Teacher Guide for FAST-R Passage: FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading. Hippopotamus. Nonfiction. At a Glance.

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1 Teacher Guide for FAST-R Passage: FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading At a Glance Approximate Grade Range: Genre: Nonfiction Topic: Encyclopedia article on the body, habits, and life of hippopotamuses. Source: The World ook Encyclopedia (2001) Special Note: used on G3 MAS 2006 Hippopotamus Nonfiction ifficulty Index: onsiderate hallenging Structure: Purpose: Richness: Relationships: Vocabulary: Style: Lexile Measure: 720L When you see a hippopotamus at the zoo, you know it is large. Just how large is it? What does it eat? oes it have unusual habits? Read the article Hippopotamus to find out. Answer the questions that follow. Hippopotamus from The World ook Encyclopedia 1 Hippopotamus, HIHP uh PAHT uh muhs, is the third largest animal that lives on land. Only the elephant and rhinoceros are larger. A large, wild river hippopotamus may weigh as much as 5,800 pounds. 2 Hippopotamuses live in central, southern, and western Africa. They live close to water and spend much time in it. The word hippopotamus comes from two Greek words meaning river horse. However, the hippopotamus is more closely related to the whale than to the horse. There are two kinds of hippopotamuses: (1) the river hippopotamus, also called the common hippopotamus, and (2) the pygmy hippopotamus. The pygmy hippopotamus is much smaller than the river hippopotamus. It is also rarer. 3 The body of a river hippopotamus. The river hippopotamus has a large, barrelshaped body; short legs; and a huge head. It generally weighs from 2,500 to 3,000 pounds and stands about 5 feet tall. It ranges from 12 to 15 feet long, not including the tail, which measures about 22 inches long. Each foot has four webbed toes 4 The eyes of the river hippopotamus stick out from its head. The position of the ears, eyes, and nostrils enables the animal to hear, see, and breathe with most of its head underwater. The hippopotamus can also close its nostrils and ears when it swims or dives. Hippopotamuses have a good sense of smell, but their vision is only fair. 5 River hippopotamuses have thick, brownish-gray skin. They have no hair except for a few bristles on the head and tail. Special glands in the skin give off a clear, oily fluid that is either Structure: Although the text has only two clearly defined subheadings, the paragraphs within subheadings are further organized by topic. (For instance, 4 is under the ody of a River Hippopotamus heading, but focuses specifically on the animal s sensory organs.) It may help students to make notes in the margins to further organize the text for themselves as they read. See especially: Referential questions 1, 2, 3, 7, 9 Purpose: As is typical for encyclopedia articles, the purpose is straightforward: to present basic information about the hippopotamus. See especially: Question 10 Richness: Students will be better able to process the density of facts about hippopotamuses if they have a sense of the text structure (see Structure, above). See especially: Questions 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9 Relationships: Several details (especially in 4-5) emphasize the relationship between the hippopotamus and its environment. See especially: Question 6 ontinued on next page drawn or adapted from the G3 MAS Spring 2006 test. Photos by Tom Meyers Photography and Mark arlton Photo Researchers. All other materials are opyright 2007 by the oston Plan for Excellence.

2 pink or red. This fluid keeps the animal s skin from getting too dry. 6 A hippopotamus has long, curved front teeth. Its canines (side teeth) are even longer. All the teeth grow throughout the animal s life. ut they seldom become too long, because the teeth of the upper and lower jaws grind together and wear each other away. The canines of a hippopotamus may grow more than 2 feet long, but only about half of the tooth sticks out above the gum line. 7 The life of a river hippopotamus. River hippopotamuses are good swimmers and live in lakes, rivers, and streams near grasslands. They sometimes walk along the bottom of a body of water and can stay underwater for as long as six minutes. On land, they can run as fast as a human being about 20 miles per hour. 8 River hippopotamuses live in herds of from 5 to 30 animals. They spend the day resting in the water, eating water plants, and sunning themselves on sandbanks. At night, the herd goes on land to feed. The animals eat fruit, grass, leaves, vegetables. They sometimes wander for miles near the riverbank, grazing as they go. Each hippopotamus eats about 130 pounds of vegetable matter a day. 9 A female hippopotamus almost always has one baby at a time, but sometimes she bears twins. A baby hippopotamus, called a calf, weighs about 100 pounds at birth. It can swim almost immediately. It begins to eat grass at the age of 4 to 6 months. A young hippopotamus often climbs on its mother s back and suns itself as she fl oats on the water. On land, the mother hippopotamus keeps her calf close by. 10 A female hippopotamus gives birth to her first baby when she is 5 or 6 years old. Hippopotamuses live about 30 years in their natural surroundings and 50 years in a zoo. Vocabulary: Two content-specific words that are likely to be unfamilar to students, canines and calves, are defined in the text. e sure students recognize and are taking advantage of the considerate nature of the text. drawn or adapted from the G3 MAS Spring 2006 test. Photos by Tom Meyers Photography and Mark arlton Photo Researchers. All other materials are opyright 2007 by the oston Plan for Excellence.

