activity of text interpretation, aimed at students in the fifth year of elementary school, about alligators and crocodiles. Do you know how to tell them apart? No? Let's learn? Then read the interesting text! Then answer the various interpretive questions proposed!
You can download this text comprehension activity in editable Word template ready to print in PDF and also the activity with answers.
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SCHOOL: DATE:
PROF: CLASS:
NAME:
Read:
They are really very similar. Both are reptiles, carnivores, live on land and also in water, their bodies are covered by a thick leather that resembles the skin of the dinosaurs that we see in the movies, they love to stay still and are part of the group of Crocodilians. But despite so many similarities, it is not so difficult to differentiate one from the other.
A lot of people think size is the first clue. Wrong! Size is not a good way to tell these animals apart. Note: while the saltwater crocodile, the largest crocodilian in existence, reaches an incredible seven meters in length (almost the size of the goal of an official soccer field), the Amazonian caiman can reach five meters, being one of the largest species in the world. Meanwhile, the dwarf crocodile that lives in Africa rarely reaches two meters, being one of the smallest crocodilian species in existence. In other words: size is not a document in this case!
The best way to tell alligators from crocodiles is by the shape of their heads. Alligators have very wide skulls and when their mouths are closed, the jaw teeth fit into cavities along the mouth, being hidden. In crocodiles, the skull is thinner and when they have their mouths closed, the fourth tooth of the jaw is exposed – this is a good tip, huh?!
Another characteristic that differentiates these animals is the presence of a gland capable of eliminating salt from the body, which only crocodiles have. The expression “crocodile tears”, by the way, comes from this gland, although they are located on the animal's tongue and not in the eyes, as happens, for example, with some birds.
In Brazil, there are six species of caimans and most live in the Amazon. No crocodile species lives around here, but if you find one at the zoo, you'll be able to tell them apart from alligators, right?
Renato Filogonio and Marcos Eduardo Coutinho.
Magazine “Science Today for Children”. Edition 224.
Available in: .
Question 1 - In “They are really very similar.”, the authors of the text refer to:
Question 2 – Transcribe the passage that lists the similarities between alligators and crocodiles:
Question 3 – Identify the largest species of the Crocodilians group, according to the text:
( ) “the dwarf crocodile”.
( ) “the Amazonian caiman”.
( ) “the saltwater crocodile”.
Question 4 – The authors of the text reveal the best way to differentiate alligators from crocodiles. Tick this way:
( ) by size.
( ) by the shape of the head.
( ) by the presence of a gland that eliminates salt from the body.
Question 5 - In the fragment “[…] the dwarf crocodile that lives in Africa rarely reaches two meters […]”, the highlighted word indicates:
( ) place.
( ) mode.
( ) time.
Question 6 - Authors talk directly to the reader in certain segments of the text. Point to one of these segments:
( ) “[…] the teeth of the jaw fit into cavities along the mouth […]”
( ) “[…] – this is a good tip, huh?!”
( ) “The expression ‘crocodile tears’, by the way, comes from this gland [...]”
Question 7 - Read back:
“In Brazil, there are six species of alligators and most of them live in the Amazon.”
In this passage of the text, the authors cite facts about Brazilian alligators. These facts:
( ) are opposed.
( ) are added.
( ) contradict each other.
By Denyse Lage Fonseca
Graduated in Letters and specialist in distance education.