How Bats Find Their Way in the Dark: Main Idea and Cause and Effect

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English Language Arts · English 6-8
SP-ELA68-002  ·  Free to print and use in your classroom  ·  substituteplans.com
Page 2
How Bats Find Their Way in the Dark: Main Idea
and Cause and Effect
English Language Arts · English 6-8 · Grades 7 · 50 minutes
Time needed
50 minutes (one class period)
Prep
Copy the 2-page worksheet (one per student). Write the words MAIN IDEA, DETAIL and MYTH
on the board.
Technology
None.
Student
independence
High. Students read and answer questions alone, with a short partner check.
Copies to make
One 2-page worksheet per student
Materials
Pencils, Worksheet, Whiteboard or chalkboard
Goal for today: Students will identify the main idea of an informational text, support it with evidence, and explain
cause-and-effect relationships.
Before the bell
☐ Copy the worksheet, one per student (2 pages).
☐ Write on the board: MAIN IDEA = what the whole text is mostly about. DETAIL = a fact that supports the main
idea. MYTH = something many people believe that is not true.
☐ Keep the answer key on your desk. You do not need to know anything about bats.
Say this to start
Good morning! Today you will read a short science article about how bats find their way in the dark. As you read, think
about what the whole article is mostly about, and which facts back that idea up. Then you will answer questions on
your own. If a question asks for proof, go back and find the sentence in the article.
Run of show
Minutes
What you do
What students do
0–5
Take attendance. Hand out the worksheet and read the
three board definitions aloud.
Listen and write their name on the
worksheet.
5–17
Ask students to read the article silently. Tell them to
number the four paragraphs 1 to 4 in the margin and
underline one key sentence in each.
Read and mark the key sentence in each
paragraph.
17–30
Tell students to answer questions 1–4 (multiple choice) and
5–8 (true or false) on their own.
Answer the questions, checking the article
for proof.
30–42
Tell students to complete the cause-and-effect questions
9–10 and the short answers 11–12. Walk the room.
Fill in the blanks and write full sentences
for 11 and 12.
42–47
Let partners compare answers to questions 1–8 quietly and
fix anything they want to change.
Compare answers and fix mistakes.
47–50
Collect the worksheets and stack them for the teacher.
Hand in the worksheet.


SubstitutePlans.com
English Language Arts · English 6-8
SP-ELA68-002  ·  Free to print and use in your classroom  ·  substituteplans.com
Page 3
If things go wrong
• If a student says the reading is too long, tell them to read one paragraph at a time and answer the matching
questions after each one.
• If a student is stuck on the main idea, ask them, “If you had to tell a friend about this article in one sentence,
what would you say?”
• If students use the wrong blank answer in 9 or 10, point them to the exact paragraph named in the question.
• If a student finishes in under 25 minutes, ask them to check that questions 11 and 12 are written in complete
sentences.
Early finishers
• Write three new questions about the article that a classmate could answer. Include the paragraph where the
answer is found.
• Draw a diagram on the back showing a bat’s call, the echo, and a moth.
Support and challenge
• Support: Let students read with a partner and answer only questions 1–8 and 11.
• Challenge: Ask students to write a two-sentence summary of the article without copying whole sentences.
Notes for the teacher (you fill this in)
Jot a few lines before you leave. A full Daily Sub Report is in the free Sub Survival Kit at SubstitutePlans.com.
How far the class got / what to pick up next:
Students who were especially helpful:
Anything the teacher should know: