Octopus Facts (Nonfiction Passage)

Start with a minute of talk: How can a soft animal with no shell stay safe? Then have students read the passage on page 1, about 180 words in 4 short paragraphs, pencil in hand. They can underline facts as they go. Page 2 has five questions, three multiple choice and two written. Remind students to answer in complete sentences and to point to the part of the text that proves their answer. Check the work with the answer key.

Octopus Facts gives 3rd grade students a nonfiction passage of about 180 words about the clever body tricks that keep an octopus safe and let it move through tight spaces, followed by five questions. The questions practice the main idea, vocabulary in context and cause and effect, and the sheet is aligned to Common Core RI.3.2. An answer key is included.

Octopus Facts is a nonfiction passage of about 180 words about the clever body tricks that keep an octopus safe and let it move through tight spaces. It is written for 3rd grade readers (ages 8-9) and has 4 short paragraphs, so students can read it in one sitting.

Its five questions, three multiple choice and two written, practice the main idea, vocabulary in context and cause and effect. Questions include "Which title tells the main idea best" and "How does camouflage help an octopus stay safe". The sheet is aligned to Common Core RI.3.2, and the answer key is included so you can check responses quickly.

Try this conversation starter: How can a soft animal with no shell stay safe? Ask students to name one thing they wonder about the topic, then read to find out. Come back to the question after the last paragraph.

Most students need about 15 to 20 minutes for the passage and the questions together. The sheet works at a kitchen table with a parent talking through the written answers, or at a reading center as independent work on the main idea and vocabulary in context.