3rd grade nonfiction passage about how cheese is made: 146 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionhow cheese is made146 words
Curds and Whey Are Cheese in the Making
Cheese starts as plain milk. To make it, a cheesemaker warms the milk in a big vat. Then she adds something that makes the milk change. Soon the milk splits into two parts. One part is soft and solid, a bit like pudding. These lumps are called curds. The other part is a thin, yellowish liquid called whey.
The cheesemaker cuts the curds into small bits. She drains off the whey. Then she presses the curds together so more whey runs out. The more whey that leaves, the harder the cheese will be.
Some cheese is eaten right away. Other cheese is left to age on shelves for weeks or even years. As it ages, its taste gets stronger. Cheese can be soft and creamy, or it can be firm enough to slice.
Whey is not always thrown out. Some farms feed it to their pigs.
Questions
What does cheese start as? in the text
What two parts does the milk split into? in the text
What are curds like? in the text
What does the cheesemaker do with the whey? in the text
What happens to the taste of cheese as it ages? in the text
Why might some farms feed whey to their pigs? think about it
Words to know
curds
the soft lumps that form when milk splits
whey
the thin liquid left after curds form
vat
a very large tub for mixing or heating liquid
age
to sit and change slowly over time
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Curds and Whey Are Cheese in the Making
3rd grade reading passage
Cheese starts as plain milk. To make it, a cheesemaker warms the milk in a big vat. Then she adds something that makes the milk change. Soon the milk splits into two parts. One part is soft and solid, a bit like pudding. These lumps are called curds. The other part is a thin, yellowish liquid called whey.
The cheesemaker cuts the curds into small bits. She drains off the whey. Then she presses the curds together so more whey runs out. The more whey that leaves, the harder the cheese will be.
Some cheese is eaten right away. Other cheese is left to age on shelves for weeks or even years. As it ages, its taste gets stronger. Cheese can be soft and creamy, or it can be firm enough to slice.
Whey is not always thrown out. Some farms feed it to their pigs.
Questions
What does cheese start as?
What two parts does the milk split into?
What are curds like?
What does the cheesemaker do with the whey?
What happens to the taste of cheese as it ages?
Why might some farms feed whey to their pigs?
Words to know
curds: the soft lumps that form when milk splits
whey: the thin liquid left after curds form
vat: a very large tub for mixing or heating liquid
age: to sit and change slowly over time
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/curds-and-whey-cheese-in-the-making
Share
One passage, three levels
The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.
● Easier · 112 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.6
Cheese starts as milk. A cheesemaker warms the milk in a big vat. Then she adds something that changes the milk. The milk splits into two parts. One part is soft lumps, like pudding. These are the curds. The other part is a thin, yellow liquid. This is the whey.
She cuts the curds into small bits. She lets the whey drain off. She presses the curds so more whey runs out. The more whey that leaves, the harder the cheese is.
Some cheese is eaten at once. Some cheese sits on shelves for weeks or years. Its taste gets stronger as it sits.
Some farms feed the whey to their pigs.
▲ This passage · 146 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.9
Cheese starts as plain milk. To make it, a cheesemaker warms the milk in a big vat. Then she adds something that makes the milk change. Soon the milk splits into two parts. One part is soft and solid, a bit like pudding. These lumps are called curds. The other part is a thin, yellowish liquid called whey.
The cheesemaker cuts the curds into small bits. She drains off the whey. Then she presses the curds together so more whey runs out. The more whey that leaves, the harder the cheese will be.
Some cheese is eaten right away. Other cheese is left to age on shelves for weeks or even years. As it ages, its taste gets stronger. Cheese can be soft and creamy, or it can be firm enough to slice.
Whey is not always thrown out. Some farms feed it to their pigs.
■ Harder · 144 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.4
Cheese begins as ordinary milk. To make it, a cheesemaker gently warms the milk in a large vat and then adds an ingredient that makes the milk change. Before long, the milk separates into two parts. One part is a soft solid, somewhat like pudding, and its lumps are known as curds. The other part is a thin, yellowish liquid called whey.
