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THOMAS DRESSLER/ARDEA
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Which Team Would YOU Want to Join?

Meet two animal communities that really know how to live and work together. 

By Janice Behrens
From the February 2021 Issue
Lexiles: 480L
Guided Reading Level: K
DRA Level: 20-24
Vocabulary: meerkats, naked mole rats, mob, claws, burrow, colony, queen
Common Core Standards
  • RI.2.4 Vocabulary RI.2.5 Nonfiction text features RI.2.9 Compare two texts on a similar topic RI.2.10 Read grade 2- appropriate informational text SL.2 Participate in conversations about grade 2 texts L.2.4.a Use sentence-level context as a clue to a word’s meaning
TEKS Standards
  • Science
    (9) Organisms and environments. The student knows that living organisms have basic needs that must be met for them to survive within their environment. The student is expected to: (A) identify the basic needs of plants and animals (10) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms resemble their parents and have structures and processes that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to: (A) observe, record, and compare how the physical characteristics and behaviors of animals help them meet their basic needs.

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Think and Read

As you read, think about the jobs the animal teams do. How are they alike and different?

Which Team Would YOU Want to Join?

The Meerkats or The Naked Mole Rats

People aren’t the only ones who live and work together. Animals do it too. Meet two kinds of animals that work in a team—meerkats and naked mole rats. One team is cute and furry. The other team is . . . not cute and furry. Which team would you want to join?

People aren’t the only ones who live and work together. Animals do it too. Meet two kinds of animals that work in a team—meerkats and naked mole rats. One team is cute and furry. The other team is . . . not cute and furry. Which team would you want to join?

The Meerkats

ROBIN HOSKYNS/BIOSPHOTO/MINDEN PICTURES

As many as 30 meerkats can be in a mob.

Here come the meerkats! They have furry bodies and big eyes.

Meerkats live in a group called a mob. Go, Team Meerkat!

Meerkats have furry bodies. They have big eyes.

Meerkats live in a group. It is called a mob.

Home in a Hole

Meerkats live together in underground home. It’s made of tunnels in the ground. It’s called a burrow. It has different rooms for sleeping and pooping.

Meerkats live underground. Their home is made of tunnels. It’s called a burrow. It has different rooms. It has rooms for sleeping and pooping.

Dig It!

What happens when meerkats need a new tunnel? They dig it together!

The meerkats line up. Each one uses its sharp claws. The meerkat scoops the dirt and throws it back to the next meerkat. Now that’s teamwork!

What happens when meerkats need a new tunnel? They dig it together!

The meerkats line up. Each one uses its sharp claws. A meerkat scoops the dirt. It throws it back. The next meerkat scoops the dirt. It throws it back. They make a great team!

Meerkat Jobs

CHRIS BRIGNELL/FLPA/MINDEN PICTURES

Baby!

Meerkats have other jobs too. They take turns doing them.

Most of the day, meerkats are outside. They munch on tasty insects. One of the meerkats has a big job while everyone else is eating. It keeps watch. It stands tall and uses its big eyes to look for enemies, like hawks.

Meerkats also take turns caring for babies. How would you like to take a turn at that?

Meerkats have other jobs. They take turns.

Meerkats are outside most of the day. They eat insects. One meerkat keeps watch. It stands tall. It uses its big eyes to look for enemies.

Meerkats also take turns caring for babies. Would you like to take a turn at that?

The Naked Mole Rats

THOMAS PARK/UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO

 

You can see how naked mole rats got their name. They don’t have much hair. They have teeny-tiny eyes.

Naked mole rats live in a group called a colony. Go, Team Naked Mole Rat!

Naked mole rats don’t have much hair. That is how they got their name. They have teeny-tiny eyes.

Naked mole rats live in a group. It is called a colony.

Home in a Hole

Naked mole rats live together in an underground home. A naked mole rat burrow is HUGE. It can be as long as six football fields! It has sleeping rooms, bathrooms, and rooms for food.

Naked mole rats live together in a burrow. It is an underground home. The burrow is HUGE. It has sleeping rooms and bathrooms. It has rooms for food.

Dig It!

J. JARVIS/VISUALS UNLIMITED, INC.

Dig, dig! Twenty to 300 naked mole rats can be in a colony.

