3rd grade nonfiction passage about composting food scraps: 138 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictioncomposting food scraps138 words
Worms Turn Banana Peels into Dirt
A banana peel does not have to go in the trash. It can become rich dirt for a garden. This is called composting.
A compost pile is a mix of food scraps and yard waste, like apple cores, eggshells, and dry leaves. Tiny living things, too small to see, start to eat the scraps. They are called microbes. Bigger helpers join in, like worms and beetles. As they eat, the scraps break down, and the middle of the pile gets warm.
After some months, the pile no longer looks like peels and leaves. It turns into dark, crumbly stuff that smells like a forest floor. Gardeners mix it into the soil. It feeds plants and helps the soil hold water.
Not everything goes in. Meat and greasy leftovers can attract pests. So most home composters leave them out.
Questions
What is composting? in the text
What kinds of things go into a compost pile? in the text
What are microbes? in the text
What happens to the middle of the pile as the scraps break down? in the text
How does finished compost help a garden? in the text
Why do most home composters leave out meat? think about it
Words to know
composting
turning old food and leaves into rich soil
scraps
small bits of food that are left over
microbes
living things too tiny to see
gardeners
people who grow plants
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Worms Turn Banana Peels into Dirt
3rd grade reading passage
A banana peel does not have to go in the trash. It can become rich dirt for a garden. This is called composting.
A compost pile is a mix of food scraps and yard waste, like apple cores, eggshells, and dry leaves. Tiny living things, too small to see, start to eat the scraps. They are called microbes. Bigger helpers join in, like worms and beetles. As they eat, the scraps break down, and the middle of the pile gets warm.
After some months, the pile no longer looks like peels and leaves. It turns into dark, crumbly stuff that smells like a forest floor. Gardeners mix it into the soil. It feeds plants and helps the soil hold water.
Not everything goes in. Meat and greasy leftovers can attract pests. So most home composters leave them out.
Questions
What is composting?
What kinds of things go into a compost pile?
What are microbes?
What happens to the middle of the pile as the scraps break down?
How does finished compost help a garden?
Why do most home composters leave out meat?
Words to know
composting: turning old food and leaves into rich soil
scraps: small bits of food that are left over
microbes: living things too tiny to see
gardeners: people who grow plants
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/worms-turn-banana-peels-into-dirt
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 · 122 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5
A banana peel does not have to go in the trash. It can become rich dirt for a garden. This is called composting.
A compost pile has food scraps and yard waste, like apple cores, eggshells, and dry leaves. Tiny living things start to eat the scraps. They are too small to see. They are called microbes. Worms and beetles help too. The scraps break down. The middle of the pile gets warm.
After a few months, the pile looks different. It is dark and crumbly. It smells like a forest. Gardeners mix it into the soil. It feeds plants. It helps soil hold water.
Meat and greasy food do not go in. They can bring pests. Most people leave them out.
▲ This passage · 138 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3
A banana peel does not have to go in the trash. It can become rich dirt for a garden. This is called composting.
A compost pile is a mix of food scraps and yard waste, like apple cores, eggshells, and dry leaves. Tiny living things, too small to see, start to eat the scraps. They are called microbes. Bigger helpers join in, like worms and beetles. As they eat, the scraps break down, and the middle of the pile gets warm.
After some months, the pile no longer looks like peels and leaves. It turns into dark, crumbly stuff that smells like a forest floor. Gardeners mix it into the soil. It feeds plants and helps the soil hold water.
Not everything goes in. Meat and greasy leftovers can attract pests. So most home composters leave them out.
■ Harder · 153 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.5
A banana peel does not have to be thrown into the trash, because it can be transformed into rich dirt for a garden. This process is called composting.
A compost pile is a mixture of food scraps and yard waste, such as apple cores, eggshells, and dry leaves. Tiny living things that are far too small to see, called microbes, begin to feed on the scraps, and bigger helpers like worms and beetles soon join them. As they eat, the scraps break down, and the middle of the pile becomes warm.
