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Why the Fennec Fox Has Giant Ears

5th grade nonfiction passage about fennec foxes of the desert: 225 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction fennec foxes of the desert 225 words

Why the Fennec Fox Has Giant Ears

The fennec fox is the smallest kind of fox in the world, but its ears are enormous for its size and can look nearly as large as the rest of its head. These ears are not just for decoration, because they help the fox survive in the Sahara desert.

During the day, the Sahara is scorching hot. The fennec fox rests in a burrow it digs in the sand, where it is cooler and shaded from the sun. When the sun goes down, the fox comes out to hunt.

The ears do two jobs. First, they help the fox stay cool. Inside the ears are many tiny blood vessels near the skin, and when warm blood flows through them, extra heat escapes into the air. A large ear has a large surface, so a great deal of heat can leave the body.

Second, the ears are excellent for listening. A fennec fox can hear the faint sounds of small animals, such as insects and lizards, moving on or under the sand, and it then pounces or digs to catch them.

Other parts of the fox are made for the desert too. Its pale fur helps it blend in with the sand, and thick fur on its feet keeps its paws from burning on the hot ground.

Each part of the fennec fox fits its home.

Questions

  1. Where does the fennec fox live? in the text

  2. Where does the fox rest during the day? in the text

  3. How do its ears help it stay cool? in the text

  4. What can the fox hear with its large ears? in the text

  5. Why does the fox hunt after the sun goes down? think about it

  6. How does the fox's pale fur help it? think about it

Words to know

burrow
a hole in the ground dug by an animal
scorching
extremely hot
vessels
thin tubes that carry blood
surface
the outside layer of something
pounces
jumps on something suddenly
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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 1.9

The fennec fox is the smallest kind of fox in the world. But its ears are huge for its size. They look nearly as big as the rest of its head. The ears are not just for show. They help the fox live in the Sahara desert.

In the day, the Sahara is very hot. The fennec fox rests in a burrow it digs in the sand. It is cooler there. When the sun goes down, the fox comes out to hunt.

The ears do two jobs. First, they keep the fox cool. Inside the ears are many tiny blood vessels near the skin. Warm blood flows through them, and heat escapes into the air. A big ear has a big surface, so a lot of heat can leave.

Second, the ears are great for listening. The fox can hear faint sounds of small animals, such as insects and lizards, on or under the sand. Then it pounces or digs to catch them.

Its pale fur helps it blend in with the sand. Thick fur on its feet keeps its paws from burning.

▲ This passage · 225 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5

The fennec fox is the smallest kind of fox in the world, but its ears are enormous for its size and can look nearly as large as the rest of its head. These ears are not just for decoration, because they help the fox survive in the Sahara desert.

During the day, the Sahara is scorching hot. The fennec fox rests in a burrow it digs in the sand, where it is cooler and shaded from the sun. When the sun goes down, the fox comes out to hunt.

The ears do two jobs. First, they help the fox stay cool. Inside the ears are many tiny blood vessels near the skin, and when warm blood flows through them, extra heat escapes into the air. A large ear has a large surface, so a great deal of heat can leave the body.

Second, the ears are excellent for listening. A fennec fox can hear the faint sounds of small animals, such as insects and lizards, moving on or under the sand, and it then pounces or digs to catch them.

Other parts of the fox are made for the desert too. Its pale fur helps it blend in with the sand, and thick fur on its feet keeps its paws from burning on the hot ground.

Each part of the fennec fox fits its home.

■ Harder · 228 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.3

The fennec fox is the smallest kind of fox in the world, yet its ears are enormous for its size and can look nearly as large as the rest of its head. These ears are far more than decoration, because they help the fox survive in the Sahara desert.

During the day, the Sahara is scorching hot, so the fennec fox rests in a burrow that it digs in the sand, where it is cooler and shielded from the sun, and when the sun sets, the fox emerges to hunt.

The ears perform two separate jobs. First, they help the fox keep cool. Inside the ears are many tiny blood vessels close to the skin, and when warm blood circulates through them, extra heat escapes into the surrounding air. A large ear has an extensive surface, so a considerable amount of heat can leave the body.

Second, the ears are excellent for listening. A fennec fox can detect the faint sounds of small animals, such as insects and lizards, moving on or beneath the sand, and it then pounces or digs to capture them.

Other features of the fox are suited to the desert as well. Its pale fur helps it blend in with the sand, and thick fur on its feet protects its paws from the burning ground.

Every part of the fennec fox fits its home.

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, scorching, vessels, surface and pounces 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 "Why the Fennec Fox Has Giant Ears"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 225 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.0. 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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