Harcourt Journeys:
Story Selection
Copyright © 2011 Tiffany Thayer
Unit 3: Lesson 14
“The Life and Times of the
Ant”
Copyright © 2011 Tiffany Thayer
Turn your Text Book to
page 352.
Copyright © 2011 Tiffany Thayer
1
2
Why do you think the
author wrote about ants?
Answer
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Answer:
To inform readers about how
important ants are and what
they do for the earth.
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According to the timeline, which
creature has lived on Earth the
longest? Why do you think the
author includes a timeline?
Answer
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Answer:
Ants have lived on Earth the longest.
To help readers “see” how long ants
have existed compared to dinosaurs
and humans.
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3
What makes ants social
animals?
Answer
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Answer:
They live and work together
and solves their problems.
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4
5
6
What are the main reasons that
ants construct their homes
underground?
Answer
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Answer:
for shelter from the weather,
to create a safe place for the
queen to lay eggs, and to store
food.
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How does the transfer of heat
make and anthill warmer than
the area around it?
Answer
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Answer:
As the sun beats on an
anthill, it absorbs the heat
and transfers it down to
the nest.
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What are some positive effects
of building a nest beneath a
rock or log?
Answer
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Answer:
The nest is protected and
stays warm.
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7
8
How are the ants’ lives similar
and different from peoples’
lives?
Answer
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Answer:
Different: Ants work their entire
lives, people do not.
Similar: Animals perform some
of the same jobs people do,
both work together to solve
problems.
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What main ideas do the details
provide in “A Life of Work”
support?
Answer
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Answer:
The life of an ant colony is a
very busy place; ants work
throughout their lives to
support the colony.
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9
Why do you think younger
ants tend the queen and
dig tunnels?
Answer
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Answer:
These jobs help them bond and
they are hard workers.
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10
11
What do the ants
“highways” tell you about
the distances some ants
have to travel to get food?
Answer
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Answer:
The distance to their food
sources may be very great.
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How do harvester ants help
wildflower plants grow in
new places?
Answer
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Answer:
The ants collect wildflower
seeds and bring them back to
the anthill. The seeds they
don’t eat grow into new plants
near the anthill.
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12
What information in the
text does the chart help to
explain? How?
Answer
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Answer:
The text says that Harlow
Shapley tested ants’ speeds
at different temperatures,
and the chart details his
findings.
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13
How would you summarize
the main idea of “A
Dangerous World”?
Answer
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Answer:
The world can be a dangerous
place for ants because they
have so many predators.
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14
What details explain how a
giant anteater is
specialized to eat ants?
Answer
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Answer:
Its tongue, mouth and snout help it
finds and trap ants and termites;
its claws help it dig into the nest;
its tail helps it sweep up ants; and
its hair and stomach help protect
it and digest the ants.
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15
16
How do leafcutter ants help
Earth?
Answer
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Answer:
As fungus from leaves
decomposes, it releases nutrients
that helps new plants grow.
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How do the illustrations and
captions show what
leafcutter ants do?
Answer
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Answer:
They help explain what happens in
each step on the ants’ work.
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Projectable 14.3
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Projectable 14.4
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How did you do?