3rd grade nonfiction passage about seed bank worker: 146 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionseed bank worker146 words
The Keeper of the Seed Vault
Imagine a library where nothing is a book. Instead, the shelves hold seeds. This place is called a seed bank. A seed keeper takes care of it.
Why save seeds? A farm may lose a crop to bad weather. A plant may grow in only a few places and become rare. If seeds are saved, people can plant them again someday.
The keeper has many jobs. She collects seeds from plants. She dries them, because damp seeds can rot. Then she seals them in small packets and writes a label on each one. The label tells the plant's name and where the seeds came from.
The packets go into a cold room. Cold and dry air help seeds stay alive for a long time.
Now and then, the keeper plants a few seeds to test them. If they sprout, she knows the rest are still good.
Questions
What do the shelves in a seed bank hold? in the text
Why does the keeper dry the seeds? in the text
What does the label on a packet tell? in the text
What kind of room are the packets kept in? in the text
Why does the keeper plant a few seeds now and then? think about it
How could a seed bank help if a plant became rare? think about it
Words to know
seed bank
a place that saves seeds so they can be planted later
crop
plants that farmers grow for food
rare
not easy to find because there are very few
sprout
to start to grow from a seed
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
The Keeper of the Seed Vault
3rd grade reading passage
Imagine a library where nothing is a book. Instead, the shelves hold seeds. This place is called a seed bank. A seed keeper takes care of it.
Why save seeds? A farm may lose a crop to bad weather. A plant may grow in only a few places and become rare. If seeds are saved, people can plant them again someday.
The keeper has many jobs. She collects seeds from plants. She dries them, because damp seeds can rot. Then she seals them in small packets and writes a label on each one. The label tells the plant's name and where the seeds came from.
The packets go into a cold room. Cold and dry air help seeds stay alive for a long time.
Now and then, the keeper plants a few seeds to test them. If they sprout, she knows the rest are still good.
Questions
What do the shelves in a seed bank hold?
Why does the keeper dry the seeds?
What does the label on a packet tell?
What kind of room are the packets kept in?
Why does the keeper plant a few seeds now and then?
How could a seed bank help if a plant became rare?
Words to know
seed bank: a place that saves seeds so they can be planted later
crop: plants that farmers grow for food
rare: not easy to find because there are very few
sprout: to start to grow from a seed
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/keeper-of-the-seed-vault
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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 · 122 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1
Picture a library with no books. The shelves hold seeds. This place is a seed bank. A seed keeper cares for it.
Why save seeds? A farm may lose a crop in bad weather. A plant may become rare. If seeds are saved, people can plant them again.
The keeper has many jobs. She gathers seeds from plants. She dries them, because damp seeds can rot. Then she seals them in small packets. Each packet has a label. The label tells the plant's name and where the seeds came from.
The packets go in a cold room. Cold, dry air helps seeds stay alive.
Sometimes the keeper plants a few seeds as a test. If they sprout, the rest are still good.
▲ This passage · 146 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.7
Imagine a library where nothing is a book. Instead, the shelves hold seeds. This place is called a seed bank. A seed keeper takes care of it.
Why save seeds? A farm may lose a crop to bad weather. A plant may grow in only a few places and become rare. If seeds are saved, people can plant them again someday.
The keeper has many jobs. She collects seeds from plants. She dries them, because damp seeds can rot. Then she seals them in small packets and writes a label on each one. The label tells the plant's name and where the seeds came from.
The packets go into a cold room. Cold and dry air help seeds stay alive for a long time.
Now and then, the keeper plants a few seeds to test them. If they sprout, she knows the rest are still good.
■ Harder · 167 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.5
Imagine a library in which nothing on the shelves is a book. Instead, the shelves hold thousands of tiny seeds. This kind of place is called a seed bank, and a seed keeper looks after it.
Why bother to save seeds? A farm can lose a crop to bad weather, and a plant that grows in only a few places may become rare. If seeds have been saved, people will be able to plant them again someday.
