Name Date Close-Reading Questions Refer to this week s cover story, Running Wild, to respond to the questions below. Reread the article to find details that support your answers. Remember to write in complete sentences. 1. Why are wild pigs considered an invasive species in the U.S.? 2. How does the author support the idea that wild pigs have become a big problem in Texas? 3. How is Texas trying to control the wild pig population? 4. Explain why many people oppose the use of warfarin. 5. Summarize the eating habits of wild pigs. Use information from the article and sidebar in your response.
Craft an Opinion BEGINNING: Start your essay by introducing the topic. Then state your opinion. Opinion Writing Common Core W.4.1 Read this week s debate about banning businesses from giving out plastic shopping bags. Do you think governments should pass laws that ban disposable plastic bags? Imagine you are going to write a persuasive essay for your school newspaper about this topic. Use the prompts below to plan your essay. You can support your opinion with facts from the article and examples from your own life. MIDDLE: Write two reasons that back up your opinion. Be sure to explain your reasons, using facts and details to support them. REASON: REASON: END: Restate your opinion but use different words. Then end with a call to action (ask the reader to do something).
1 Pig Problems Cause and Effect Common Core RI.4.5 Read this week s cover story, Running Wild. Identify cause-and-effect relationships in the article and record them in the graphic organizer below. Note that some causes may lead to more than one effect. CAUSE (why something happens) Wild pigs invade and dig up farms across Texas. EFFECT (what happens as a result) 2 Wild pigs and boars were brought to the United States from Europe. 3 4 5 A medicine called warfarin was approved to poison feral pigs. In the 1990s, the wild pig population exploded in the United States. The habitats of other wild animals are destroyed.
Name Date Be a Quiz Whiz! For each question below, fill in the circle next to the correct answer. Coral Crisis Page 2 1. As used in the article, the term bleaching refers to. A oceans becoming warmer B corals turning white C gases trapping heat from the sun D humans covering reefs with protective paint 2. Which of the following is the biggest danger to reefs? A pollution B overfishing C invasive species D climate change 3. Which of the following is a cause of the others? A Humans burn fuels, like coal and oil. B Gases are released into the atmosphere. C Gases trap heat from the sun. D The oceans become warmer. Goodbye to Plastic Bags Page 3 4. What is the main idea of the article? A Bella Rossborough became the first kid in the U.S. to help get a law passed. B Bella wrote an essay about banning disposable plastic bags. C Bella made a difference in her town by helping ban stores from giving out plastic bags. D Bella spoke at a town meeting in Kennebunk, Maine. 5. Based on the article, you can infer that plastic bags. A can t be recycled B can be turned into sculptures C are more expensive than paper bags D are more harmful to the environment than paper bags Running Wild Pages 4-5 6. The author begins the article by describing a break-in on a farm in order to. A compare ordinary break-ins with wild pig invasions B identify the problems wild pigs cause for farmers C tell readers how to spot a wild pig invasion D show that the wild pigs range expanded 7. Which of the following is true about the pigs that Hernando de Soto brought to Florida? A They were used mainly for sport hunting. B Their population exploded in 1539. C They were brought to keep the deer population from growing. D They were mostly raised to be food. 8. Which detail best supports the opinion that using warfarin to kill pigs is cruel? A Packs of hungry hogs also munch their way through lawns and gardens. B... poisoning the pigs will contaminate their meat. C [the pigs] die slowly and painfully over several days. D... a judge ruled to temporarily stop the use of the poison. Would You Drink This Water? Page 6 9. According to the article, why did Orange County open its water recycling plant? A There are no rivers or lakes nearby. B Recycling water saves money. C Recycled water is cleaner than freshwater. D It helps conserve water during droughts. 10. The Girl Scouts visit to the recycling plant shows how. A kids can help conserve water B people change their minds about drinking toilet water after seeing how its purified C recycled water tastes different D people cannot get over the yuck factor
Reading a Map Common Core RI.4.7 Reefs Around the World On page 2 of this week s issue, you read about threats to coral reefs. The map below shows where coral reefs are found around the world and the locations of five of the largest reefs. Study the map, then answer the questions below. ARCTIC Hawaiian Islands Mesoamerican Reef NORTH AMERICA U.S. Florida Reef Caribbean Sea ATLANTIC EUROPE AFRICA Red Sea Coral Reef ASIA ASIA PACIFIC EQUATOR PACIFIC SOUTH AMERICA 1. The Great Barrier Reef is located off the coast of which continent? South America B Australia C Asia D Africa 2. Which of these reefs is in the Caribbean Sea? New Caledonia Reef B Great Barrier Reef C Mesoamerican Reef D Red Sea Coral Reef 3. Most of the reefs near Africa s coastline are located along which coast? A eastern B western C northern D southwestern 4. In which direction would you have to travel to get from the Mesoamerican Reef to the Florida Reef? 5. Which two oceans contain no coral reefs? SOUTHERN ANTARCTICA Coral Reef Regions of the World INDIAN 6. Which continent would probably be least affected by loss of reefs? Explain. AUSTRALIA Great Barrier Reef New Caledonia Barrier Reef JIM MCMAHON/MAPMAN (MAP)