Worksheet

Meerkats on Watch: Writing a Concluding Statement

Read a student report about meerkat lookouts that has no ending, choose and sort concluding sentences, then write a conclusion.

Grade 3ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toW.3.2.d

Play online Play as a game

PrintLetter-size worksheet Answer keyPrintable answers

Assign to classAssign to your classes, or get a join code

What’s included

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

Details

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

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students identify a concluding statement that restates the main idea of an informative text.
Students write a concluding statement and a short concluding section for an informative report.

How to use

Read Amara's report together and point out that it stops without an ending, then have students work through the choices before writing their own conclusion.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

W.3.2.d

Write a concluding statement or section for an informative text.

Preview

OwlSheets.com

Name Date

Meerkats on Watch: Writing a Concluding Statement

Finish a report about meerkats with a strong ending.

Read Amara's report

Amara wrote a report about meerkats, but she has not written her conclusion yet. Read her report.

Meerkats on Watch

1Meerkats are small, furry animals that live in the dry lands of southern Africa. They live in groups, and they work hard to keep each other safe.

2A meerkat group is called a mob. A mob can have just a few meerkats or many of them. The meerkats in a mob sleep together in burrows under the ground. On cool mornings, they come out and sit in the sun to warm up.

3When the mob looks for food, one meerkat becomes the lookout. It climbs onto a rock or a small bush. Then it stands up tall on its back legs and watches the sky and the land. The lookout keeps watching while the others dig in the sand for food.

4If the lookout sees an eagle or a jackal, it gives a loud alarm call. The other meerkats stop digging and race to the nearest burrow. Meerkats take turns being the lookout, so no one has to watch all day.

Choose a strong ending

Use Amara's report to answer each question.

A conclusion goes back to the main idea. What is Amara's report mostly about?

A. how deserts in Africa get so hot and dry
B. how meerkat groups work together to stay safe
C. how eagles hunt small animals from the sky
D. how to take care of a pet meerkat at home

Which sentence is the best concluding statement for Amara's report?

A. Eagles have sharp eyes and very strong claws.
B. Meerkats also like to eat lizards and beetles.
C. That is all I want to say about meerkats.
D. Meerkats stay safe because they help each other.

Does each sentence wrap up Amara's report, or does it add a new detail? Sort the sentences.

A meerkat mob shows how much a group can do together.Baby meerkats are called pups.Meerkats can close their ears to keep sand out.As you can see, meerkats stay safe by working as a team.Meerkats have dark patches around their eyes.Now you know why the lookout is so important to the mob.

Wraps up the report	Adds a new detail

Amara's friend Kai wrote this conclusion for her. Underline the one sentence that adds a new detail and does not belong in the conclusion.

Meerkats are small, but they are smart about staying safe.They live in groups, take turns as lookouts and warn each other.They also eat scorpions and small lizards.Working together helps every meerkat in the mob.

Write the conclusion

Answer the questions, then write your own ending for Amara's report.

Paragraph 1 says, "They live in groups, and they work hard to keep each other safe." Which concluding sentence says the same main idea in new words?

A. They live in groups, and they work hard to keep each other safe.
B. Meerkats have long claws that are good for digging in sand.
C. A meerkat mob is a team where every member helps protect the others.
D. On cool mornings, meerkats come out and sit in the warm sun.

Which words are a good way to begin a concluding statement?

A. As you can see,
B. Once upon a time,
C. First of all,
D. Another fact is

Write one concluding statement for Amara's report. Tell the main idea in your own words.

Write a concluding section of 2 or 3 sentences for Amara's report. Go back to the main idea, and end with a final thought for the reader. Do not add new facts.