Next, the cheesemaker cuts the curds into small pieces and drains away the whey. She then presses the curds together so that even more whey is squeezed out. The more whey that leaves, the harder the finished cheese will be.
Some cheese is eaten right away, while other cheese is left to age on shelves for weeks or even years, and its flavor grows stronger as time passes. Whey is not always thrown out, because some farms feed it to their pigs.
Cheese starts as milk. A cheesemaker warms the milk in a big vat. Then she adds something that changes the milk. The milk splits into two parts. One part is soft lumps, like pudding. These are the curds. The other part is a thin, yellow liquid. This is the whey.
She cuts the curds into small bits. She lets the whey drain off. She presses the curds so more whey runs out. The more whey that leaves, the harder the cheese is.
Some cheese is eaten at once. Some cheese sits on shelves for weeks or years. Its taste gets stronger as it sits.
Some farms feed the whey to their pigs.
Questions
What does cheese start as?
What two parts does the milk split into?
What are curds like?
What does the cheesemaker do with the whey?
What happens to the taste of cheese as it sits on a shelf?
Why do some farms feed whey to their pigs?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Curds and Whey Are Cheese in the Making
Cheese starts as plain milk. To make it, a cheesemaker warms the milk in a big vat. Then she adds something that makes the milk change. Soon the milk splits into two parts. One part is soft and solid, a bit like pudding. These lumps are called curds. The other part is a thin, yellowish liquid called whey.
The cheesemaker cuts the curds into small bits. She drains off the whey. Then she presses the curds together so more whey runs out. The more whey that leaves, the harder the cheese will be.
Some cheese is eaten right away. Other cheese is left to age on shelves for weeks or even years. As it ages, its taste gets stronger. Cheese can be soft and creamy, or it can be firm enough to slice.
Whey is not always thrown out. Some farms feed it to their pigs.
Questions
What does cheese start as?
What two parts does the milk split into?
What are curds like?
What does the cheesemaker do with the whey?
What happens to the taste of cheese as it ages?
Why might some farms feed whey to their pigs?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Curds and Whey Are Cheese in the Making
Cheese begins as ordinary milk. To make it, a cheesemaker gently warms the milk in a large vat and then adds an ingredient that makes the milk change. Before long, the milk separates into two parts. One part is a soft solid, somewhat like pudding, and its lumps are known as curds. The other part is a thin, yellowish liquid called whey.
Next, the cheesemaker cuts the curds into small pieces and drains away the whey. She then presses the curds together so that even more whey is squeezed out. The more whey that leaves, the harder the finished cheese will be.
Some cheese is eaten right away, while other cheese is left to age on shelves for weeks or even years, and its flavor grows stronger as time passes. Whey is not always thrown out, because some farms feed it to their pigs.
Questions
What ordinary food does cheese begin as?
Into which two parts does the milk separate?
How are the curds described?
What does the cheesemaker do with the whey after cutting the curds?
What happens to the flavor of cheese as it ages?
Why would a farm choose to feed whey to its pigs instead of throwing it out?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Curds and Whey Are Cheese in the Making
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.6)
Milk.
Curds and whey.
Soft lumps, like pudding.
She lets it drain off.
It gets stronger.
It is still food, so it is not wasted.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.9)
Plain milk.
Curds and whey.
They are soft and solid, a bit like pudding.
She drains it off.
It gets stronger.
It is still food, so it does not go to waste.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.4)
Milk.
Curds and whey.
They are a soft solid, somewhat like pudding.
She drains it away.
It grows stronger.
It is still useful food, so nothing goes to waste.
Free at teach.peabody.kids
How to use it
Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.
Ideas for class
Before reading, put curds, whey, vat and age on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 1 minute to read aloud.
Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
Question 6 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.
What reading level is "Curds and Whey Are Cheese in the Making"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 146 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.9. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.
What do the questions ask?
There are six. 5 ask for something the text says directly and 1 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.
How long does it take to read?
About 1 minute read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.
Can I print it?
Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.
Is this passage from a published book?
No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.
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