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A Sloth's Fur Is a Tiny Garden

5th grade nonfiction passage about sloths and algae: 194 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction sloths and algae 194 words

A Sloth's Fur Is a Tiny Garden

Look closely at the fur of a three-toed sloth, and you may see a green tint that is not paint at all, but algae, which are tiny plant-like living things that grow on the sloth's hair.

Sloths move extraordinarily slowly and spend most of their time hanging in the trees of the rain forest, so the algae have plenty of time to settle into the hair. The hair of a sloth has small grooves that hold water, and this gives the algae a place to grow. The rain forest is warm and wet, which is just what the algae like.

Does the algae help the sloth? Scientists think it may, because the green color can help the sloth blend into the leaves, which hides it from hungry eagles and big cats.

Even more living things share the fur. Certain kinds of moths live there, and they lay their eggs in the sloth's waste. Some scientists think the moths may help to feed the algae. Others are still studying this idea.

A sloth is never alone. Its coat holds a whole community of small creatures, and each one lives in its own way.

Questions

  1. What is the green tint in a sloth's fur? in the text

  2. Why do the algae have time to settle in? in the text

  3. How does a sloth's hair help the algae grow? in the text

  4. How might the green color help the sloth? think about it

  5. What other living things share the sloth's fur? in the text

  6. Why does the writer say that scientists are still studying the moths? think about it

Words to know

algae
tiny plant-like living things that grow in damp places
tint
a light shade of color
settle
to come to rest and stay
grooves
small narrow channels
community
a group of living things in one place
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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 · 167 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.9

Look closely at the fur of a three-toed sloth. You may see a green tint. It is not paint. It is algae, tiny plant-like living things that grow on the sloth's hair.

Sloths move very slowly. They spend most of their time hanging in trees in the rain forest. Because they hardly move, the algae have time to settle in. A sloth's hair has small grooves that hold water, so the algae have a place to grow. The rain forest is warm and wet, which the algae like.

Does the algae help the sloth? Scientists think it may. The green color can help the sloth blend in with leaves. That hides it from eagles and big cats.

Other living things share the fur too. Certain moths live there. They lay eggs in the sloth's waste. Some scientists think the moths may help to feed the algae. Others are still studying this.

A sloth is never alone. Its coat holds a whole community of small creatures.

▲ This passage · 194 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.1

Look closely at the fur of a three-toed sloth, and you may see a green tint that is not paint at all, but algae, which are tiny plant-like living things that grow on the sloth's hair.

Sloths move extraordinarily slowly and spend most of their time hanging in the trees of the rain forest, so the algae have plenty of time to settle into the hair. The hair of a sloth has small grooves that hold water, and this gives the algae a place to grow. The rain forest is warm and wet, which is just what the algae like.

Does the algae help the sloth? Scientists think it may, because the green color can help the sloth blend into the leaves, which hides it from hungry eagles and big cats.

Even more living things share the fur. Certain kinds of moths live there, and they lay their eggs in the sloth's waste. Some scientists think the moths may help to feed the algae. Others are still studying this idea.

A sloth is never alone. Its coat holds a whole community of small creatures, and each one lives in its own way.

■ Harder · 193 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.3

Examine the fur of a three-toed sloth closely, and you may notice a greenish tint that is not paint at all, but algae, which are tiny plant-like organisms that grow on the sloth's hair.

Sloths move extraordinarily slowly and spend most of their time hanging in the trees of the rain forest, so the algae have ample opportunity to establish themselves. A sloth's hair has microscopic grooves that retain moisture, which provides the algae with a place to grow, and the warm, humid climate of the rain forest is exactly what the algae prefer.

Does the algae benefit the sloth? Scientists believe that it may, because the green coloration can help the sloth blend into the surrounding leaves, which conceals it from hungry eagles and big cats.

Even more living things share the fur. Certain kinds of moths live there, and they lay their eggs in the sloth's waste. Some scientists suspect that the moths may help to feed the algae, while others are still studying this idea.

A sloth is never truly alone. Its coat holds an entire community of small creatures, and each one lives in its own way.

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 algae, tint, settle, grooves and community 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 "A Sloth's Fur Is a Tiny Garden"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 194 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.1. 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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