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An octopus has no bones, no shell, and no claws. To a hungry shark, it looks like an easy meal. Yet octopuses have lived in the ocean for millions of years. Their secret is not strength. It is brains.

An octopus has about 500 million neurons, the cells that carry messages in the body. Most of them are not in its head. They are in its eight arms. Each arm can taste, touch, and even make simple decisions on its own. While one arm opens a clam, another can search a crack in the rocks.

Octopuses are also masters of disguise. Their skin holds thousands of tiny color sacs. By squeezing or stretching these sacs, an octopus can change its color in less than a second. It can turn as pale as sand or as dark and bumpy as a rock. Predators swim right past without noticing.

When hiding fails, an octopus has other tricks. It can shoot a cloud of dark ink into the water and jet away behind it. Because it has no bones, it can also squeeze through a hole no bigger than its eye.

Scientists have watched octopuses solve puzzles, unscrew jar lids, and carry coconut shells to use as shelters later. Using a tool and planning ahead are signs of real intelligence. The octopus shows us that a clever mind can grow in a body very different from our own.

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Vocabulary · meanings

Maple English

Name Date

Key Vocabulary

Read each word, its meaning, and the sentence it comes from. Tick the words you know.

Grade 5 · Words

neuronn.신경 세포

a tiny cell that carries messages in the body

“An octopus has about 500 million neurons, the cells that carry messages in the body.”

disguisen.변장, 위장

a way of changing how you look so others cannot recognize you

“Octopuses are also masters of disguise.”

predatorn.포식자

an animal that hunts and eats other animals

“Predators swim right past without noticing.”

squeezev.짜다, 비집고 들어가다

to press something tightly, or to push through a small space

“It can also squeeze through a hole no bigger than its eye.”

paleadj.옅은, 창백한

light in color

“It can turn as pale as sand or as dark and bumpy as a rock.”

sheltern.은신처, 피난처

a place that keeps you safe from danger or bad weather

“They carry coconut shells to use as shelters later.”

intelligencen.지능

the ability to learn, understand, and solve problems

“Using a tool and planning ahead are signs of real intelligence.”

unscrewv.돌려서 열다

to open something by turning it

“Scientists have watched octopuses solve puzzles and unscrew jar lids.”

Comprehension

Blue Owl Academy

Name Date

Reading Comprehension

Choose the best answer.

Grade 5 · Check

1
MAIN IDEAWhat is this passage mostly about?
AWhy sharks hunt octopusesBHow octopuses use intelligence to surviveCHow scientists catch octopusesDWhy octopuses live for millions of years
2
DETAILWhere are most of an octopus's neurons?
AIn its headBIn its skinCIn its eyesDIn its arms
3
VOCABULARYIn paragraph 3, what does "masters of disguise" mean?
AThey are very good at hiding how they look.BThey are the strongest animals in the sea.CThey teach other animals to hide.DThey wear shells as costumes.
4
CAUSE & EFFECTWhy can an octopus fit through a very small hole?
AIt can shrink its eyes.BIt has very thin arms.CIt has no bones.DIt is covered in ink.
5
NOT TRUEWhich statement is NOT true according to the passage?
AAn octopus can change color in less than a second.BAn octopus protects itself with sharp claws.CAn octopus arm can make simple decisions.DOctopuses have been seen opening jars.
6
INFERENCEWhy do scientists think carrying coconut shells is a sign of intelligence?
ACoconut shells are very heavy.BThe octopus eats the coconut later.COnly octopuses can find coconuts.DThe octopus is preparing for a future need.

Creative writing

Riverside Reading

Name Date

Creative Writing

Read the prompt and write your own piece.

Grade 5 · Create

Imagine you are an octopus and a shark has just appeared. Write a short story about how you escape. Use at least three facts from the passage.

You could start with

“The water went dark as a huge shadow passed over me...”
“First, I changed my skin so that...”
“Just when I thought I was safe,...”

Before you hand it in

I used at least three facts from the passage.
My story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
I used three or more vocabulary words.
I checked my spelling and punctuation.

Answer key

Little Oak

Answer Key

Word Check

Choose a word from the box to complete each sentence.

Grade 5 · Words

disguisepalepredatorsheltersqueezeunscrew

1
The rabbit stayed still so the predator would not see it.
2
During the storm, the hikers found shelter in a small cave.
3
I had to unscrew the cap before I could drink the water.
4
After being sick for a week, his face looked pale.
5
The spy wore a wig and glasses as a disguise.
6
Can you squeeze one more book into your backpack?

