Tracking Monsters Questions

How do the headings in the selection explain the relationships between the author’s ideas?

• They show the different topics the author will discuss.

• They define how the author feels about the subject of Gila monsters.

• They show a description about Gila monsters.

• They compare the arguments that the author makes against tracking animals.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.3

Brian is using them to zero in on a critter with a radio transmitter inside of it. The beeps are getting louder. That means she’s nearby. 

What does the word transmitter mean?

• 1. headphones for hearing clearly

• 1. old-fashioned TV antenna

• 1. news broadcast

• 1. equipment that sends and receives messages

Tags

CCSS.L.5.4A

CCSS.L.5.4B

CCSS.RI.5.4

Reread paragraph 4. A prediction that a reader might make about the rest of the selection would be that it will —

• 1. discuss whether scientists study Gila monsters or not

• 1. present more facts about Gila monsters and where they live

• 1. argue that Gila monsters should get more attention

• 1. show why herpetologist want to study Gila monsters

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.1

“Gila monsters are an iconic species of the Sonoran Desert,” says Kevin. But being famous hasn’t gotten Gila monsters much scientific attention over the years. 

What does the word iconic mean?

• disliked

• misunderstood

• representative

• not well known

Tags

CCSS.L.5.4A

CCSS.RI.5.4

Gila monsters aren’t easy to study. They’re nocturnal much of the year and spend a lot of their time in underground burrows.

What does the word nocturnal mean?

• invisible

• ordinary

• active at night

• cleverly disguised

Tags

CCSS.L.5.4A

CCSS.RI.5.4

Gila monsters aren’t easy to study. They’re nocturnal much of the year and spend a lot of their time in underground burrows.

What does the word burrow mean?

• environment

• tunnels

• rocks

• towers

Tags

CCSS.L.5.4A

CCSS.RI.5.4

Which detail helps explain why Gila monsters are hard to study?

• Gila monsters make their homes in the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.

• Gila monsters are chunky, low-to-the-ground lizards covered in pink, orange, and black skin studded with tiny pebbly bumps.

• They're nocturnal much of the year and spend a lot of their time in underground burrows.

• A large adult lizard may only eat a few times a year.

Which detail explains why scientists must use transmitters to track Gila monsters?

• All of this information will help scientists figure out how much Gila monsters travel about - and why.

• A radio collar wouldn't work because it would get in a Gila monster's way as it squeezed under rocks or into holes.

• As she snoozes undisturbed in her burrow, they write down the lizard's GPS location, note the time of day, take the air temperature and humidity measurements, and list the kind of plants growing around her rock.

• The radio transmitter like this one that scientists surgically implant in Gila monsters are about the size of AA batteries.

The photograph on page 339 and the information in paragraph 7 and 8 work together to —

• 1. define transmitters and how scientists use them around the world

• 1. highlight the size of transmitters used by scientists

• 1. explain why scientists use transmitters in order to track Gila monsters

• 1. show how Gila monsters are always on the move and need to be tracked.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.2

CCSS.RI.5.3

CCSS.RI.5.8

What details explains what researchers do once they find the Gila monsters?

• When they come across a Gila monster, they catch it.

• Gila Monster Project researchers such as Kevin and Brian hike and drive in Saguaro National Park regularly

• tracking and checking in on the Gila monsters with radios and looking for new ones.

• Each animal is measured, weighed, and photographed, and injected with a microchip tag under the skin.