a girl holding her hands up next to her ear and sitting next to a rabbit
Shutterstock.com
Paired Texts,

Amazing Ears

Learn about nonstop hearing machines and some of the longest ears in the world.

By Eric Ode and Tricia Culligan
From the September 2022 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will compare and contrast information from two articles about the ears of humans and rabbits.

Complexity Factors
  • Purpose & Levels of Meaning
  • Structure
    Each text consists of four brief informational sections. The first text opens with an anecdote.
  • Language
    The articles contain a few challenging words, such as funnel, communicate, and predators. The second text contains two rhetorical questions.
  • Knowledge Demands
    No prior knowledge is required. Some familiarity with rabbits will aid comprehension.
Lexiles: 500L, 600L
Guided Reading Level: N
DRA Level: 28-30
Featured Skill: Compare and Contrast,
Other Key Skills: compare and contrast, vocabulary, text features, main idea, sequencing, key details, summarizing, connecting to the text, narrative writing
Standards
  • Common Core
    RI.1, RI.2, RI.3, RI.4, RI.5, RI.6, RI.7, RI.9, W.3, SL.1, L.1
  • TEKS Grade 3
    1a, 1c, 3a, 3b, 6a, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6g, 6h, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7f, 7g, 9d, 10c, 12a

Presentation View
See Student View

Story Navigation

Lexile® measure

  • On Level
  • Easier Level
Download and Print
Easier Level
Think and Read: Connecting the Texts

As you read, think about the topics of both texts and how they are connected.

Your Ears

Learn about nonstop hearing machines and some of the longest ears in the world. 

You have two ears for a reason.

You have two ears for a reason.

©Sophie Jacopin/SCIENCE SOURCE 

You’re walking to school when you hear a loud honk!  You turn to your left and see a car coming straight toward you. You jump out of the way. Your ears just saved your life!

The world around you is filled with sounds. Having an ear on either side of your head helps your brain figure out where these sounds are coming from. 

You’re walking to school. You hear a loud honk! and turn to your left. You see a car coming straight toward you. You jump out of the way. Your ears just saved your life! 

The world around you is full of sounds. You have one ear on each side of your head. This helps your brain figure out where these sounds are coming from. 

They’re bigger than you think.

They’re bigger than you think.

Shutterstock.com 

Take a look at one of your ears in the mirror. The bendy bit sticking out of your head is just one part of your ear. There are two other parts inside your head! Your outer ear acts like a funnel, guiding sounds to your middle ear and then to your inner ear.

Take a look in the mirror. Check out one of your ears. See the bendy bit sticking out of your head? That’s just one part of your ear. There are two other parts inside your head! Your outer ear acts like a funnel. It guides sounds to your middle ear and then to your inner ear.

They are always listening. 

They are always listening. 

Shutterstock.com

Loud noises can harm your ears. Keep the volume down to keep your ears safe.

Your ears have no off switch. Even when you are sleeping, your ears are busy listening. Luckily, your brain knows how to ignore most sounds. So you can rest even if your ears don’t!

Your ears have no off switch. They’re listening even while you sleep. Luckily, your brain can ignore most sounds. You can rest even if your ears don’t!

That gross stuff is important. 

That gross stuff is important. 

That sticky yellow goo inside your ears is called earwax. It’s a combination of oil, sweat, and dead skin. Yuck! This gross gunk helps your ears stay clean though. It traps dust and dirt and keeps them from entering—and damaging—your ears. 

That sticky yellow goo inside your ears is called earwax. It’s made of oil, sweat, and dead skin. Yuck! But this gross goo helps your ears stay clean. It traps dust and dirt and keeps them from getting inside your ears—and damaging them.

A Rabbit's Ears 

StockPhotosArt—Animals/Alamy Stock Photo (Bunny 2); Shutterstock.com (All Other Images)

A rabbit’s ears are crazy long.

A rabbit’s ears are crazy long.

Imagine that your ears hang down below your waist. Now imagine your ears stick up as tall as baseball bats. That’s how long some rabbits’ ears can be! Like humans, rabbits have three parts to their ears. But their outer ears stick out way more than ours—plus, they have fur! 

Imagine that your ears hang down below your waist. Now imagine your ears are as tall as baseball bats. That’s how long some rabbits’ ears can be! Like humans, rabbits have three parts to their ears. But their outer ears stick out way more than ours. Plus, they have fur! 

They send secret messages.

They send secret messages.

StockPhotosArt—Animals/Alamy Stock Photo

How do you know how a rabbit is feeling? Watch its ears! Rabbits use their ears to communicate. If a rabbit is feeling curious, its ears will point forward. If it’s alert, its ears will stick straight up. And if a rabbit is relaxed? Its ears will lie flat along its back.

If you want to know how a rabbit is feeling, just look at its ears! Rabbits use their ears to communicate. If a rabbit feels curious, its ears point forward. If it’s alert, its ears stick straight up. And if a rabbit is relaxed? Its ears lie flat along its back.

They twist and turn.

They twist and turn.

Turn your head from side to side. Now imagine turning your ears like that! Rabbits can twist each ear to face in almost any direction. They use this trick to stay cool. On a hot day, rabbits turn their ears to catch a breeze.

Turn your head from side to side. Now imagine turning your ears like that! Rabbits can twist each ear in almost any direction. They use this trick to stay cool. On a hot day, rabbits turn their ears to feel a cool breeze.

