Science Stem Question Grid for Grade 4, Avenues Level E, Volume 1

Prepared by Debbie Barr for Guilford County School System ESL Department, October 2009

Student
Page
Number / Stem Question and Foils / Goals
and Objectives / Flesch Readability Score * / Correct Answer
Unit 1
If the Shoe Fits
20 / Rigo got hand-me-down clothes from his older brothers. Why didn't the clothes fit his brothers any more?
A. The clothes shrunk.
B. The brothers' bodies grew.
C. The brothers bought the wrong size when they shopped for clothes. / 4.01
textbook B6 / 108.5 / B
If the Shoe Fits
22 / Rigo did not want to put pennies in his new shoes. Pennies are made from a metal called copper. Copper is a(an)...
A. conductor
B. insulator
C. magnet / 3.06
textbook F35-36, 72 / 81.9 / A
If the Shoe Fits
26 / Rigo brushed his teeth before he went to the party. What mineral makes teeth strong?
A. zinc
B. iron
C. calcium / 2.05
textbook R37 / 94.5 / C
If the Shoe Fits
28 / Rigo's shoes caused him pain. Which of the senses sends a pain message to the brain?
A. smell
B. taste
C. touch / textbook R33 / 118.5 / C
Something to Smile About
52 / When Gary Soto worked at the tire factory, toxic fumes filled his lungs. The lungs are part of the ____ system.
A. nervous
B. respiratory
C. digestive / textbook R26 / 89.5 / B
Something to Smile About
52 / The toxic fumes that Gary breathed at work were a type of air _____.
A. pollution
B. freshener
C. pressure / textbook A58 / 97 / A
E-mails to El Paso
54-61 / What is the type of energy that lets Gary Soto send emails to kids?
A. light
B. electric
C. thermal / 3.03, 3.08
textbook F15 / 88.6 / B
E-mails to El Paso
56 / Which of the senses told Adriana that her sandals were pretty?
A. touch
B. smell
C. sight / textbook R32 / 103.9 / C
E-mails to El Paso
61 / Nicole's brother thinks that new shoes make him run fast. Gary Soto used to think that old shoes made him run fast. What nutrient is a main source of the energy that helps us run fast?
A. carbohydrates
B. fats
C. water / 4.01, 4.04
textbook R36 / 94 / A
Unit 2
Pushing Up the Sky
78 / The Snohomish people fished in the ocean. The ocean is ___ water.
A. fresh
B. salt
C. hot / textbook D6-9 / 109.8 / B
Pushing Up the Sky
78 / Fish is a very good source of ____.
A. protein
B. sugar
C. vitamins / 4.03
textbook R38 / 95.2 / A
Pushing Up the Sky
82-83 / What is another name for the sky? Choose the best answer.
A. clouds
B. heaven
C. atmosphere / textbook D64-65 / 99.5 / C
Pushing Up the Sky
88 / After they poked holes in the sky, the people could see the stars. The star that is closest to earth is ___
A. the sun
B. Mercury
C. Mars / textbook C80 / 119.3 / A
Research Star Patterns
92 / Scientists have grouped the stars into ___ constellations.
A. 59
B. 152
C. 88 / textbook C88 / 119.4 / C
Native Homes
98-117 / Around the world, people usually build homes out of natural things that are ____.
A. hard to find
B. easy to find
C. costly / 1.01
textbook / 96.2 / B
Native Homes
101 / Some native people lived in areas with poor soil and little water. How did they adapt?
A. They built permanent homes.
B. They ate less food and drank less water.
C. They became nomads. / 1.04 / 90.6 / C
Native Homes
104-106 / What was the main natural resource that was used to build longhouses?
A. trees
B. animal skins
C. mud / 1.04
textbook A56 / 96.1 / A
Native Homes
110-111 / What was NOT a natural resource that was used to build tipis?
A. trees
B. animal skins
C. mud / 1.04
textbook A56 / 91.7 / C
Native Homes
112-113 / What was the main natural resource that was used to build pueblos?
A. trees
B. animal skins
C. mud / 1.04
textbook A56 / 96.1 / C
Cloud Brothers
118-119 / The poet talks about four kinds of clouds. Which part of the water cycle does NOT involve clouds?
A. evaporation
B. condensation
C. precipitation / textbook D20-21 / 72.4 / A
Cloud Brothers
118-119 / Which of the clouds in the poem makes you think about lightening?
A. noonday clouds
B. thunder clouds
C. sunset clouds / 3.09 / 101.9 / B
Homes
124 / The words of the song talk about using stones to build ___.
A. fireplaces
B. houses
C. walls / 2.06 / 113.9 / B
Unit 3
Once Upon a Storm
131 / What kind of climate does North Carolina have?
A. cold winters and cool summers
B. warm, wet summers and mild winters
C. much rainfall with mild winters and cool summers / 1.01
textbook D84-85 / B
I Am Twister
132-133 / A twister can have an electrical discharge. It is ___.
A. lightening
B. hail
C. thunder / 3.09
textbook F72-73 / 82.5 / A
Twister
137 / Natt and Lucille see green paint. They see this color because light energy...
A. of the color green is reflected
B. of all the colors is reflected
C. of the color green is absorbed / textbook F48 / 94.1 / A
Twister
142 / What kind of energy does lightening give off?
A. light only
B. sound and light
C. light, heat, and sound / 3.08, 3.09
textbook F74 / 97 / C
Twister
142 / What is something you should NOT do if you see lightening?
A. If you are in a car, get out.
B. If you are swimming, get out of the water.
C. If you are on the telephone, end the call. / 3.09
textbook F74 / 105.9 / A
Twister
145 / Hail falls when...
A. rain stops
B. the temperature drops while rain falls
C. the temperature rises while rain falls / textbook D18-19 / 92.8 / B
Twister
146 / Natt and Lucille's mother said the storm was a twister. This is another name for a ____.
A. hurricane
B. hail storm
C. tornado / textbook D91 / 90 / C
Wind Song
166 / What causes wind?
A. uneven heating of the earth's surface
B. precipitation
C. The cause of wind is not known. / textbook D68 / 92.8 / A
The Big Storm
180 / The rain from the Pacific coast changed to snow when it got to the mountains. This is because air is ___at higher altitudes.
A. warmer
B. colder
C. stronger / textbook D86-87 / 96.9 / B
The Big Storm
185 / The place where two air masses meet is called a ____.
A. crash
B. gate
C. front / textbook D80-81 / 128.7 / C
The Big Storm
187 / Tornados can tear apart houses and shatter trees. They do so much damage because they can travel as fast as ___ an hour.
A. 200
B. 497
C. 655 / textbook D91 / 108.6 / B
The Big Storm
192 / Which of these does NOT affect the climate of the United States?
A. bodies of water
B. being near the equator
C. mountains / textbook D86-87 / 99.2 / B
The Big Storm
192 / What happens when water particles absorb heat energy?
A. Ice and snow melt.
B. Ice and snow freeze harder.
C. Hail begins to fall. / textbook D19 / 90.6 / A
Unit 4
The Secret Footprints
211 / Where do seashells come from?
A. flatworms
B. sponges
C. mollusks / textbook B16-20 / 96.9 / C
The Secret Footprints
217 / From under the water, Guapa thought the sun looked like starfish. Starfish are ____.
A. echinoderms
B. mollusks
C. arthropods / textbook B20 / 85 / A
The Secret Footprints
217 / Birds lived on the island. Birds are NOT____.
A. warm-blooded
B. vertebrates
C. cold-blooded / textbook B28 / 95.7 / C
The Secret Footprints
225 / Guapa asked the boy for water. The human body is about ___ percent water.
A. 50
B. 62
C. 90 / textbook R38 / 114.6 / B
The Secret Footprints
230 / Wet clothes get dry when they hang on a line because water____.
A. evaporates.
B. condenses
C. freezes / textbook D16-17 / 91 / A
Ocean Creatures
238 / Camouflage helps some fish to ____.
A. sleep
B. have fun
C. survive / 1.03
textbook B66 / 106.6 / C
Hello, Fish!
242 / All creatures that have backbones are ______.
A. fish
B. vertebrates
C. mammals / textbook B8 / 93.6 / B
Hello, Fish!
243 / Coral skeletons pile up and form a ___ for fish and sea creatures.
A. graveyard
B. trap
C. habitat / 1.01
textbook B24 / 87.2 / C
Hello, Fish!
247 / Slimy goo helps the clown fish ____.
A. find food
B. stay safe
C. reproduce / 1.03 / 113.6 / B
Hello, Fish!
248 / The rainbow scorpionfish is protected by its ___.
A. color
B. teeth
C. size / 1.03 / 101.3 / A
Hello, Fish!
249 / The stargazer fish has ___ that hides it from bigger and smaller fish.
A. a plan
B. a shield
C. camouflage / 1.03 / 101.9 / C
Hello, Fish!
250, 252 / The frogfish and the stingray both...
A. look like sponges
B. blend in with their ocean environment
C. make good pets / 1.02, 1.03 / 97.8 / B
Hello, Fish!
254 / If people kill too many sharks they could become____.
A. abundant
B. shy
C. extinct / 1.01
textbook A34 / 84.5 / C
Make a Food Chain
260 / Which is NOT part of a food chain?
A. producer
B. composer
C. consumer / 1.01, 1.03 / 83.1 / B

*The Flesch Readability Score is a number from 0 to 100. The higher the number, the easier the text is to read.

• Scores between 90.0 and 100.0 are considered easily understandable by an average 5th grader.

• Scores between 60.0 and 70.0 are considered easily understood by 8th and 9th graders.

• Scores between 0.0 and 30.0 are considered easily understood by college graduates.

Key:

90-100: Very Easy

80-89: Easy

70-79: Fairly Easy

60-69: Standard

50-59: Fairly Difficult

30-49: Difficult

0-29: Very Confusing

Target range for this project: a score greater than 95.

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