Turtle Life Cycle — Reading Comprehension
Grades
1
2
3
Standards
RI.2.1
RI.3.2
PRINT+DIGITAL RESOURCE
This learning resource is available in interactive and printable formats. The interactive worksshet can be played online and assigned to students. The Printable PDF version can be downloaded and printed for completion by hand.
Perfect For:
👩‍🏫 Teachers
- • Reading comprehension practice
- • Auto-graded assessments
- • Literacy skill development
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Parents
- • Reading practice at home
- • Comprehension improvement
- • Educational reading time
🏠Homeschoolers
- • Reading curriculum support
- • Independent reading practice
- • Progress monitoring
Reading Features:
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Reading Passage
Engaging fiction or nonfiction text
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Comprehension Quiz
Auto-graded questions
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Instant Feedback
Immediate results and scoring
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Printable Version
Download for offline reading
About This Reader
The life cycle of a turtle is a remarkable journey that begins in a carefully prepared nest. Female turtles, driven by ancient instincts, return to land to lay their eggs in sandy or soil nests. These nests, often located in the same areas where the mothers themselves hatched, protect the developing embryos. After an incubation period that can last from 45 to 90 days, depending on the species and environmental conditions, tiny hatchlings emerge. These newborns face immediate challenges as they make their way to water or suitable land habitats, avoiding numerous predators. As young turtles grow, they undergo significant changes in size and sometimes in diet and habitat preferences. Their shells harden and grow along with their bodies, providing increasing protection. Turtles typically reach sexual maturity between 5 to 35 years, depending on the species. Adults may live for several decades, with some species known to surpass 100 years. The cycle continues as mature females return to nesting sites, guided by an innate sense of geography and magnetoreception, to lay their own eggs and ensure the continuation of their species.
Turtles have an interesting life cycle. It starts when a mother turtle lays eggs in a nest she digs in the sand or soil. After about two months, baby turtles called hatchlings break out of their eggs. They dig their way out of the nest and head towards their new home in water or on land. As they grow, their shells get bigger and harder. Young turtles eat a lot to grow strong. Adult turtles can live for many years.
When they are old enough, female turtles return to land to lay their own eggs, starting the cycle again.
Where do mother turtles lay their eggs?
In treesIn the waterIn a nest in sand or soilOn leavesWhat are baby turtles called?
TadpolesHatchlingsFledglingsLarvaeWhat happens to a turtle's shell as it grows?
It gets smallerIt falls offIt gets bigger and harderIt turns into skinWhat do young turtles do to grow strong?
Sleep a lotEat a lotSwim fastClimb treesCommon Core Standards Covered
RI.2.1
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
RI.3.2
Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.
Grade Levels:
Grade 1Grade 2Grade 3
Subjects:
elareadingscience
