3rd grade nonfiction passage about quinoa seeds: 142 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionquinoa seeds142 words
Quinoa Seeds Wear a Bitter Coat
Quinoa is a food that looks like tiny round beads. It is not a grain like wheat or rice. It is the seed of a plant that grows tall and holds a big, bright bunch of seeds at the top. Quinoa has grown for thousands of years in the Andes, a high mountain range in South America. The plant can grow in cool, dry places where many crops struggle.
Each seed has a bitter coat. The coat tastes soapy and would spoil a meal. So before quinoa is sold, farmers wash or rub the coat away. At home, many cooks rinse the seeds once more in a strainer.
Then the seeds are simmered in water. They swell up and turn soft. Each one grows a tiny curl, like a little tail. People eat quinoa warm like rice, or cold in a salad.
Questions
Is quinoa a grain like wheat or rice? in the text
Where has quinoa grown for thousands of years? in the text
Why does quinoa need to be washed? in the text
What do many cooks do with the seeds at home? in the text
What happens to the seeds when they are simmered? in the text
Why might quinoa be a good crop for the mountains? think about it
Words to know
quinoa
a food made of tiny seeds, said KEEN-wah
bitter
having a sharp, unpleasant taste
strainer
a bowl with holes that lets water drain out
simmered
cooked gently in water that is barely bubbling
crops
plants that farmers grow for food
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Quinoa Seeds Wear a Bitter Coat
3rd grade reading passage
Quinoa is a food that looks like tiny round beads. It is not a grain like wheat or rice. It is the seed of a plant that grows tall and holds a big, bright bunch of seeds at the top. Quinoa has grown for thousands of years in the Andes, a high mountain range in South America. The plant can grow in cool, dry places where many crops struggle.
Each seed has a bitter coat. The coat tastes soapy and would spoil a meal. So before quinoa is sold, farmers wash or rub the coat away. At home, many cooks rinse the seeds once more in a strainer.
Then the seeds are simmered in water. They swell up and turn soft. Each one grows a tiny curl, like a little tail. People eat quinoa warm like rice, or cold in a salad.
Questions
Is quinoa a grain like wheat or rice?
Where has quinoa grown for thousands of years?
Why does quinoa need to be washed?
What do many cooks do with the seeds at home?
What happens to the seeds when they are simmered?
Why might quinoa be a good crop for the mountains?
Words to know
quinoa: a food made of tiny seeds, said KEEN-wah
bitter: having a sharp, unpleasant taste
strainer: a bowl with holes that lets water drain out
simmered: cooked gently in water that is barely bubbling
crops: plants that farmers grow for food
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/quinoa-seeds-wear-a-bitter-coat
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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 · 115 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2
Quinoa looks like tiny round beads. It is not a grain like wheat or rice. It is the seed of a plant. The plant is tall, and it has a bunch of seeds at the top. Quinoa has grown in the Andes for a very long time. The Andes are high mountains in South America. The plant can grow in cool, dry places.
Each seed has a bitter coat. It tastes like soap. So farmers wash the coat off before they sell the seeds. Many cooks rinse the seeds again at home.
Then the seeds cook in water. They get big and soft. Each one grows a tiny curl. People eat quinoa warm or cold.
▲ This passage · 142 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.7
Quinoa is a food that looks like tiny round beads. It is not a grain like wheat or rice. It is the seed of a plant that grows tall and holds a big, bright bunch of seeds at the top. Quinoa has grown for thousands of years in the Andes, a high mountain range in South America. The plant can grow in cool, dry places where many crops struggle.
Each seed has a bitter coat. The coat tastes soapy and would spoil a meal. So before quinoa is sold, farmers wash or rub the coat away. At home, many cooks rinse the seeds once more in a strainer.
Then the seeds are simmered in water. They swell up and turn soft. Each one grows a tiny curl, like a little tail. People eat quinoa warm like rice, or cold in a salad.
■ Harder · 149 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7
Quinoa resembles tiny round beads, but it is not a grain like wheat or rice. It is actually the seed of a tall plant that carries a large, colorful cluster of seeds at its top. For thousands of years, quinoa has been grown in the Andes, a high mountain range in South America, because the plant can thrive in cool, dry places where many other crops struggle.
