3rd grade nonfiction passage about reading food labels: 164 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionreading food labels164 words
Read the Ingredients List Like a Detective
Turn a box of crackers over, and you will find a list of ingredients. The ingredients are the things used to make the food. This list is a clue to what is inside.
The ingredients are listed in order. The one that weighs the most comes first. The one that weighs the least comes last. If sugar is the first ingredient in a cereal, there is more sugar in the box than any other single ingredient. If oats come first, then oats are the main part.
The label also tells you if the food has common allergens. An allergy means that a food can make some people sick, even in a tiny bite. Milk, eggs, peanuts, and wheat are on that list. A child with an allergy can check the label before eating.
Short lists are easy to read. Long lists can have long words. When you see a word you do not know, you can ask a grown-up or look it up.
Questions
What is an ingredient? in the text
Which ingredient comes first on the list? in the text
What does it mean if oats come first in a cereal? in the text
What is an allergy? in the text
Which foods are named as common allergens? in the text
Why might a child with an allergy read the label before eating? think about it
Words to know
ingredients
the things that are mixed to make a food
label
a paper or tag that gives facts about a product
allergens
foods that can cause an allergy
allergy
a body reaction that makes some people sick
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Read the Ingredients List Like a Detective
3rd grade reading passage
Turn a box of crackers over, and you will find a list of ingredients. The ingredients are the things used to make the food. This list is a clue to what is inside.
The ingredients are listed in order. The one that weighs the most comes first. The one that weighs the least comes last. If sugar is the first ingredient in a cereal, there is more sugar in the box than any other single ingredient. If oats come first, then oats are the main part.
The label also tells you if the food has common allergens. An allergy means that a food can make some people sick, even in a tiny bite. Milk, eggs, peanuts, and wheat are on that list. A child with an allergy can check the label before eating.
Short lists are easy to read. Long lists can have long words. When you see a word you do not know, you can ask a grown-up or look it up.
Questions
What is an ingredient?
Which ingredient comes first on the list?
What does it mean if oats come first in a cereal?
What is an allergy?
Which foods are named as common allergens?
Why might a child with an allergy read the label before eating?
Words to know
ingredients: the things that are mixed to make a food
label: a paper or tag that gives facts about a product
allergens: foods that can cause an allergy
allergy: a body reaction that makes some people sick
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/read-the-ingredients-list-like-a-detective
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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 · 137 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.4
Turn a box of crackers over. You will see a list of ingredients. The ingredients are the things used to make the food. The list is a clue to what is inside.
The ingredients are in order. The one that weighs the most is first. The one that weighs the least is last. If sugar is first in a cereal, there is more sugar than any other one ingredient. If oats are first, oats are the main part.
The label also shows common allergens. An allergy means a food can make some people sick, even in a tiny bite. Milk, eggs, peanuts, and wheat are on that list. A child with an allergy can read the label first.
Short lists are easy. Long lists have long words. Ask a grown-up about words you do not know.
▲ This passage · 164 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.2
Turn a box of crackers over, and you will find a list of ingredients. The ingredients are the things used to make the food. This list is a clue to what is inside.
The ingredients are listed in order. The one that weighs the most comes first. The one that weighs the least comes last. If sugar is the first ingredient in a cereal, there is more sugar in the box than any other single ingredient. If oats come first, then oats are the main part.
The label also tells you if the food has common allergens. An allergy means that a food can make some people sick, even in a tiny bite. Milk, eggs, peanuts, and wheat are on that list. A child with an allergy can check the label before eating.
Short lists are easy to read. Long lists can have long words. When you see a word you do not know, you can ask a grown-up or look it up.
■ Harder · 173 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7
If you turn a box of crackers over, you will discover a list of ingredients, which are the things that were used to make the food. This list is a useful clue about what is inside.
The ingredients appear in a particular order. The one that weighs the most is listed first, and the one that weighs the least is listed last. If sugar is the first ingredient in a cereal, the box contains more sugar than any other single ingredient, but if oats come first, then oats make up the main part.
