Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.

Unit: Mushrooms & Fungi

🍄 What are mushrooms?

Discover the hidden world of fungi with simple facts from nature experts.

🍎 For Teachers (12 Minutes)

Use this 12-minute reading unit to practice reading for facts and who says them. Have learners read the short article aloud, then complete the 8 self-checking questions and review the evidence notes.

⭐ For Learners

First, read the short passage and check the vocabulary cards below to learn the key words. Next, answer the 8 exercises from easy to hard to check your understanding.

📘

What are mushrooms?

The US National Park Service says that mushrooms are not plants. They are fungi because they do not make their own food. Nature Alberta says fungi need food from other living things, like animals.

Nature Alberta says a mushroom is the fruiting body of a fungus, like an apple on a tree. The US National Park Service says the visible mushroom is just the fruit. Both say it sends out tiny spores to make new fungi.

Nature Alberta says most of a fungus grows hidden in soil as a network of thin tubes. The US National Park Service says the biggest part is underground.

A clear educational diagram showing a mushroom standing above the soil labeled fruiting body, with a vast underground ne

The hidden network of a fungus beneath the soil.

💡 Key Vocabulary

fungus (noun)

A kind of living thing that is not a plant or animal. A mushroom is part of a fungus.

fungi (noun)

More than one fungus (plural form of fungus).

spores (noun)

Tiny parts that mushrooms send out into the air to grow new fungi.

fruiting body (noun)

The part of a fungus that grows above ground and carries spores.

network (noun)

A group of thin tubes or lines connected together underground.

✏️ Practice Exercises (1-8)

Answer all questions based on the text above.

Q1 True / False

1. Mushrooms are plants because they make their own food.

____ True ____ False

Q2 True / False

2. Fungi need food from other living things, just like animals do.

____ True ____ False

Q3 Multiple Choice

3. What does Nature Alberta compare a mushroom to?

____ a. A leaf on a flower ____ b. An apple on a tree ____ c. A root in the soil ____ d. A seed in the ground

Q4 Multiple Choice

4. What do mushrooms send out to create new fungi?

____ a. Green leaves ____ b. Water drops ____ c. Tiny spores ____ d. Small seeds

Q5 Matching Vocabulary

5. Match each word to its correct simple definition:

Word

Tiny parts for new fungi

Connected thin tubes

Plural word for fungus

1. fungi

____Tiny parts for new fungi ____Connected thin tubes ____Plural word for fungus

2. spores

____Tiny parts for new fungi ____Connected thin tubes ____Plural word for fungus

3. network

____Tiny parts for new fungi ____Connected thin tubes ____Plural word for fungus

Q6 Matching Source Statements

6. Match each statement to the group that said it:

Fact Statement

US National Park Service

Nature Alberta

1. A mushroom is like an apple on a tree

____US National Park Service ____Nature Alberta

2. Mushrooms are not plants

____US National Park Service ____Nature Alberta

3. The biggest part of many fungi is underground

____US National Park Service ____Nature Alberta

Q7 Short Answer

7. Where does the US National Park Service say the biggest part of a fungus is?

Type your answer in the box below (use words from the text):

____

Q8 Short Answer

8. Nature Alberta says most of a fungus grows hidden in soil. What is it like?

Complete the answer: "a network of ___ ___"

____

Reading: Mushrooms and Fungi

🍄 What are mushrooms?

🍎 For Teachers (12 Minutes)

⭐ For Learners

What are mushrooms?

💡 Key Vocabulary

✏️ Practice Exercises (1-8)

Related lessons

Grammar: Question Tags

IELTS Speaking: Mushrooms and Fungi

Vocabulary and Pronunciation: Mushrooms and Fungi

Writing Skills: Mushrooms and Fungi

Reading: Online Shopping Advertisements

Reading: Weekend Community Centre Classes