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The Weasel in the Woodpile

Read a winter story about a weasel in a woodpile and use known root words such as steal, survive and sign to work out new words.

Grade 3ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toL.3.4.c

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What’s included

Single worksheet
Auto-graded online
1 Common Core standard
Printable answer key
11 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 find the known root word inside a longer word, such as steal in stealthy.
Students use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of a new word with the same root.
Students group and use words that share a root word.

How to use

Read the story together and talk about how the word steal helps explain stealthy. Then have students answer the questions on their own.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

L.3.4.c

Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root, such as company and companion.

Preview

OwlSheets.com

Name Date

The Weasel in the Woodpile

Use a root word you know to figure out a new word.

Read the story

Read the story. Look for long words that have a word you know inside them.

The Weasel in the Woodpile

1Lars liked to help Aunt Freya carry firewood from the woodpile behind her house. One snowy morning, he spotted a line of tiny tracks that led into a gap between the logs. "Who made these?" he asked. Aunt Freya shrugged. "That is a mystery," she said. "Let's watch and find out."

2The next day, Lars sat very still on the back steps. Soon a small white animal with a black tip on its tail slipped out of the woodpile. It was a weasel! It was so stealthy that it crossed the yard without making a sound. Lars did not hear it at all until it was right below him.

3"Weasels like this one are brown in summer," Aunt Freya whispered. "In the fall, a new white coat grows in. That growth helps the weasel hide in the snow."

4Lars watched the weasel dive into the snow and pop out again. It hardly ever stopped moving. "It is so active!" he said. "Doesn't it sleep all winter like a bear?" "No," said Aunt Freya. "Weasels hunt all winter long. Finding food is the key to their survival when it is cold."

5Just then, a chickadee in the pine tree gave a sharp call. The weasel froze, then darted back into the logs. "That call was a signal," said Aunt Freya. "It warned the other birds that a hunter was nearby."

6Lars grinned. "So that is who made the mysterious tracks," he said. From then on, he lifted the firewood very gently so he would not disturb their winter visitor.

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