Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources Reading Comprehension Worksheets Animal Themes Polar Regions

Polar Regions Animal Themes

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Polar Regions
Print Polar Regions Reading Comprehension with Sixth Grade Work

Print Polar Regions Reading Comprehension


Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 6 to 8
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	6.91

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		standing, rasp, accumulation, icy-cold, tragedy, resurface, although, relatively, death, region, weapon, lower, biome, trapped, attack, supply
	content words:		South Poles, North Pole, Arctic Ocean, North America, South Pole

Other Languages
     Spanish: Las Regiones Polares

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Polar Regions

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¹     Although the Earth's polar regions are far away from each other, they have one thing in common. They are freezing cold! Covered by snow and ice almost all year round, these two regions around the North and South Poles make up the world's coldest biome. The North Pole is encircled by the Arctic Ocean and three continents - Europe, Asia, and North America. We call this region the Arctic. There is no ocean around the South Pole. Instead, it is on an isolated continent called Antarctica. Do you know which polar region is colder? Well, Antarctica is colder. That's because it has a higher elevation. Indeed, no other place in the world can beat Antarctica's record low temperature of -126 degrees Fahrenheit!
 
²     Both polar regions have temperatures below the freezing point (32 degrees Fahrenheit) most of the year. Both of them are too cold for most animals to live there. Animals that live there need to find ways to fight off the cold and to search for food buried deep under snow and ice. In the Arctic, they must also be able to camouflage themselves so they don't become the next meal of a polar bear!
 
³     Large mammals that live in polar regions have a thick layer of yellowish fat under their skin called blubber. Walruses, whales, seals, penguins, and polar bears all have blubber. It is their secret weapon, so they can stay warm and swim in icy-cold water. For animals that don't have blubber, they have other means to keep them from freezing to death. Antarctica ice fish have antifreeze chemicals in their blood. Puffins have waterproof feathers. And reindeer have densely packed fur coats.

Paragraphs 4 to 5:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable

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Animal Themes

Animal Themes

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Polar Regions

Polar Regions

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Animals

Amphibians         Birds         Deserts         Fish         Freshwater         Grasslands         Insects

Invertebrates         Mammals         Oceans         Polar Regions         Rain Forest         Reptiles

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