A clear see-through frog
Pete Oxford/Minden Pictures
Grammar,

This Frog Is See-Through

And it’s kind of amazing.

From the May 2022 Issue
Featured Skill: Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics,
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    L.3
  • Grade 6
    L.6.3
  • Grade 7
    L.7.3
  • Grade 8
    L.8.3
TEKS Standards
  • Grades 6, 7, 8
    2b, 10c, 10d (ix)

Presentation View
See Student View

Directions

Read the blurbs below. Determine which word is correct in each bolded word pair.

Hint

Subject-Verb Agreement

For a singular noun, use a singular verb: The pencil is sharp. 

For a plural noun, or for two or more nouns connected by “and,” use a plural verb: The pencils are sharp. Jana and Jordy love baking.

Pete Oxford/Minden Pictures

What If . . . ?

What if you could see through your skin? Just imagine! You could watch your heart beat and your lungs breathe. You could watch the sandwich you ate for lunch travels/travel to your stomach. 

If this idea grosses/gross you out, it’s probably a good thing you’re not a glass frog. 

Unusual Skin

Pete Oxford/Minden Pictures

Much of a glass frog’s body is/are see-through. In fact, the skin on the frogs’ bellies can be almost as clear as—you guessed it—glass. Scientists believe that the frogs’ unusual skin makes it harder for predators to spot them. 

Most glass frogs lives/live in rainforests throughout Central and South America. You’d have a tough time spotting one, though. These amphibians is/are tiny—about the size of a quarter.

David Shale/NPL/Minden Pictures

Watch This!

Glass frogs is/are just one of many see-through creatures. Glasswing butterflies have clear wings. Some kinds of eels is/are transparent. And then there is/are ghost shrimp. 

Colonies of ghost shrimp lives/live in lakes across the Southeastern U.S. Many people keep them in home fish tanks. Thanks to the shrimps’ see-through bodies, you can watch the food they’ve eaten being digested. Who wouldn’t want to watch that? 

This article was originally published in the May 2022 issue.

Activities (2)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Activities (2)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

1. INTRODUCE AND PRACTICE GRAMMAR SKILL

  • As a class, read Grammar’s HINT (found in the upper right corner of the second page) to introduce or review the grammar skill addressed in the feature. Then read the annotations, which model the correct usage.
  • Have students practice the grammar skill by completing the activity as a class, in groups, or individually. In the activity, students choose which of the verb forms to use at several points within three short boxes of text.

2. REINFORCE SKILL

  • Use the “Subject-Verb Agreement” activity.
  • Have students observe the subject-verb agreements in context by searching for examples in the magazine or in other reading material.

EDITOR’S TIP

Challenge students to come up with their own “subject-verb agreement” sentences. Have them trade their sentences with a partner. We’d love your suggestions for future grammar activities.

E-mail us at [email protected].

Text-to-Speech