K12 Unit 3 Animal intelligence

Which sentence would be inappropriate in an informational piece of writing with a formal tone?

• Loggerhead sea turtles are the most common sea turtle in the southeastern United States.

• The loggerhead sea turtle is one marine species that is listed under the Endangered Species Act.

• These turtles face many threats in our seas, from getting caught in fishing nets, being hit by ships, and ingesting plastic debris.

• People need to stop throwing trash in the water and and keep away from the nests of these cute creatures or they won't survive.

Tags

CCSS.SL.6.6

CCSS.SL.7.6

CCSS.W.6.1D

CCSS.W.6.2E

CCSS.W.7.2E

What is the most reliable source of information?

• an article in a reputable encyclopedia published last year

• an opinion piece in a national magazine

• an online article from 2002 with no author

• your teacher

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.1B

CCSS.L.11-12.3A

Read the excerpt from "The Think Tank".

Shumaker is delighted with Azy's mistake. "Azy's mistakes are more interesting than his right answers," he says. "When he saw the bags, he didn't pick a symbol that meant food, such as 'apple.' He didn't pick a verb, such as 'open.' He picked the one other symbol that meant an object, a container. I think his mistakes show that he's putting these words into categories in his mind. Maybe this can teach us a little bit about how he thinks."

• The purpose is to criticize; the author believes that the orangutan experiment has no credibility.

• The purpose is to inform; the author is bringing readers' attention to Azy's humanlike behavior.

• The purpose is to instruct; the author wants readers to know they themselves can train orangutans to understand language.

• The purpose is to persuade; the author is proving that Azy is the smartest orangutan in captivity.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.6

What is the author's viewpoint in "These Crows Almost Died Out Before Scientists Discovered They Use Tools"?

• The discovery of an animal that uses tools is an important event.

• Of the animals that use tools, crows are most skilled.

• Rutz may have found additional bird species that use tools if he had expanded his study.

• The way that crows and humans use tools is very similar.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.10

CCSS.RI.5.10

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

A student is writing an essay about the history of the Army Camel Corp. She wants to use information from “An Army Corp Like No Other” in her work.

Which detail from the text should she include to develop the topic, "benefits of camels over other pack animals"?

• Thirty-three camels were purchased for $250 each.

• Camels can go without water for days.

• Camels can carry more than horses.

• Camels were often mistreated by their handlers.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.10

CCSS.RI.5.10

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

Review the entry from a works-cited page:

Nordhaus, William D. "After Kyoto: Alternative Mechanisms to Control Global Warming." American Economic Review, vol. 96, no. 2, 2006, pp. 31-34.

Which choice correctly formats the in-text citation for this source?

• ("After Kyoto," 33)

• (Nordhaus 33).

• (William Nordhaus, 33).

• (American Economic 33)

Tags

CCSS.SL.6.6

CCSS.SL.7.6

CCSS.W.6.1D

CCSS.W.6.2E

CCSS.W.7.2E

Myths About the Founding Fathers

Did George Washington really have wooden teeth? Did he throw a silver dollar across the Potomac River? Did he chop down a cherry tree and then admit it to his father?

No. No. And probably not.

Let’s start with the wooden teeth. The myth stems from two simple facts: Washington had dentures, or false teeth, and dental technology in the 18th century was not very good. Washington’s dentures were made from ivory and metal, and they were very uncomfortable. Without regular care and cleaning, Washington’s dentures turned brown. This started the rumor that they were made of wood.

What about his excellent throwing arm?

Throwing a silver dollar across a river may have been quite a feat for a young man, but there is one fact that proves this story wrong. Silver dollars didn’t exist when Washington was a boy. The legend appears to come from a story explained by his biographer (you’ll meet him in a minute). Washington grew up north of Fredericksburg, Virginia, on Ferry Farm. This is very close to the Rappahannock River. His biographer wrote that George and his friends would throw rocks across the river while waiting for the ferry. The Rappahannock was only about 300 feet wide during Washington’s time. Throwing a rock across it would have been easy.

And his exceptional honesty?

