Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources Reading Comprehension Worksheets Animal Themes Insects Invertebrates

Metamorphosis of Insects Animal Themes

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Metamorphosis of Insects
Print Metamorphosis of Insects Reading Comprehension with Sixth Grade Work

Print Metamorphosis of Insects Reading Comprehension


Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 6 to 8
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	8.04

Vocabulary

challenging words:

functional, undergo, exoskeletons, exoskeleton, metamorphosis, external, natural, produce, fully, final, stage, however, appearance, form, process, incomplete

Other Languages
     Spanish: La Metamorfosis de los Insectos

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Metamorphosis of Insects

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¹     Insects are cold-blooded animals with three pairs of legs. They have three segments in their bodies (head, thorax, and abdomen). Most insects have two pairs of wings. A hard, external skeleton covers an insect's body to protect it from its predators. This natural shield is called an exoskeleton. Beetles, butterflies, ladybugs, and grasshoppers are all insects.
 
²     Adult insects may look quite different from their childhood appearance. That is because insects go through a stage called metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is a change of body form, appearance, and, sometimes, even diet. All insects undergo one of the two types of metamorphosis - complete or incomplete.
 
³     Butterflies experience complete metamorphosis. After hatching from eggs, caterpillars look very different from their beautiful butterfly parents! Caterpillars always have a good appetite - they spend most of their time chewing leaves. As they keep eating and growing, their skin becomes too tight! So they shed their skin to reveal a new, soft one beneath with extra space inside for growing. The process of shedding their skin is called molting. Caterpillars molt several time until they grow to their full size. Then, caterpillars produce a pupa, also called chrysalis, and seal themselves inside. Inside the pupa the whole body is reorganized, and a butterfly emerges. Ladybugs, bees, ants, flies, and moths all go through complete metamorphosis.

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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Insects

Insects

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Invertebrates

Invertebrates

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More Lessons

Butterflies and Moths Theme

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Animals

Amphibians         Birds         Deserts         Fish         Freshwater         Grasslands         Insects

Invertebrates         Mammals         Oceans         Polar Regions         Rain Forest         Reptiles

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