3rd grade nonfiction passage about sea otters and kelp: 149 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionsea otters and kelp149 words
Sea Otters Wrap Up in Kelp to Nap
A sea otter spends almost all of its life in the ocean. It even sleeps on the water. That raises a problem. Waves and currents could carry a sleeping otter far from home.
The otter has a clever way to stay put. It lives near kelp, a tall brown seaweed that grows in thick forests under the sea. Its long leaves float at the top of the water. Before a nap, the otter rolls over and over in the kelp. The leaves wrap around its body like a blanket.
Now the otter is anchored to the kelp, which is held down by roots on the sea floor. The otter can rest without drifting away.
Sometimes a mother otter wraps her pup in kelp while she dives for food. Groups of otters may also float together while they sleep. Some of them hold paws, so they do not drift apart.
Questions
Where does a sea otter sleep? in the text
What is kelp? in the text
What does the otter do before a nap? in the text
What holds the kelp in place? in the text
Why does a mother otter wrap her pup in kelp? think about it
Why would a sleeping otter drift away without kelp? think about it
Words to know
kelp
a tall brown seaweed that grows in the sea
currents
streams of water that move through the ocean
anchored
held firmly in one place
pup
a baby otter
drifting
being carried along slowly by water
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Sea Otters Wrap Up in Kelp to Nap
3rd grade reading passage
A sea otter spends almost all of its life in the ocean. It even sleeps on the water. That raises a problem. Waves and currents could carry a sleeping otter far from home.
The otter has a clever way to stay put. It lives near kelp, a tall brown seaweed that grows in thick forests under the sea. Its long leaves float at the top of the water. Before a nap, the otter rolls over and over in the kelp. The leaves wrap around its body like a blanket.
Now the otter is anchored to the kelp, which is held down by roots on the sea floor. The otter can rest without drifting away.
Sometimes a mother otter wraps her pup in kelp while she dives for food. Groups of otters may also float together while they sleep. Some of them hold paws, so they do not drift apart.
Questions
Where does a sea otter sleep?
What is kelp?
What does the otter do before a nap?
What holds the kelp in place?
Why does a mother otter wrap her pup in kelp?
Why would a sleeping otter drift away without kelp?
Words to know
kelp: a tall brown seaweed that grows in the sea
currents: streams of water that move through the ocean
anchored: held firmly in one place
pup: a baby otter
drifting: being carried along slowly by water
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/sea-otters-wrap-up-in-kelp-to-nap
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 · 111 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.8
A sea otter lives in the ocean. It sleeps on the water. But waves can push a sleeping otter far away.
The otter has a trick. It stays near kelp. Kelp is a tall brown seaweed. It grows in the sea like a forest. Before a nap, the otter rolls in the kelp. The leaves wrap around it like a blanket.
Roots hold the kelp down on the sea floor. So the otter stays in one spot. It can rest.
A mother otter may wrap her pup in kelp. Then she can dive for food. Otters may also sleep in a group. Some of them hold paws so they stay close.
▲ This passage · 149 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.6
A sea otter spends almost all of its life in the ocean. It even sleeps on the water. That raises a problem. Waves and currents could carry a sleeping otter far from home.
The otter has a clever way to stay put. It lives near kelp, a tall brown seaweed that grows in thick forests under the sea. Its long leaves float at the top of the water. Before a nap, the otter rolls over and over in the kelp. The leaves wrap around its body like a blanket.
Now the otter is anchored to the kelp, which is held down by roots on the sea floor. The otter can rest without drifting away.
Sometimes a mother otter wraps her pup in kelp while she dives for food. Groups of otters may also float together while they sleep. Some of them hold paws, so they do not drift apart.
■ Harder · 163 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7
A sea otter spends nearly its entire life in the ocean, and it even sleeps while floating on the surface. This creates a real difficulty, because waves and strong currents could carry a sleeping otter far away from its home waters.
The otter solves the problem with a clever habit. It lives close to kelp, a tall brown seaweed that grows in thick forests beneath the waves. The long leaves of the kelp float at the top of the water. Before it naps, the otter rolls over and over in the leaves until they wrap around its body like a blanket.
