Download Version A Grade 6 - Unit 2 - ELA Model Curriculum Name: Class

Version A
Grade 6 - Unit 2 - ELA Model Curriculum
Name:
_________________________________________
Class:
_________________________________________
Date:
_________________________________________
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Version A
2
Version A
1.
Answer both questions 1 and 2 below.
What is the main idea of the whole passage?
A.
B.
C.
D.
2.
The depth of a soil layer depends in part on where it is located.
Features such as temperature and climate can affect the soil.
Soil is constantly changing because of the many organisms that live in it.
Soil is made up of several layers, and each has an important function.
Which part of the passage is most useful in helping you determine the passage's
main idea?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The question asked in the first sentence
The scientific words in the second paragraph
The titles of the different sections
The statement made in the last sentence
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Version A
3.
Read the following paragraph and then answer both questions 3 and 4 below.
Have you thought about the soil under your feet? It is much more than brokenup rock mixed with plant and animal material. What you find in the soil, or its
composition, depends on factors such as temperature and climate, types of
rocks that made it, location and landscape of the area, plants and organisms
that live on it and in it, and age of the soil.
As used in the passage, what does the word “composition” mean?
A.
B.
C.
D.
4.
Where something is
How old something is
What something is made of
How something was created
Which phrase from the passage above best supports your answer?
A.
B.
C.
D.
"What you find in the soil"
"depends on factors"
"temperature and climate"
"location and landscape of the area"
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Version A
5.
Read the following paragraph and then answer question 5 below.
The layers of the soil are called horizons. The uppermost horizon is called the
topsoil layer. The topsoil layer is a mixture of sand, silt, clay, and broken down
organic matter, called humus. Humus is rich, highly decomposed organic
matter mostly made from dead plants, crunched-up leaves, dead insects, and
twigs. Topsoil is the home of living things and the materials that they make or
they change. Some examples of organisms that live in the soil are small
animals like moles and earthworms, bacteria, and fungi that mix and break
down materials into nutrients for plants, animals, and insects. Earthworms are
especially important because they dig through the soil and give the roots of
plants places to grow, and make spaces for water and air to get into the soil.
Explain the purpose of the underlined sentence in the paragraph above.
Write your answer in the space below.
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Version A
6.
Answer both questions 6 and 7 below.
According to the passage, how is the topsoil layer different from the other layers of
the soil?
A.
B.
C.
D.
7.
It is made of different kinds of rock.
It is very thin.
It collects rainwater.
It contains a large amount of food.
Which sentence from the passage best supports your answer?
A. “The layers of the soil are called horizons.” (line 7)
B. “The topsoil is relatively thin but it has most of the soil's nutrients.” (line 18)
C. “The subsoil may contain some broken-down organic matter but it is mostly
made of weathered rocks and clay minerals.” (lines 19-21)
D. “Soil helps recycle water, rocks, and minerals.” (lines 45)
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Version A
8.
Read the following paragraphs and then answer both questions 8 and 9 below.
Topsoil
The layers of the soil are called horizons. The uppermost horizon is called the
topsoil layer. The topsoil layer is a mixture of sand, silt, clay, and broken down
organic matter, called humus. Humus is rich, highly decomposed organic
matter mostly made from dead plants, crunched-up leaves, dead insects, and
twigs. Topsoil is the home of living things and the materials that they make or
they change. Some examples of organisms that live in the soil are small
animals like moles and earthworms, bacteria, and fungi that mix and break
down materials into nutrients for plants, animals, and insects. Earthworms are
especially important because they dig through the soil and give the roots of
plants places to grow, and make spaces for water and air to get into the soil.
Subsoil
The topsoil is relatively thin but it has most of the soil's nutrients. Just below
the topsoil layer is the subsoil layer. The subsoil may contain some brokendown organic matter but it is mostly made of weathered rocks and clay
minerals. Plants send their roots into both of these layers to find water stored
in the soil and to find nutrients that they need to grow and to use for
photosynthesis.
At least 16 elements are needed for plants to grow well. Plants get three of
them mostly from water and air. They are carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
Plants get the rest from the soil. Six of these elements are known as
macronutrients. Macro- means large, and these are elements plants need in
larger quantities for proper growth. The six macronutrients are: nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. There are
micronutrients that plants also need but micro- means small and these are
needed in very small amounts. Some examples are iron, zinc, and copper.
Sometimes we put fertilizers into the soil to be sure the plants have all they
need to grow. Fertilizers are like vitamins for plants.
According to the passage, why are the topsoil and subsoil layers important to plants?
A. They help prevent plants from being uprooted.
B. They have the elements plants need to be healthy.
C. They provide creatures that help plants grow with a place to live.
D. They break down organic matter like leaves and twigs.
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Version A
9.
Which sentence from the paragraphs above best supports your answer?
A. “Topsoil is the home of living things and the materials that they make or they
change.”
B. “Earthworms are especially important because they dig through the soil and
give the roots of plants places to grow, and make spaces for water and air to
get into the soil.”
C. “Plants send their roots into both of these layers to find water stored in the soil
and to find nutrients that they need to grow and to use for photosynthesis.”
D. “Sometimes we put fertilizers into the soil to be sure the plants have all that
they need to grow.”
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Version A
10.
Read the following paragraph and then answer question 10 below.
At least 16 elements are needed for plants to grow well. Plants get three of
them mostly from water and air. They are carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
Plants get the rest from the soil. Six of these elements are known as
macronutrients. Macro- means large, and these are elements plants need in
larger quantities for proper growth. The six macronutrients are: nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. There are
micronutrients that plants also need but micro- means small and these are
needed in very small amounts. Some examples are iron, zinc, and copper.
Sometimes we put fertilizers into the soil to be sure the plants have all they
need to grow. Fertilizers are like vitamins for plants.
Why do you think the author includes this paragraph in the passage? Use specific
information from the passage to support your answer.
Write your answer in the space below.
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Version A
11.
Answer both questions 11 and 12 below.
According to the passage, how does soil first begin to form?
A.
B.
C.
D.
12.
Living things digest dead plants and insects.
Weather wears down large pieces of rock.
Fertilizers are added to the ground.
Plant roots grow into the ground.
Underline a sentence in the passage that helped you decide on your answer.
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Version A
13.
Read the following paragraph and then answer both questions 13 and 14 below.
The layers of the soil are called horizons. The uppermost horizon is called the
topsoil layer. The topsoil layer is a mixture of sand, silt, clay, and broken down
organic matter, called humus. Humus is rich, highly decomposed organic
matter mostly made from dead plants, crunched-up leaves, dead insects, and
twigs. Topsoil is the home of living things and the materials that they make or
they change. Some examples of organisms that live in the soil are small
animals like moles and earthworms, bacteria, and fungi that mix and break
down materials into nutrients for plants, animals, and insects. Earthworms are
especially important because they dig through the soil and give the roots of
plants places to grow, and make spaces for water and air to get into the soil.
What does the word “organic” mean in the paragraph above?
A. Related to a body part
B. Produced without chemical additives
C. Created by living organisms
D. Based on simple processes
14.
Which sentence from the paragraph above best supports your answer?
A. “The layers of the soil are called horizons.”
B. “The uppermost horizon is called the topsoil layer.”
C. “The topsoil layer is a mixture of sand, silt, clay, and broken down organic
matter, called humus.”
D. “Topsoil is the home of living things and the materials that they make or they
change.”
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Version A
15.
Write a paragraph that explains the entire process of how soil is formed.
Your answer should include





a topic sentence
clear organization of ideas
relevant details from the passage
a concluding sentence
your best spelling, grammar, and punctuation
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