Teaching Others With Facts

English · Writing Composition · ages 6-11

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Which sentence gives a fact about bees?
- I think bees are scary.
- Bees make honey.
- Bees are my favorite bug.
Which sentence best introduces a report about sharks?
- Sharks are ocean fish.
- I like sharks a lot.
- My cousin saw a shark once.
A concluding statement should add brand new facts the reader has not heard yet.
Circle one: True False
Sam is writing about octopuses. Which sentence uses a definition to explain the topic?
- An octopus is a sea animal.
- Octopuses are so cool!
- I saw an octopus at the aquarium.
Read this paragraph: "Frogs are amphibians. They live near water. My sister has a pet turtle. Frogs eat insects." Which sentence does not belong?
- Frogs are amphibians.
- Frogs eat insects.
- My sister has a pet turtle.
Which sentence works best as a conclusion for a piece about the water cycle?
- Water is my favorite thing to drink.
- Now you know how water travels from clouds to rivers and back again.
- Next, water freezes into ice cubes.
A report introduced volcanoes and explained how they erupt. Which ending fits best as its conclusion?
- Volcanoes release lava and gas.
- Next week I want to write about earthquakes.
- Lava can also form new islands over time.
Leo's report about penguins starts: "Penguins are birds that cannot fly. I got a new bike yesterday. Penguins swim to catch fish." What is wrong with Leo's writing?
- He used too many facts about penguins.
- He forgot to use any facts at all.
- He put an unrelated sentence in the middle of his facts.

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Bees make honey. · A fact is something true you can check, not a feeling or opinion.
Sharks are ocean fish. · A good introduction states a clear fact about the topic instead of an opinion or a personal story.
False · A conclusion wraps up the facts already given. New facts belong earlier in the piece.
An octopus is a sea animal. · A definition tells exactly what something is, which helps the reader understand the topic.
My sister has a pet turtle. · That sentence is about a turtle, not frogs, so it breaks up the related facts.
Now you know how water travels from clouds to rivers and back again. · "Next, water freezes into ice cubes" adds a new fact instead of wrapping up, and "Water is my favorite thing to drink" is off topic.
Volcanoes release lava and gas. · The other two choices add new information instead of summing up what the report already explained.
He put an unrelated sentence in the middle of his facts. · The bike sentence has nothing to do with penguins, so it breaks the grouping of related facts.