Passage

24

Informational Text:
Life Science Article/
Annotated Diagram

Name

Date

Parts of a Whale
How do the picture and text together help you understand the whale?

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

BLOWHOLE
This is a nostril
that whales use
for breathing.

Like most other living creatures, whales have changed over
time to adapt to their environment. These magnificent marine
mammals spend their entire lives in oceans. Their sleek bodies
are perfect for long and deep dives. The way they breathe allows
them to stay underwater for more than an hour! Whales tails
help them power through the water.

A sperm whale is a common kind of whale. Read about some
features of its large body.

HEAD It is really
an oversized nose.
Whales use it to
make sounds.

TEETH Some whales

have none, and feed by
straining huge gulps of
water. Others, like the
sperm whale, have teeth
and use them to grab prey.

EARS Whales hear very well. They communicate

through clicks, whistles, and songs. They navigate
through water by listening to their sounds bounce off
schools of fish, objects, and structures on the ocean floor.

EYES These are

small because
whales rely more
on sounds to move
and hunt.

FLIPPERS
These help
whales steer
themselves
through the
water.

FLUKES Whales move

these strong tail parts
up and down when
they swim. They may
also lobtail raise
their flukes out of the
water into the air,
and then slap them
down on the waters
surface with a loud
smack. This might be
another way whales
communicate.

25 Complex Text Passages to Meet the Common Core: Literature and Informational Texts, Grade 3 2014 by Scholastic Teaching Resources

Passage

24

Informational Text:
Life Science Article/
Annotated Diagram

Name

Date

Parts of a Whale
Answer each question. Give evidence from the diagram and captions.

Marine mammals (lines 2 and 3) live in _________________________.

tt A. Alaska

tt B. ponds

tt C. rivers

tt D. oceans

What in the text help you answer?

Which of the following means about the same as navigate?

tt A. breathe

tt B. swim quickly

tt C. steer

tt D. communicate

What in the text helped you answer?

Why is it important for whales to have sleek bodies?

How can such a huge animal manage with such small eyes?

Compare and contrast the flukes and flippers of the sperm whale.
Include their use and location on the body in your answer.

25 Complex Text Passages to Meet the Common Core: Literature and Informational Texts, Grade 3 2014 by Scholastic Teaching Resources

Passage

24

Parts of a Whale page 1 1

Informational Text: Life Science Article/Annotated Diagram

Focus Students examine an annotated diagram to identify and
understand the body parts of a marine mammal.
Teaching Tips
Before Reading

44 Brainstorm with students to list questions they may have about

Common Core Connections

RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.3, RI.3.4, RI.3.5, RI.3.7,
RI.3.8, RI.3.10 RF.3.3, RF.3.4 W.3.10
L.3.1, L.3.2, L.3.3, L.3.4, L.3.5, L.3.6

During Reading

Complexity
Index

44 Have students list questions that arise as they read about whales.
44 Discuss how the labeled and captioned diagram is an effective

Quantitative:
Lexile 780

whales.

text feature for learning about this topic. (For example, it provides
more information and shows where the body parts are and what
they do.)

Qualitative
Purpose

Structure

Language

Knowledge

After Reading

Reader & Task

44 Revisit the questions students posed before reading to see which,

44 Some students may find it challenging to

if any, have been addressed.

44 To review, invite students to generate and write down new
questions based on facts they learned from this selection. Collect,
shuffle, and redistribute for classmates to answer.

navigate the information presented on the

diagram.
44 Name a body part mentioned in the diagram.
Ask students to describe its location on a whale
and tell something special about it. Repeat for
all parts mentioned.

Answers
Passage 24: Parts of a Whale
1. D; Sample answer: The author says that whales
spend their entire lives in oceans (lines 23). 2. C;
Sample answer: In the caption about ears, I read
that whales navigate through water by listening to
their sounds. That makes me think they are finding
their way as they move, so steer seems like the best
answer. 3. Sample answer: It helps them make long
and deep dives (lines 34). 4. Sample answer: I read
that whales rely more on sounds than on sight to
move and hunt (Eyes caption). 5. Sample answer:
The flukes are the tail at the back of the whales
body. The flippers are on the side of the body. The
whale uses its flukes for power when swimming,
and maybe to communicate with other whales. It
uses its flippers to steer itself as it swims (Flukes and
Flippers captions).

25 Complex Text Passages to Meet the Common Core: Literature and Informational Texts, Grade 3 2014 by Scholastic Teaching Resources