Washington might have been close to his father, Augustine. He might have been very honest as a boy, too. And yes, there were cherry trees at Ferry Farm (where he grew up). However, like the coin story, there is no evidence to prove that the incident with the cherry tree ever happened. In fact, it was entirely made up by Mason Locke Weems, one of Washington’s first biographers. Weems didn’t include the cherry tree story until the fifth edition of The Life and Memorable Actions of George Washington.

Washington isn’t alone as the source of exaggerations and lies. There are many things Americans believe to be true about our Founding Fathers that are just not true.

For example, one myth says that Benjamin Franklin was serious about wanting the turkey to be on our Great Seal.

As it turns out, that’s just plain silliness.

The myth may have to do with a letter he wrote to his daughter ​about the choice of the eagle "as the representative of our country." He criticized the eagle as “a rank coward . . . by no means a proper emblem.” He joked that the turkey was a better choice because it would attack British troops should they “invade his Farm Yard.” However, he never actually formally proposed to place the turkey on our Great Seal.

Franklin’s official choice for the Great Seal? A Biblical scene between Moses and Pharaoh.

Another myth concerns the ride of Paul Revere. The story goes something like this: Revere rode from Boston to Lexington while crying, “The British are coming,” rousing Minutemen along the way and sparking the Revolution.

This may have come from “Paul Revere’s Ride,” written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The poem credits Revere alone with warning American patriots of the coming British soldiers.

This is the truth: Revere did ride from Boston to Lexington to warn Hancock and Adams, but he didn’t go alone. William Dawes took a different route to Lexington, joining Revere and Dr. Samuel Prescott. All three had been spreading the word that “the regulars are coming” along the way. There may have been as many as forty others who helped.

Then there is Thomas Jefferson. He some amazing things, including, doubling the size of the country, fighting pirates, and helping fund the University of Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson was NOT, however, the first person to introduce ice cream to the United States. Ice cream had been around for hundreds of years before Jefferson. A kind of ice cream was “invented” in China by mixing milk and rice into snow. Roman emperors used to serve flavored snow. King Charles I kept his ice cream recipe a secret from the rest of England. There’s no evidence to prove that Americans had to wait for Jefferson to come up with the idea before they could indulge in the popular treat. What was the truth? Jefferson liked to serve ice cream at his dinner parties. The rumor took off from there.

Jefferson is also the topic of one of the most famous myths about the Constitution: that he signed it. He didn’t. Neither did John Adams.

There are many myths surrounding the founding fathers of the United States. The next time you hear a “fact” about this historical event, be sure to find out if it is, in fact, a fact. Read the paragraph from "Myths About the Founding Fathers."

Throwing a silver dollar across a river may have been quite a feat for a young man, but there is one fact that proves this story wrong. Silver dollars didn’t exist when Washington was a boy. The legend appears to come from a story explained by his biographer (you’ll meet him in a minute). Washington grew up north of Fredericksburg, Virginia, on Ferry Farm. This is very close to the Rappahannock River. His biographer wrote that George and his friends would throw rocks across the river while waiting for the ferry. The Rappahannock was only about 300 feet wide during Washington’s time. Throwing a rock across it would have been easy.Washington grew up north of Fredericksburg, Virginia, on Ferry Farm. This is very close to the Rappahannock River. His biographer wrote that George and his friends would throw rocks across the river while waiting for the ferry. The Rappahannock was only about 300 feet wide during Washington’s time. Throwing a rock across it would have been easy.

How does this paragraph fit in the overall structure of the text?

• It describes specific causes for a myth about Washington.

• It compares a myth about Washington to a real story about him.

• It describes how Washington's solution to a problem led to a made-up story about him

• It explains how stories about Washington have evolved over time.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.6

CCSS.L.7.6

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.W.5.2D

CCSS.W.6.2D

Myths About the Founding Fathers

Did George Washington really have wooden teeth? Did he throw a silver dollar across the Potomac River? Did he chop down a cherry tree and then admit it to his father?

No. No. And probably not.

