Teacher Guide for FAST-R Passage: The Ant and the Grain of Wheat
FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading
Fable
At a Glance
Appropriate
Grade Range:
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Genre: Fable
Topic: An ant learns a lesson from a grain of
wheat.
Author: Leonardo da Vinci
Source: Giunti Gruppo Editoriale
Special Note: used on G4 MCAS 2003
Difficulty Index: Considerate . . . . . . . . . . . . Challenging
Structure:
Purpose:
Richness:
Relationships:
Vocabulary:
Style:
Lexile Measure: 940L
Waiting for something you really want can be hard.
In this fable, the ant must wait a long time. Read this fable
to find out what the ant learned from the grain of wheat. Use
information from the fable to answer the questions that follow.
Purpose: To teach a lesson, or explain the moral of the
story: good things come to those who wait.
The Ant and the Grain of Wheat
By Leonardo Da Vinci
1
A grain of wheat, left alone in the field after the harvest,
was waiting for the rain so that it could hide once more beneath
the soil.
2 An ant saw the grain, loaded it onto his back, and plodded
painfully away toward his distant hill.
Style:Sentencestructuremaynotbefamiliartostudents
(translated from Italian). The language is simple, but
requires some interpretation on the part of the reader.
Vocabulary: Plodded, laden, weary, disbelievingly.
3 As the ant walked and walked, the grain of wheat seemed to
grow heavier and heavier on his weary shoulders.
4
“Why don’t you leave me here?” said the grain of wheat.
5 The ant replied, “If I leave you behind, we may not have
enough provisions for this winter. We ants are so many, and we
each have to bring home whatever food we can find.”
6“But I am not made only to be eaten,” went on the grain of
wheat. “I am a seed, full of life, and I am supposed to give birth
to a plant. Listen, dear ant, let us make an agreement.”
Richness: Students need background knowledge to
understand why the ant needs the grain.They also need
to visualize in order to fill in gaps because of sparse
language.
7 The ant, glad to rest a little, put down the grain of wheat
and asked, “What agreement?”
8 “If you leave me here in my field,” said the grain of wheat,
“and do not take me to your nest, I shall give back to you, after
a year, a hundred grains just like me.”
9
The ant stared at the grain disbelievingly.
10 “Yes, dear ant. Believe what I am telling you. If you
give me up today, I shall give you a hundred of me—a hundred
grains of wheat for your nest.”
Relationships: There is a sensitive relationship
between the ant and the grain of wheat. There is also
an important relationship between immediate need
and desires and delayed gratification, or in this case, a
hungry ant and his ability to want to eat.
Continuedonnextpage
FAST-R:FormativeAssessmentsinStudentThinkinginReading.FAST-R:FormativeAssessmentsofStudentThinkinginReading.ThepassagetextbyLeonardoDaVinciisfromGiuntiGruppoEditoriale.
Copyright©GuintiGruppoEditorale,FlorenceItaly.SomequestionsweredrawnoradaptedfromtheG4MCASSpring2003test.AllothermaterialsareCopyright2007bytheBostonPlanforExcellence.
11 The ant thought, “A hundred grains in exchange for one.
But that is a miracle. How will you do that?” he asked the grain
of wheat.
12 “That is a mystery,” replied the grain of wheat. “It is the
mystery of life. Dig a little hole, bury me in it, and return after a
year.”
13 The following year the ant returned. The grain of wheat
had grown a new plant laden with seeds and so kept its promise.
Spotlight On: Leonardo Da
Vinci
Leonardo DaVinci (1452-1519) grew
upinasmallItaliantownsurroundedby
trees and streams. As a boy, he loved
playingoutside,andfortherestofhislife
helookedtonatureforideasthatcould
helphiminhisworkasascientistandan
artist.
Leonardo studied many things,
includingplants,animals,music,painting,
and sculpting, and everything he
discoveredhewrotedowninnotebooks.
But all the notebooks were written in
“mirrorwriting,”meaningthatLeonardo
wrote backward, from right to left. He
probably wrote this story that way!
Leonardo did many things in his life,
includingdesigningaflyingmachine,but
heisbestknownforpaintingtheMona
Lisa,oneofthemostfamouspaintingsin
the world.
Ideas for Connected Writing Activities
• According to the passage, the ant learns an important
lessonfromthegrainofwheat.Explainthelessontheant
learnsandhowhelearnsit.Useimportantinformationfrom
the selection in your answer.
•Writeaparagraphexplainingtheargumentmadebythe
grainofwheattotheant.Whydoyouthinktheargument
worked?
•Designyourownfableportrayingatleasttwocharacters
and a lesson learned.
•Draftalettertheantmighthavewrittentohiscommunity
athomeexplainingwhyhewasreturningtothecolony
without any food.
•Drawaseriesofthreepicturesillustratingthethreemost
important scenes in the story.
