The Life Cycle of a Frog — Passage
Frogs have an amazing life cycle that takes them from water to land. It all starts when a female frog lays her eggs in water. These eggs are tiny and covered in a jelly-like substance that protects them. After about a week, the eggs hatch into tadpoles. Tadpoles look very different from adult frogs. They have long tails to help them swim and breathe through gills like fish.
As tadpoles grow, they start to change. First, they develop back legs, then front legs. Their tails get shorter, and they begin to grow lungs. This process is called metamorphosis. It's a big word that means changing from one form to another. During this time, tadpoles start coming to the surface of the water to breathe air.
After about 12 weeks, the tadpole has fully changed into a young frog. It now has four legs, no tail, and breathes air through lungs. This young frog, called a froglet, leaves the water and moves onto land. It will continue to grow until it becomes an adult frog.
Adult frogs can live both in water and on land. They have long, strong back legs that help them jump and swim. Frogs eat insects and other small animals. When it's time to have babies, adult frogs return to the water to lay eggs, and the cycle begins again.
The frog's life cycle is a great example of how animals can change as they grow. It shows us that nature has many ways of helping animals survive in different environments.
What is the main idea of this text?
Frogs are good swimmersTadpoles eat insectsThe life cycle of a frog involves major changesAdult frogs only live on landWhich detail supports the main idea that frogs change a lot as they grow?
Frogs lay eggs in waterTadpoles have long tailsTadpoles develop legs and lose their tailsAdult frogs eat insectsWhat does the word "metamorphosis" mean in the text?
Swimming in waterLaying eggsEating insectsChanging from one form to anotherHow does the text explain the frog's ability to live in different environments?
By describing how tadpoles change into frogsBy talking about frog's dietBy mentioning frog's jumping abilityBy discussing the color of frogsAccording to the text, what happens after a tadpole fully changes into a young frog?
It leaves the water and moves onto landIt grows gillsIt lays eggsIt develops a long tailHow does the author summarize the frog's life cycle at the end of the text?
As a way to show that frogs are better than other animalsAs an example of how animals change to survive in different environmentsAs a process that only happens in waterAs something that happens very quicklyCommon core standards covered
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