After several months, the pile no longer resembles peels and leaves. Instead, it has turned into dark, crumbly material that smells like a forest floor. Gardeners mix it into the soil, where it nourishes plants and helps the soil hold water.
Not everything belongs in the pile, though. Meat and greasy leftovers can attract pests, so most home composters keep them out.
A banana peel does not have to go in the trash. It can become rich dirt for a garden. This is called composting.
A compost pile has food scraps and yard waste, like apple cores, eggshells, and dry leaves. Tiny living things start to eat the scraps. They are too small to see. They are called microbes. Worms and beetles help too. The scraps break down. The middle of the pile gets warm.
After a few months, the pile looks different. It is dark and crumbly. It smells like a forest. Gardeners mix it into the soil. It feeds plants. It helps soil hold water.
Meat and greasy food do not go in. They can bring pests. Most people leave them out.
Questions
What is composting?
What goes into a compost pile?
What are microbes?
What happens to the middle of the pile?
How does finished compost help a garden?
Why do most people leave meat out of the pile?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Worms Turn Banana Peels into Dirt
A banana peel does not have to go in the trash. It can become rich dirt for a garden. This is called composting.
A compost pile is a mix of food scraps and yard waste, like apple cores, eggshells, and dry leaves. Tiny living things, too small to see, start to eat the scraps. They are called microbes. Bigger helpers join in, like worms and beetles. As they eat, the scraps break down, and the middle of the pile gets warm.
After some months, the pile no longer looks like peels and leaves. It turns into dark, crumbly stuff that smells like a forest floor. Gardeners mix it into the soil. It feeds plants and helps the soil hold water.
Not everything goes in. Meat and greasy leftovers can attract pests. So most home composters leave them out.
Questions
What is composting?
What kinds of things go into a compost pile?
What are microbes?
What happens to the middle of the pile as the scraps break down?
How does finished compost help a garden?
Why do most home composters leave out meat?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Worms Turn Banana Peels into Dirt
A banana peel does not have to be thrown into the trash, because it can be transformed into rich dirt for a garden. This process is called composting.
A compost pile is a mixture of food scraps and yard waste, such as apple cores, eggshells, and dry leaves. Tiny living things that are far too small to see, called microbes, begin to feed on the scraps, and bigger helpers like worms and beetles soon join them. As they eat, the scraps break down, and the middle of the pile becomes warm.
After several months, the pile no longer resembles peels and leaves. Instead, it has turned into dark, crumbly material that smells like a forest floor. Gardeners mix it into the soil, where it nourishes plants and helps the soil hold water.
Not everything belongs in the pile, though. Meat and greasy leftovers can attract pests, so most home composters keep them out.
Questions
What is the name for turning food scraps into rich dirt?
Which kinds of things are mixed into a compost pile?
What are microbes?
What happens to the middle of the pile as the scraps break down?
In what two ways does finished compost help the soil and plants?
Why do most home composters keep meat and greasy leftovers out of the pile?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Worms Turn Banana Peels into Dirt
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5)
Turning food scraps into rich dirt for a garden.
Apple cores, eggshells, and dry leaves.
Tiny living things that are too small to see.
It gets warm.
It feeds plants and helps soil hold water.
Meat can bring pests.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3)
Turning food scraps into rich dirt for a garden.
Apple cores, eggshells, and dry leaves.
Tiny living things that are too small to see.
It gets warm.
It feeds plants and helps the soil hold water.
Meat can attract pests.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.5)
Composting.
Food scraps and yard waste, like apple cores, eggshells, and dry leaves.
Tiny living things that are far too small to see.
It becomes warm.
It nourishes plants and helps the soil hold water.
They can attract pests.
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 composting, scraps, microbes and gardeners 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 "Worms Turn Banana Peels into Dirt"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 138 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.0. 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?
No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. No sign-in, no ads.