The label also identifies common allergens. An allergy means that a certain food can make some people sick, even from a tiny bite. Milk, eggs, peanuts, and wheat are all on that list, so a child with an allergy can check the label before eating anything.
Short lists are easy to read, whereas long lists may contain long and unfamiliar words. When you meet a word you do not know, you can ask a grown-up or look it up.
Turn a box of crackers over. You will see a list of ingredients. The ingredients are the things used to make the food. The list is a clue to what is inside.
The ingredients are in order. The one that weighs the most is first. The one that weighs the least is last. If sugar is first in a cereal, there is more sugar than any other one ingredient. If oats are first, oats are the main part.
The label also shows common allergens. An allergy means a food can make some people sick, even in a tiny bite. Milk, eggs, peanuts, and wheat are on that list. A child with an allergy can read the label first.
Short lists are easy. Long lists have long words. Ask a grown-up about words you do not know.
Questions
What is an ingredient?
Which ingredient is first on the list?
What does it mean if oats are first in a cereal?
What is an allergy?
Which foods are named as common allergens?
Why would a child with an allergy read the label before eating?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Read the Ingredients List Like a Detective
Turn a box of crackers over, and you will find a list of ingredients. The ingredients are the things used to make the food. This list is a clue to what is inside.
The ingredients are listed in order. The one that weighs the most comes first. The one that weighs the least comes last. If sugar is the first ingredient in a cereal, there is more sugar in the box than any other single ingredient. If oats come first, then oats are the main part.
The label also tells you if the food has common allergens. An allergy means that a food can make some people sick, even in a tiny bite. Milk, eggs, peanuts, and wheat are on that list. A child with an allergy can check the label before eating.
Short lists are easy to read. Long lists can have long words. When you see a word you do not know, you can ask a grown-up or look it up.
Questions
What is an ingredient?
Which ingredient comes first on the list?
What does it mean if oats come first in a cereal?
What is an allergy?
Which foods are named as common allergens?
Why might a child with an allergy read the label before eating?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Read the Ingredients List Like a Detective
If you turn a box of crackers over, you will discover a list of ingredients, which are the things that were used to make the food. This list is a useful clue about what is inside.
The ingredients appear in a particular order. The one that weighs the most is listed first, and the one that weighs the least is listed last. If sugar is the first ingredient in a cereal, the box contains more sugar than any other single ingredient, but if oats come first, then oats make up the main part.
The label also identifies common allergens. An allergy means that a certain food can make some people sick, even from a tiny bite. Milk, eggs, peanuts, and wheat are all on that list, so a child with an allergy can check the label before eating anything.
Short lists are easy to read, whereas long lists may contain long and unfamiliar words. When you meet a word you do not know, you can ask a grown-up or look it up.
Questions
What are ingredients?
Which ingredient is listed first, and which is listed last?
What does it tell you if oats come first on a cereal label?
What does it mean to have an allergy?
Which four foods are named as common allergens?
How does the label help a child who has an allergy?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Read the Ingredients List Like a Detective
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.4)
A thing that is used to make the food.
The one that weighs the most.
Oats are the main part.
When a food can make some people sick, even in a tiny bite.
Milk, eggs, peanuts, and wheat.
To find out if the food has something that could make them sick.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.2)
A thing that is used to make the food.
The one that weighs the most.
Oats are the main part of the cereal.
When a food can make some people sick, even in a tiny bite.
Milk, eggs, peanuts, and wheat.
To find out if the food has something that could make them sick.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 7)
The things that were used to make the food.
The one that weighs the most is first, and the one that weighs the least is last.
Oats make up the main part of the cereal.
A certain food can make you sick, even from a tiny bite.
Milk, eggs, peanuts, and wheat.
It lets the child find out if a food has something that could make them sick.
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 ingredients, label, allergens and allergy 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 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 "Read the Ingredients List Like a Detective"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 164 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.2. 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 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?
No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.
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