8. The life of a Hickory Tree

The life of a Hickory Tree

By Dina McClellan

The life of a Hickory Tree

It is fall in the forest. Squirrels are busy. They are looking for nuts. They need to store the nuts. They save them to eat in the winter. This squirrel does not save all the nuts. He eats one now. He cracks the shell. Then he eats the tasty nut.

Multiple Choice

How does the picture support the main idea of the text?

• it shows the squirrel eating the nut

• it shows the different types of leaves in fall

• it shows the lake of water

Multiple Choice

What is the setting of the story? (time and place story takes place)

• winter in the forest

• fall in the forest

• spring in the forest

Multiple Choice

Why do squirrels store nuts?

• They are selfish and want them all

• they need to store them for the winter

• They like to hide things

A Lucky Nut

Another squirrel finds a hickory nut. He hears a noise. He drops the nut and runs away. The nut hits a stone. It bounces to the ground. Soon, leaves fall on the nut. They hide it. This is a lucky nut. It will grow into a hickory tree. Most other nuts will not. Squirrels and other animals will eat them.

Multiple Choice

Why do squirrels not eat this "lucky nut"?

• It has a special scent they don't like

• The nut is rotten and molded

• they can't see it under the leaves

Multiple Choice

What does the heading tell you about this paragraph?

• The paragraph will mainly be about a nut

• The paragraph will mainly be about a tree

• The paragraph will mainly be about a squirrel

Multiple Choice

What does the story describe as "a lucky nut"?

• a nut that has four leaves

• a nut that doesn't get eaten

• a nut that the squirrels will eat

Hidden from Sight

Even bears like to eat hickory nuts. They eat them whenever they can. Bears do not find this hidden nut. The shell of the nut rots. During winter, the nut sinks into the soil. Animals are looking for food in the forest. Rabbits and mice do not find the nut. It is buried deep in the ground. 

Multiple Choice

What happens to the nut in the winter?

• The nut gets burried in the soil

• the nuts all get eaten before winter

• the nut decays over time

Multiple Choice

How does the heading support the main idea of the text?

• the animals hide from the bear

• The bears hide from other animals

• the nut is burried in the ground where animals can't see

The Seed Sprouts

It is spring in the forest. The seed inside the nut sprouts. It grows roots. They go deep into the ground. The roots absorb water from the soil. The little tree grows. Years pass. The big hickory tree makes more nuts. Most of them never sprout.

Multiple Choice

How does the heading support the main idea of the text?

• the text is about seeds sprouting in the spring

• the text is about trees and how they grow

• the text is about the process of plants growing

Multiple Choice

What happens to the seed in the spring?

• the seed stays in the soil

• the seed sprouts

• the seed freezes in the snow

A Growing Tree

Time passes. After ten years, the tree is seven feet tall. It is as thick as a man’s thumb. The leaves grow in clumps of five. They are light green in the summer. In the fall, they turn yellow. The tree faces many dangers. It can be chopped down. Fires can hurt it. Bugs may make holes in it. Birds may peck the holes and make them bigger.

Multiple Choice

How does the heading support the main idea of the text?

• it describes how the nut is a growing tree now

• it describes how fires are caused

• it describes why people love winter

Multiple Select

What are some dangers these trees can face? Check all that apply.

• Bugs may make holes in it

• it can be chopped down

• fires can hurt it

• Birds can poke the holes deeper in it

Getting Older

More time passes. After twenty years, the bark is still smooth. Now the tree is thirty years old. Its coverings start to split. Each part of the bark is tight in the middle. The edges curve away from the trunk. This makes the tree look shaggy. After forty years, the first nuts appear. Some of the nuts take root. They might grow into trees. Hickory trees can live for 300 years!

Multiple Choice

How does the heading support the main idea of the text?

• the text talks about the hickory trees getting older

• the text talks about what happens when people grow older

• the text talks about when squirrels are older

Multiple Choice

How long can Hickory trees live for?

• 5 years

• 100 years

• 300 years

The Cycle Goes On

It’s fall in the forest. A squirrel comes out. It knows when the hickory tree has nuts. The squirrel looks for them. Other animals look for nuts, too. Will they find all of the nuts? Will one lucky nut sprout in the spring? Throughout the forest, trees are growing. Each one is in a different stage of life. 

Multiple Choice

What does the tree represent in the story?

• a part of the cycle the nut will grow into

• the magical talking tree in the forest

• a big poisonous plant in the forest

Multiple Choice

How does the heading support the main idea of the text?

• the text talks about the food chain of animals

• the text talks about the cycle of the nut growing to a tree

• the text talks about nature's importance

Multiple Choice

What is the author's purpose of the text?

• inform

• persuade

• entertain