How do they dig such big burrows? They use their huge front teeth. One digger bites through the dirt. The other diggers kick the dirt away.

How do the mole rats dig such big burrows? They use their huge front teeth. One digger bites the dirt. The other diggers kick the dirt away.

Mole Rat Jobs

MEGHAN MURPHY/SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

All hail the queen!

Each naked mole rat has its own job. Some of the mole rats are diggers. Others are fighters. They fight enemies like snakes. Back off, snakes!

Naked mole rats even have a queen. Her job is to have babies. Some of the mole rats have the job of babysitting them.

Nice work, naked mole rats! Would you like a job with them?

Each naked mole rat has its own job. Some are diggers. Others are fighters. They fight enemies like snakes.

Naked mole rats even have a queen. Her job is to have babies. Some naked mole rats are babysitters.

Nice work! Would you like a job with them?

THINK AND WRITE

Which animal team would you want to join? Why? Write your reasons on our skills page.

THINK AND WRITE

Which animal team would you want to join? Why? Write your reasons on our skills page.

video (1)
Slideshows (1)
Activities (8)
Skills Activities
video (1)
Slideshows (1)
Activities (8) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities

More About the Article

Social Studies Focus

Communities

Science Focus

Animal cooperation; Animal adaptation

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
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Essential Question

The big question of this issue of Storyworks 2 is: What makes a community?

  • Reading and discussing “Which Team Would You Want to Join?” along with the other community-themed texts in the magazine (the Big Read, “Can Kids Change the World?” and the fiction, “The Time Capsule”) should give kids insight into the people and places that make a community.
  • Through the above genres, students will discuss: What makes a community? What does each member contribute to the community? Does everyone feel included in this community? 

1. BEFORE READING

Show "The Big Question" Video (10 minutes)

“The Big Question: What Makes a Community?"

(This video also goes with other stories in this month’s Storyworks 2.)

  • Before your students watch, ask them to think about: What makes a community?
  • Watch the video.
  • After watching, ask the question again. Write students’ ideas on chart paper.

Preview Vocabulary (5 minutes)

  • Play the online vocabulary slideshow. This article’s featured words are meerkats, naked mole rats, mob, claws, burrow, colony, and queen. 

Preview the Article and Set a Purpose for Reading (15 minutes)

  • Read the orange Think and Read question on page 19: “As you read, think about the jobs the animals do. How are they alike and different?”
  • Tell kids to think about that question as they read the article. 

2. READ THE PAIRED TEXTS (15-30 MINUTES)

  • You can read these articles aloud as a class, in small groups, or individually.
  • Point out that there is a lot to compare about these two types of creatures! Note a really important nonfiction text feature: the subheads. The subheads are the same on each side. That helps kids see how the two animal communities are alike yet also different. 

3. AFTER READING

Assessment Quiz (10 minutes)

  • Pass out the quiz to assess students’ comprehension of the article. 

ELA Focus: Compare and Contrast (15 minutes)

  • Pass out our Venn diagram to help kids compare and contrast the two animal groups.

ELA Focus: Key Details (15 minutes)

  • Share our Nosey’s Fact File skills page. Kids gather key details from the article to fill it out. They can email their facts to Nosey at nosey@ scholastic.com. They just might get an email back!

ELA Focus: Vocabulary (20 minutes)

  • Use the Word Work printable to deepen students’ understanding of the article’s vocabulary words. 

ELA Focus: Opinion Writing (20 minutes)

  • Use the “My Animal Team” printable. Kids will choose which animal team they want to join, draw a picture of it, and write their reasons. 

Enrich the Learning: Paired-Text Opportunities (time amount varies)

  • Making text-to-text connections builds knowledge and comprehension. We layer Storyworks 2 with many ways for your students to make connections.
  • Paired Texts “Can Kids Change the World?” (pages 6-11) and “The Time Capsule” (pages 24-29) 
  • These stories ask questions similar to those posed in this article: What makes a community? Does everyone feel included in a community?
  • Kids can compare the communities in the three stories using our “Community Chart” online printable. How are the communities alike, and how are they different?
  • Practice writing skills with our “What Makes a Good Community” writing page. This page is an amazing way to finish a lesson about communities. Kids can choose one of the three articles in this issue about communities, synthesize what they learned, and write what makes a good community. They’ll draw a picture of a good community to boot!

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