Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources Reading Comprehension Worksheets Animal Themes Insects Invertebrates

Basics of Insects Animal Themes

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Basics of Insects
Print Basics of Insects Reading Comprehension with Sixth Grade Work

Print Basics of Insects Reading Comprehension


Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 6 to 8
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	7.52

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		beeswax, maintain, purpose, successful, formation, exoskeletons, exoskeleton, environment, extremely, external, possibly, structure, protection, addition, destroy, such
	content words:		Himalaya Mountains, Sahara Desert

Other Languages
     Spanish: Información Elemental de los Insectos

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Basics of Insects

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¹     Insects are possibly the most successful animals on Earth! Half of the animals known to science - over one million species - are insects. They can be found in extremely harsh environments. From the Himalaya Mountains to the Sahara Desert, scientists have found insects. Indeed, insects are everywhere! Butterflies, bees, ants, cockroaches, and beetles are all insects.
 
²     Adult insects have three parts in their bodies - head, thorax, and abdomen. The head holds the insect's brain and mouth, as well as the sense organs such as eyes and antennae. Wings and legs are attached to the thorax. The abdomen contains the insect's heart, digestive system, and reproductive organs. In addition to three body segments, adult insects also have three pairs of jointed legs, one pair of antennae, and, usually, two pairs of wings. A hard, external skeleton covers all parts of an insect's body for the purpose of protection. This external skeleton is called the exoskeleton. Young insects molt (shed) all their exoskeletons several times before they grow to adult size. Once young insects become adults, they cannot grow any larger because their exoskeletons are formed.

Paragraphs 3 to 4:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable

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Animal Themes

Animal Themes

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Insects

Insects

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Invertebrates

Invertebrates

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Animals

Amphibians         Birds         Deserts         Fish         Freshwater         Grasslands         Insects

Invertebrates         Mammals         Oceans         Polar Regions         Rain Forest         Reptiles

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