Read the following passage from Our Water Supplyby Peggy Kendler

A Precious Resource

Here’s a big idea for you to think about: Water that was on Earth Millions of years ago is still her today. How can that be? Doesn’t water just dry up and go away?

No, it does not. Water is constantly recycling itself, all around the world. It moves above, through, and around our planet as liquid water, ice, and water vapor.

Almost all of Earth’s water, about 97%, is salt water in oceans. That leaves only 3% that is freshwater. It is freshwater that people and most animals and plants need to survive.

Freshwater is a precious natural resource. Where does the freshwater that we use come from?

1. This question has two parts. First, answer part A. Then, answer part B.

Part A: Which sentence best tells the main idea of the passage?

  1. Plants need freshwater to survive.
  2. Ninety seven percent of all water is salt water.
  3. Freshwater is a precious natural resource.
  4. Water moves above, through, and around our planet.

Part B: Which of the following sentences from the passage best supports your answer in part A? Choose all that apply.

  1. Doesn’t water just dry up and go away?
  2. Only 3 percent of all water is freshwater.
  3. People and most animals and plants need freshwater to survive.
  4. Water is constantly recycling itself.

The following is an image of the “water cycle” from cummingutilities.com

2. Study the image of the water cycle above. Which arrow shows water evaporating?

  1. Arrow 1
  2. Arrow 2
  3. Arrow 3
  4. Arrow 4

3. Using the image of the water cycle above as a guide, write a well-crafted short response describing the water cycle. Make sure to include precise vocabulary in your writing.

Read the following passage, “Digging it Up: Mining for Minerals” from Earth Materials, developed by Lawrence Hall of Science.

Iron

Pure iron is soft. It becomes stronger when it is mixed with other materials. In ancient times, iron was used for ornaments, weapons, and tools. In the 1800’s it was used to make railroad rails, train car wheels, nails, and machine parts. Now most iron is used to make steel. Steel is good for building because it is very strong It can be shaped into sheets, wires, beams, and pipes. Steel is used to make tools, blades, and cooking utensils.

Iron ore is often collected from open-pit mines. The rock is broken by blasts of dynamite. Hydraulic power shovels lift the ore into huge trucks. The ore must be crushed and smelted to extract the iron. Today we use planes to find iron. The planes carry magnetometers, which sense changes in the Earth’s magnetic field in places where there are large iron deposits.

4. This question has two parts. First, answer part A. Then, answer part B.

Part A: Which sentence best tells the main idea of the passage?

  1. Pure iron is soft.
  2. Iron is collected in open pit mines and is made into very strong steel.
  3. Today planes are used to find iron.
  4. Magnetometers sense changes in the Earth’s magnetic field.

Part B: Which of the following sentences from the passage best supports your answer in part A? Choose all that apply.

  1. Hydraulic power shovels lift the ore into huge trucks.
  2. Steel is used to make tools, blades, and cooking utensils.
  3. In ancient times, iron was used for ornaments, weapons, and tools.
  4. Steel can be shaped into sheets, wires, beams, and pipes.

5. Sharon is writing a report on Interdependency based on the book One Henby Katie Milway. Which statement below does not support the main idea “One small loan for Kojo to buy a hen, changed the lives of his family, his community, his town and his country.”

  1. Now Kojo can sell five eggs a week, and he and his mother have more to eat and money to buy what they need.
  2. Kojo’s new school uniform feels stiff as he walks to school.
  3. There are so many eggs that Kojo has to hire the people from his village to collect them all.
  4. The government of Ghana receives so much tax money from Koja they can afford to build roads, schools and health clinics.

Read the following passage from Odd Animal Helpers by Gabrielle Reyes.

Perfect Partners

Oxpeckers are birds that survive by helping bigger animal, such as rhinoceroses, hippos, zebras, and oxen. The small birds eat blood-sucking insects. The birds get a filling meal and in return, their big friends don’t get sick from bug bites.

6. Based on the information in the above passage, what could you infer would happen if all of the trees were chopped down in the Oxpeckers ecosystem and they had no where to nest?

  1. The Oxpecker would have nothing to eat.
  2. The Oxpeckers would get bit from blood sucking bugs.
  3. The bigger animals in the ecosystem would become sick and may even die.
  4. The bigger animals would start eating the Oxpeckers.

Read the following passage from Plant Life by Peter Riley

Insect Pollination

Most flowers are pollinated by insects. The insects are attracted to the flowers to feed. The pollen grains inside the flower have spikes covering their surfaces. When an insect such as a bee visits a flower, the pollen spikes stick to the hairs of the bee’s body.

The pollen stays on the bee until it reaches another flower. As the bee goes down into the flower to feed on the nectar, pollen falls off the bee’s hairs and pollinates the flower.

7. Based on the information in the above passage, which is an example of an interdependent relationship.

  1. Bees fly from one flower to another.
  2. Pollen grains inside the flower have spikes covering their surface.
  3. Bees eat the honey inside of the flower.
  4. When bees feed on the nectar inside the flower, the flower is pollinated.

The following is an image of a “cactus hotel” from

8. Look at the image of the cactus hotel. Based on the picture, which sentence best describes how the Saguaro Cactus is important to the ecosystem in the Sonoran Desert.

  1. The birds get cactus thorns in their feet, which help with pollination.
  2. The fruit of the Saguaro Cactus can be made into jelly you can then sell at the Swap Meet to earn money.
  3. The birds make holes in the cactus causing it to die, decompose, and become food for worms.
  4. The Saguaro provides food and shelter for the desert birds and other animals.

Read the following passage from,Wiggling Worms at Workby Wendy Pfeffer

Farmers plow their fields to loosen the soil. Crumbly soil lets the roots of the pants spread out and grow. Worms also loosen the soil as they wiggle along. They are called nature’s plows.

As worms twist and turn, they push aside loose soil. This creates tunnels. Air flows along these tunnels. Rainwater trickles down. Roots drink it up. Moist ground helps plants grow better.

9. Based on the information in the above passage, why are worms called natures plow? Choose all that apply.

  1. They loosen the soil.
  2. Roots drink rainwater.
  3. Crumbly soil lets roots spread and grow.
  4. They push aside loose soil when they twist and turn.

This is an open book question. Please allow students to choose the book they wish to use to complete this task.

10. Choose your favorite book or passage from this unit. Write a well-crafted short response describing the interdependent relationship in your book. Use evidence from your book to support your description.

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