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Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Animal Themes
Paramecium

Animal Themes
Animal Themes

Paramecium
Print Paramecium Reading Comprehension


Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 7 to 12
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   8.16

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    ciliate, ciliates, gullet, silly-ates, trichocysts, beating, fission, paramecium, unicellular, agent, defense, organelles, interesting, action, enemy, efficient

Paramecium
By Cindy Grigg 		  
1     Some "animals" are one single cell, or unicellular. This one cell must contain everything needed for survival. They are too small to be seen without a microscope, but they are fun and interesting to look at. One of these is a paramecium (pair-ah-me-see-um.) A paramecium does not become much larger than 0.3 mm.
 
2     A paramecium (plural: paramecia) is called a ciliate. Ciliates (silly-ates) are named for the very small hair-like organelles they have on the outside of their cell. Paramecia have hundreds of cilia.
 
3     Why cilia? When you are less than a millimeter in body size, water is like thick syrup. Swimming like a fish would not be very efficient! If you want to swim fast and be able to maneuver, you need cilia. These tiny hairs act like many oars that push through the water.

Paragraphs 4 to 8:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
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