Question

flocabulary
name
date
cockroaches
people dont think too highly of cockroaches. theres something about their long antennae and quick movements that makes them easy to dismiss. yet unlike spiders, wasps, or ticks, most roaches are not a threat to people. so why do we hate cockroaches so much?
it could be because there are so many of them. the number of cockroaches in the world is constantly increasing, because they reproduce very quickly. there are about 3,500 different kinds of cockroaches in the world. the only place cockroaches are not found is at the north or south pole!
we could hate cockroaches because they are hard to kill. some types of roaches are able to resist poisons that are made to kill them. they also move quickly: some adult cockroaches can run up to three miles per hour. although this might not sound very fast, consider this: if cockroaches were the same size as lions, they would be able to run at 30 miles per hour!
it could be because we know they will probably outlast us. cockroaches have survived for 320 million years. that is much older than humans. it is even older than dinosaurs! cockroaches have existed long before dinosaurs were around until dinosaurs went extinct, all the way up until today!
but none of these reasons really explains why most people hate cockroaches. most people hate them because they just look creepy! the next time you feel this way, keep in mind that it could be worse. most cockroaches in america are less than one inch long. one type of cockroach found in borneo grows to more than four inches long! now thats creepy!

(left page has vocabulary at top, and lines with labels: who, what, where, when, why, and summary it in 3 - 5 sentences with more lines.)

Explanation:

To summarize the text about cockroaches: People dislike cockroaches, though most aren't harmful. Reasons include their large numbers (1,500 species, widespread), difficulty to kill (pesticide resistance, speed), and the "creepy" factor. They've survived 320 million years, longer than dinosaurs.

Answer:

People generally dislike cockroaches (even though most aren’t harmful) for several reasons: they are extremely numerous (with 1,500 species and widespread distribution, absent only at the poles), hard to kill (resistant to pesticides and fast - moving, with some adults able to run up to three miles per hour, or 30 miles per hour relative to their size), and many find them “creepy.” Additionally, cockroaches are ancient survivors, having existed for 320 million years (longer than dinosaurs).