T H E O C TO P U S

SCIENTISTS AND THE

C A M O U F L A G E D O C TO P U S  
 OBJECTIVES

Monitor understanding and clarify confusing

words in the text.
Examine the key features of narrative
nonfiction and video.
Identify text structures related to sequence.
 PAGE 101

What evidence suggests that

an octopus might be close by? 
 PAGE 101

a hole in the middle of some

dead coral and an empty shell.
 PAGE 101

Why is it hard for the

scientists to tell what the
octopus will look like?  
 PAGE 101

Octopuses do not all look the

same, and camouflage can also
change their appearance or make
them invisible.
 PAGE 103

How could information from

scientists’ studies of octopuses
change our world 
 PAGE 103
People are using information from
scientists’ studies of octopuses to develop
“soft” robots, and copying the octopuses’
anatomy may lead to new ways of
manipulating objects using suction cups.
 PAGE 104

How do the features of an

octopus help it solve the problem
of eating prey with thick shells?  
 PAGE 104
An octopus can use its suckers to pop open the
shell; use its beak to chip at the shell; use its
radula to drill a hole in the shell; or use acid to
dissolve the calcium in the shell, followed by an
injection of venom that paralyzes the prey and
begins dissolving the meal.
 PAGE 105

What evidence in paragraph 23

proves that an octopus can get a
meal efficiently and neatly?
 PAGE 105

The scientist found an orange claw

and the intact shell of a crab. The
octopus stacked them neatly on top of
a clam shell.
 PAGES 100~105

What’s the key idea on pages

100 to 105?
 PAGES 100~105

A group of researchers is looking in

the South Pacific for the difficult- to-
find Pacific day octopus, which lives
in holes and can change its colors.
 PAGE 106

How does the information about

the scientists add to your overall
understanding of the text?
 PAGE 106

The information lists the jobs of the

scientists, which helps the reader understand
the professional background through which
each scientist develops theories.
 PAGE 107

What is the text structure of

paragraphs 26–27?
 PAGE 107

problem and solution.

 PAGE 107

 What problem is identified?

 PAGE 107

These scientists don’t know what

the Pacific day octopus eats, and
why, and they have different theories.
 PAGE 107

What solution is identified?

 PAGE 107

If the scientists can identify the

correct theory, it will help them
discover whether or not octopus
populations are in danger.
 PAGE 108

How can the photo clarify what

you learned about an octopus’s
features?
 PAGE 108

It can blend into its

environment; it has long arms and
a melon-size body.
 PAGE 109

After reading pages 107 and 109, can you

recall the different ideas that Jennifer,
David, and Tatiana want to prove with this
study? Reread and look for details you
might have missed. 
 PAGE 109
They all want to find out what the Pacific day octopus
eats, and why. Jennifer wants to find out about the
octopuses’ personalities and food choices, David wants
to find out if the octopuses prefer a certain kind of prey,
and Tatiana wants to find out how an octopus’s
environment influences its diet.
 PAGES 106~109

What’s the key idea on pages

106~109? 
 PAGES 106~109

The researchers on this trip find evidence

to prove their theories about octopus
behavior.
 PAGE 111

How does the photograph help you

better understand how the octopus
blends into its surroundings?
 PAGE 111

The photograph shows that the

octopus is a similar color to the coral
and has bumps and spots that help it
blend in.
 PAGE 112

Do you understand what Godfrey-Smith

means when he says “It is as if each arm has
a mind of its own” in paragraph 46? Reread
that paragraph, and look for details that
help you clarify your understanding.
 PAGE 112
I learned that octopuses have neurons in their arms like
people have in their brains, which help octopuses
transmit signals to and from the brain. This helps me
understand that Godfrey-Smith is using the common
phrase “mind of its own” in reference to the "brain
power" in the arms of the octopus.
 PAGE 113

After reading paragraph 50, what is

a possible conclusion you can make
about the ability of an octopus to solve
problems? Use evidence from the text.
 PAGE 113
I can conclude that the ability of an
octopus to solve problems is based on
intelligence. The text says that octopuses
vary in their intelligence. So, I can conclude
that different octopuses may solve the same
problem in different ways.
 PAGES 110~113

What’s the key idea on pages

110~113?
 PAGE 113
The researchers find octopuses and mark
their locations. The author explains theories
and evidence of octopus intelligence.
 PAGE 114

How did your understanding of

octopuses change as you watched the
video?
 PAGE 114

I was surprised at how quickly and

smoothly the octopus moved and changed
colors. The video gave visual examples that
support the ideas and facts about octopuses
from the text.
 PAGE 115

1. Reread pages 102–105. Do you

think octopus research is important?
Cite evidence from the text to support
your opinion.
 PAGE 115
Yes. One reason is that we can learn more about
life in oceans and factors affecting sea life. Another
reason is that studying octopuses leads to new
developments, such as the example in the text about
scientists who are developing "soft" robots that
mimic the octopus. 
 PAGE 115

2. Reread pages 112–113. Why do

scientists say octopuses are “smart”?
Give an example.
 PAGE 115

Scientists have discovered that octopuses

have neurons in their arms as well as their
brains. The text describes experiments in
which octopuses could recognize people’s
faces and figure out how to open latched
containers. 
 PAGE 115

How does the video help deepen your

understanding of what you learned in
the text? Cite a detail to support your
response.
 PAGE 115

The video visually represents facts and details that are in

the text and makes them easier to understand, such as how
an octopus can camouflage itself, making it difficult for
scientists to find it; how an octopus uses its arms; how it
hunts and eats its prey; the environment in which it lives;
what an octopus looks like; and how it moves.