From vocabulary to writing, one set

The real result from one grade 5 non-fiction passage. On the comprehension page, pick answers to mark it.

Words

Reading

Thinking

Writing

6·Comprehension

Tagged question types with one-line explanations

Chapterly

Name Date

Reading Comprehension

Choose the best answer.

Grade 5 · Check

1
MAIN IDEAWhat is this passage mostly about?
2
DETAILWhere are most of an octopus's neurons?
3
VOCABULARYIn paragraph 3, what does "masters of disguise" mean?
4
CAUSE & EFFECTWhy can an octopus fit through a very small hole?
5
NOT TRUEWhich statement is NOT true according to the passage?
6
INFERENCEWhy do scientists think carrying coconut shells is a sign of intelligence?

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Marked the way a teacher marks

It does more than fix grammar. It points to where the thinking is thin and asks what to add, so the student grows the next draft themselves.

Fix · Say more · Cut · Rewrite · Key point. Five kinds, drawn right on the sentences the student wrote.

Chapterly

Name MinaGrade 4

Teacher’s Markup

Why We Should Have a Class Pet

○Fix
∧Say more
–Cut
✎Rewrite
★Key point

I think our class should have a class pet. First, a pet can teach us responsabilityresponsibility¹. We have to feed it every day and clean it's cageits cage². If we forget, the pet will be sad.³ Second, pets are fun. Pets are very fun and everyone likes fun things.⁴ My cousin has a dog and it is fun.⁵ Third, a pet can help us learn science. We can learn many things.⁶ Some people say pets are too much work. But I think it is okay.⁷ In conclusion, we should have a class pet because of responsibility, fun, and science.

Chapterly

Name MinaGrade 4

From your teacher

You gave a clear opinion and three reasons, and your essay is easy to follow from start to finish. Your first reason is the strongest because you explain it. Now give your second and third reasons the same care.

What you did well

✓Your opinion is stated in the very first sentence.
✓You used First, Second, and Third to guide the reader.
✓You thought about what people who disagree might say.

Notes

1
FixCheck the spelling. → responsibility
2
Fix"It's" means "it is." Here you need the word that shows belonging. → its cage
3
Key pointThis is your best sentence. It shows why the job matters, so the reader feels the responsibility.
4
RewriteThis repeats "fun" without telling us why. What is one fun thing your class could do with a pet?
5
CutThis is about a pet at home, not a class pet. Does it help your argument?
6
Say moreWhich things? Name one or two. What could you observe or measure about the pet?
7
Say moreWhy is it okay? How could the class share the work so it is not too much?

For your next draft

Fix the two spelling and grammar marks.
Add one example of something fun the class could do with a pet.
Name two science ideas a pet could teach.
Answer the people who say pets are too much work with a plan.
Read your essay aloud once before you hand it in.

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Blue Owl Academy

Name Date

Key Vocabulary

Read each word, its meaning, and the sentence it comes from. Tick the words you know.

Grade 5 · Words

neuronn.신경 세포

a tiny cell that carries messages in the body

“An octopus has about 500 million neurons, the cells that carry messages in the body.”

disguisen.변장, 위장

a way of changing how you look so others cannot recognize you

“Octopuses are also masters of disguise.”

predatorn.포식자

an animal that hunts and eats other animals

“Predators swim right past without noticing.”

squeezev.짜다, 비집고 들어가다

to press something tightly, or to push through a small space

“It can also squeeze through a hole no bigger than its eye.”

paleadj.옅은, 창백한

light in color

“It can turn as pale as sand or as dark and bumpy as a rock.”

sheltern.은신처, 피난처

a place that keeps you safe from danger or bad weather

“They carry coconut shells to use as shelters later.”

intelligencen.지능

the ability to learn, understand, and solve problems

“Using a tool and planning ahead are signs of real intelligence.”

unscrewv.돌려서 열다

to open something by turning it

“Scientists have watched octopuses solve puzzles and unscrew jar lids.”

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Import a PDF or photo

Free account · no card · 2 worksheets a month

One passage,a whole worksheet set

From vocabulary to writing, one set

Reading Comprehension

Drop in the whole book

Marked the way a teacher marks

Why We Should Have a Class Pet

From your teacher

What you did well

Notes

For your next draft

From Standard, pages that look like your own

Key Vocabulary

Pay for what you use

Free

Standard

Premium

Questions

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