STAAR reading review

Night Flyers

1 Under the cover of darkness, millions of small , furry bats take flight and fill the night skies of Texas. There are 47 different species of bats in the United States, and 31 species live in Texas. The most common bat found throughout the state is the Mexican free-tailed bat. Each year 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats return to Bracken Cave near San Antonio, where they give birth and raise their young. Bracken Cave is home to the largest bat colony in the world.

Bat Benefits

2 While bats seem mysterious or even scary to some, these night flyers are actually helpful creatures. Bats eat insects that can be harmful to plants, animals, and even people. A solitary bat can eat 1,000 mosquito-sized insects in just one hour. Bats also spread pollen among flowering plants. This allows plants to make seeds, and seeds make more plants. In addition, bats produce droppings that make excellent fertilizer. The fertilizer mixes with the soil and makes it richer, which helps plants grow. More plants mean more food for people and animals.

The author includes paragraph 2 in the selection most likely to ...

• describe some good things that bats do

• share ideas people have about bats

• explain why bats eat so many insects

• persuade people to visit bat caves

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.4.8

Giving Back to Bats

3 As humans develop land and build new houses and businesses, bat habitats, like trees and caves, often are destroyed. Without homes, bats do not have a place to rest or to raise their young. Humans can help bats with this problem by providing bat houses. Today there are many people who build homes for bats.

4 Because bats sleep upside down, bat houses need to have something the bats can grab onto while they sleep. The houses must be painted black on the inside so that they are dark inside. This allows the bats to sleep comfortably during the day. Bat houses should also have access to water and plants so that the bats have something to eat and drink. The houses should be located in high places so that they are off the ground, where predators can't reach them. Giving a bat a home is a great way to help these useful creatures.

According to the selection, why are bats having difficulty finding homes?

• Bats need places to hang from while they sleep.

• Bats are bothered by people who explore caves.

• People build on the land where bats once lived.

• People are not building bat houses correctly.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.4.3

Night Flyers

1 Under the cover of darkness, millions of small , furry bats take flight and fill the night skies of Texas. There are 47 different species of bats in the United States, and 31 species live in Texas. The most common bat found throughout the state is the Mexican free-tailed bat. Each year 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats return to Bracken Cave near San Antonio, where they give birth and raise their young. Bracken Cave is home to the largest bat colony in the world.

Bat Benefits

2 While bats seem mysterious or even scary to some, these night flyers are actually helpful creatures. Bats eat insects that can be harmful to plants, animals, and even people. A solitary bat can eat 1,000 mosquito-sized insects in just one hour. Bats also spread pollen among flowering plants. This allows plants to make seeds, and seeds make more plants. In addition, bats produce droppings that make excellent fertilizer. The fertilizer mixes with the soil and makes it richer, which helps plants grow. More plants mean more food for people and animals.

Giving Back to Bats

3 As humans develop land and build new houses and businesses, bat habitats, like trees and caves, often are destroyed. Without homes, bats do not have a place to rest or to raise their young. Humans can help bats with this problem by providing bat houses. Today there are many people who build homes for bats.

4 Because bats sleep upside down, bat houses need to have something the bats can grab onto while they sleep. The houses must be painted black on the inside so that they are dark inside. This allows the bats to sleep comfortably during the day. Bat houses should also have access to water and plants so that the bats have something to eat and drink. The houses should be located in high places so that they are off the ground, where predators can't reach them. Giving a bat a home is a great way to help these useful creatures.

Which sentence from the selection expresses an opinion?

• The fertilizer mixes with the soil and makes it richer, which helps plants grow.

• More plants mean more food for people and animals.

• Today there are many people who build homes for bats.

• Giving a bat a home is a great way to help these useful creatures.

Tags

CCSS.W.4.1A

Night Flyers

1 Under the cover of darkness, millions of small , furry bats take flight and fill the night skies of Texas. There are 47 different species of bats in the United States, and 31 species live in Texas. The most common bat found throughout the state is the Mexican free-tailed bat. Each year 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats return to Bracken Cave near San Antonio, where they give birth and raise their young. Bracken Cave is home to the largest bat colony in the world.

Bat Benefits

2 While bats seem mysterious or even scary to some, these night flyers are actually helpful creatures. Bats eat insects that can be harmful to plants, animals, and even people. A solitary bat can eat 1,000 mosquito-sized insects in just one hour. Bats also spread pollen among flowering plants. This allows plants to make seeds, and seeds make more plants. In addition, bats produce droppings that make excellent fertilizer. The fertilizer mixes with the soil and makes it richer, which helps plants grow. More plants mean more food for people and animals.

Giving Back to Bats

3 As humans develop land and build new houses and businesses, bat habitats, like trees and caves, often are destroyed. Without homes, bats do not have a place to rest or to raise their young. Humans can help bats with this problem by providing bat houses. Today there are many people who build homes for bats.

