8th grade reading challenge

Encourage your child to read the text below and answer the three short questions independently. Observe if they can complete the reading in about 2 minutes. The key is for them to use their knowledge of letter sounds to sound out the words. Ensure your child isn’t guessing the words based on pictures, context, or just recognizing the first letter.

BULLIES IN NATURE

form of bullying occurs in nature that may be more difficult to end than bullying on playgrounds. Native species in an ecosystem can be harmed or even eliminated when a nonnative species of plants or animals comes into it. The invasive species is typically hearty and reproduces quickly. Further, since the invasive species is new to the ecosystem, no natural predators are there to stop it. The invasive species can change the ecosystem to the point where some native species can't survive. A single zebra mussel is the size of a human fingernail. It's hard to believe that these tiny creatures have caused great damage in the Great Lakes. Zebra mussels arrived there in the water tanks of ships from eastern Europe. Zebra mussels spread quickly, since females can produce as many as a million eggs a year. Few types of fish in the Great Lakes have the specialized teeth and jaws to break the hard shells of these mussels. Without predators, zebra mussels quickly consumed the available plankton. Other plankton-eating species have to find new food or move to a new lake to survive, which most species cannot do.

Another invasive species, Asian longhorn beetles, came to the U.S. in the wood chips that protect products in shipping containers from Asia. Once in the U.S., the Asian longhorn beetles attacked trees. Their larvae eat the soft bark of trees, using up the nutrients needed by the rest of the trees. Adult longhorn beetles leave trees by breaking through the bark, which leaves huge holes in the bark. Few trees survive an infestation of Asian longhorn beetles. Mussels in the water tanks of ships or beetles in the wood chips of packing boxes can go undetected. But, once nonnative species invade an ecosystem, it can be hard to eliminate them. Government agencies work hard to prevent invasive species from entering ecosystems. Once damage from invasive species is recognized, scientists work on finding solutions. Prevention of and solutions for invasive species are essential because humans and animals depend on the food, water, and clean air of ecosystems.