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The Pika Who Makes Hay While the Sun Shines

7th grade nonfiction passage about pikas on mountain slopes: 242 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

7th grade nonfiction pikas on mountain slopes 242 words

The Pika Who Makes Hay While the Sun Shines

High on rocky mountain slopes, where winters are long and the snow lies deep, lives a small furry animal that looks like a round-eared hamster. It is called a pika, and it is a relative of rabbits. Unlike many mountain animals, the pika does not hibernate. It stays awake all winter, which means it needs food every single day.

Plants are buried under snow for months, so the pika solves the problem during the short summer. It runs back and forth between the meadow and its home among the rocks, carrying mouthfuls of grasses, flowers and leaves. Then it spreads them out to dry in the sun, just as a farmer dries hay. When the plants are ready, the pika tucks them into a pile beneath a sheltering rock. This hidden store is called a haypile.

A pika can make dozens of trips in a single day, and a large haypile may take the whole season to finish. When winter comes, the animal lives off its stored food, moving through tunnels under the snow to reach it. Pikas often choose plants that stay fresh for a long time, which makes the haypile a healthy meal.

Pikas also keep watch. A sharp whistle warns neighbors when a hawk or a weasel is near. Because these animals are built for cold places, a very warm day can be hard on them, so many scientists study pikas to learn how mountain habitats are changing.

Questions

  1. What kind of animal is a pika related to? in the text

  2. Why does a pika need food every day in winter? in the text

  3. What is a haypile? in the text

  4. What warns other pikas that a hawk or a weasel is near? in the text

  5. Why does the pika dry its plants before storing them? think about it

  6. Why might scientists study pikas to learn about mountain habitats? think about it

Words to know

hibernate
to sleep through the winter to save energy
meadow
an open field of grass and wildflowers
haypile
a store of dried plants a pika saves for winter
sheltering
giving cover and protection from weather or danger
habitats
the places where animals naturally live
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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 · 236 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.5

High on rocky mountain slopes, the winters are long and the snow is deep. A small furry animal lives there. It looks like a hamster with round ears. It is called a pika, and it is a cousin of rabbits. Many mountain animals hibernate, but the pika does not. It stays awake all winter. That means it needs food every day.

Plants are buried under snow for months. So the pika gets ready in the short summer. It runs back and forth between the meadow and its home in the rocks. It carries mouthfuls of grass, flowers and leaves. Then it lays them out to dry in the sun, like a farmer drying hay. When the plants are dry, the pika tucks them into a pile under a rock. This hidden store is called a haypile.

A pika can make dozens of trips in one day. A big haypile may take the whole summer to finish. In winter, the pika eats from its store. It moves through tunnels under the snow to reach it. Pikas often pick plants that stay fresh a long time. That makes the haypile a good meal.

Pikas also keep watch. A sharp whistle warns the others when a hawk or a weasel is near. Pikas are built for cold places, so a very warm day can be hard on them. Many scientists study pikas to learn how mountain homes are changing.

▲ This passage · 242 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.7

High on rocky mountain slopes, where winters are long and the snow lies deep, lives a small furry animal that looks like a round-eared hamster. It is called a pika, and it is a relative of rabbits. Unlike many mountain animals, the pika does not hibernate. It stays awake all winter, which means it needs food every single day.

Plants are buried under snow for months, so the pika solves the problem during the short summer. It runs back and forth between the meadow and its home among the rocks, carrying mouthfuls of grasses, flowers and leaves. Then it spreads them out to dry in the sun, just as a farmer dries hay. When the plants are ready, the pika tucks them into a pile beneath a sheltering rock. This hidden store is called a haypile.

A pika can make dozens of trips in a single day, and a large haypile may take the whole season to finish. When winter comes, the animal lives off its stored food, moving through tunnels under the snow to reach it. Pikas often choose plants that stay fresh for a long time, which makes the haypile a healthy meal.

Pikas also keep watch. A sharp whistle warns neighbors when a hawk or a weasel is near. Because these animals are built for cold places, a very warm day can be hard on them, so many scientists study pikas to learn how mountain habitats are changing.

■ Harder · 251 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8

High on rocky mountain slopes, where the winters are long and the snow lies deep, lives a small furry animal that resembles a round-eared hamster. It is called a pika, and it is a relative of the rabbit. Unlike many mountain animals, the pika does not hibernate. It remains active throughout the winter, which means that it requires food every single day.

Because the plants are buried under snow for months, the pika solves the problem during the brief summer. It scurries back and forth between the meadow and its home among the rocks, carrying mouthfuls of grasses, flowers and leaves. It then spreads them out to dry in the sun, much as a farmer dries hay. Once the plants are ready, the pika tucks them into a pile beneath a sheltering rock, and this hidden store is known as a haypile.

A pika may make dozens of trips in a single day, and a large haypile can take the entire season to complete. When winter arrives, the animal lives off its stored food, traveling through tunnels beneath the snow to reach it. Pikas often select plants that stay fresh for a long time, which makes the haypile a nourishing meal.

Pikas also stand guard. A sharp whistle warns their neighbors when a hawk or a weasel is nearby. Because these animals are built for cold places, a very warm day can be difficult for them, which is why many scientists study pikas to understand how mountain habitats are changing.

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 hibernate, meadow, haypile, sheltering and habitats 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 Pika Who Makes Hay While the Sun Shines"?

It was written for 7th grade. It has 242 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.7. 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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