The Sticky Shield: teacher key

Boogers and Snot, grade 5 edition, written for 5th grade. Snot is a shield the nose builds out of water, protein and tiny sweeping hairs. Find out how it traps dust and germs and what happens to it next.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What gives mucus its gel-like feel?
   • Salt
   • Mucin (answer)
   • Dust
2. What do cilia do?
   • Make mucin
   • Block sneezes
   • Push mucus along (answer)
3. Why is there a watery layer under the sticky gel?
   • It lets the cilia beat (answer)
   • It makes boogers dry
   • It tastes like salt
4. What happens to swallowed mucus?
   • It hurts the stomach
   • It meets stomach acid (answer)
   • It turns into dust
5. What does a booger hold besides dried mucus?
   • Dust, pollen and dirt (answer)
   • Only water
   • Only salt
6. What does goblet describe?
   • A drinking-glass shape (answer)
   • A kind of germ
   • A kind of tissue

Words

• mucin: gel protein
• cilia: tiny sweeping hairs
• antibodies: germ finders
• goblet: fancy glass
• pollen: plant powder