3rd grade nonfiction passage about ancient purple dye: 152 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionancient purple dye152 words
The Purple Dye from Sea Snails
Long ago, the color purple was very hard to get. Cloth in other colors could be dyed with plants and berries. But a deep, lasting purple came from an odd place. It came from a small sea snail.
The Phoenicians were skilled sailors and traders who lived on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. One of their cities was called Tyre. Workers there collected the snails from the sea. A snail makes a liquid inside its body. When workers took out this liquid and left it in the sun, it changed color and turned purple.
Many snails were needed to dye even a small piece of cloth. That made the cloth very costly. Only rich people and rulers could buy it. Wearing purple showed that a person had wealth and power.
The dye was also strong. The color did not fade easily, even after the cloth had been worn for years.
Questions
Where did the deep purple dye come from? in the text
Who were the Phoenicians? in the text
What happened to the snail's liquid in the sun? in the text
Who could afford purple cloth? in the text
Why was purple cloth so costly? think about it
What did wearing purple show about a person? think about it
Words to know
dyed
colored by soaking in a coloring liquid
Phoenicians
a people of the ancient world who sailed and traded
traders
people who buy and sell goods
costly
costing a lot of money
rulers
leaders who are in charge of a country or land
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
The Purple Dye from Sea Snails
3rd grade reading passage
Long ago, the color purple was very hard to get. Cloth in other colors could be dyed with plants and berries. But a deep, lasting purple came from an odd place. It came from a small sea snail.
The Phoenicians were skilled sailors and traders who lived on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. One of their cities was called Tyre. Workers there collected the snails from the sea. A snail makes a liquid inside its body. When workers took out this liquid and left it in the sun, it changed color and turned purple.
Many snails were needed to dye even a small piece of cloth. That made the cloth very costly. Only rich people and rulers could buy it. Wearing purple showed that a person had wealth and power.
The dye was also strong. The color did not fade easily, even after the cloth had been worn for years.
Questions
Where did the deep purple dye come from?
Who were the Phoenicians?
What happened to the snail's liquid in the sun?
Who could afford purple cloth?
Why was purple cloth so costly?
What did wearing purple show about a person?
Words to know
dyed: colored by soaking in a coloring liquid
Phoenicians: a people of the ancient world who sailed and traded
traders: people who buy and sell goods
costly: costing a lot of money
rulers: leaders who are in charge of a country or land
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/purple-dye-from-sea-snails
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 · 131 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3
Long ago, purple was a hard color to get. Cloth in other colors could be dyed with plants and berries. But a deep purple came from a small sea snail.
The Phoenicians were sailors and traders. They lived on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. One of their cities was Tyre. Workers there collected the snails from the sea. A snail makes a liquid in its body. Workers took out the liquid and left it in the sun. It changed color and turned purple.
Many snails were needed to dye even a small piece of cloth. So the cloth cost a lot. Only rich people and rulers could buy it. Wearing purple showed that a person had wealth and power.
The dye was strong. The color did not fade easily.
▲ This passage · 152 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.9
Long ago, the color purple was very hard to get. Cloth in other colors could be dyed with plants and berries. But a deep, lasting purple came from an odd place. It came from a small sea snail.
The Phoenicians were skilled sailors and traders who lived on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. One of their cities was called Tyre. Workers there collected the snails from the sea. A snail makes a liquid inside its body. When workers took out this liquid and left it in the sun, it changed color and turned purple.
Many snails were needed to dye even a small piece of cloth. That made the cloth very costly. Only rich people and rulers could buy it. Wearing purple showed that a person had wealth and power.
The dye was also strong. The color did not fade easily, even after the cloth had been worn for years.
■ Harder · 160 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 9
Long ago, the color purple was remarkably difficult to obtain. Cloth in other colors could be dyed with plants and berries, but a deep, lasting purple came from a surprising source, a small sea snail.
