Swimming in Muddy Rivers: teacher key

Electric Eels, grade 3 edition, written for 3rd grade. An electric eel swims with one long fin in South American rivers and comes up to breathe air. It hunts at night, and a male builds a nest for the young.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. How many long fins does an electric eel swim with along its underside?
   • Ten
   • None
   • One (answer)
2. Why do electric eels breathe air?
   • The water can be low in oxygen (answer)
   • They like the sun
   • They have no mouth
3. What do adult electric eels eat mostly?
   • Leaves
   • Fish (answer)
   • Insects only
4. What does a male build a nest out of?
   • Sand
   • Sticks
   • Saliva (answer)
5. Which food would a young electric eel eat?
   • A big fish
   • An insect (answer)
   • A leaf
6. Which way can an electric eel swim?
   • Only up
   • Forward and backward (answer)
   • Only sideways

Words

• fin: swimming part
• oxygen: air gas
• backbones: spine bones
• saliva: spit
• nest: baby home