READING FLUENCY

Practice Phrasing: “On the Menu”

Phrasing is how you use your voice to group words together. Use this passage to practice reading with proper phrasing. Print a copy of this passage from InsideNG.com to help you monitor your progress.

Cats arch their backs to look big and scary. Green grasshoppers blend into grass. Claws and teeth help animals fight.

These adaptations, or useful traits, are quite different. Yet they share one purpose. They all keep an animal from landing on the menu.

Camouflage helps animals hide from hungry predators. Did you know that it also helps predators hide from their prey? Why would predators need to hide? Sometimes they need help finding—and catching—dinner.

Some predators are awfully slow, and they can’t run as fast as their prey. Camouflage lets them sneak up at their own pace.

Other predators are quick but sneaky. Clever coloring helps them hide from view. They lie in wait, hoping a meal will wander by. Surprise! The predator snaps up its prey.