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Dolphins and Sharks: Alike but Different

Read an original science article that compares dolphins and sharks, then answer questions about how the two animals are alike and different.

Grade 3ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toRI.3.10

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What’s included

Single worksheet
Auto-graded online
1 Common Core standard
Printable answer key
10 questions
Classroom-ready

Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 3
Subject: ELA
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Matching, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students read a grade 3 science article on their own and answer questions about its key details.
Students tell how two animals are alike and different using details from a compare-and-contrast text.
Students use the text to find the meanings of science words.

How to use

Have students read the article on their own, then answer the questions. The sort in the first section works well as a quick check before the open response.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

RI.3.10

By the end of the year, read and understand informational texts in history, science, and technical subjects at the high end of grades 2-3, independently.

Preview

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Dolphins and Sharks: Alike but Different

Read a science article that compares two ocean animals.

Read the article

Read the science article carefully. Then answer the questions.

Dolphins and Sharks

1At first glance, a dolphin and a shark can look a lot alike. Both live in the ocean. Both have sleek bodies, strong tails, and fins that help them steer. Both are powerful swimmers. But if you look closely, you will find that these animals are very different. In fact, they belong to two separate animal groups.

2A shark is a fish. Like other fish, it breathes with gills. Water flows into the shark's mouth and out through slits on the sides of its head. As the water passes over the gills, they take in oxygen. Because of this, a shark never needs to come up for air.

3A dolphin is a mammal, just like a dog or a person. It cannot breathe underwater. Instead, it swims up to the surface and breathes air through a blowhole on the top of its head. Then it dives back down and holds its breath until it needs air again.

4Their tails move in different ways. A shark swishes its tail from side to side as it swims. A dolphin moves its tail up and down. The animals are different on the inside, too. A dolphin has a skeleton made of bone. A shark's skeleton is made of cartilage, the same bendy material that gives shape to your nose and ears.

5Babies are another difference. A mother dolphin usually has one calf at a time and feeds it milk. The calf stays close to its mother for a long time and learns from her. Shark mothers do not feed their pups or take care of them. Some pups hatch from eggs, and others are born live, but all of them swim off and find their own food right away.

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