3 Teacher Guide for FAST-R Passage: FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading Hippopotamus Nonfiction The annotated answer key below highlights common reasons students might choose each answer, and the sidebar gives more insight into the question types, to help you understand patterns of student responses. Always make time to follow up with students in conferences or small groups to probe their thinking, teach in response to patterns, and help them apply effective reading and thinking strategies to their everyday reading. Note: You may find it helpful to refer to the Types and Levels of Questions on FAST-R sheet from your teacher resource folder as you examine your students responses. The icon in the right-hand column, below, corresponds to that sheet s more detailed explanations of the kinds of thinking each type of question asks of readers. 1. According to this article, on which of the following continents can hippopotamuses be found? A. Africa. Antarctica (OO). Asia (OO). Australia (OO) 2. According to paragraph 2, hippopotamus means river horse in Greek. Why is this not a good name for this animal? A. They live near water. (OOP2, 2). They run slower than a horse. (OOP1, 7). They do not live in Greece. (OO). They are more like a whale than a horse. (Students must recognize that the word however signals that the name is inapt, and why.) 3. What is the difference between the river hippopotamus and the pygmy hippopotamus? A. One is a horse, but the other is not. (OOP2, 2). One is common, but the other is rare.. One lives in the water, but the other lives on land. (OOP2, 2). One eats plants, but the other eats animals. (OOP2, 8) 4. Re-read this sentence from paragraph 5: They have no hair except for a few bristles on the head and tail. Which word from the sentence helps the reader know what bristles are? A. few (OOP1, 5). hair. head (OOP1, 5). tail (OOP1, 5) 5. The purpose of paragraph 6 is to A. explain how hippopotamuses eat. (OO). describe the size and shape of a hippopotamus s teeth.. describe a hippopotamus s jaw. (OOP1, 6). explain why hippopotamuses have teeth. (OOP2, 6) FE1: Identify evidence explicitly stated in the text FE2: Recognize the explicit meaning from varied wording in the text FE1: Identify evidence explicitly stated in the text MI1: etermine implicit meaning from words in context MI2: etermine a singular meaning from the sum total of a particular paragraph drawn or adapted from the G3 MAS Spring 2006 test. Photos by Tom Meyers Photography and Mark arlton Photo Researchers. All other materials are opyright 2007 by the oston Plan for Excellence.

4 Grade 3 Nonfiction Hippopotamus 6. Which of the following details supports the idea that hippopotamuses are adapted to life in the water? A. Their canine teeth grow two feet long. (OOP1, 6). They can close their nose and ear openings.. They can run 20 miles per hour on land. (OOP1, 7). They eat 130 pounds of vegetable matter each day. (OOP1, 8) 7. According to the article, what do hippopotamuses do at night? A. They lie on the sandbanks near the river. (OOP2, 7). They float on the water to rest and sleep. (OOP2, 7). They eat water plants along the bottom of the river. (OOP1, 8). They walk on land and eat the plants that grow there. 8. According to the passage, which of the following would a hippopotamus most likely eat? A. grasses and plants that grow near the water. fish that swim in the ocean (OO). a baby hippo or calf (OO). frogs along the riverbank (OOP2 9) 9. What can a calf do almost immediately after being born? A. eat grass (OOP1, 8). grow hair (OOP1, 5). swim. play (OO) 10. What other information about hippopotamuses would you expect to see included in an encyclopedia? A. jokes and riddles about hippopotamuses (OO). a diagram of the parts of a hippopotamus s body. fable about a hippopotamus (OO). a list of zoos where people can see a hippopotamus (OO) MI2: etermine a single implicit meaning from words in context FE2: Recognize the explicit meaning from varied wording in the text MI4: etermine new meaning and apply it beyond the passage FE1: Identify evidence explicitly stated in the text MI4: etermine new meaning and apply it beyond the passage drawn or adapted from the G3 MAS Spring 2006 test. Photos by Tom Meyers Photography and Mark arlton Photo Researchers. All other materials are opyright 2007 by the oston Plan for Excellence.

5 FAST-R + Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading Name Hippopotamus Nonfiction ate Teacher/lass When you see a hippopotamus at the zoo, you know it is large. Just how large is it? What does it eat? oes it have unusual habits? Read the article Hippopotamus to find out. Answer the questions that follow. Hippopotamus from The World ook Encyclopedia 1 Hippopotamus, [HIHP uh PAHT uh muhs], is the third-largest animal that lives on land. Only the elephant and rhinoceros are larger. A large, wild river hippopotamus may weigh as much as 5,800 pounds. 2 Hippopotamuses live in central, southern, and western Africa. They live close to water and spend much time in it. The word hippopotamus comes from two Greek words meaning river horse. However, the hippopotamus is more closely related to the whale than to the horse. There are two kinds of hippopotamuses: (1) the river hippopotamus, also called the common hippopotamus, and (2) the pygmy hippopotamus. The pygmy hippopotamus is much smaller than the river hippopotamus. It is also rarer. 3 The body of a river hippopotamus. The river hippopotamus has a large, barrelshaped body; short legs; and a huge head. It generally weighs from 2,500 to 3,000 pounds and stands about 5 feet tall. It ranges from 12 to 15 feet long, not including the tail, which measures about 22 inches long. Each foot has four webbed toes.

