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A Moose on the Playground: Three Accounts

Read three original accounts of a young moose visiting a school playground and compare the points of view of a principal, a biologist and a student.

Grade 5ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toRI.5.6

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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 5
Subject: ELA
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Matching, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students compare three accounts of the same event.
Students explain how each writer's role shapes the details the writer includes.
Students find details that appear in only one account or in all three.

How to use

Read the three accounts together and pause after each one to ask who wrote it and what that writer cares about most. Then have students answer the questions on their own, going back to the texts.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

RI.5.6

Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the points of view they represent.

Preview

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Name Date

A Moose on the Playground: Three Accounts

Compare how a principal, a biologist, and a student tell about the same visit.

Read three accounts

All three texts tell about the same morning at Birch Hollow Elementary. Read Account A, then Account B, then Account C.

Account A: A Message to Families from the Principal

1Dear Birch Hollow Families,
On Tuesday morning, a young moose walked out of the woods and onto our playground just before the first bell. A bus driver spotted it near the swings and called the office right away. We kept every student inside the building and called the state wildlife office for advice.

2Our day went on as normally as possible. Students came in through the front doors, far from the playground, and morning recess was held in the gym. A wildlife biologist arrived at about nine o'clock and asked everyone to stay well back. By the middle of the morning, the moose had walked back into the woods, and no one was hurt.

3Please talk with your child about moose safety. A moose may look calm, but it can become dangerous if it feels crowded. If your child sees a moose, your child should stay far away and tell an adult. Thank you for helping us keep our school safe.
Principal Grace Abernathy

Account B: Field Notes from a State Wildlife Biologist

1Tuesday, 9:05 a.m. I arrived at Birch Hollow Elementary and found a young female moose eating willow leaves at the edge of the playground. She was about one year old, an age that biologists call a yearling. She had no antlers, since only male moose grow them. Her ears were relaxed and she was chewing slowly, which told me she did not feel threatened.

2Visits like this one are common in late spring. At this time of year, a mother moose usually chases her yearling away before her new calf is born. The young moose must then wander until it finds a place of its own, and sometimes that search leads it into a town.

3My job was to keep people and the moose safe without moving her. I asked everyone to stay well back and to keep the playground empty and quiet, because crowds and loud noises can make a moose nervous. A nervous moose is more likely to charge. At about 10:30, she stepped over a low fence and walked calmly into the forest. I expect she will keep moving until she finds a new home.

Account C: A Student Reporter's Article for the School Newspaper

1You do not see a moose every day, but on Tuesday the whole fifth grade did! Our class was lined up by the art room windows when someone shouted, "Look, by the swings!" A tall brown moose was standing next to the fence with willow leaves hanging from its mouth.

2From our window, the moose looked as if it had been built from spare parts. It had long, skinny legs with knobby knees, a big droopy nose, and a flap of skin swinging under its chin. Everyone pressed against the glass, and our teacher had to remind us to use quiet voices.

3Missing outdoor recess was a bummer, but most of us agreed it was worth it. Later, I interviewed the wildlife biologist who came to help. She told me the moose was a yearling, which means it was about one year old. She also said that keeping the playground empty and quiet helped the moose stay calm. "You all did a great job staying back," she said. My advice is simple: if you ever see a moose, admire it from far away.

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