3rd grade nonfiction passage about ocean tides: 155 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionocean tides155 words
Tides at the Beach
If you visit a beach for a whole day, you may see the ocean change. In the morning, the water might reach far up the sand. Later it pulls back, and you can walk on wet sand where waves were before. These changes are called tides.
Tides are caused mostly by the pull of the moon. The moon's gravity pulls on the ocean water and helps it rise and fall. When the water rises high on the beach, it is called high tide. When the water drops back, it is called low tide.
Many beaches have two high tides and two low tides each day. The tides follow a steady pattern, so people can look up a tide chart to see when each one will come.
Tide pools are small pools left behind among the rocks at low tide. Crabs, snails, and sea stars live there. Beach walkers use tide charts to plan their trips.
Questions
What are tides? in the text
What mostly causes tides? in the text
What is high tide? in the text
What are tide pools? in the text
What animals live in tide pools? in the text
Why might a person check a tide chart before a beach walk? think about it
Words to know
tides
the daily rise and fall of the ocean
gravity
a pull between objects, such as the moon and the ocean
pattern
something that repeats in the same order
tide pools
small pools of sea water left on rocks at low tide
chart
a table or picture that shows information
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Tides at the Beach
3rd grade reading passage
If you visit a beach for a whole day, you may see the ocean change. In the morning, the water might reach far up the sand. Later it pulls back, and you can walk on wet sand where waves were before. These changes are called tides.
Tides are caused mostly by the pull of the moon. The moon's gravity pulls on the ocean water and helps it rise and fall. When the water rises high on the beach, it is called high tide. When the water drops back, it is called low tide.
Many beaches have two high tides and two low tides each day. The tides follow a steady pattern, so people can look up a tide chart to see when each one will come.
Tide pools are small pools left behind among the rocks at low tide. Crabs, snails, and sea stars live there. Beach walkers use tide charts to plan their trips.
Questions
What are tides?
What mostly causes tides?
What is high tide?
What are tide pools?
What animals live in tide pools?
Why might a person check a tide chart before a beach walk?
Words to know
tides: the daily rise and fall of the ocean
gravity: a pull between objects, such as the moon and the ocean
pattern: something that repeats in the same order
tide pools: small pools of sea water left on rocks at low tide
chart: a table or picture that shows information
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/tides-at-the-beach
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 · 139 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.9
Spend a day at the beach. You may see the ocean change. In the morning, the water may reach far up the sand. Later it goes back. You can walk on wet sand where the waves were. These changes are called tides.
The moon causes most tides. It pulls on the ocean water. That helps the water rise and fall. When the water is high on the beach, it is high tide. When the water goes back down, it is low tide.
Many beaches have two high tides and two low tides each day. The tides follow a pattern. People can look at a tide chart to see when they will come.
Tide pools are small pools left in the rocks at low tide. Crabs, snails, and sea stars live there. Beach walkers use tide charts to plan trips.
▲ This passage · 155 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.8
If you visit a beach for a whole day, you may see the ocean change. In the morning, the water might reach far up the sand. Later it pulls back, and you can walk on wet sand where waves were before. These changes are called tides.
Tides are caused mostly by the pull of the moon. The moon's gravity pulls on the ocean water and helps it rise and fall. When the water rises high on the beach, it is called high tide. When the water drops back, it is called low tide.
Many beaches have two high tides and two low tides each day. The tides follow a steady pattern, so people can look up a tide chart to see when each one will come.
Tide pools are small pools left behind among the rocks at low tide. Crabs, snails, and sea stars live there. Beach walkers use tide charts to plan their trips.
■ Harder · 166 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.4
If you spend an entire day at the beach, you will probably notice the ocean changing. In the morning, the water may stretch far up the sand, but later it retreats, and you can walk across wet sand where waves were crashing a few hours earlier. These changes are called tides.
Tides are caused mostly by the pull of the moon. The moon's gravity tugs on the ocean water and helps it rise and fall. When the water climbs high onto the beach, it is called high tide, and when it drops back again, it is called low tide.
Many beaches experience two high tides and two low tides each day. Because the tides follow such a steady pattern, people can consult a tide chart to find out when each one will arrive.
Tide pools are small pools of sea water that remain among the rocks at low tide. Crabs, snails, and sea stars live there, and beach walkers use tide charts to plan their trips.
Spend a day at the beach. You may see the ocean change. In the morning, the water may reach far up the sand. Later it goes back. You can walk on wet sand where the waves were. These changes are called tides.
The moon causes most tides. It pulls on the ocean water. That helps the water rise and fall. When the water is high on the beach, it is high tide. When the water goes back down, it is low tide.
Many beaches have two high tides and two low tides each day. The tides follow a pattern. People can look at a tide chart to see when they will come.
Tide pools are small pools left in the rocks at low tide. Crabs, snails, and sea stars live there. Beach walkers use tide charts to plan trips.
Questions
What are tides?
What causes most tides?
What is high tide?
What are tide pools?
What lives in tide pools?
Why would a person look at a tide chart?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Tides at the Beach
If you visit a beach for a whole day, you may see the ocean change. In the morning, the water might reach far up the sand. Later it pulls back, and you can walk on wet sand where waves were before. These changes are called tides.
Tides are caused mostly by the pull of the moon. The moon's gravity pulls on the ocean water and helps it rise and fall. When the water rises high on the beach, it is called high tide. When the water drops back, it is called low tide.
Many beaches have two high tides and two low tides each day. The tides follow a steady pattern, so people can look up a tide chart to see when each one will come.
Tide pools are small pools left behind among the rocks at low tide. Crabs, snails, and sea stars live there. Beach walkers use tide charts to plan their trips.
Questions
What are tides?
What mostly causes tides?
What is high tide?
What are tide pools?
What animals live in tide pools?
Why might a person check a tide chart before a beach walk?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Tides at the Beach
If you spend an entire day at the beach, you will probably notice the ocean changing. In the morning, the water may stretch far up the sand, but later it retreats, and you can walk across wet sand where waves were crashing a few hours earlier. These changes are called tides.
Tides are caused mostly by the pull of the moon. The moon's gravity tugs on the ocean water and helps it rise and fall. When the water climbs high onto the beach, it is called high tide, and when it drops back again, it is called low tide.
Many beaches experience two high tides and two low tides each day. Because the tides follow such a steady pattern, people can consult a tide chart to find out when each one will arrive.
Tide pools are small pools of sea water that remain among the rocks at low tide. Crabs, snails, and sea stars live there, and beach walkers use tide charts to plan their trips.
Questions
What name is given to the daily rise and fall of the ocean?
What is mostly responsible for causing tides?
What is it called when the water climbs high onto the beach?
What are tide pools, and when are they left behind?
Which animals live in tide pools?
Why might someone consult a tide chart before a walk on the beach?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Tides at the Beach
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.9)
The rise and fall of the ocean water at the shore.
The pull of the moon.
When the water is high on the beach.
Small pools left in the rocks at low tide.
Crabs, snails, and sea stars.
To know when the water will be high or low and plan a trip.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.8)
The rise and fall of the ocean water along the shore.
The pull of the moon.
When the water rises high on the beach.
Small pools left among the rocks at low tide.
Crabs, snails, and sea stars.
To know when the water will be high or low and plan the trip.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.4)
Tides.
The pull of the moon.
High tide.
Small pools of sea water among the rocks, left at low tide.
Crabs, snails, and sea stars.
To learn when the water will be high or low so the trip can be planned.
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 tides, gravity, pattern, tide pools and chart 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.
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 155 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.8. 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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