Since the kelp is held down by roots on the sea floor, the otter becomes anchored in place and can rest without drifting.
Occasionally a mother otter wraps her pup in kelp while she dives to hunt for food. Groups of otters may also float together as they sleep, and some of them hold paws so that they do not drift apart.
A sea otter lives in the ocean. It sleeps on the water. But waves can push a sleeping otter far away.
The otter has a trick. It stays near kelp. Kelp is a tall brown seaweed. It grows in the sea like a forest. Before a nap, the otter rolls in the kelp. The leaves wrap around it like a blanket.
Roots hold the kelp down on the sea floor. So the otter stays in one spot. It can rest.
A mother otter may wrap her pup in kelp. Then she can dive for food. Otters may also sleep in a group. Some of them hold paws so they stay close.
Questions
Where does a sea otter sleep?
What is kelp?
What does the otter do before a nap?
What holds the kelp down?
Why does a mother otter wrap her pup in kelp?
Why could a sleeping otter drift away without kelp?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Sea Otters Wrap Up in Kelp to Nap
A sea otter spends almost all of its life in the ocean. It even sleeps on the water. That raises a problem. Waves and currents could carry a sleeping otter far from home.
The otter has a clever way to stay put. It lives near kelp, a tall brown seaweed that grows in thick forests under the sea. Its long leaves float at the top of the water. Before a nap, the otter rolls over and over in the kelp. The leaves wrap around its body like a blanket.
Now the otter is anchored to the kelp, which is held down by roots on the sea floor. The otter can rest without drifting away.
Sometimes a mother otter wraps her pup in kelp while she dives for food. Groups of otters may also float together while they sleep. Some of them hold paws, so they do not drift apart.
Questions
Where does a sea otter sleep?
What is kelp?
What does the otter do before a nap?
What holds the kelp in place?
Why does a mother otter wrap her pup in kelp?
Why would a sleeping otter drift away without kelp?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Sea Otters Wrap Up in Kelp to Nap
A sea otter spends nearly its entire life in the ocean, and it even sleeps while floating on the surface. This creates a real difficulty, because waves and strong currents could carry a sleeping otter far away from its home waters.
The otter solves the problem with a clever habit. It lives close to kelp, a tall brown seaweed that grows in thick forests beneath the waves. The long leaves of the kelp float at the top of the water. Before it naps, the otter rolls over and over in the leaves until they wrap around its body like a blanket.
Since the kelp is held down by roots on the sea floor, the otter becomes anchored in place and can rest without drifting.
Occasionally a mother otter wraps her pup in kelp while she dives to hunt for food. Groups of otters may also float together as they sleep, and some of them hold paws so that they do not drift apart.
Questions
Where does a sea otter sleep?
What is kelp, and where does it grow?
What does the otter do before it naps?
What keeps the kelp in one place?
Why might a mother otter wrap her pup in kelp?
What difficulty would a sleeping otter face without kelp?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Sea Otters Wrap Up in Kelp to Nap
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.8)
On the water in the sea.
A tall brown seaweed that grows in the sea.
It rolls in the kelp, and the leaves wrap around it.
Roots on the sea floor.
So the pup stays in one spot while she dives for food.
Waves would push it, and nothing would hold it.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.6)
On the water in the ocean.
A tall brown seaweed that grows in thick forests under the sea.
It rolls over and over in the kelp so the leaves wrap around it.
Its roots on the sea floor.
So the pup stays in one spot while she dives for food.
Waves and currents would carry it, and nothing would hold it in place.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 7)
While floating on the surface of the ocean.
A tall brown seaweed that grows in thick forests beneath the waves.
It rolls over and over in the leaves until they wrap around its body.
Roots on the sea floor hold it down.
So the pup stays put and does not drift while she hunts.
Waves and currents could carry it far from home with nothing to hold it.
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 kelp, currents, anchored, pup and drifting 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 "Sea Otters Wrap Up in Kelp to Nap"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 149 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.6. 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. 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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