FAST-R:FormativeAssessmentsinStudentThinkinginReading.FAST-R:FormativeAssessmentsofStudentThinkinginReading.ThepassagetextbyLeonardoDaVinciisfromGiuntiGruppoEditoriale.
Copyright©GuintiGruppoEditorale,FlorenceItaly.SomequestionsweredrawnoradaptedfromtheG4MCASSpring2003test.AllothermaterialsareCopyright2007bytheBostonPlanforExcellence.
Teacher Guide for FAST-R Passage:
FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading
The Ant and the Grain of Wheat
Fable
The annotated answer key below highlights common reasons students might choose each answer, and the sidebar gives more
insightintothequestiontypes,tohelpyouunderstandpatternsofstudentresponses.Alwaysmaketimetofollowupwithstudents
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. What is a lesson this fable teaches?
A. Do not trust strangers. — (OOP2) this familiar phrase implies a negative lesson;
in this fable, there is a positive outcome of trusting the wheat
B. False praise gets you nowhere. — (OOB) this, too, implies a negative lesson; in
this fable, there is a positive outcome
C. Good things come to those who wait. — (inferred from the italicized introduction and ¶ 11)
D. Treat others the way you want to be treated. — (OOP1) the positive outcome
results from the ant treating the wheat with trust and kindness, but that’s not the
main lesson of the fable
MI2: Interpret a singular
meaning from the sum
total of a particular
paragraph
2. Reread paragraph 1 from the fable. The grain of wheat is waiting to be
A. carried on the ant’s back. — (OOP1, ¶ 2) occurs in ¶ 2 and in the picture, but is
not what the grain of wheat is waiting for
B. left alone after the harvest. — (OOP2) this clause is in ¶ 1; however, this clause
describes where the wheat is, not what the wheat is waiting for
C. planted by the rain. — (¶1)
D. rescued by a miracle. — (OOP2) the word “miracle” is used in paragraph 11,
near the end of the passage; it may stick in some students’ minds
FE2: Recognize evidence
explicitly stated at
multiple locations or with
varied wording in the text
3. Read the list of events from the fable in the box below.
MI3: Interpret
implicit meaning
by understanding
the organization of
information in the text
1. The grain of wheat lay in the field.
2. _____________
3. The ant and the grain of wheat come to an agreement.
4. The ant buries the grain of wheat and returns a year later.
Which of the following events happened SECOND?
A. The grain of wheat grew into a new plant. — (OOP1, ¶13)
B. The ant shared the grain of wheat with the other ants. — (OOP2, ¶5) that was
the ant’s intent, but it never happens
C. The ant dug a little hole to bury the grain of wheat. — (OOP1, ¶12)
D. The ant carried the grain of wheat on his back. — (¶2)
FAST-R:FormativeAssessmentsinStudentThinkinginReading.FAST-R:FormativeAssessmentsofStudentThinkinginReading.ThepassagetextbyLeonardoDaVinciisfromGiuntiGruppoEditoriale.
Copyright©GuintiGruppoEditorale,FlorenceItaly.SomequestionsweredrawnoradaptedfromtheG4MCASSpring2003test.AllothermaterialsareCopyright2007bytheBostonPlanforExcellence.
Grade 4 • Fable • “The Ant and the Grain of Wheat”
4. According to the passage, why does the ant pick up the grain of wheat in the
field?
A. to take the grain of wheat home as food — (¶5)
B. to help the grain of wheat travel across the field — (OOP2) the wheat does not
want to be carried across the field, nor is this why the ant picks it up
C. to plant the grain of wheat under the soil — (OOP1, ¶1, 10) the wheat wants to
be planted, and the ant does, but it’s not why the ant picks it up
D. to show off how strong he was — (OOB) ants are known for being strong for
their size, but there’s no evidence that the ant was showing off
MI1: Interpret implicit
meaning from words in
context
5. Why does the grain of wheat in this fable want to hide once more beneath the
soil?
A. to escape from the ant — (OOP1, ¶1) the grain of wheat didn’t want to go with
the ant—but it wanted to hide before even meeting the ant
B. to grow into a plant — (inferred from the wheat’s words in ¶6)“I am a seed…
and I am supposed to give birth to a plant”
