How Do Desert Plants Stay Alive?

5th Grade Common Core RL.5.1 Fact text and personal diary 387 words ⏱ 40 minESL B1

A fact text about the ways desert plants survive with little water, and the diary of a hiker in the Negev.

Name: ______________________ Date: ____________

Text 1: How Do Desert Plants Stay Alive?

The Negev desert covers more than half of Israel's land. In most parts of it, very little rain falls, and the summer days are long and hot. For a plant, this is a very difficult place to live. Still, many kinds of plants grow there. How do they do it?

Some plants have very long roots. The roots of the acacia tree, for example, can go deep under the ground, where they find water that other plants cannot reach. This is why acacia trees stay green even in the dry summer.

Other plants have very small leaves, or thorns instead of leaves. Plants lose water through their leaves, so smaller leaves help them keep more water inside.

There are also plants that store water. They have thick stems or leaves that fill with water when it rains, and they use this water slowly for many weeks.

Some desert plants have a different plan: they wait. Their seeds can lie in the dry ground for years. When rain finally comes, they grow very quickly, open their flowers and make new seeds in just a few weeks. This is why, after a rainy winter, parts of the desert are suddenly covered with flowers.

Text 2: My Negev Diary

Sunday: We started our hike today near Mitzpe Ramon. The view of the Ramon Crater was amazing – a huge valley of red, yellow and black rocks. Our guide, Gil, told us that each of us must carry at least four liters of water. My bag felt so heavy! By the evening I understood why. It was very hot, and I drank almost all of it.

Monday: Last week it rained here, so we saw something I didn't expect – small purple and yellow flowers between the stones. Gil said that their seeds waited in the ground for the rain. In the afternoon we rested in the shade of an old acacia tree. It was the only green thing for kilometers.

Tuesday: We woke up at five to walk before the heat. Suddenly, three ibex appeared on the rocks above us. They looked at us calmly and then climbed away easily, as if the rocks were stairs.

Wednesday: Last day. Before the trip, I thought the desert was an empty and boring place. Now I know that it is full of life, if you know how to look.

📘 Word bank

desert: a very dry area with little rain
roots: the parts of a plant that grow under the ground
thorns: sharp points on a plant
store: to keep something for later
stems: the long parts of plants that hold the leaves and flowers
crater: a big round hole in the ground
shade: a place that is protected from the sun
ibex: wild mountain goats with long curved horns
calmly: in a quiet way, without fear

✏️ Questions

Text 1
Key details
According to paragraph 1, why is the Negev a difficult place for plants?
Key details
Why do acacia trees stay green in the dry summer?
Key details
How do small leaves help a desert plant?
Reference words
What does the word "they" in "they use this water slowly" (paragraph 4) refer to?
Main idea
What is the main idea of Text A?
Key details
Complete the sentence: After the rain, the seeds grow quickly, open their flowers and ________.
Text 2
Inference
On Sunday evening, the writer "understood why" she had to carry so much water. Why?
Key details
What surprised the writer on Monday?
Key details
Where did the group rest on Monday afternoon?
Key details
Why did the group wake up at five on Tuesday?
Word meaning
The ibex "climbed away easily, as if the rocks were stairs" (Tuesday). This shows that the ibex…
Fact, opinion & point of view
How did the writer's opinion of the desert change?
Comparing texts
On Monday, Gil said that the seeds of the flowers "waited in the ground for the rain". Which paragraph in Text A explains this? Write the paragraph number and ONE fact from it.
Comparing texts
Which plant appears in BOTH texts?

Questions

According to paragraph 1, why is the Negev a difficult place for plants?
1. It is very cold at night.
2. Very little rain falls there.
3. There is not enough sun.
4. The ground is too soft.
Why do acacia trees stay green in the dry summer?
______________________________________________________________
How do small leaves help a desert plant?
1. They help the plant grow faster.
2. They protect the plant from animals.
3. They help the plant keep more water inside.
4. They help the plant get more sun.
What does the word "they" in "they use this water slowly" (paragraph 4) refer to?
______________________________________________________________
What is the main idea of Text A?
1. Desert plants have different ways to live with little water.
2. The Negev is the biggest desert in the world.
3. Acacia trees are the most important desert plants.
4. It rains a lot in the Negev in winter.
Complete the sentence: After the rain, the seeds grow quickly, open their flowers and ________.
______________________________________________________________
On Sunday evening, the writer "understood why" she had to carry so much water. Why?
1. Her bag was too heavy.
2. The guide was angry.
3. There was a lot of water on the way.
4. It was very hot, and she drank almost all of it.
What surprised the writer on Monday?
______________________________________________________________
Where did the group rest on Monday afternoon?
1. In a cave in the crater.
2. In the shade of an old acacia tree.
3. In a hotel in Mitzpe Ramon.
4. Next to a small lake.
Why did the group wake up at five on Tuesday?
______________________________________________________________
The ibex "climbed away easily, as if the rocks were stairs" (Tuesday). This shows that the ibex…
1. were afraid of the group.
2. were tired after a long day.
3. are very good at climbing rocks.
4. live near houses with stairs.
How did the writer's opinion of the desert change?
1. She thought it was empty and boring, but now she sees it is full of life.
2. She thought it was beautiful, but now she thinks it is dangerous.
3. She thought it was too hot, but now she thinks it is cold.
4. She always loved the desert, and she still does.
On Monday, Gil said that the seeds of the flowers "waited in the ground for the rain". Which paragraph in Text A explains this? Write the paragraph number and ONE fact from it.
______________________________________________________________
Which plant appears in BOTH texts?
1. The cactus.
2. The palm tree.
3. The olive tree.
4. The acacia tree.

Answer key

b) Very little rain falls there.
Their long roots go deep under the ground and find water.
c) They help the plant keep more water inside.
The plants that store water.
a) Desert plants have different ways to live with little water.
make new seeds in just a few weeks.
d) It was very hot, and she drank almost all of it.
She saw small purple and yellow flowers between the stones.
b) In the shade of an old acacia tree.
To walk before the heat.
c) are very good at climbing rocks.
a) She thought it was empty and boring, but now she sees it is full of life.
Paragraph 5: seeds can lie in the dry ground for years and grow very quickly when rain comes.
d) The acacia tree.