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The Bowerbird's Stage Made of Sticks and Berries

7th grade nonfiction passage about bowerbirds and courtship: 234 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

7th grade nonfiction bowerbirds and courtship 234 words

The Bowerbird's Stage Made of Sticks and Berries

In the forests of Australia and New Guinea lives a group of birds with an unusual talent for construction. A male bowerbird does not build a nest. He builds a bower, a structure made only to attract a mate, and he may spend weeks getting it ready.

Different species build in different styles. Some males weave sticks into two parallel walls, forming a lane the shape of a corridor. Others pile twigs into a tall tower around a young tree. The area in front of the bower is cleared of leaves and then decorated with colorful objects, such as flowers, berries, shells and bits of bright plastic. Some species pick a favorite color, and one kind uses mostly blue items. The male arranges and rearranges his collection, and he steals decorations from his rivals when he can.

A female visits several bowers before she chooses. She studies the neatness of each structure and the quality of its decorations, while the male dances and calls beside it. A well-built bower probably tells her that the male is healthy and clever, which makes him a good father for her young.

After mating, the female leaves to build an ordinary nest and raise the chicks by herself. The bower has done its job. It is not a home at all but a stage, and it shows how an animal can invest enormous effort in a display.

Questions

  1. What is a bower? in the text

  2. Where do bowerbirds live? in the text

  3. What kinds of objects does a male use as decorations? in the text

  4. Who builds the nest and raises the chicks? in the text

  5. Why might a female pay attention to how neat the bower is? think about it

  6. Why does the writer call the bower a stage and not a home? think about it

Words to know

bower
a decorated structure a male bird builds to attract a mate
construction
the work of building something
parallel
side by side and always the same distance apart
species
one particular kind of living thing
display
a show meant to be noticed and admired
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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 · 210 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.3

In the forests of Australia and New Guinea live birds that are very good builders. A male bowerbird does not build a nest. He builds a bower. A bower is made only to attract a mate. He may spend weeks getting it ready.

Each kind of bowerbird builds in its own style. Some males weave sticks into two walls, which make a lane. Others stack twigs into a tall tower around a young tree. The ground in front is cleared of leaves. Then he decorates it with bright things. He may use flowers, berries, shells and bits of plastic. Some kinds pick a favorite color, and one kind likes blue. The male moves his things around again and again. He also steals from his rivals when he can.

A female visits several bowers before she chooses. She looks at how neat each one is and how good the decorations are. The male dances and calls nearby. A well-built bower may tell her that the male is healthy and clever. That makes him a good father for her chicks.

After mating, the female leaves. She builds a plain nest and raises the chicks by herself. The bower has done its job. It is not a home. It is a stage.

▲ This passage · 234 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.9

In the forests of Australia and New Guinea lives a group of birds with an unusual talent for construction. A male bowerbird does not build a nest. He builds a bower, a structure made only to attract a mate, and he may spend weeks getting it ready.

Different species build in different styles. Some males weave sticks into two parallel walls, forming a lane the shape of a corridor. Others pile twigs into a tall tower around a young tree. The area in front of the bower is cleared of leaves and then decorated with colorful objects, such as flowers, berries, shells and bits of bright plastic. Some species pick a favorite color, and one kind uses mostly blue items. The male arranges and rearranges his collection, and he steals decorations from his rivals when he can.

A female visits several bowers before she chooses. She studies the neatness of each structure and the quality of its decorations, while the male dances and calls beside it. A well-built bower probably tells her that the male is healthy and clever, which makes him a good father for her young.

After mating, the female leaves to build an ordinary nest and raise the chicks by herself. The bower has done its job. It is not a home at all but a stage, and it shows how an animal can invest enormous effort in a display.

■ Harder · 244 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 10.1

In the forests of Australia and New Guinea lives a group of birds with a remarkable talent for construction. A male bowerbird does not build a nest at all. Instead he builds a bower, a structure intended solely to attract a mate, and he may devote several weeks to preparing it.

Different species favor different architectural styles. Some males weave sticks into two parallel walls, forming a lane like a narrow corridor, while others pile twigs into a tall tower around a sapling. The ground in front of the bower is cleared of fallen leaves and then adorned with colorful objects, including flowers, berries, shells and scraps of bright plastic. Certain species prefer a single color, and one kind uses mostly blue items. The male arranges and rearranges his collection continually, and he steals decorations from his rivals whenever he gets the chance.

A female inspects several bowers before making her choice. She considers the neatness of each structure and the quality of its decorations, while the male dances and calls beside it. A skillfully built bower probably signals that the male is healthy and clever, which would make him a suitable father for her young.

After mating, the female departs to build an ordinary nest and to raise the chicks entirely on her own. The bower has accomplished its purpose. It is not a home at all but a stage, and it demonstrates how an animal can invest enormous effort in a display.

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, construction, parallel, species and display 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 Stage Made of Sticks and Berries"?

It was written for 7th grade. It has 234 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 7.9. 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. 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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