C. to solve the mystery of life — (OOP2, ¶12) the “mystery” of the seed results when
it’s buried, but the grain of wheat is not trying to “solve” it
D. to avoid being eaten by birds — (OOB)
MI1: Interpret implicit
meaning from words in
context
6. What word BEST describes the grain of wheat in this fable?
A. funny — (OOP2) students may consider stories with talking creatures or the
cartoon-style picture to be funny, but the tone is not humorous
B. lonely — (OOP1) the wheat was “left alone” but is not lonely (¶ 1)
C. angry — (OOB) the grain of wheat doesn’t want to be removed, but “angry” is
too negative a word to describe its feelings
D. wise — (inferred from whole text) the grain of wheat advises the ant to sacrifice
a small amount of food now for much more food later
MI2: Interpret a singular
meaning from the sum
total of a particular
paragraph
7. According to paragraph 7, why is the ant glad to put down the grain of wheat?
A. he did not believe what the grain of wheat said — (OOP2, ¶9) “the ant stared
at the grain disbelievingly,” but believed it enough to act
B. he wanted to play a game — (OOB) no evidence suggests a game
C. it allowed him to gather more grains of wheat — (OOP1, ¶11 & 13) the ant
does this a year later, but students didn’t refer to ¶5 as specified in the question
D. it allowed him to rest a little — can be found in ¶7
FE1: Identify evidence
explicitly stated in the
text
8. Near the end of the passage, why does the ant bury the grain of wheat in a
hole?
A. The grain of wheat is dead. — (OOB) students who have not read the passage
may associate “bury” with “dead”
B. He believes he will get many more grains of wheat the next year. (¶8-11)
C. He can’t carry the grain of wheat any further. — (OOP1, ¶5) earlier, the ant put
down the grain of wheat to rest, but this is not why he buries it
D. He doesn’t want any other ants to find the grain of wheat. — (OOP2, ¶3) he
was actually taking the wheat to share with other ants
MI1: Interpret implicit
meaning from words in
context
FAST-R:FormativeAssessmentsinStudentThinkinginReading.FAST-R:FormativeAssessmentsofStudentThinkinginReading.ThepassagetextbyLeonardoDaVinciisfromGiuntiGruppoEditoriale.
Copyright©GuintiGruppoEditorale,FlorenceItaly.SomequestionsweredrawnoradaptedfromtheG4MCASSpring2003test.AllothermaterialsareCopyright2007bytheBostonPlanforExcellence.
Grade 4 • Fable • “The Ant and the Grain of Wheat”
9. At the end of the fable, the ant is rewarded for being
A. patient — can be inferred from the ant waiting a year for the new plant
B. afraid — (OOB) students might think that the grain of wheat was afraid of being
taken away, but no evidence suggests that the ant is afraid
C. mysterious — (OOP2, ¶10) “the mystery of life” does not describe the ant
D. hungry — (OOP1, ¶3) plausible (it was gathering food), but the BEST answer
will always be related to the lesson of the fable
MI3: Interpret
implicit meaning
by understanding
the organization of
information in the text
10. At the end, the ant knows that the grain of wheat has kept his promise because
A. The grain of wheat was still where the ant had left it.— (OOP2, ¶11) the new
plant was in the same place, but the grain of wheat is not there
B. The text says that the grain of wheat kept its promise. — (OOP1, ¶11) this is
too literal a response; students referred to the text but did not Determine it
C.Another ant had carried the grain of wheat away.— (OOB)
D. The grain of wheat had grown a new plant laden with seeds.— (¶11)
MI1: Interpret implicit
meaning from words in
context
FAST-R:FormativeAssessmentsinStudentThinkinginReading.FAST-R:FormativeAssessmentsofStudentThinkinginReading.ThepassagetextbyLeonardoDaVinciisfromGiuntiGruppoEditoriale.
Copyright©GuintiGruppoEditorale,FlorenceItaly.SomequestionsweredrawnoradaptedfromtheG4MCASSpring2003test.AllothermaterialsareCopyright2007bytheBostonPlanforExcellence.
FAST-R
+
Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading
Name
“The Ant and the Grain of Wheat” • Fable
Date
Teacher/Class
Waiting for something you really want can be hard. In this fable, the ant must wait a long
time. Read this fable to find out what the ant learned from the grain of wheat. Use information
from the fable to answer the questions that follow.
The Ant and the Grain of Wheat
1
By Leonardo Da Vinci
A grain of wheat, left alone in the field after
the harvest, was waiting for the rain so that it
could hide once more beneath the soil.
2
An ant saw the grain, loaded it onto his back,
and plodded painfully away toward his distant
hill.
3
As the ant walked and walked, the grain of
wheat seemed to grow heavier and heavier on his
weary shoulders.
4
“Why don’t you leave me here?” said the grain
of wheat.
5
The ant replied, “If I leave you behind, we may
not have enough provisions for this winter. We ants are so many, and we
each have to bring home whatever food we can find.”
6
“But I am not made only to be eaten,” went on the grain of wheat. “I
am a seed, full of life, and I am supposed to give birth to a plant. Listen,
dear ant, let us make an agreement.”
7
The ant, glad to rest a little, put down the grain of wheat and asked,
“What agreement?”
8
“If you leave me here in my field,” said the grain of wheat, “and do
not take me to your nest, I shall give back to you, after a year, a hundred
grains just like me.”
9
The ant stared at the grain disbelievingly.