4 Because bats sleep upside down, bat houses need to have something the bats can grab onto while they sleep. The houses must be painted black on the inside so that they are dark inside. This allows the bats to sleep comfortably during the day. Bat houses should also have access to water and plants so that the bats have something to eat and drink. The houses should be located in high places so that they are off the ground, where predators can't reach them. Giving a bat a home is a great way to help these useful creatures.

Which section from the selection describes ways that bats can help people?

• The introductory paragraph

• The section titiled ''Bat Benefits"

• The section titled "Giving Back to Bats"

• The section titled "Bat Houses"

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.4.2

A Sweet Part of Nature

1 When people think of bees, they may also think of the sweet taste of the honey that bees make. However, some people may not know that bees help us in more ways than producing honey. Unfortunately, there aren't as many honeybees today as there were a few years ago.

What Happening to the Honeybees?

2 When scientists realized that the honeybee population was declining, they tried to figure out why. They think there might be several reasons for this. They found that honeybees are not as healthy as they have been in the past. More honeybees are suffering from diseases and catching viruses from bugs. Scientists also learned that some areas where bees live have been turned into farms. The wildflowers and plants that bees feed on have been replaced with crops, which limits honeybees' access to nectar and pollen. Another problem for honeybees may be the chemicals that are used to protect crops. The chemicals are sprayed on the crops, but they spread to other plants and flowers that bees depend on to survive.

We Need Bees

3 Many of the fruits and vegetables that humans and other animals eat cannot grow without the help of honeybees. Honeybees carry pollen among plants. The plants need pollen to grow and produce more seeds. Without the help of honeybees, we would not have as many of the plants we depend on for food.

4 Bees pollinate a wide variety of plants in the United States. They pollinate fruit trees, vegetable plants, and crops such as clover and alfalfa, which feed cows and other farm animals. Many people may not realize it, but honeybees are important to every living thing.

How Humans Can Help

5 There are some things humans can to do help honeybees. People can grow flowers and plants that honeybees like, such as cabbage, sunflowers, and strawberries. People can also build beehives so that more bees will live in their area. In fact, some schools have initiated beekeeping programs to teach students about bees and to provide homes for bees that pollinate local plants.

6 Ian Snyder, a student who participates in a beekeeping program in Pennsylvania, has the right idea. "It's important to keep the bees alive so they can pollinate everything," Ian said. "It's part of the cycle of life."

The author's purpose for including paragraph 5 in the article most likely is to ...

• explain the problems honeybees are experiencing

• state the benefits of taking care of honeybees

• describe ways to care for the honeybee population

• show why honeybees are good to have around

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.4.8

A Sweet Part of Nature

1 When people think of bees, they may also think of the sweet taste of the honey that bees make. However, some people may not know that bees help us in more ways than producing honey. Unfortunately, there aren't as many honeybees today as there were a few years ago.

What Happening to the Honeybees?

2 When scientists realized that the honeybee population was declining, they tried to figure out why. They think there might be several reasons for this. They found that honeybees are not as healthy as they have been in the past. More honeybees are suffering from diseases and catching viruses from bugs. Scientists also learned that some areas where bees live have been turned into farms. The wildflowers and plants that bees feed on have been replaced with crops, which limits honeybees' access to nectar and pollen. Another problem for honeybees may be the chemicals that are used to protect crops. The chemicals are sprayed on the crops, but they spread to other plants and flowers that bees depend on to survive.

We Need Bees

3 Many of the fruits and vegetables that humans and other animals eat cannot grow without the help of honeybees. Honeybees carry pollen among plants. The plants need pollen to grow and produce more seeds. Without the help of honeybees, we would not have as many of the plants we depend on for food.

4 Bees pollinate a wide variety of plants in the United States. They pollinate fruit trees, vegetable plants, and crops such as clover and alfalfa, which feed cows and other farm animals. Many people may not realize it, but honeybees are important to every living thing.

How Humans Can Help

5 There are some things humans can to do help honeybees. People can grow flowers and plants that honeybees like, such as cabbage, sunflowers, and strawberries. People can also build beehives so that more bees will live in their area. In fact, some schools have initiated beekeeping programs to teach students about bees and to provide homes for bees that pollinate local plants.

6 Ian Snyder, a student who participates in a beekeeping program in Pennsylvania, has the right idea. "It's important to keep the bees alive so they can pollinate everything," Ian said. "It's part of the cycle of life."

What happens when the land where bees live is turned into farmland?

• Honeybees find less pollen and nectar.

• Honeybees catch dangerous diseases.

• Honeybees spread sickness to plants.

• Honeybees eat too much of the crops.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.4.3

A Sweet Part of Nature

1 When people think of bees, they may also think of the sweet taste of the honey that bees make. However, some people may not know that bees help us in more ways than producing honey. Unfortunately, there aren't as many honeybees today as there were a few years ago.