Let’s start with the wooden teeth. The myth stems from two simple facts: Washington had dentures, or false teeth, and dental technology in the 18th century was not very good. Washington’s dentures were made from ivory and metal, and they were very uncomfortable. Without regular care and cleaning, Washington’s dentures turned brown. This started the rumor that they were made of wood.

What about his excellent throwing arm?

Throwing a silver dollar across a river may have been quite a feat for a young man, but there is one fact that proves this story wrong. Silver dollars didn’t exist when Washington was a boy. The legend appears to come from a story explained by his biographer (you’ll meet him in a minute). Washington grew up north of Fredericksburg, Virginia, on Ferry Farm. This is very close to the Rappahannock River. His biographer wrote that George and his friends would throw rocks across the river while waiting for the ferry. The Rappahannock was only about 300 feet wide during Washington’s time. Throwing a rock across it would have been easy.

Read this excerpt from "Myths About the Founding Fathers."

The myth may have to do with a letter he wrote to his daughter ​about the choice of the eagle "as the representative of our country." He criticized the eagle as “a rank coward . . . by no means a proper emblem.” He joked that the turkey was a better choice because it would attack British troops should they “invade his Farm Yard.” However, he never actually formally proposed to place the turkey on our Great Seal.

How do these sentences contribute to the development of ideas in the article?

• It proves that Franklin was the inspiration behind choosing the eagle for the Great Seal.

• It suggests that Franklin's daughter is the source of many of the made-up stories about him.

• It shows a known story about Franklin is based solely on few words that were meant to be funny, not serious.

• It describes Franklin's personal view of the British compared to Americans

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.6

Then there is Thomas Jefferson. He did some amazing things, including, doubling the size of the country, fighting pirates, and helping fund the University of Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson was NOT, however, the first person to introduce ice cream to the United States. Ice cream had been around for hundreds of years before Jefferson. A kind of ice cream was “invented” in China by mixing milk and rice into snow. Roman emperors used to serve flavored snow. King Charles I kept his ice cream recipe a secret from the rest of England. There’s no evidence to prove that Americans had to wait for Jefferson to come up with the idea before they could indulge in the popular treat. What was the truth? Jefferson liked to serve ice cream at his dinner parties. The rumor took off from there.

Jefferson is also the topic of one of the most famous myths about the Constitution: that he signed it. He didn’t. Neither did John Adams.

There are many myths surrounding the founding fathers of the United States. The next time you hear a “fact” about this historical event, be sure to find out if it is, in fact, a fact.

Read the excerpt from "Myths About the Founding Fathers."

Thomas Jefferson was NOT, however, the first person to introduce ice cream to the United States. Ice cream had been around for hundreds of years before Jefferson. A kind of ice cream was “invented” in China by mixing milk and rice into snow. Roman emperors used to serve flavored snow. King Charles I kept his ice cream recipe a secret from the rest of England. There’s no evidence to prove that Americans had to wait for Jefferson to come up with the idea before they could indulge in the popular treat. What was the truth? Jefferson liked to serve ice cream at his dinner parties. The rumor took off from there.

Which answer best summarizes this text?

• Thomas Jefferson did not introduce ice cream to the United States, but he did like to serve it at dinner parties. The dessert was being eaten throughout the world for hundreds of years before Jefferson was born.

• Thomas Jefferson did not introduce ice cream to the United States. He liked to serve it at his dinner parties. In China, they made ice cream by mixing milk, rice, and snow.

• Thomas Jefferson did not introduce ice cream to the United States because Roman emperors used to serve flavored snow and King Charles I kept his ice cream recipe a secret from the rest of England.

• Thomas Jefferson did not introduce ice cream to the United States because the ice cream he ate was not real ice cream. It was a mixture of milk, rice, and snow.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.6

Which sentence uses the word hibernate (or its derivations) incorrectly?

• I hibernated at 10 p.m. last night.

• Before bears settle into hibernation, they build up a thick layer of fat.

• The winter woods are quiet—if you listen closely, perhaps you can hear the soft breathing of hibernating animals.

• When animals hibernate, their metabolism and their breathing slows.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.10

CCSS.RI.5.10

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4