BRAINY BEASTS
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Printed in the USA
Portions of dictionary content used with permission of Merriam-Webster ©2025. A-Print
ISBN 979-8-89417-017-6
Word Ladder
Get to the top of the ladder! Start at the bottom. Write a new word to match each hint.
6. Most squids have 2 of this body part Take away the digraph Add a consonant
5. The part of your face below your mouth Change the first 2 consonants
4. Another word for smile Take away the 2 vowels Add a vowel
3. The color of grass Take away the consonant Add 3 consonants
2. What you do with your eyes
Take away the last consonant Change 1 vowel
1. What you sit on Add a consonant to the end
Start here.
Phonics Focus
Underline the word with an r-controlled vowel. Write the word and circle its pattern. A long arm grabs the crab
1. The octopus and squid are some of the smartest animals
2. “Be careful, a whale or shark is close by!”
3. It has brain cells in its arms!
4. Squid use their 2 long tentacles to catch prey and bring it closer
5. It can make a shelter to hide
6. It creeps past a large rock
What new words with this pattern could you write?
Which r-controlled patterns make the same sound? Circle 3. ar ir or ur er
Suffix Search
Can you find words with suffixes in the book?
Write each example you find. Underline the base word and circle the suffix.
Write 3 sentences using words with suffixes from the chart. Circle the suffixes.
Word Build
Whisper each word. Write the 2 syllables that make up each word.
Some words have two consonants between the vowels. You divide the word between the two consonants.
signal = sig + nal
often = + 2. attack = +
3. pigment = + 4. hidden = +
cannot = +
1.
Choose 2 words from the list. Use each word in a sentence.
bottom
blanket
happen =
Find a Feature
Find an example of each text feature in the book. Write the page number where you found it.
Text Feature Checklist
Text Feature
contents diagram
photo illustration
caption Page Number no page number
Choose 1 text feature from the checklist. Write to tell how it helps you understand the book.
Who Am I? Pick an octopus or a squid. Fill in the hints about your animal.
Hints
1. My body shape is
2. My suckers are
3. My eyes are on the of my head 4. I swim by
5. I have fins
Read the hints to a friend. Can they guess if you are an octopus or a squid?
Draw a picture of your animal in the box.
Prepare to Discuss
Jot notes to prepare for a discussion with other readers. Is “monsters of the deep” a fair nickname for the octopus?
What about for the squid?
Jot your big ideas here.
Draw a picture to remind you of your ideas.
Jot notes from the book to support your ideas.
Prepare to Write
Add notes to the Venn diagram to compare and contrast the octopus and squid.
Octopus
• round body
Both
• body made of muscles
Squid
• long, tube-like body
Journal Prompt
Are the octopus and squid more alike or different? Use your notes from Prepare to Write to help you make a choice. Then write your opinion below.
I think the octopus and squid are more alike / different (circle one) because
Journal Prompt
Glossary
Draw or write a sentence about each content word. Use the extra blank rows to add more words from the book.
complex (adj.)
not easy to understand or explain
ocean (n.)
the salt water that covers much of Earth’s surface
octopus (n.)
a sea animal that has a soft body and eight long arms
Fluency Practice
Practice reading aloud this part of the book. Perform for a family member or friend.
Deeper in the ocean, clouds of fish swirl in the dark
On their right is a flash of white So the fish swim left
On their left is another flash! So the fish swim down
Below, beasts wait
It is a frenzy! The fish try to get away The beasts herd the fish back together When the hunt is over, the beasts swim down into the deep
Who are these beasts? They have 8 arms like an octopus, but they are not the same (pages 4–6)