The keeper has many responsibilities. She gathers seeds from plants and dries them thoroughly, since damp seeds can rot. Then she seals them in small packets and writes a label on each one, which tells the plant's name and the place where the seeds came from.
The packets are stored in a cold room, because cold and dry air help seeds stay alive for a long time.
Every so often, the keeper plants a few seeds to test them. If they sprout, she knows that the rest are still good.
Picture a library with no books. The shelves hold seeds. This place is a seed bank. A seed keeper cares for it.
Why save seeds? A farm may lose a crop in bad weather. A plant may become rare. If seeds are saved, people can plant them again.
The keeper has many jobs. She gathers seeds from plants. She dries them, because damp seeds can rot. Then she seals them in small packets. Each packet has a label. The label tells the plant's name and where the seeds came from.
The packets go in a cold room. Cold, dry air helps seeds stay alive.
Sometimes the keeper plants a few seeds as a test. If they sprout, the rest are still good.
Questions
What do the shelves in a seed bank hold?
Why does the keeper dry the seeds?
What does the label tell?
What kind of room do the packets go in?
Why does the keeper plant a few seeds sometimes?
How could a seed bank help if a plant became rare?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
The Keeper of the Seed Vault
Imagine a library where nothing is a book. Instead, the shelves hold seeds. This place is called a seed bank. A seed keeper takes care of it.
Why save seeds? A farm may lose a crop to bad weather. A plant may grow in only a few places and become rare. If seeds are saved, people can plant them again someday.
The keeper has many jobs. She collects seeds from plants. She dries them, because damp seeds can rot. Then she seals them in small packets and writes a label on each one. The label tells the plant's name and where the seeds came from.
The packets go into a cold room. Cold and dry air help seeds stay alive for a long time.
Now and then, the keeper plants a few seeds to test them. If they sprout, she knows the rest are still good.
Questions
What do the shelves in a seed bank hold?
Why does the keeper dry the seeds?
What does the label on a packet tell?
What kind of room are the packets kept in?
Why does the keeper plant a few seeds now and then?
How could a seed bank help if a plant became rare?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
The Keeper of the Seed Vault
Imagine a library in which nothing on the shelves is a book. Instead, the shelves hold thousands of tiny seeds. This kind of place is called a seed bank, and a seed keeper looks after it.
Why bother to save seeds? A farm can lose a crop to bad weather, and a plant that grows in only a few places may become rare. If seeds have been saved, people will be able to plant them again someday.
The keeper has many responsibilities. She gathers seeds from plants and dries them thoroughly, since damp seeds can rot. Then she seals them in small packets and writes a label on each one, which tells the plant's name and the place where the seeds came from.
The packets are stored in a cold room, because cold and dry air help seeds stay alive for a long time.
Every so often, the keeper plants a few seeds to test them. If they sprout, she knows that the rest are still good.
Questions
What do the shelves in a seed bank hold?
Why does the keeper dry the seeds thoroughly?
What does the label on each packet tell?
What kind of room are the packets stored in?
Why does the keeper plant a few seeds every so often?
How could a seed bank help if a plant became rare?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: The Keeper of the Seed Vault
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1)
Seeds.
Damp seeds can rot.
The plant's name and where the seeds came from.
A cold room.
As a test. If they sprout, the rest are still good.
People could plant the saved seeds again.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.7)
Seeds.
Damp seeds can rot.
The plant's name and where the seeds came from.
A cold room.
To test them. If they sprout, the rest are still good.
People could plant the saved seeds again.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.5)
Thousands of tiny seeds.
Damp seeds can rot.
The plant's name and the place the seeds came from.
A cold room.
To test them. If they sprout, the rest are still good.
People could plant the saved seeds again.
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 seed bank, crop, rare and sprout 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 5 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 "The Keeper of the Seed Vault"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 146 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.7. 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. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 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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