Name: Date: Teacher: Reading informational texts Lesson Quick Codes for this set: LZ756, LZ757, LZ758, LZ759, LZ760, LZ761, LZ762 Common Core State Standards addressed: RI.5.1, RI.5.2, RI.5.4, RI.5.10 Lesson Text: Life for Slave Children in 1861 by Carolyn Reeder Assessment Text: Ever Wondered why you get a scab if you cut yourself? by Dr. Howard Bennett Directions: Today you will be taking a short test using what you have learned about reading nonfiction texts. 1) (RI.5.10) Preview the article Ever Wondered why you get a scab if you cut yourself? Write your thoughts below. Now read the article, Ever Wondered why you get a scab if you cut yourself? When you are done, answer the questions on the next page.
2) (RI.5.4) Read the section of text from the article, Ever Wondered why you get a scab if you cut yourself? Since we need blood to survive, it s logical that the body would have a system to keep this precious resource from escaping after an injury. The system is called coagulation that s doctor talk for clotting. In the space provided, write down your own definition for the word precious. What words or phrases in the text helped you make this definition?
Questions 3 and 4 refer to the following section of text. As soon as one of your blood vessels is cut, a complex process begins to stop the bleeding. First, platelets, which are like little disks in your blood, move to the damaged area to form a plug. At the same time, other parts of your blood form tough strands called fibrin that strengthen the platelet plug. Fibrin is like a microscopic mesh that is the backbone of the clot. Once the bleeding has stopped, some of the clotted blood ends up on the surface of your skin as a scab. The scab will remain in place for a week or so until the skin under the scab is fully healed. At that point the scab will fall off assuming you don t pick it off before it s ready, thereby reopening the cut! 3) (RI.5.2) Complete the outline below to determine the main idea of this section. Detail: Detail: Detail: Main Idea:
4) (RI.5.2, RI.5.3) Using the information from the section above, create and label a sketch of the process the body undergoes to form a scab after a cut. 5) (RI.5.2) After reading Ever Wondered why you get a scab if you cut yourself? what is the main idea of the entire article?
6) (RI.5.1) What choices did Dr. Howard Bennett, the author of Ever Wondered why you get a scab if you cut yourself? make about how he taught the reader about scabs? What is another way that Dr. Bennett could have taught the same information? Which way is better and why? Make sure you use specific evidence and quotes from the text to support your answer.
MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2010 EVER WONDERED why you get a scab if you cut yourself? Since I work with kids, I see scabs every day. Most of the time, they are small, crusty lumps on a child s arm or leg. Occasionally, I see really big scabs that look like a slice of mangled pizza. Bike accidents and sliding across a hard surface in shorts are most likely to cause those big scabs. Although scabs look gross to most people, I think they are beautiful! That s because I know the amazing things the body had to do to produce the scab. Basically, a scab is a bandage your body makes after it has been injured. Scabs are made up of blood cells, platelets and special chemicals from your circulatory system. When blood travels through your arteries and veins, it has to stay in its liquid form so it can carry oxygen and nutrients to every part of your body. Since we need blood to survive, it s logical that the body would have a system to keep this precious resource!! from escaping after an injury. The system is called coagulation that s doctor talk for clotting. As soon as one of your blood vessels is cut, a complex process begins to stop the bleeding. First, platelets, which are like little disks in your blood, move to the damaged area to form a plug. At the same time, other parts of your blood form tough strands called fibrin that strengthen the platelet plug. Fibrin is like a microscopic mesh that is the backbone of the clot. Once the bleeding has stopped, some of the clotted blood ends up on the surface of your skin as a scab. The scab will remain in place for a week or so until the skin under the scab is fully healed. At that point the scab will fall off assuming you don t pick it off before it s ready, thereby reopening the cut! Of course, if you ve ever had stitches, you know that the body s ability to make clots isn t perfect. If you get a deep cut or if you cut an artery, the injury will continue to bleed until it s stitched together. Depending on the size and location of the cut, stitches will be removed in five to 14 days. Bonus fact: In some parts of the world, healers use soldier ants to close wounds. The ant is positioned so that its big jaws are on either side of an open cut. The ant is then moved toward the cut. When the ant bites the victim I mean patient its jaws bring the cut tissue together. The healer then cuts off the ant s head, which stays in place and acts like a stitch. The healer will use as many ants as necessary to close the wound. Howard Bennett Howard Bennett, a Washington pediatrician and author of health-related books for kids, writes about gross things for KidsPost.!"#$%&'"()*%'+)#"$,%--%.&)/$.,!"#$!%&'#()*+,)!-,'+.-)/(0'!-,'+!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!