{"product_id":"coral-reefs-reading-mystery-worksheets-grades-3-6-ocean-ecosystems-bleaching","title":"Coral Reefs | Reading Mystery Worksheets | Grades 3–6 | Ocean Ecosystems \u0026 Bleaching","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOn Friday the tank was gold and brown and green; this morning every colony in it is bone white\u003c\/strong\u003e — and working out why means understanding what a coral actually is. Students read a nonfiction passage on reefs, answer fifteen comprehension questions from the text, and cross a suspect off the line-up with every correct answer. Printable, self-checking and no prep, it drops straight into an ocean, ecosystems or marine science unit for \u003cstrong\u003eGrades 3–6\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eQuick Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSkill:\u003c\/strong\u003e Nonfiction comprehension, text evidence and science content knowledge · \u003cstrong\u003eGrades:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3–6 · \u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e One case — two-page informational passage, 15 multiple-choice questions, written response and full answer keys (printable PDF, color and black-and-white) · \u003cstrong\u003eTheme:\u003c\/strong\u003e Coral Reefs\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Case\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Blue Harbor Aquarium has spent two years growing the reef in its biggest tank. Staff call it the reef room, and the coral in it came from fragments raised in the aquarium's own nursery. On Friday it was gold and brown and green. This morning every colony in that tank is bone white. Nothing is missing and nothing is broken — the coral is all still there, and it is not the same coral. Something in that room was changed overnight, and the change is still doing its work. There are sixteen suspects, and the clues are hidden inside the facts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat the Passage Covers\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat a reef is not a rock and not a plant but millions of animals living side by side, each smaller than a pencil eraser. What a polyp is — the soft tube-shaped body, the mouth, the ring of stinging tentacles that reach out at night, and the hard calcium carbonate cup it builds around itself. Then the algae that live inside the polyp and give a reef its color, what happens when the water warms, why bleaching turns a reef white, and why reefs matter to the ocean and to people.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eHow the Reading Mystery Works\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStudents take on the role of Reading Detectives. They read the passage, answer each multiple-choice question from the text, and cross off the suspect shown beneath the correct answer. Work through all fifteen and the final name remaining is the culprit — the science is not decoration around the puzzle, it is how the puzzle is solved.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat's Included\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA \"You are a detective\" case-file page that sets the scene and the mission\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA two-page nonfiction passage on coral polyps, reef ecosystems and bleaching\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThree pages of multiple-choice comprehension questions, every answer found in the text\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA sixteen-suspect line-up page for eliminating names one clue at a time\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWritten-response pages with sample answers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA themed word search and extension activities for early finishers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSelf-checking answer keys for every page\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFull color and ink-saving black-and-white versions\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTeacher instructions and print-and-go PDF format\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSkills Covered\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReading and understanding nonfiction informational text\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFinding and citing text evidence\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMain idea, supporting details and cause and effect in science writing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCoral polyps, reef ecosystems, symbiosis and coral bleaching\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eScience vocabulary in context\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLogical reasoning and deductive elimination as suspects are ruled out\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eBest Used For\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOcean, marine life and ecosystems units\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEarth science, conservation and climate lessons\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNonfiction comprehension practice\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReading and science centers, early finishers and sub plans\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSmall groups, intervention and homeschool\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReview and test prep for Grades 3–6\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eMore From This Line\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBrowse every \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/reading-mysteries\"\u003eReading Mystery\u003c\/a\u003e, or pair it with \u003ca href=\"\/products\/constitution-day-reading-mystery-worksheets-grades-4-6-branches-of-government\"\u003eConstitution Day\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/floods-reading-mystery-worksheets-grades-3-6-extreme-weather\"\u003eFloods\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kiwiland Education","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":62265385681266,"sku":"17500593","price":4.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0909\/2848\/0626\/files\/coral-reefs-reading-comprehension-passages-questions-nonfiction-science-mystery.jpg?v=1788154958","url":"https:\/\/kiwilandeducation.com\/products\/coral-reefs-reading-mystery-worksheets-grades-3-6-ocean-ecosystems-bleaching","provider":"Kiwiland Education","version":"1.0","type":"link"}