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The Green Garden Growing in a Sloth's Fur

7th grade nonfiction passage about sloths and their fur: 253 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

7th grade nonfiction sloths and their fur 253 words

The Green Garden Growing in a Sloth's Fur

A three-toed sloth spends most of its life hanging motionless in the rainforest canopy of Central and South America. It moves so slowly that its fur becomes a home for other living things. Look closely at a sloth and you may notice that it seems tinted green, because tiny algae grow in its hair.

The algae can take hold because of the structure of sloth fur. Each hair has small grooves in its surface that hold moisture, and the damp, warm forest gives the algae everything they need. The green color probably helps the sloth, since it blends in with the leaves and makes the animal harder for a hunting eagle to notice.

Algae are not the only guests. Several kinds of small moths live in the fur, fluttering up when the sloth is disturbed. Their life cycle is tied to the sloth in a surprising way. About once a week, a sloth climbs down from its tree and digs a small hole on the forest floor. This is a risky trip for an animal that is clumsy on the ground. While the sloth is there, female moths leave the fur and lay their eggs in its droppings.

When the young moths mature, they fly up into the canopy to find another sloth. Scientists are still studying what each partner gains from this arrangement, but one idea is that the moths and algae help to feed or protect their host. The sloth's slow, quiet life turns out to be crowded with company.

Questions

  1. Why does a sloth look slightly green? in the text

  2. What do the grooves in a sloth's hair do? in the text

  3. How often does a sloth climb down from its tree? in the text

  4. Where do female moths lay their eggs? in the text

  5. Why is the trip to the ground risky for a sloth? think about it

  6. Why might green fur help a sloth survive? think about it

Words to know

canopy
the top layer of branches and leaves in a forest
algae
very simple plantlike living things that often grow in damp places
structure
the way something is built or put together
droppings
the solid waste that an animal leaves behind
host
an animal that other living things live on or in
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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 · 195 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.6

A three-toed sloth hangs in the rainforest trees of Central and South America. It moves very slowly. Its fur has other living things in it. If you look closely, a sloth can look a little green. Tiny algae grow in its hair.

The algae can grow because of the way sloth hair is made. Each hair has small grooves that hold water. The forest is warm and damp, so the algae have what they need. The green color probably helps the sloth. It blends in with the leaves. Then an eagle is less likely to see it.

Small moths live in the fur too. They flutter up when the sloth is disturbed. About once a week, the sloth climbs down from its tree and digs a small hole on the ground. This is a risky trip. A sloth is clumsy on the ground. While it is there, female moths leave the fur. They lay eggs in its droppings.

When the young moths grow up, they fly up to find another sloth. Scientists are still learning what each animal gets from this. A sloth has a slow, quiet life, but it is full of company.

▲ This passage · 253 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.6

A three-toed sloth spends most of its life hanging motionless in the rainforest canopy of Central and South America. It moves so slowly that its fur becomes a home for other living things. Look closely at a sloth and you may notice that it seems tinted green, because tiny algae grow in its hair.

The algae can take hold because of the structure of sloth fur. Each hair has small grooves in its surface that hold moisture, and the damp, warm forest gives the algae everything they need. The green color probably helps the sloth, since it blends in with the leaves and makes the animal harder for a hunting eagle to notice.

Algae are not the only guests. Several kinds of small moths live in the fur, fluttering up when the sloth is disturbed. Their life cycle is tied to the sloth in a surprising way. About once a week, a sloth climbs down from its tree and digs a small hole on the forest floor. This is a risky trip for an animal that is clumsy on the ground. While the sloth is there, female moths leave the fur and lay their eggs in its droppings.

When the young moths mature, they fly up into the canopy to find another sloth. Scientists are still studying what each partner gains from this arrangement, but one idea is that the moths and algae help to feed or protect their host. The sloth's slow, quiet life turns out to be crowded with company.

■ Harder · 261 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 9.3

A three-toed sloth spends nearly its entire life hanging motionless in the rainforest canopy of Central and South America. It moves so slowly that its fur has become a habitat for other living organisms. Examine a sloth closely and you may notice a faint green tint, because microscopic algae are growing in its hair.

The algae are able to take hold because of the unusual structure of sloth fur. Each hair has tiny grooves along its surface that retain moisture, and the warm, damp forest supplies everything else the algae require. The green coloring probably benefits the sloth as well, since it blends with the surrounding leaves and makes the animal considerably harder for a hunting eagle to detect.

Algae are not the only residents. Several species of small moths also live in the fur, fluttering upward whenever the sloth is disturbed. Their life cycle is linked to the sloth in a surprising way. About once a week, a sloth descends from its tree and digs a shallow hole on the forest floor, a risky journey for an animal that is so clumsy on the ground. While the sloth is there, female moths leave the fur and lay their eggs in its droppings.

When the young moths reach maturity, they fly up into the canopy to locate another sloth. Scientists are still investigating what each partner gains from this arrangement, but one suggestion is that the moths and algae may help to feed or protect their host. The sloth's slow and quiet existence turns out to be crowded with company.

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 canopy, algae, structure, droppings and host 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 3 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 Green Garden Growing in a Sloth's Fur"?

It was written for 7th grade. It has 253 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.6. 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 3 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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