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The Shrimp and the Goby Who Share a Burrow

7th grade nonfiction passage about partners on the sea floor: 228 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

7th grade nonfiction partners on the sea floor 228 words

The Shrimp and the Goby Who Share a Burrow

On sandy parts of the sea floor, one of nature's most unusual partnerships can be found. A small fish called a goby shares a burrow with a shrimp, and each animal depends on the other.

The shrimp is the builder. It uses its claws to dig a tunnel in the sand and carry loose material out of the entrance, and it spends much of the day repairing the walls. But the shrimp has very poor eyesight. Whenever it leaves the safety of its burrow, it is nearly blind to approaching danger.

The goby supplies what the shrimp lacks. The fish has sharp eyes and stays near the entrance, acting as a lookout. When the shrimp ventures out to work, it keeps one of its long antennae touching the goby. If the goby spots a threat, it flicks its tail. The shrimp feels the signal at once, and both animals dash into the burrow together.

Each partner gets something valuable in return. The shrimp receives early warning and can work in the open with much less risk. The goby gets a ready-made hiding place without any digging, and it can retreat there whenever a hungry fish swims by. Biologists use the word mutualism for a relationship in which both species benefit. The shrimp and the goby are a clear example, because they could hardly manage as well alone.

Questions

  1. Which animal digs the burrow? in the text

  2. What is the shrimp's weakness? in the text

  3. How does the goby warn the shrimp of danger? in the text

  4. What does the goby get from the partnership? in the text

  5. Why does the shrimp keep an antenna touching the goby? think about it

  6. Why is this partnership an example of mutualism? think about it

Words to know

burrow
a hole or tunnel an animal digs to live in
lookout
someone who watches carefully for danger
antennae
the long, thin feelers on the head of some animals
threat
something that could cause harm
mutualism
a partnership in which both sides benefit
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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 · 192 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2

On sandy parts of the sea floor, you can find a strange team. A small fish called a goby shares a burrow with a shrimp. Each one needs the other.

The shrimp is the builder. It digs a tunnel in the sand with its claws. It carries sand out of the entrance. It spends much of the day fixing the walls. But the shrimp cannot see well. When it leaves the burrow, it cannot see danger coming.

The goby helps with that. The fish has sharp eyes. It stays near the entrance and keeps watch. When the shrimp goes out to work, it keeps one long feeler touching the goby. If the goby sees a threat, it flicks its tail. The shrimp feels it right away. Then both of them dash into the burrow.

Each one gets something good. The shrimp gets a warning and can work with less risk. The goby gets a hiding place with no digging. It can hide there when a hungry fish swims by. Scientists use the word mutualism for this. It means both species benefit. The shrimp and the goby could hardly do as well alone.

▲ This passage · 228 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.5

On sandy parts of the sea floor, one of nature's most unusual partnerships can be found. A small fish called a goby shares a burrow with a shrimp, and each animal depends on the other.

The shrimp is the builder. It uses its claws to dig a tunnel in the sand and carry loose material out of the entrance, and it spends much of the day repairing the walls. But the shrimp has very poor eyesight. Whenever it leaves the safety of its burrow, it is nearly blind to approaching danger.

The goby supplies what the shrimp lacks. The fish has sharp eyes and stays near the entrance, acting as a lookout. When the shrimp ventures out to work, it keeps one of its long antennae touching the goby. If the goby spots a threat, it flicks its tail. The shrimp feels the signal at once, and both animals dash into the burrow together.

Each partner gets something valuable in return. The shrimp receives early warning and can work in the open with much less risk. The goby gets a ready-made hiding place without any digging, and it can retreat there whenever a hungry fish swims by. Biologists use the word mutualism for a relationship in which both species benefit. The shrimp and the goby are a clear example, because they could hardly manage as well alone.

■ Harder · 246 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 9.8

On the sandy stretches of the sea floor, one of nature's most unusual partnerships can be observed. A small fish known as a goby shares a burrow with a shrimp, and each of the two animals depends heavily on the other.

The shrimp serves as the builder. Using its claws, it excavates a tunnel in the sand and hauls loose material out through the entrance, and it devotes much of its day to repairing the walls. Unfortunately, the shrimp has extremely poor eyesight, so whenever it ventures beyond the safety of its burrow, it is almost blind to approaching danger.

The goby provides precisely what the shrimp lacks. The fish possesses sharp eyes and remains near the entrance, where it acts as a lookout. When the shrimp goes out to work, it keeps one of its long antennae in contact with the goby. If the goby notices a threat, it flicks its tail, the shrimp feels the signal instantly, and the two animals dash into the burrow together.

Each partner receives something valuable in return. The shrimp gains early warning and is able to work in the open with far less risk, while the goby obtains a ready-made refuge without having to dig, and it can retreat there whenever a hungry fish swims past. Biologists use the term mutualism for a relationship in which both species benefit, and the shrimp and the goby are a clear example, since they could scarcely manage as well alone.

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, lookout, antennae, threat and mutualism 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 Shrimp and the Goby Who Share a Burrow"?

It was written for 7th grade. It has 228 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.5. 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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