3rd grade nonfiction passage about apple pollination: 141 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionapple pollination141 words
Many Apple Trees Need a Partner
An apple tree grows blossoms in spring. But a blossom will not always turn into an apple. Many kinds of apple trees need pollen from a different kind of apple tree. Pollen is a fine yellow dust made inside flowers.
Here is how it works. A bee lands on a blossom to look for nectar. Pollen sticks to her fuzzy body. She flies to a blossom on a nearby tree of another kind, and some pollen rubs off. This is called pollination. After that, the blossom can grow into a fruit with seeds inside.
So orchard growers plant different kinds of apple trees close together, such as a row of red apples next to a row of green. Some growers even bring in beehives during blossom time. More bees mean more blossoms get pollen, and that means more apples at harvest.
Questions
When does an apple tree grow blossoms? in the text
What is pollen? in the text
How does pollen get from one tree to another? in the text
What is it called when pollen rubs off on another blossom? in the text
What do some growers bring in during blossom time? in the text
Why might an orchard with only one kind of apple tree have few apples? think about it
Words to know
blossom
a flower on a fruit tree
pollen
a fine dust that flowers need to make seeds
orchard
a field where fruit trees are grown
pollination
moving pollen from one flower to another
harvest
the time when ripe crops are picked
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Many Apple Trees Need a Partner
3rd grade reading passage
An apple tree grows blossoms in spring. But a blossom will not always turn into an apple. Many kinds of apple trees need pollen from a different kind of apple tree. Pollen is a fine yellow dust made inside flowers.
Here is how it works. A bee lands on a blossom to look for nectar. Pollen sticks to her fuzzy body. She flies to a blossom on a nearby tree of another kind, and some pollen rubs off. This is called pollination. After that, the blossom can grow into a fruit with seeds inside.
So orchard growers plant different kinds of apple trees close together, such as a row of red apples next to a row of green. Some growers even bring in beehives during blossom time. More bees mean more blossoms get pollen, and that means more apples at harvest.
Questions
When does an apple tree grow blossoms?
What is pollen?
How does pollen get from one tree to another?
What is it called when pollen rubs off on another blossom?
What do some growers bring in during blossom time?
Why might an orchard with only one kind of apple tree have few apples?
Words to know
blossom: a flower on a fruit tree
pollen: a fine dust that flowers need to make seeds
orchard: a field where fruit trees are grown
pollination: moving pollen from one flower to another
harvest: the time when ripe crops are picked
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/many-apple-trees-need-a-partner
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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 · 116 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.1
An apple tree grows blossoms in spring. But a blossom does not always turn into an apple. Many apple trees need pollen from a different kind of apple tree. Pollen is a fine yellow dust made in flowers.
Here is how it works. A bee lands on a blossom to look for nectar. Pollen sticks to her fuzzy body. She flies to a blossom on a tree of another kind. Some pollen rubs off. This is pollination. Now the blossom can grow into a fruit with seeds.
So growers plant different kinds of apple trees close by. Some growers bring in beehives in spring. More bees mean more pollen moves. That means more apples at harvest.
▲ This passage · 141 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.6
An apple tree grows blossoms in spring. But a blossom will not always turn into an apple. Many kinds of apple trees need pollen from a different kind of apple tree. Pollen is a fine yellow dust made inside flowers.
Here is how it works. A bee lands on a blossom to look for nectar. Pollen sticks to her fuzzy body. She flies to a blossom on a nearby tree of another kind, and some pollen rubs off. This is called pollination. After that, the blossom can grow into a fruit with seeds inside.
So orchard growers plant different kinds of apple trees close together, such as a row of red apples next to a row of green. Some growers even bring in beehives during blossom time. More bees mean more blossoms get pollen, and that means more apples at harvest.
■ Harder · 152 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.5
In spring, an apple tree is covered with blossoms, but each blossom does not automatically become an apple. Many kinds of apple trees require pollen from a different variety of apple tree. Pollen is a fine yellow dust that is produced inside flowers.
