the bower, and raises her chicks alone.

The bower has just one job. It is a stage that shows how healthy and careful the male is.

Questions

  1. What is a bower? in the text

  2. What are two kinds of bowers described in the passage? in the text

  3. What kinds of objects do some bowerbirds collect? in the text

  4. Where does the female build her nest? in the text

  5. Why does the male swap decorations when they fade? think about it

  6. What does the bower show about the male bird? think about it

Words to know

bower
a decorated structure built by a male bowerbird
avenue
a lane with a wall on each side
impress
to make someone think well of you
structure
something built from many parts
swap
to trade one thing for another
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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 · 183 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.6

In the forests of Australia and New Guinea lives a bird that builds an art show. The male bowerbird does not make a nest. He builds a bower to impress a female.

Different bowerbirds make different bowers. One kind builds an avenue, two walls of sticks that make a little lane. Another stacks twigs around a post, like a tiny hut. The bird keeps the bower neat and clears the ground in front of it.

Then he decorates. Some bowerbirds collect blue things like berries, feathers and bottle caps. Others pick shells, flowers or bright leaves. He puts the pieces in just the right places. He may swap them when they fade. Some males even paint the walls with chewed fruit.

When a female visits, the male dances and calls loudly. She looks at the bower and at his show. If she likes it, she may choose him as a mate. Then she builds a nest far from the bower and raises her chicks alone.

The bower has one job. It is a stage that shows how healthy and careful the male is.

▲ This passage · 206 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.2

In the forests of Australia and New Guinea lives a bird that builds an art show. The male bowerbird does not make a nest. Instead, he builds a structure called a bower, only to impress a female.

Different kinds of bowerbirds make different kinds of bowers. One kind builds an avenue, two walls of sticks that make a little lane. Another stacks twigs around a central post, like a tiny hut. The bird works hard to keep the bower neat, and he clears the ground in front of it.

Then he decorates. Some bowerbirds collect blue objects such as berries, feathers and bottle caps. Others choose shells, flowers or bright leaves. He puts the pieces in just the right places, and he may swap them when they fade. Some males even paint the walls with chewed fruit.

When a female visits, the male dances and makes loud calls. She looks at the bower and at his show. If she likes what she sees, she may choose him as a mate. Then she builds a nest of her own, away from the bower, and raises her chicks alone.

The bower has just one job. It is a stage that shows how healthy and careful the male is.

■ Harder · 213 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.1

In the forests of Australia and New Guinea lives a remarkable bird that constructs an art show. The male bowerbird does not build a nest. Instead, he assembles an elaborate structure called a bower, with the sole purpose of impressing a female.

Different kinds of bowerbirds create different kinds of bowers. One kind builds an avenue, two parallel walls of sticks that form a narrow lane. Another stacks twigs around a central post, much like a tiny hut. The bird labors to keep the bower tidy, and he clears the ground in front of it.

Then he decorates. Some bowerbirds gather blue objects such as berries, feathers and bottle caps, while others select shells, flowers or bright leaves. He arranges the pieces in precisely the right places, and he may replace them when they fade. Some males even paint the walls with chewed fruit.

When a female visits, the male dances and makes loud calls. She inspects the bower and the performance. If she approves of what she sees, she may choose him as a mate. She then builds a nest of her own, away from the bower, and raises her chicks by herself.

The bower has just one job. It is a stage that reveals how healthy and careful the male is.

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 bower, avenue, impress, structure and swap 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 "The Bowerbird's Decorated Stage"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 206 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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