6 4 The eyes of the river hippopotamus stick out from its head. The position of the ears, eyes, and nostrils enables the animal to hear, see, and breathe with most of its head underwater. The hippopotamus can also close its nostrils and ears when it swims or dives. Hippopotamuses have a good sense of smell, but their vision is only fair. 5 River hippopotamuses have thick, brownish-gray skin. They have no hair except for a few bristles on the head and tail. Special glands in the skin give off a clear, oily fluid that is either pink or red. This fluid keeps the animal s skin from getting too dry. 6 A hippopotamus has long, curved front teeth. Its canines (side teeth) are even longer. All the teeth grow throughout the animal s life. ut they seldom become too long, because the teeth of the upper and lower jaws grind together and wear each other away. The canines of a hippopotamus may grow more than 2 feet long, but only about half of the tooth sticks out above the gum line. 7 The life of a river hippopotamus. River hippopotamuses are good swimmers and live in lakes, rivers, and streams near grasslands. They sometimes walk along the bottom of a body of water and can stay underwater for as long as six minutes. On land, they can run as fast as a human being about 20 miles per hour. 8 River hippopotamuses live in herds of 5 to 30 animals. They spend the day resting in the water, eating water plants, and sunning themselves on sandbanks. At night, the herd goes on land to feed. The animals eat fruit, grass, leaves, vegetables. They sometimes wander for miles near the riverbank, grazing as they go. Each hippopotamus eats about 130 pounds of vegetable matter a day. 9 A female hippopotamus almost always has one baby at a time, but sometimes she bears twins. A baby hippopotamus, called a calf, weighs about 100 pounds at birth. It can swim almost immediately. It begins to eat grass at the age of 4 to 6 months. A young hippopotamus often climbs on its mother s back and suns itself as she floats on the water. On land, the mother hippopotamus keeps her calf close by. 10 A female hippopotamus gives birth to her first baby when she is 5 or 6 years old. Hippopotamuses live about 30 years in their natural surroundings and 50 years in a zoo.

7 FAST-R + Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading Name Hippopotamus Nonfiction ate Teacher/lass irections: Answer the following multiple-choice questions by filling in the circle for the best answer. 1. According to this article, on which of the following continents can hippopotamuses be found? A Africa Antarctica Asia Australia 2. According to paragraph 2, hippopotamus means river horse in Greek. Why is this not a good name for this animal? A They live near water. They run slower than a horse. They don t live in Greece. They are more like a whale than a horse. 3. What is the difference between the river hippopotamus and the pygmy hippopotamus? A One is a horse, but the other is not. One is common, but the other is rare. One lives in the water, but the other lives on land. One eats plants, but the other eats animals. 4. Re-read this sentence from paragraph 5: They have no hair except for a few bristles on the head and tail. Which word from the sentence helps a reader know what bristles are? A few hair head tail 5. The purpose of paragraph 6 is to A explain how hippopotamuses eat. describe the size and shape of a hippopotamus s teeth. describe a hippopotamus s jaw. explain why hippopotamuses have teeth. 6. Which of the following details supports the idea that hippopotamuses are adapted to life in the water? A Their canine teeth grow two feet long. They can close their nose and ear openings. They can run 20 miles per hour on land. They eat 130 pounds of vegetable matter each day. ontinue on the next page

8 Name School ate Grade lass 7. According to the article, what do hippopotamuses do at night? A They lie on the sandbanks near the river. They float on the water to rest and sleep. They eat water plants along the bottom of the river. They walk on land and eat the plants that grow there. 8. According to the passage, which of the following would a hippopotamus most likely eat? A grasses and plants that grow near the water fish that swim in the ocean a baby hippo or calf frogs along the riverbank 9. What can a calf do almost immediately after being born? A eat grass grow hair swim play 10. What other information about hippopotamuses would you expect to see included in an encyclopedia? A jokes and riddles about hippopotamuses a diagram of the parts of a hippopotamus s body a fable about a hippopotamus a list of zoos where people can see a hippopotamus

9 Teachers: Please duplicate and use this answer sheet only for students for whom you did not receive a pre-printed answer sheet! FAST-R Answer Sheet Name School ate Grade lass Passage Title ompletely fill the circle for the correct answer. Teacher Name Write your answer to the open response prompt in the lined space below if your teacher directs you to do so. 1. A 2. A 3. A 4. A 5. A 6. A 7. A 8. A 9. A 10. A OFFIE USE ONLY RESEARH: Y N OPEN RESPONSE: