Worksheet

Smoke Over Elm Road: Two Views of a Prairie Burn

Read a crew leader's blog post and a neighbor's letter about the same planned prairie burn, then compare their points of view and word choices.

Grade 5ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toRI.5.6

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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: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students compare two accounts of the same event written from different points of view.
Students explain how each writer's role affects the details and words the writer chooses.
Students identify what the two writers agree on and where they differ.

How to use

Have students read both accounts and mark details that appear in both. Discuss how being in charge of the burn or living next to it changes what each writer notices, then let students answer on their own.

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.

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Name Date

Smoke Over Elm Road: Two Views of a Prairie Burn

Compare how a burn crew leader and a neighbor describe the same day.

Read two accounts

Both texts tell about the same planned burn at a prairie preserve. Read Account A first, then Account B.

Account A: A Blog Post by Teresa Vang, Burn Crew Leader at Tallgrass Hills Prairie Preserve

1Last Saturday morning, our crew carried out the spring burn on the east field of Tallgrass Hills Prairie Preserve. We had planned this day for months. A safe burn needs the right weather: a gentle, steady wind and grass that is dry, but not too dry. When the forecast finally matched our plan, we posted a notice on our web page and at the town hall.

2Before we lit a single flame, our crew mowed a wide strip around the field. This strip, called a firebreak, has very little grass left to burn, so the fire stops when it reaches the strip. Two water trucks waited nearby, and every crew member wore fire-resistant clothing. We lit the fire at nine o'clock, and by two o'clock the whole field was black. Around noon, the wind shifted for a short time and carried some smoke toward Elm Road.

3Why burn a prairie at all? Prairies need fire to stay healthy. Long ago, fires started by lightning and fires set by Native American peoples swept across the prairies. Many prairie plants have roots that reach deep underground, where the heat cannot harm them. Fire clears away old, dead grass so that sunlight can warm the soil, and it stops young trees and shrubs from taking over. In a few weeks, bright green shoots will cover the black ground. Come see them for yourself!

Account B: A Letter to the Town Newspaper by Walter Kim, Elm Road

1To the Editor:
Last Saturday, I was painting on my back porch on Elm Road when I smelled smoke. Within minutes, a thick gray cloud rolled over my yard and hid the sun. My eyes stung, and I could barely see my neighbor's house. I was afraid a wildfire was heading toward our homes, so I hurried inside and called the fire department.

2The person who answered explained that the smoke came from a planned burn at Tallgrass Hills Prairie Preserve. She said a trained crew was watching the fire closely and that it would not cross the mowed strip around the field. That calmed me down. Even so, by the time the smoke cleared, my painting was dotted with flakes of gray ash, and the laundry on my clothesline smelled like a campfire.

3I have lived near the preserve for twenty years, and I know that prairies need fire to stay healthy. I enjoy the wildflowers that bloom there every summer. However, I never saw the notice about the burn. I do not use the preserve's web page, and I rarely go to the town hall. Before the next burn, I hope the crew will mail postcards to the homes on Elm Road a few days ahead. Neighbors who know a burn is coming can close their windows, bring in their laundry, and stay calm.

Same day, two writers

Look back at both accounts to find what the writers share and what only one of them tells.

Who tells each detail? Sort the details.

Two water trucks waited near the field.Prairies need fire to stay healthy.Someone called the fire department about the smoke.The burn took place last Saturday.Green shoots will soon cover the burned ground.Gray ash landed on a painting.Smoke from the burn reached Elm Road.

Only the crew leader	Only the neighbor	Both writers

Read paragraph 3 of Account B again. Underline the TWO sentences that show the neighbor likes the prairie or understands why it is burned.

I have lived near the preserve for twenty years, and I know that prairies need fire to stay healthy.I enjoy the wildflowers that bloom there every summer.However, I never saw the notice about the burn.I do not use the preserve's web page, and I rarely go to the town hall.Before the next burn, I hope the crew will mail postcards to the homes on Elm Road a few days ahead.Neighbors who know a burn is coming can close their windows, bring in their laundry, and stay calm.

Both writers tell about the smoke. How are their descriptions different?

A. The crew leader says a thick gray cloud hid the sun; the neighbor says he barely noticed the smoke.
B. The crew leader says the smoke stayed over the field; the neighbor says smoke covered the whole town.
C. The crew leader says some smoke drifted for a short time; the neighbor says a thick cloud hid the sun.
D. The crew leader says the smoke harmed the prairie; the neighbor says the smoke helped the wildflowers.

Why do the two writers describe the same smoke so differently?

A. The crew leader lives on Elm Road, but the neighbor lives far from the preserve.
B. The crew leader arrived late, but the neighbor watched the burn from the start.
C. The crew leader dislikes prairies, but the neighbor wants them burned more often.
D. The crew leader expected the smoke, but the neighbor did not know about the burn.

Purpose and point of view

Think about why each writer wrote and what each one wants readers to think.

Write a word from the word bank in each blank to tell each writer's main purpose.

Word bank: entertain · request · sell · explain

The crew leader writes mainly to why the burn was needed.
The neighbor writes mainly to better warnings before the next burn.

Which question is answered in the neighbor's letter but NOT in the crew leader's blog post?

A. What did the person on the phone explain?
B. Why do many prairie plants survive a fire?
C. What is the strip around the field called?
D. What time did the crew light the fire?

At the end of Account A, the crew leader writes, "Come see them for yourself!" What does this show about her point of view?

A. She worries that readers will stay away from the preserve.
B. She is excited about the new growth the burn will bring.
C. She thinks the burn failed and wants help fixing the field.
D. She wants readers to help her crew plan the next burn.

Which change would best answer the neighbor's main concern?

A. Stop burning the prairie and let the trees grow back.
B. Post the notice on the web page a week earlier.
C. Mail postcards to Elm Road homes before each burn.
D. Light the fire after dark when fewer people are outside.

Which statement would BOTH writers most likely agree with?

A. The smoke was so bad that the burn should not have happened.
B. Burning helps the prairie, so the preserve should keep doing it.
C. A notice on a web page is the best way to reach every neighbor.
D. Young trees and shrubs should be allowed to take over the field.

10.

Imagine you are the crew leader. Write a short reply to the neighbor's letter that shows you understand his point of view. Use details from both accounts.