2014-­‐2015 LAUSD INTERIM ASSESSMENTS – ELEMENTARY LITERACY – GRADE 3 Student Page - Grade 3 Prompt for Informative Writing.
Desert Survival
Name: _____________________________________________
Directions: Using what you have learned from reading the articles, viewing the video, and
from discussing and answering the questions, you are going to write an informative text.
You can use any notes you created when working with your partner(s).
How do plants and animals survive in the desert? Write an informative article, using
information from the video and articles to explain how plants and animals are able to
survive in the desert.
For a good informative piece, you will:
o Write about how plants and animals survive in the desert.
o Write an introduction.
o Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details from various texts.
o Use linking words to connect ideas.
o Provide a concluding statement or section.
o Proofread for spelling, punctuation, and grammar
Now, independently draft your informative.
2014-­‐2015 LAUSD INTERIM ASSESSMENTS -­‐ ELEMENTARY LITERACY – GRADE 3 Name____________________________________________________ Date_______________________________ 1 California’s deserts are very different from the wetlands. The Mojave Desert in southern California is dry, often hot, and rocky. Desert plants have adaptations for getting and holding water. Cacti have thick stems to store water. Desert trees have small, waxy leaves to save water. Grade 3 Science Resources, California Edition, pages 124-­‐125. Developed at Lawrence Hall of Science, 2 University of California at Berkeley, Delta Education, 2007. LAUSD Interim Literacy Assessment #2 – INFORMATIVE-­ Grade 3 Rev. 11-­04-­14 2014-­‐2015 LAUSD INTERIM ASSESSMENTS -­‐ ELEMENTARY LITERACY – GRADE 3 Name____________________________________________________ Date_______________________________ 2 Desert animals need to get water, too. Cactus wrens can fly to water for a drink. Desert coyotes can travel long distances on long legs to get water. Kangaroo rats and desert tortoises get water from the seeds, leaves, and flowers they eat. These two desert animals rarely need to drink water. Grade 3 Science Resources, California Edition, pages 124-­‐125. Developed at Lawrence Hall of Science, 3 University of California at Berkeley, Delta Education, 2007. LAUSD Interim Literacy Assessment #2 – INFORMATIVE-­ Grade 3 Rev. 11-­04-­14 2014-­‐2015 LAUSD INTERIM ASSESSMENTS -­‐ ELEMENTARY LITERACY – GRADE 3 Name____________________________________________________ Date_______________________________ Question
Using the illustration on page 1, and
rereading the first paragraph, describe
some characteristics of California deserts.
Use evidence from the text.
Evidence from text or paragraph number
Describe the plants that live in the desert.
Use evidence from the text.
Using the illustrations on page 2, and
rereading the second paragraph, name at
least 3 animals that live in the desert. Use
evidence from the text.
What is one thing from the article that
plants and animals need in order to survive
in the desert?
Name and describe how plants and
animals adapt and survive in the desert.
Plant/Animal Name
Adaptation/Survival
Grade 3 Science Resources, California Edition, pages 124-­‐125. Developed at Lawrence Hall of Science, 4 University of California at Berkeley, Delta Education, 2007. LAUSD Interim Literacy Assessment #2 – INFORMATIVE-­ Grade 3 Rev. 11-­04-­14 2014-­‐2015 LAUSD INTERIM ASSESSMENTS -­‐ ELEMENTARY LITERACY – GRADE 3 Name_________________________________________________ Date____________________________________ HOW DOES A CACTUS LIVE WITHOUT WATER?
#966 WONDER OF THE DAY
1 2 3 4 When you think of the desert, what comes to mind? You might think of a
dry, dusty landscape. Long stretches of barren sand may also come to
mind. Of course, there’s probably one other image that’s likely to pop into
your brain. What are we talking about? The cactus, of course!
Any movie or cartoon ever set in the desert always features the cactus.
Often, it’s pictured as a tall, green, prickly plant that manages to survive
the desert heat without water. However, there are actually over 2,000
different types of cacti (that’s what you call more than one cactus) in the
world.
Some cacti are tall, green and prickly like the ones you may have seen in
movies or cartoons. Those are often a specific type of cactus called
the saguaro cactus. Many cacti, though, are much smaller and come in a
variety of colors and shapes.
Cacti are native to the Americas and can be found from the southern tip of
South America to western Canada in North America. They usually live in
areas that are relatively dry. Many cacti thrive in areas that are extremely
dry, such as the Atacama Desert — one of the driest places on Earth.
http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-­‐does-­‐a-­‐cactus-­‐live-­‐without-­‐water/ LAUSD Interim Literacy Assessment #2 – INFORMATIVE-­ Grade 3 Rev. 11-­04-­14 5 2014-­‐2015 LAUSD INTERIM ASSESSMENTS -­‐ ELEMENTARY LITERACY – GRADE 3 Name_________________________________________________ Date____________________________________ 5 6 7 8 Like all living things, cacti need water to survive. Given the areas where
they live, though, water is often scarce. To compensate, cacti have
developed special abilities that allow them to conserve the water they do
receive and make it last a long time.
For example, the prickly spines of cacti are actually highly
modified leaves. Spines protect cacti from animals that eat plants and also
help to reduce water loss by restricting airflow near the cactus.
Most cacti have extensive, but shallow root systems that allow them to
soak up any rainfall that may come their way. Specialized stems
allow cacti to store water for a long time, since rainfall is often sporadic in
the deserts that cacti call home.
For example, a fully-grown saguaro cactus can soak up and store up to 200
gallons of water during a good downpour! Many desert travelers have
learned that, in an emergency, a cactus can be opened to find life-saving
fluids.
Question
Evidence from text or paragraph number
1. Plant Name
2. Adaptation/
3. Facts/details
Survival
1. Name the desert plants
described in the article.
2. Write how they adapt and
survive in the desert.
3. Add other important facts or
details from the article.
http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-­‐does-­‐a-­‐cactus-­‐live-­‐without-­‐water/ LAUSD Interim Literacy Assessment #2 – INFORMATIVE-­ Grade 3 Rev. 11-­04-­14 6 Name__________________________________________________________________ Date ________________________________ Listening Closely Note Catcher Video/Text Title: NOVA: “A Desert Place” (PBS Learning Media California) (http://ca.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.eco.desert/desert-­‐biome/) How do plants and animals survive in the desert? New Vocabulary Word Definition arid drought migration foraging succulent nocturnal Describe how plants and animals adapt and survive in the desert? PLANTS ANIMALS Explain in your own words what this video was about: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ LAUSD Interim Literacy Assessment – INFORMATIVE-­‐Grade 3 Rev. 11-­‐4-­‐14 7