Skill : Reading Texts
Grasshopper
Grasshoppers can be found in gardens, fields, forests, and on crops in almost all climates
worldwide. It’s an herbivore, which means it only eats plants. It comes in various sizes. Smallest
grasshoppers are only 0.5 inches long. Larger species can grow up to 5 inches in length. Females
are longer than males.
Like all insects, the grasshopper has six legs, a head, thorax, and an abdomen. It also has an
exoskeleton, which is a hard outer surface that protects its softer insides. They have two pairs of
wings. The back wings are larger, while the front wings are small and fairly hard. It can walk,
hop great distances, and even fly. Grasshoppers have five eyes and no ears, but can still hear with
a special organ on its abdomen called a tympanal organ.
All grasshoppers hatch from eggs, and as they grow, they go through incomplete metamorphosis.
This means that each stage looks a lot like the adult, but adds a few changes each time the
young grasshopper sheds its skin. Grasshoppers usually shed 5 or 6 times. After the last shedding,
they are adults and can reproduce. Most grasshoppers also get wings when they are adults. The
front legs of grasshopper are much shorter than its hind legs. They are used for walking and
feeding. Its large, hind legs are used for hopping and making music. The grasshoppers produce
songs by rubbing their hind legs with wings. Songs are used to attract female grasshoppers.
Directions: Answer the questions below based on the article about grasshoppers.
1. Explain the term ‘herbivore’. ______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Larger species of grasshoppers can grow up to ______________________ in length.
3. Grasshoppers have eight legs. true or false
© Copyright 2014: http://www.biglearners.com. All rights reserved. / CCSS.RF.3.4.A - Reading : Foundational Skill
_________________________________________________________________________
Skill : Reading Texts
Grasshopper
4. What is the special organ on their abdomen called? What is the role of that organ?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5. How many times do grasshoppers shed their skin? __________________________________
6. How many pair of wings do grasshoppers have? __________________________________
7. Match each vocabulary word to its definition:
______ 1. hind a. hard, external skeleton (covering) that supports and protects an animal's body.
______ 2. exoskeleton b. the process of an insect or amphibian maturing into adult form.
______ 3. metamorphosis c. Located at or forming the back or rear.
8. Most grasshoppers get their wings when they are ___________________________.
9. How and why do grasshoppers produce sounds? ___________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
© Copyright 2014: http://www.biglearners.com. All rights reserved. / CCSS.RF.3.4.A - Reading : Foundational Skill
Skill : Reading Texts
Answer Key
1. Explain the term ‘herbivore’. an animal that feeds on grass and other plants.
2. Larger species of grasshoppers can grow up to 5 inches in length.
3. Grasshoppers have eight legs. false
4. What is the special organ on their abdomen called? What is the role of that organ?
The special organ on grasshoppers’ abdomen is called a tympanal organ, which help them hear.
5. How many times do grasshoppers shed their skin? Grasshoppers usually shed 5 or 6 times.
6. How many pair of wings do grasshoppers have? They have two pairs of wings.
7. Match each vocabulary word to its definition:
c 1. hind a. hard, external skeleton (covering) that supports and protects an animal's body.
a 2. exoskeleton b. the process of an insect or amphibian maturing into adult form.
b 3. metamorphosis c. Located at or forming the back or rear.
8. Most grasshoppers get their wings when they are adults.
9. How and why do grasshoppers produce sounds? Grasshoppers produce sounds by rubbing
their hind legs with wings. They produce the music / sounds to attract the female grasshoppers.
© Copyright 2014: http://www.biglearners.com. All rights reserved. / CCSS.RF.3.4.A - Reading : Foundational Skill
