Students Give Creek a Second Chance — Reading Comprehension — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the 5th Grade reading comprehension comprehension exercise.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheet5th Grade · English · Reading ComprehensionStudents Give Creek a Second Chance — Reading Comprehension — Answers
Part A: Right there in the text
Find each answer in the article.
Answer: Fifty-three.
- Athe local council
- Bthe 5th and 6th grade environment club
- CMayor Linda Tran
- DFrank Mancini
Answer: the 5th and 6th grade environment club
The article says it was "organized by the school's 5th and 6th grade environment club".
Answer: Gloves, bags and dumpsters.
- Achip bags
- Bshopping carts
- Cplastic drink bottles
- Dsoda cans
Answer: plastic drink bottles
"Plastic drink bottles were the most common item".
Answer: Once a semester.
Answer: To stop soil washing into the water.
Part B: Reading between the lines
Use evidence from the article to explain your answers.
Answer: Because the creek flows into the river and then the bay, trash left in the creek would eventually end up in the ocean. Cleaning the creek protects the sea too.
Answer: They learned that single-use plastic bottles are a big part of the problem, so they want to stop the waste at its source rather than just clean it up.
Answer: It shows the creek was once clean and full of life, and suggests the clean-up might help it return to that state.
Answer: They were too heavy and possibly dangerous for children to lift safely.
Part C: Word meanings
- Aslightly dirty
- Bcompletely blocked and full of
- Csurrounded by
- Dcleaned by
Answer: completely blocked and full of
"Choked with" means so full that it is blocked, like a throat that cannot breathe.
- Aordinary
- Bworth noticing; impressive
- Cdifficult
- Dquick
Answer: worth noticing; impressive
Remarkable means so good or unusual that it deserves a remark or comment.
Answer: Plastic that is used once and then thrown away, such as drink bottles and chip bags.
Part D: Extended response
Model answer: Have you ever walked past trash and thought someone else would deal with it? The students at Blackwood Heights decided to deal with it themselves. In just one morning, 53 students removed more than 40 bags of trash and 212 drink bottles from their local creek. Their mayor called it remarkable. If they can do it, so can you.
Success criteria:
- Opens with a hook such as a question or strong statement
- Includes at least two facts or figures from the article
- Uses persuasive language (should, must, imagine)
- Ends with a clear call to action
- Full sentences with correct punctuation
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.