Here is how the process works. A bee lands on a blossom in search of nectar, and pollen clings to her fuzzy body. When she flies to a blossom on a nearby tree of another variety, some of that pollen rubs off. This is called pollination, and afterward the blossom can develop into a fruit with seeds inside.
For this reason, orchard growers plant different varieties of apple trees close together, such as a row of red apples next to a row of green. Some growers even bring in beehives during blossom time, because more bees mean that more blossoms receive pollen, and that means a bigger apple harvest.
An apple tree grows blossoms in spring. But a blossom does not always turn into an apple. Many apple trees need pollen from a different kind of apple tree. Pollen is a fine yellow dust made in flowers.
Here is how it works. A bee lands on a blossom to look for nectar. Pollen sticks to her fuzzy body. She flies to a blossom on a tree of another kind. Some pollen rubs off. This is pollination. Now the blossom can grow into a fruit with seeds.
So growers plant different kinds of apple trees close by. Some growers bring in beehives in spring. More bees mean more pollen moves. That means more apples at harvest.
Questions
When does an apple tree grow blossoms?
What is pollen?
How does pollen get from one tree to another?
What is it called when pollen rubs off on a blossom of another tree?
What do some growers bring in during blossom time?
Why might an orchard with only one kind of apple tree have few apples?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Many Apple Trees Need a Partner
An apple tree grows blossoms in spring. But a blossom will not always turn into an apple. Many kinds of apple trees need pollen from a different kind of apple tree. Pollen is a fine yellow dust made inside flowers.
Here is how it works. A bee lands on a blossom to look for nectar. Pollen sticks to her fuzzy body. She flies to a blossom on a nearby tree of another kind, and some pollen rubs off. This is called pollination. After that, the blossom can grow into a fruit with seeds inside.
So orchard growers plant different kinds of apple trees close together, such as a row of red apples next to a row of green. Some growers even bring in beehives during blossom time. More bees mean more blossoms get pollen, and that means more apples at harvest.
Questions
When does an apple tree grow blossoms?
What is pollen?
How does pollen get from one tree to another?
What is it called when pollen rubs off on another blossom?
What do some growers bring in during blossom time?
Why might an orchard with only one kind of apple tree have few apples?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Many Apple Trees Need a Partner
In spring, an apple tree is covered with blossoms, but each blossom does not automatically become an apple. Many kinds of apple trees require pollen from a different variety of apple tree. Pollen is a fine yellow dust that is produced inside flowers.
Here is how the process works. A bee lands on a blossom in search of nectar, and pollen clings to her fuzzy body. When she flies to a blossom on a nearby tree of another variety, some of that pollen rubs off. This is called pollination, and afterward the blossom can develop into a fruit with seeds inside.
For this reason, orchard growers plant different varieties of apple trees close together, such as a row of red apples next to a row of green. Some growers even bring in beehives during blossom time, because more bees mean that more blossoms receive pollen, and that means a bigger apple harvest.
Questions
In which season does an apple tree grow blossoms?
What is pollen?
How does pollen travel from one tree to another?
What is the name for pollen rubbing off onto another blossom?
What do some growers bring into the orchard during blossom time?
Why might an orchard planted with a single variety of apple tree produce few apples?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Many Apple Trees Need a Partner
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.1)
In spring.
A fine yellow dust made in flowers.
It sticks to a bee's body and rubs off on another blossom.
Pollination.
Beehives.
No other kind is nearby, so the blossoms may not get the pollen they need.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.6)
In spring.
A fine yellow dust made inside flowers.
It sticks to a bee's fuzzy body and rubs off on another blossom.
Pollination.
Beehives.
Without a different kind nearby, the blossoms may not get the pollen they need.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.5)
In spring.
A fine yellow dust produced inside flowers.
It clings to a bee's fuzzy body and rubs off on a blossom of another tree.
Pollination.
Beehives.
Without another variety nearby, the blossoms may not receive the pollen they need.
Free at teach.peabody.kids
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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 blossom, pollen, orchard, pollination and harvest 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 "Many Apple Trees Need a Partner"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 141 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.6. 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?
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