Selection: C-25

C-25

Grade level: 3

Word count: 1130 words

Author: Marshif Quoyle

Synopsis: How do green plants matter? Let us (lettuce!) count the ways.

Excerpt: The links in that food chain begin with a green plant and then go on to insects and worms.

People and other large animals are at the end of many food chains. A food chain ends with an animal that will not be eaten by another animal.

The second link in any food chain is always a creature that eats plants.

Question: Think about what you read. Put these links to a food chain in order, from the first link in the last.

1. plant
2. grasshopper
3. frog
4. hawk

Selection: C-5

C-5

Grade level: 3

Word count: 1270 words

Author: Madeline Arroyo

Synopsis: Fires can help the forest, but more often they destroy it.

Excerpt: Although we usually hear only about the harm a forest fire does, it is a part of the cycle of life on Earth. Some kinds of plants depend on fire to help their growth. During a fire, burned plants release nutrients into the ground. These make the soil rich and help new plants grow. This new growth is good for the forest and the animals that live there.

Question: Which statement from the selection supports the author's claim that sometimes a wildfire can be helpful?

1. Burned plants release nutrients into the ground.
2. The sun's heat can set off a fire.
3. A fire team may battle a wildfire from the air.
4. A soft wood tree, like a fir tree, will burn fast.