The Phoenicians were skilled sailors and traders who lived along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and one of their great cities was called Tyre. Workers there gathered the snails from the sea. Each snail makes a liquid inside its body, and when workers removed this liquid and left it in the sun, it gradually changed color and turned purple.
An enormous number of snails was needed to dye even a small piece of cloth, which made the finished cloth extremely costly. Only wealthy people and rulers could afford to buy it, so wearing purple became a sign of riches and power.
The dye was also very strong, and the color did not fade easily, even after the cloth had been worn for years.
Long ago, purple was a hard color to get. Cloth in other colors could be dyed with plants and berries. But a deep purple came from a small sea snail.
The Phoenicians were sailors and traders. They lived on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. One of their cities was Tyre. Workers there collected the snails from the sea. A snail makes a liquid in its body. Workers took out the liquid and left it in the sun. It changed color and turned purple.
Many snails were needed to dye even a small piece of cloth. So the cloth cost a lot. Only rich people and rulers could buy it. Wearing purple showed that a person had wealth and power.
The dye was strong. The color did not fade easily.
Questions
Where did the deep purple dye come from?
Who were the Phoenicians?
What happened to the snail's liquid in the sun?
Who could buy purple cloth?
Why did purple cloth cost so much?
What did wearing purple show about a person?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
The Purple Dye from Sea Snails
Long ago, the color purple was very hard to get. Cloth in other colors could be dyed with plants and berries. But a deep, lasting purple came from an odd place. It came from a small sea snail.
The Phoenicians were skilled sailors and traders who lived on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. One of their cities was called Tyre. Workers there collected the snails from the sea. A snail makes a liquid inside its body. When workers took out this liquid and left it in the sun, it changed color and turned purple.
Many snails were needed to dye even a small piece of cloth. That made the cloth very costly. Only rich people and rulers could buy it. Wearing purple showed that a person had wealth and power.
The dye was also strong. The color did not fade easily, even after the cloth had been worn for years.
Questions
Where did the deep purple dye come from?
Who were the Phoenicians?
What happened to the snail's liquid in the sun?
Who could afford purple cloth?
Why was purple cloth so costly?
What did wearing purple show about a person?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
The Purple Dye from Sea Snails
Long ago, the color purple was remarkably difficult to obtain. Cloth in other colors could be dyed with plants and berries, but a deep, lasting purple came from a surprising source, a small sea snail.
The Phoenicians were skilled sailors and traders who lived along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and one of their great cities was called Tyre. Workers there gathered the snails from the sea. Each snail makes a liquid inside its body, and when workers removed this liquid and left it in the sun, it gradually changed color and turned purple.
An enormous number of snails was needed to dye even a small piece of cloth, which made the finished cloth extremely costly. Only wealthy people and rulers could afford to buy it, so wearing purple became a sign of riches and power.
The dye was also very strong, and the color did not fade easily, even after the cloth had been worn for years.
Questions
Where did the deep, lasting purple dye come from?
Who were the Phoenicians?
What happened to the snail's liquid when it was left in the sun?
Who could afford to buy purple cloth?
Why was purple cloth so costly?
What did wearing purple become a sign of?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: The Purple Dye from Sea Snails
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3)
A small sea snail.
Sailors and traders who lived on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea.
It changed color and turned purple.
Only rich people and rulers.
Many snails were needed to dye even a small piece of cloth.
That the person had wealth and power.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.9)
A small sea snail.
Skilled sailors and traders who lived on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea.
It changed color and turned purple.
Only rich people and rulers.
Many snails were needed to dye even a small piece of cloth.
That the person had wealth and power.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 9)
A small sea snail.
Skilled sailors and traders who lived along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea.
It changed color and turned purple.
Only wealthy people and rulers.
An enormous number of snails was needed to dye even a small piece of cloth.
Riches and power.
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 dyed, Phoenicians, traders, costly and rulers 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 2 minutes 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 Purple Dye from Sea Snails"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 152 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.9. 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. 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 2 minutes 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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