They help rabbits stay safe.

They help rabbits stay safe.

A rabbit’s world can be dangerous. Predators are often hunting for a tasty rabbit snack. Rabbits turn their ears to find the exact spot where a hungry wolf or coyote might be hiding. They can hear noises almost 2 miles away! 

A rabbit’s world can be dangerous. Predators are often looking for a tasty rabbit snack. Rabbits turn their ears to find the exact spot where a hungry wolf or coyote might be hiding. They can hear noises almost 2 miles away!

THINK AND WRITE

Imagine you wake up with a rabbit’s ears. Using details from both texts, write a journal entry about how your new rabbit ears are different from your human ears.

THINK AND WRITE

Imagine you wake up with a rabbit’s ears. Using details from both texts, write a journal entry about how your new rabbit ears are different from your human ears.

video (1)
Slideshows (1)
Audio ()
Activities (7)
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
video (1)
Slideshows (1)
Audio ()
Activities (7) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
Can't-Miss Teaching Extras

Keep your students’ working on their compare and contrast skills with the paired texts feature “Wild Tongues” from our September 2021 issue. Ask students: What kind of animal tongue would they think it would be fun to have for a day? Why?

Our paired texts feature from October/November 2020 explores another fascinating pair of animals. “The Biggest and Smallest Birds in the World” is filled with interesting facts about the ostrich and the bee hummingbird.

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Table of Contents

1. Preparing to Read

2. Close Reading

3. Skill Building and Writing

4. Differentiate and Customize

Striving Readers, Multilingual Learners, Advanced Readers

1. Preparing to Read

Set a Purpose for Reading/Preview Text Features/Build Background Knowledge

  • Instruct students to study the title, subtitle, and illustration on pages 16-17. Ask them to describe the illustration and predict what the story will be about. Review the predictions after reading.
  • Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box on page 16 and the Think and Write box on page 19.

Introduce Vocabulary

  • Show or assign the Vocabulary Slideshow to preview challenging words. Then assign the Vocabulary Skill Builder before or after reading.

2. Close Reading

  • Read the story as a class or have students follow along as they listen to the Read-Aloud. 
  • Project or assign the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions. (Alternatively, use all or part of the Learning Journey Slide Deck.)

Close-Reading Questions

  • Read the first section of “Your Ears.” How does having an ear on either side of our head help us stay safe in a noisy world? (main idea) Having an ear on either side of our head helps our brains figure out which direction sounds are coming from. Knowing where sounds are coming from helps us stay safe. For example, we can figure out what direction a car is moving and get out of the way.
  • Read “They’re bigger than you think.” Look at the diagram of a human ear. How do the parts of the ear work together to help us hear? (text features, sequencing) First, the outer ear guides sounds to our middle ear inside our head. Then, the sounds enter our inner ear.
  • Read “That gross stuff is important.” Do you think this is a good title for the section? Explain your answer. (interpreting text, text features, expressing an opinion) Sample answer: I think “That gross stuff is important” is a good title because the section describes earwax in a way that makes it sound gross. The section also tells why earwax is important for protecting our ears. Also, it’s an interesting title that makes me want to read the section.
  • Read  “They send secret messages.” How can you tell if a rabbit is feeling curious or alert? (key details) You can tell how a rabbit feels by looking at its ears. If a rabbit feels curious, its ears will point forward. If a rabbit feels alert, its ears stick straight up.
  • Read the last two sections of “A Rabbit’s Ears.” Why is it useful for rabbits to be able to twist their ears in different directions? (summarizing) On hot days, rabbits turn their ears to feel a breeze. This helps them stay cool in the summer. This ability also helps rabbits find exactly where an enemy is hiding.

Critical-Thinking Questions 

  • Based on the paired texts, what is one way that human ears and rabbit ears are the same and one way they are different? (compare and contrast) Answers may vary. Possible answers include: Both humans and rabbits have an ear on either side of their head; rabbit and human ears have three parts. Unlike humans, rabbits can twist each ear to face in almost any direction; rabbit ears have fur on them.
  • If you could change one thing about your ears so they would be more like rabbit ears, what would it be? Use details from the paired texts in your answer. (connecting to the text) Answers may vary. Students might say they would like to hear noises almost 2 miles away the way rabbits can. Or they might like to twist each ear to face in almost any direction.

3. Skill Building and Writing

Featured Skill: Compare and Contrast

  • Distribute or digitally assign the Compare and Contrast Skill Builder.  
  • Ask students to write a response to the prompt in the Think and Write box on page 19. 

Differentiate and Customize
For Striving Readers

Have students read the lower-Lexile version of the articles. As they read, students should look for and highlight the ways in which human ears and rabbit ears are similar and different. After, work with students to complete the Compare and Contrast Skill Builder as a group. Tip: When students read the articles online in Presentation View, they can use the highlighter tool to mark the text.

For Multilingual Learners

Before having students read the articles, go over the bolded vocabulary words and review any figurative language that your students might not know (for example, honk!, no off switch, yuck!, gross gunk, crazy long). Show the vocabulary slideshow to reinforce the meanings of the bolded vocabulary. Invite students to share how the exclamations honk! and yuck! are expressed in other languages they know.

For Advanced Readers

Challenge students to write a more extensive response to the Think and Write prompt on page 19. Instead of writing a single journal entry, students can write a longer story about their first day with rabbit ears.

Text-to-Speech