10 “Yes, dear ant. Believe what I am telling you. If you give me up today,
I shall give you a hundred of me—a hundred grains of wheat for your
nest.”
11 The ant thought, “A hundred grains in exchange for one. But that is a
miracle. How will you do that?” he asked the grain of wheat.
12 “That is a mystery,” replied the grain of wheat. “It is the mystery of
life. Dig a little hole, bury me in it, and return after a year.”
13 The following year the ant returned. The grain of wheat had grown a
new plant laden with seeds and so kept its promise.
Spotlight On:
Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519)
grew up in a small Italian town
surrounded by trees and streams. As a
boy, he loved playing outside, and for
the rest of his life he looked to nature
for ideas that could help him in his
work as a scientist and an artist.
Leonardo studied many things,
including plants, animals, music,
painting, and sculpting, and everything
he discovered he wrote down in
notebooks. But all the notebooks were
written in “mirror writing,” meaning
that Leonardo wrote backward, from
right to left. He probably wrote this
story that way!
Leonardo did many things in his
life, including designing a flying
machine, but he is best known for
painting the Mona Lisa, one of the
most famous paintings in the world.
FAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student Thinking in Reading. FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading. The passage text by Leonardo Da Vinci is from Giunti Gruppo
Editoriale. Copyright © Guinti Gruppo Editorale, Florence Italy. Some questions were drawn or adapted from the G4 MCAS Spring 2003 test. All other materials are Copyright 2007 by the Boston
FAST-R
+
Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading
Name
“The Ant and the Grain of Wheat” • Fable
Date
Teacher/Class
Answer the following questions by filling in the circle with the best answer on your
answer sheet.
1. What is a lesson this fable teaches?
A. Do not trust strangers.
B. False praise gets you nowhere.
C. Good things come to those who wait.
D. Treat others the way you want to be treated.
2. Reread paragraph 1 from the fable. The grain of wheat is waiting to be
A. carried on the ant’s back.
B. left alone after the harvest.
C. planted by the rain.
D. rescued by a miracle.
3. Read the list of events in the box below
1. The grain of wheat lay in the field.
2. _____________
3. The ant and the grain of wheat come to an agreement.
4. The ant buries the grain of wheat and returns a year later.
Which one of the events following events happened SECOND?
A. The grain of wheat grew into a new plant.
B. The ant shared the grain of wheat with the other ants.
C. The ant dug a little hole to bury the grain of wheat.
D. The ant carried the grain of wheat on his back.
4. According to the passage, why does the ant pick up the grain of wheat in the field?
A. to take the grain of wheat home as food
B. to help the grain of wheat travel across the field
C. to plant the grain of wheat under the soil
D. to show off how strong he was
Name
School
Date
Teacher/Class
5. Why does the grain of wheat in this fable want to hide once more beneath the soil?
A. to escape from the ant
B. to grow into a plant
C. to solve the mystery of life
D. to avoid being eaten by birds
6. What word BEST describes the grain of wheat in this fable?
A. funny
B. lonely
C. angry
D. wise
7. According to paragraph 7, why does the ant put down the grain of wheat?
A. he did not believe what the grain of wheat said
B. he wanted to play a game
C. it allowed him to gather more grains of wheat
D. it allowed him to rest for a moment
8. Near the end of the passage, why does the ant bury the grain of wheat in a hole?
A. The grain of wheat is dead.
B. He believes he will get many more grains of wheat the next year.
C. He can’t carry the grain of wheat any further.
D. He doesn’t want any other ants to find the grain of wheat.
9. At the end of the fable, the ant is rewarded for being
A. patient
B. afraid
C. mysterious
D. hungry
10. At the end, the ant knows that the grain of wheat has kept his promise because
A. The grain of wheat was still where the ant had left it.
B. The text says that the grain of wheat kept its promise.
C. Another ant had carried the grain of wheat away.
D. The grain of wheat had grown a new plant laden with seeds.
FAST-R: Formative Assessments in Student Thinking in Reading. FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading. The passage text by Leonardo Da Vinci is from Giunti Gruppo
Editoriale. Copyright © Guinti Gruppo Editorale, Florence Italy. Some questions were drawn or adapted from the G4 MCAS Spring 2003 test. All other materials are Copyright 2007 by the Boston
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 Date
Grade
Class
Teacher Name
Passage Title
Completely fill the circle
for the correct answer.
1.
A
B
C
D
2.
A
B
C
D
3.
A
B
C
D
4.
A
B
C
D
5.
A
B
C
D
6. A
B
C
D
7.
A
B
C
D
8.
A
B
C
D
9.
A
B
C
D
10.
A
B
C
D
Write your answer to the open response prompt in the lined space below
if your teacher directs you to do so.
OFFICE USE ONLY
RESEARCH:
Y
N
OPEN RESPONSE: 1 2 3
4