What Happening to the Honeybees?

2 When scientists realized that the honeybee population was declining, they tried to figure out why. They think there might be several reasons for this. They found that honeybees are not as healthy as they have been in the past. More honeybees are suffering from diseases and catching viruses from bugs. Scientists also learned that some areas where bees live have been turned into farms. The wildflowers and plants that bees feed on have been replaced with crops, which limits honeybees' access to nectar and pollen. Another problem for honeybees may be the chemicals that are used to protect crops. The chemicals are sprayed on the crops, but they spread to other plants and flowers that bees depend on to survive.

We Need Bees

3 Many of the fruits and vegetables that humans and other animals eat cannot grow without the help of honeybees. Honeybees carry pollen among plants. The plants need pollen to grow and produce more seeds. Without the help of honeybees, we would not have as many of the plants we depend on for food.

4 Bees pollinate a wide variety of plants in the United States. They pollinate fruit trees, vegetable plants, and crops such as clover and alfalfa, which feed cows and other farm animals. Many people may not realize it, but honeybees are important to every living thing.

How Humans Can Help

5 There are some things humans can to do help honeybees. People can grow flowers and plants that honeybees like, such as cabbage, sunflowers, and strawberries. People can also build beehives so that more bees will live in their area. In fact, some schools have initiated beekeeping programs to teach students about bees and to provide homes for bees that pollinate local plants.

6 Ian Snyder, a student who participates in a beekeeping program in Pennsylvania, has the right idea. "It's important to keep the bees alive so they can pollinate everything," Ian said. "It's part of the cycle of life."

What problem would most likely occur if there were too few honeybees?

• There would be much less healthy food to eat.

• Diseases would spread more quickly.

• There would be more farms where bees once lived.

• More harmful insects would be alive.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.4.3

CCSS.RI.4.8

A Sweet Part of Nature

1 When people think of bees, they may also think of the sweet taste of the honey that bees make. However, some people may not know that bees help us in more ways than producing honey. Unfortunately, there aren't as many honeybees today as there were a few years ago.

What Happening to the Honeybees?

2 When scientists realized that the honeybee population was declining, they tried to figure out why. They think there might be several reasons for this. They found that honeybees are not as healthy as they have been in the past. More honeybees are suffering from diseases and catching viruses from bugs. Scientists also learned that some areas where bees live have been turned into farms. The wildflowers and plants that bees feed on have been replaced with crops, which limits honeybees' access to nectar and pollen. Another problem for honeybees may be the chemicals that are used to protect crops. The chemicals are sprayed on the crops, but they spread to other plants and flowers that bees depend on to survive.

We Need Bees

3 Many of the fruits and vegetables that humans and other animals eat cannot grow without the help of honeybees. Honeybees carry pollen among plants. The plants need pollen to grow and produce more seeds. Without the help of honeybees, we would not have as many of the plants we depend on for food.

4 Bees pollinate a wide variety of plants in the United States. They pollinate fruit trees, vegetable plants, and crops such as clover and alfalfa, which feed cows and other farm animals. Many people may not realize it, but honeybees are important to every living thing.

How Humans Can Help

5 There are some things humans can to do help honeybees. People can grow flowers and plants that honeybees like, such as cabbage, sunflowers, and strawberries. People can also build beehives so that more bees will live in their area. In fact, some schools have initiated beekeeping programs to teach students about bees and to provide homes for bees that pollinate local plants.

6 Ian Snyder, a student who participates in a beekeeping program in Pennsylvania, has the right idea. "It's important to keep the bees alive so they can pollinate everything," Ian said. "It's part of the cycle of life."

What is the best summary of the section titled "How Humans Can Help"?

• Beekeepers are people who try to keep bees healthy. Ian Snyder is a student who says this is very important. He participates in a beekeeping program at his school.

• If children want to help honeybees, they should learn about honeybees and the plants that bees like. Many schools offer classes that help students learn about honeybees living in their area.

• Honeybees like plants such as cabbage, sunflowers, and strawberries. People who want to help honeybees should try to grow plants like these.

• Anyone can help honeybees. People can grow plants that honeybees like. They can also build beehives. Some schools are teaching students how to be beekeepers and keep bees healthy.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.4.2

Use "Night Flyers" and "A Sweet Part of Nature" to answer the following questions.

Based on details in both "Night Flyers" and "A Sweet Part of Nature," the reader can tell that bats and honeybees are responsible for -

• fewer insects and eating crops

• more people starting new farms

• fewer animals getting sick from diseases and viruses

• more food being produced because of pollination

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RI.4.9

What is one way that the bats in "Night Flyers" and the honeybees in "A Sweet Part of Nature" are different?

• Bats eat insects, while bees do not.

• Bats spread pollen, while bees do not.

• Bats catch diseases, while bees do not.

• Bats need new houses, while bees do not.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.4.3

CCSS.RI.4.9