What Do You Know About Sharks?By: Sharon Guynup

Pages 872-882

GENRE: _____________________________

NAME __________________________________________

PERIOD __________

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Before Reading- Can appearances deceive?

Cute doesn’t always mean cuddly, and frightening doesn’t always mean vicious. Appearances can deceive, as you will find out when you read “What Do You Know About Sharks?”

Write an example of a saying that suggests that appearances can deceive. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What do you know about sharks? Write at least three sentences.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Write whether the statement is true or false.

__________ 1. The great white is the largest shark.________2. Most sharks are dangerous to humans.________3. Sharks lived at the time of dinosaurs.

Building Background

An Ocean of Knowledge How do we know so much about sharks? People who study fish and how they live and grow in their environment are called ichthyologists. Their work in laboratories, in museums, at universities, and on research ships provides information about over 300 species of sharks. “What Do You Know About Sharks?” gives information about sharks in general, as well as facts about specific species.

Before ReadingVOCABULARY PRACTICE

A. Directions: Write the definition for each word.

1. aquatic- ________________________________________________________________________

2. carcass- ________________________________________________________________________

3. diffuse- ________________________________________________________________________

4. buoyancy- ______________________________________________________________________

5. decimate- _______________________________________________________________________

6. ecosystem- ______________________________________________________________________

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B. Directions: Write the word from the box that correctly completes each sentence.

1. An earthquake can ___________________ and entire city, killing people and destroying property.

2. While hiking through the forest, the boys found the _______________________ of an animal.

3. The _____________________ of the Everglades supports many different plants and animals.

4. Salt water gives you a lot more __________________________ so you can float more easily.

5. The ______________________ life in that lake includes algae, fish, and frogs.

6. If you drop some food coloring in a bucket of water, you will see the color __________________ through all the water, spreading out slowly.

C. Directions: Answer the questions to show your understanding of the vocabulary words.

1. Which is an example of an ecosystem, a desert or a gymnasium? __________________________

2. Which would be more likely to decimate a species, overhunting or a rain? ___________________

3. If you wanted to diffuse air in a room, would you use a vacuum or a fan? ____________________

4. Which has buoyancy, a boulder or a raft? _____________________________________________

5. If something is a carcass, is it alive or dead? ___________________________________________

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aquatic diffuse decimate

carcass buoyancy ecosystem

VOCABULARY STRATEGY: CONTENT-SPECIFIC WORDSContent words apply to specific areas of study, such as biology, physics, or foreign language. These are know as content- specific words. For example, the words aquatic and ramjet ventilation are used in “What Do You Know About Sharks?” They pertain to oceanography, the scientific study and exploration of the ocean.

Whenever you study a specific subject or explore an area of interest, you are likely to encounter new words that are directly related to that subject. For example, in this article about sharks, you learned that the word aquatic refers to things that grow or live in water. By learning content-specific words, you’ll be able to understand, discuss, and write about the subject yourself.

Directions: Define each of the following words related to the subject of oceanography. Use a dictionary if necessary.

1. ebb ________________________________________________________________________

2. current ______________________________________________________________________

3. reef _________________________________________________________________________

4. tide _________________________________________________________________________

5. upwelling ____________________________________________________________________

6. brine ________________________________________________________________________

7. oceanic ______________________________________________________________________

8. shoal _________________________________________________________________________

9. swell __________________________________________________________________________

10. sludge ________________________________________________________________________

Directions: Match the word in the first column with its definition in the second column. Refer to a dictionary if you need help.

1. tsunami A. having to do with the sea or the things in it

2. current B. animals with soft bodies and often hard shells

3. mollusks C. large brown seaweed

4. marine D. ocean stream that moves continuously in one direction

5. kelp E. hand-shelled animals with jointed body and legs

6. crustaceans F. destructive wave caused by an underwater earthquake

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WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SHARKS?Elements of Nonfiction

TEXT FEATURESText Features are design elements that writers use to organize text and point out key ideas and important information. Common text features include titles, subheadings, sidebars, captions, graphic aids, and bulleted lists.

Directions: Fill in the chart with examples of text features from “What Do You Know About Sharks?” Then answer the question that follows.

Titles Subheadings Captions Sidebars Graphic Aids

Which text features did you find the most helpful? Why? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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During ReadingAfter Reading

Comprehension1. Recall What does the author think is the scariest thing about sharks? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2. Clarify What place do sharks hold in the aquatic food chain? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3. Represent Draw a simple illustration of a shark. Label its tail, dorsal fin, pectoral fins, and gill slits.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS4. Identify Text Features Locate the photograph of the shark’s eye on page 880 and the text features that are used with it. What do you learn from the photograph alone? What does the text add to your understanding of the photograph? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5. Analyze Author’s Purpose What do you think is the author’s main purpose for writing “What Do You Know About Sharks?” Explain how the text features help Guynup achieve this purpose.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6. Draw Conclusions Do appearances deceive when it comes to sharks? Use a chart to list facts supporting both of the opinions given. Use information from your outline, or return to the article if necessary. Opinion 1: Sharks Are Very Dangerous Opinion 2: Sharks Are Mostly Harmless

7. Draw Conclusions Circle a word or phrase in parentheses, and then complete the sentence. Sharks are (very/ not very) dangerous because ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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