Ideas and Support - Exit Ticket

In an argumentative text, an author states a claim. The author provides facts or examples to prove the claim is true. Sometimes an author includes an opinion.

• True

• False

The opinion tells what the author thinks or feels about a subject, but the opinion cannot be proved true. No facts or examples are included to back up the opinion.

• True

• False

Reread paragraphs 5 and 6 on page 177 in Bug Bites to answer the questions.

What claim does the author make?

• Not many people eat bugs daily.

• Ten thousand years ago, before they learned to farm, our ancestors found food by hunting and gathering.

• More than half the people on earth eat bugs daily.

What facts or examples does the author provide to support this claim?

• More than 1,500 bugs are somebody’s snack. Crickets and termites are popular; ant tacos are sold in Mexico; canned baby bees are sold in Japan; silkworm larvae are sold in Thailand; people in Mozambique call grasshoppers “flying shrimp.”

• The author does not provide any facts or examples to support this claim.

• So when it comes to eating, people mostly stick with food they’re used to.

Reread page 180 to answer the questions.

How does the author support his opinion?

• The author says people will always be squeamish about eating insects.

• The author writes about bug appreciation programs and using bugs during space travel.

• The author does not support his opinion.

What readers do you think the author had in mind when writing this text? Why do you think so?

• Readers are most likely cafeteria staff because the section mentions that one day school lunches may include grasshopper kabobs and caterpillar fritters.

• Readers are most likely aliens because the section mentions long space journeys.

• Readers are most likely kids because the “Future Food” section mentions “kids today” and “school lunches”; the illustration shows a kid eating a larvae sandwich.