Unit 4: The World of Ants
Target Vocabulary
ants • queen • bees • eggs • worker • farm
All About Ants
Ants are very busy insects. They live together in large groups called colonies. Just like bees, ants have a very important leader called the queen. The queen ant has a special job. Her job is to lay eggs. All the other ants in the group have to work for her. These helpful ants are called worker ants.
Did you know that ants are very strong? They can carry food that is much heavier than their own bodies. When you see an ant walking on the sidewalk, it is probably a worker looking for food to bring back to the nest.
How Ants Grow
Ants go through amazing changes as they grow. This is a little more advanced than just hatching from an egg! An ant starts life as a tiny egg.When the egg hatches, it becomes a larva, which looks like a little worm. Then it turns into a pupa. Finally, it grows into an adult ant. This whole process is called a life cycle. It takes teamwork to raise the young ants. The worker ants feed the babies and keep the nest clean.
Some people like to watch ants work. They keep them in a special clear container called an ant farm. In an ant farm, you can see the ants digging tunnels andcarrying crumbs.
Reading Comprehension
A. The worker
B. The queen
C. The bee
A. They both live in ponds.
B. They both have a queen.
C. They both swim well.
Word Endings
Add -s to the word to make it mean “more than one”.
1.one egg -> two __________
2. one ant -> many __________
3. one worker -> three __________
Follow the Trail
Target Vocabulary
smell • trail • bite • sting
Finding Food
Have you ever seen a line of ants walking in a row? They are following a trail. When a worker ant finds food, it needs to tell the other ants where to go. It uses smell to mark the path. The ant presses its body against the ground and leaves a special scent. Other ants use their antennae to smell this trail. They follow the smell straight to the delicious snack!
Staying Safe
Ants are small,but they can protect themselves. Some ants will bite if they are scared. Others can sting. They do this to stay safe from enemies. Most of the time, ants just want to do their jobs. They want to work hard and help the colony.
Vowel Sounds
Say the words below. Circle the word that has the same vowel sound as the picture word.
1. ant (short a):
A. ate B. pan C. car
2. smell (short e):
A. bell B. seal C. me
3. bite (long i):
A. bit B. kite C. sit
Grammar: Antonyms (Opposites)
Read the sentences. Choose the word that is the opposite of the underlined word.
1. The ant bite can hurt. (Safe / Pain)
2. Theworker ants are busy. (Fast / Lazy)
3. The queen is big. (Small / Large)
4. It is safe to watch the ants. (Dangerous / Good)
Ants in Rhyme
Rhyming Time
Poets often write about nature. Let’s write a poem about ants! Remember, rhyming words have the same ending sound. Words like bee and see rhyme. Words like ant and plant rhyme.
Find the Rhyme
Draw a line to match the words that rhyme.
- 1. trail
- 2. sting
- 3. nest
- 4. bite
- A. ring
- B. kite
- C. snail
- D. best
The Ant Farm
If you want to see how ants live, you can get an ant farm. An ant farm is a special box with clear sides. You fill it with sand. Then you put the ants inside. You can watch them work! They are very busy. They dig tunnels and move the sand around. They eat the food yougive them. It is fun to watch them build their home.
Ant Farm Quiz
1. What goes inside an ant farm?
O Water O Sand O Milk
2. What do the ants dig?
O Tunnels O Pools O Trees
3. Which word from the text means “moving quickly and working hard”?
O Sleepy O Busy O Still
Word Endings Practice
Add -ing to the action words to show what the ants are doing right now.
1. The ants are ________ (work).
2. The queen is ________ (rest).
3. They are ________ (eat) a snack.
Unit 4: Ants
1. Match the Meaning
Choose the correct word for each definition.
- 1. The mother ant.
- 2. An insect that makes honey.
- 3. Baby ants come from these.
- 4. A path that ants follow.
- 5. To hurt with a stinger.
- 6. Use your nose to do this.
- 7. An ant that does work.
- 8. A place to grow things.
2. Complete the Sentences
Fill in the gap with a target word: ants, queen, bees, trail, sting, smell, eggs, farm.
- 1. The lays the eggs.
- 2. We saw a long of ants on the ground.
- 3. can fly and make honey.
- 4. Be careful! That bug can you.
- 5. are very strong insects.
- 6. I can the sweet flower.
- 7. The queen lays many .
- 8. We made an ant in class.
3. Rhyme Time
Find the word that rhymes with the target word.
- 1. Bee rhymes with…
- 2. Ant rhymes with…
- 3. Egg rhymes with…
- 4. Sting rhymes with…
- 5. Bite rhymes with…
- 6. Trail rhymes with…
- 7. Smell rhymes with…
- 8. Farm rhymes with…
4. One or Many? (Plurals)
Write the correct plural form (add ‘s’).
- 1. One ant. Two .
- 2. One egg. Many .
- 3. One bee. Three .
- 4. One farm. Two .
- 5. One trail. Many .
- 6. One queen. Two .
- 7. One worker. Five .
- 8. One sting. Two .
5. Opposites (Antonyms)
Choose the word that means the opposite.
- 1. Ants are small. Elephants are…
- 2. Worker ants work. They do not…
- 3. The ant goes up the tree. Then it goes…
- 4. The rock is hard. The pillow is…
- 5. The ants go in. The ants go…
- 6. Day is bright. Night is…
- 7. Stop looking. Go…
- 8. My shoes are wet. My socks are…
6. Vowel Sounds
Pick the word with the SAME vowel sound.
- 1. Ant (short a).
- 2. Bee (long e).
- 3. Egg (short e).
- 4. Bite (long i).
- 5. Smell (short e).
- 6. Farm (ar sound).
- 7. Sting (short i).
- 8. Trail (long a).
7. What are they doing? (-ing)
Add -ing to the action word.
- 1. The worker is (work) .
- 2. The bee is (fly) .
- 3. The ant is (eat) .
- 4. The queen is (sleep) .
- 5. They are (go) home.
- 6. The bug is (look) for food.
- 7. He is (walk) on the trail.
- 8. The ant is (help) his friend.
8. Make a Sentence
Put the words in the correct order.
- 1. small / Ants / are ->
Ants are small. - 2. eggs / lays / queen / The
- 3. hard / work / Ants
- 4. trail / a / make / They
- 5. sting / Bees / can
- 6. smell / can / food / You
- 7. fly / Can / ants ?
- 8. big / is / farm / The
9. Odd One Out
Which word does NOT belong?
- 1. Ant, Bee, Spider, Dog
- 2. Walk, Run, Fly, Book
- 3. Egg, Larva, Pupa, Pizza
- 4. Smell, See, Hear, Trail
- 5. Red, Black, Green, Farm
- 6. Trail, Path, Road, Apple
- 7. Bite, Sting, Hurt, Happy
- 8. Queen, Worker, King, Egg
10. True or False?
Read the sentences. Are they True or False?
“There are many kinds of ants. Most ants are small. Some ants are red, green, or black. Ants are very strong. They help each other.”
- 1. There are many kinds of ants.
- 2. All ants are big.
- 3. Ants can be green.
- 4. Ants are weak.
- 5. Ants help each other.
- 6. Some ants are black.
- 7. Most ants are small.
- 8. Ants live alone.
