Harcourt Journeys: Story Selection Copyright © 2011 Tiffany Thayer.

Harcourt Journeys: Story Selection

Copyright © 2011 Tiffany Thayer

Unit 3: Lesson 14“The Life and Times of the

Ant”


Turn your Text Book to page 352.


2

1

Why do you think the author wrote about ants?


Answer

Answer:To inform readers about how

important ants are and what they do for the earth.


According to the timeline, which creature has lived on Earth the longest? Why do you think the author includes a timeline?

Answer


Answer:Ants have lived on Earth the longest.

To help readers “see” how long ants have existed compared to dinosaurs and humans.


3

What makes ants social animals?

Answer


Answer:They live and work together

and solves their problems.


4

6

5

What are the main reasons that ants construct their homes underground?

Answer


Answer: for shelter from the weather,

to create a safe place for the queen to lay eggs, and to store food.


How does the transfer of heat make and anthill warmer than the area around it?

Answer


Answer:As the sun beats on an

anthill, it absorbs the heat and transfers it down to the nest.


What are some positive effects of building a nest beneath a rock or log?

Answer


Answer:The nest is protected and

stays warm.


8

7

How are the ants’ lives similar and different from peoples’ lives?

Answer


Answer:Different: Ants work their entire

lives, people do not.Similar: Animals perform some

of the same jobs people do, both work together to solve problems.


What main ideas do the details provide in “A Life of Work” support?

Answer


Answer: The life of an ant colony is a

very busy place; ants work throughout their lives to support the colony.


9

Why do you think younger ants tend the queen and dig tunnels?

Answer


Answer:These jobs help them bond and

they are hard workers.


10

11

What do the ants “highways” tell you about the distances some ants have to travel to get food?

Answer


Answer:

The distance to their food sources may be very great.


How do harvester ants help wildflower plants grow in new places?

Answer


Answer:The ants collect wildflower

seeds and bring them back to the anthill. The seeds they don’t eat grow into new plants near the anthill.


12

What information in the text does the chart help to explain? How?

Answer


Answer:The text says that Harlow

Shapley tested ants’ speeds at different temperatures, and the chart details his findings.


13

How would you summarize the main idea of “A Dangerous World”?

Answer


Answer:The world can be a dangerous

place for ants because they have so many predators.


14

What details explain how a giant anteater is specialized to eat ants?

Answer


Answer:Its tongue, mouth and snout help it

finds and trap ants and termites; its claws help it dig into the nest; its tail helps it sweep up ants; and its hair and stomach help protect it and digest the ants.


16

15

How do leafcutter ants help Earth?

Answer


Answer:As fungus from leaves

decomposes, it releases nutrients that helps new plants grow.


How do the illustrations and captions show what leafcutter ants do?

Answer


Answer:They help explain what happens in

each step on the ants’ work.


Projectable 14.3


Projectable 14.4


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Harcourt Journeys: Story Selection Copyright © 2011 Tiffany Thayer.

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