Making Connections

Making Connections

By Kassadi Calloway

Lesson

Good readers make connections, finding similarities & differences between texts. They also notice whether a text is written from a firsthand account (an author's personal experience) or a secondhand account (an author's research).

Making Connections

Passage 1: Bears in Yellowstone - A Journal Entry

1 Last night, while sleeping in my tent, I awoke to something sniffing at my feet. I grabbed a flashlight and was terrified at what I saw-- a large brown bear! I screamed at the top of my lungs, which thankfully scared the bear away. In the morning, a park ranger came by to check on our camp. She told us the bear was probably looking for food, and pointed to the hot dog buns and half-eaten bag of chips that we accidentally left out in the open.

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​2 It turns out that bears can smell food from miles away. The park ranger went on to tell us a few interesting facts. First, the area of a bear's brain that manages its sense of smell is five times bigger than the same area of a human brain. Second, its large nose has hundreds of times more smell receptors than our noses do. She said a bear's powerful sense of smell allows it to find food and keep track of where its cubs are. It also helps a bear to avoid danger-- especially from competing bears. After the park ranger left, I sealed our food in an airtight container and moved it 100 yards away from our sleeping area.

Mrs. Calloway

Making Connections

Passage 2: The Great White Shark - Predator at Sea

1 The great white shark, one of the most feared predators in the ocean, finds its next meal using all of its senses. From afar, it uses its sharp sense of smell and hearing. With its nose, the shark can detect a small drop of blood in the water from up to a quarter-mile away. It can hear low-frequency, irregular sounds (like that of a struggling fish) from a half-mile away.

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2 At a mid-distance, the shark uses sensors along the side of its body to pick up vibrations of anything moving in the water.

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3 Up close, the shark uses tiny holes on its snout to sense the electric signals that all living things give off in seawater. The shark then circles its prey in order to get a closer look with its eyes. Finally, it will bump (toyuch) and bite (taste) its prey to make sure that it has indeed found its next meal.​

Mrs. Calloway

Making Connections

Multiple Choice

Read this sentence from passage 1, "Bears in Yellowstone."

"It turns out that bears can smell food from miles away."

Which sentence from passage 2, "The Great White Shark" expresses a similar idea?

• "...the shark uses tiny holes on its snout to sense the electric signals..."

• "The shark then circles its prey in order to get a closer look with its eyes."

• "It can hear low-frequency, irregular sounds (like that of a struggling fish) from a half-mile away."

• "With its nose, the shark can detect a small drop of blood in the water up to a quarter-mile away."

Multiple Choice

Which statement best describes the difference in points of view between "Bears in Yellowstone" (passage 1) and "The Great White Shark" (passage 2)?

• "Bears in Yellowstone" is written from the point of view of a scientist who researched bears, while "The Great White Shark" is written from the point of view of a tourist who observed sharks in the ocean.

• "Bears in Yellowstone" is written from the point of view of a park ranger who noted a camper's run in with a bear, while "The Great White Shark" is written from the point of view of a an expert who studies the shark.

• "Bears in Yellowstone" is written from the point of view of a camper who had a run in with a bear, while "The Great White Shark" is written from the point of view of a writer who researched the shark.

• "Bears in Yellowstone" is written from the point of view of a reporter who wrote an article about bears, while "The Great White Shark" is written from the point of view of a deep sea photographer.

Multiple Choice

How are passages 1 and 2 about bears and great white sharks similar in focus?

• Both focus on what scientists have recently discovered about the animals.

• Both describe which senses the animals rely on to locate food.

• Both focus on the diet of the animals (what foods they eat).

• Both describe how the animals hunt in the wild.