Every seed is covered by a bitter coat that tastes soapy and would ruin a meal. For that reason, farmers wash or rub the coat away before the quinoa is sold, and many cooks rinse the seeds once more in a strainer at home.
After that, the seeds are simmered in water until they swell up and turn soft. Each seed grows a tiny curl that looks like a little tail. People enjoy quinoa warm, like rice, or cold in a salad.
Quinoa looks like tiny round beads. It is not a grain like wheat or rice. It is the seed of a plant. The plant is tall, and it has a bunch of seeds at the top. Quinoa has grown in the Andes for a very long time. The Andes are high mountains in South America. The plant can grow in cool, dry places.
Each seed has a bitter coat. It tastes like soap. So farmers wash the coat off before they sell the seeds. Many cooks rinse the seeds again at home.
Then the seeds cook in water. They get big and soft. Each one grows a tiny curl. People eat quinoa warm or cold.
Questions
Is quinoa a grain like wheat or rice?
Where has quinoa grown for a very long time?
Why do the seeds need to be washed?
What do many cooks do at home?
What happens when the seeds cook in water?
Why might quinoa be a good crop for the mountains?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Quinoa Seeds Wear a Bitter Coat
Quinoa is a food that looks like tiny round beads. It is not a grain like wheat or rice. It is the seed of a plant that grows tall and holds a big, bright bunch of seeds at the top. Quinoa has grown for thousands of years in the Andes, a high mountain range in South America. The plant can grow in cool, dry places where many crops struggle.
Each seed has a bitter coat. The coat tastes soapy and would spoil a meal. So before quinoa is sold, farmers wash or rub the coat away. At home, many cooks rinse the seeds once more in a strainer.
Then the seeds are simmered in water. They swell up and turn soft. Each one grows a tiny curl, like a little tail. People eat quinoa warm like rice, or cold in a salad.
Questions
Is quinoa a grain like wheat or rice?
Where has quinoa grown for thousands of years?
Why does quinoa need to be washed?
What do many cooks do with the seeds at home?
What happens to the seeds when they are simmered?
Why might quinoa be a good crop for the mountains?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Quinoa Seeds Wear a Bitter Coat
Quinoa resembles tiny round beads, but it is not a grain like wheat or rice. It is actually the seed of a tall plant that carries a large, colorful cluster of seeds at its top. For thousands of years, quinoa has been grown in the Andes, a high mountain range in South America, because the plant can thrive in cool, dry places where many other crops struggle.
Every seed is covered by a bitter coat that tastes soapy and would ruin a meal. For that reason, farmers wash or rub the coat away before the quinoa is sold, and many cooks rinse the seeds once more in a strainer at home.
After that, the seeds are simmered in water until they swell up and turn soft. Each seed grows a tiny curl that looks like a little tail. People enjoy quinoa warm, like rice, or cold in a salad.
Questions
How is quinoa different from a grain such as wheat or rice?
In which mountains has quinoa been grown for thousands of years?
Why must the coat be washed or rubbed off the seeds?
What do many cooks do with the seeds before cooking at home?
What changes happen to the seeds as they simmer in water?
What makes quinoa a sensible crop for high mountain farms?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Quinoa Seeds Wear a Bitter Coat
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2)
No, it is the seed of a plant.
In the Andes mountains of South America.
They have a bitter coat that tastes like soap.
They rinse the seeds again.
They get big and soft and grow a tiny curl.
The plant can grow in cool, dry places.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.7)
No, it is the seed of a plant.
In the Andes mountains of South America.
Each seed has a bitter coat that tastes soapy.
They rinse the seeds in a strainer.
They swell up, turn soft, and grow a tiny curl.
The plant can grow in cool, dry places where many crops struggle.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 7)
It is the seed of a plant, not a grain.
The Andes, in South America.
It is bitter and soapy and would ruin a meal.
They rinse them once more in a strainer.
They swell up, turn soft, and grow a tiny curl.
The plant can thrive in cool, dry places where many other crops struggle.
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 quinoa, bitter, strainer, simmered and crops 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 "Quinoa Seeds Wear a Bitter Coat"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 142 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.7. 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. 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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