Worksheet

Rollers, Tunnelers, Dwellers: Planning a Dung Beetle Report

Sort a student's note cards about dung beetles into logical sections, choose headings and pictures, and check a draft introduction.

Grade 5ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toW.5.2.a

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What’s included

Single worksheet
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1 Common Core standard
Printable answer key
10 questions
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Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 5
Subject: ELA
Question types: Multiple choice, Matching, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students group related research notes into logical sections of a report.
Students choose headings and illustrations that fit each section.
Students introduce a topic with a general observation and a clear focus.

How to use

Read Kofi's note cards together and ask which cards seem to go together. Students then sort the cards, check his introduction, and write an opening of their own.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

W.5.2.a

Introduce a topic with a general observation and focus, group related information logically, and use headings, illustrations, or multimedia when helpful.

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Name Date

Rollers, Tunnelers, Dwellers: Planning a Dung Beetle Report

Group note cards into sections, name each section, and plan an introduction.

Read the note cards

Kofi is planning a report about dung beetles. Each numbered paragraph is one of his note cards.

Kofi's Note Cards: Dung Beetles

1Dung beetles are insects that use animal droppings, or dung, for food and for raising their young. They live on every continent except Antarctica, in places such as grasslands, forests, and deserts.

2Some dung beetles are rollers. A roller shapes a piece of dung into a ball and rolls it away from the pile. It stands on its front legs and pushes the ball backward with its back legs.

3Other dung beetles are tunnelers. A tunneler digs a tunnel right under a dung pile. Then it pulls pieces of dung down into the tunnel, where it can eat in safety.

4A third kind, the dwellers, do not roll or dig. They simply live and lay their eggs inside the dung pile itself.

5My cousin found a shiny green beetle in her backyard last summer. She kept it in a jar for a day and named it Rocket.

6A rolling beetle often climbs on top of its ball and turns in a slow circle. Scientists think it is checking the sky before it sets off, a little like a hiker checking a map.

7Rollers move their balls in a straight line, away from other beetles that might try to steal them. To keep the line straight, many rollers use the sun or the moon as a guide.

8Scientists found that one kind of dung beetle can even use the glow of the Milky Way to steer on dark, moonless nights.

9When dung beetles bury dung, they carry its nutrients into the soil. Plants use these nutrients to grow.

10The beetles' tunnels let air and rainwater soak deeper into the ground.

11Many flies lay their eggs in fresh dung. When beetles break up and bury the dung quickly, fewer flies can hatch there.

12Some farmers are glad to see dung beetles in their fields, because the beetles help keep the pastures clean for cows and sheep.

Group the notes

Kofi plans three sections. Help him group his cards and name each group.

Sort the cards into Kofi's three sections. Put a card that does not belong in the report under "Leave it out."

Card 7: rollers use the sun or moon to keep a straight lineCard 10: tunnels let air and rainwater into the groundCard 3: tunnelers dig under the dung pileCard 5: a cousin's beetle named RocketCard 12: farmers are glad to see beetles in fieldsCard 4: dwellers live inside the dung pileCard 8: one kind steers by the Milky WayCard 2: rollers shape dung into a ballCard 9: buried dung adds nutrients to soil

Three Kinds of Dung Beetles	Finding the Way	Helping the Land	Leave it out

Kofi wants a catchier heading for cards 6, 7, and 8. Which heading fits those cards best?

A. Built to Push
B. Beetles Around the World
C. Steering by the Sky
D. What Dung Beetles Eat

Which heading fits cards 9, 10, 11, and 12 best?

A. Rolling, Digging, and Dwelling
B. Small Beetles, Big Help
C. Lost on a Dark Night
D. A Beetle Named Rocket

Kofi finds a new fact: "In one test, beetles wearing tiny caps that blocked their view of the sky had trouble rolling in a straight line." Which section should it go in?

A. Finding the Way
B. Helping the Land
C. Three Kinds of Dung Beetles
D. Leave it out

Kofi wants one picture or video for each section. Match each section to the one that would help readers most.

Three Kinds of Dung Beetles
Finding the Way
Helping the Land

A. a diagram of nutrients moving from buried dung to plant roots
B. a three-part drawing of a roller, a tunneler, and a dweller
C. a video of a beetle climbing on its ball and turning around

Check the introduction

Read Kofi's first try at an introduction. Then answer the questions.

Kofi's Introduction (First Draft)

Every day, animals all over the world leave droppings on the ground. Without help, those messy piles could build up in fields and forests. Luckily, a tiny cleanup crew is on the job. My cousin once had a beetle named Rocket. In this report, you will learn about the three kinds of dung beetles, how they find their way, and how they help the land.

What does the first sentence of Kofi's introduction do?

A. It names the three sections of the report.
B. It gives a definition of a dung beetle.
C. It sums up the report in its last words.
D. It makes a general observation about nature.

Underline the sentence in Kofi's introduction that tells the focus of his report.

Every day, animals all over the world leave droppings on the ground.Without help, those messy piles could build up in fields and forests.Luckily, a tiny cleanup crew is on the job.My cousin once had a beetle named Rocket.In this report, you will learn about the three kinds of dung beetles, how they find their way, and how they help the land.

Which sentence should Kofi take out of his introduction?

A. "Luckily, a tiny cleanup crew is on the job."
B. "My cousin once had a beetle named Rocket."
C. "Without help, those messy piles could build up in fields and forests."
D. "Every day, animals all over the world leave droppings on the ground."

Explain why Kofi put cards 6, 7, and 8 in the same group.

10.

Plan an introduction for a report about another animal that helps keep nature clean or healthy. Write a general observation first, then a sentence that tells your focus.