4th grade nonfiction passage about dissolving and evaporation: 196 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
4th gradenonfictiondissolving and evaporation196 words
Getting the Salt Back from Salty Water
Stir a spoonful of salt into a glass of warm water. The salt seems to vanish. The water looks clear, just as it did before. Did the salt disappear?
It did not. The salt broke into pieces too tiny to see, and the pieces spread out evenly through the water. We say the salt dissolved. The mixture of salt and water is called a solution. You can taste the salt in it, which proves that it is still there.
Is there a way to get the salt back? Yes. Pour a little salty water into a shallow dish and set it on a sunny windowsill. Over a few days, the water slowly changes from a liquid into a gas that floats into the air. This change is called evaporation. The salt cannot evaporate in the same way, so it stays behind. When the dish is dry, you will see a thin crust of white salt crystals.
People use this same idea in the real world. In some warm, dry places, workers let sea water flow into wide, flat ponds. The sun dries the water away and leaves salt for people to collect and use in food.
Questions
What happens to salt when you stir it into warm water? in the text
What is a mixture of salt and water called? in the text
How can you tell the salt is still in the water even though you cannot see it? in the text
What is evaporation? in the text
Why does salt stay in the dish when the water evaporates? think about it
How do workers in some warm, dry places use this idea? in the text
Words to know
dissolved
mixed into a liquid so evenly that it cannot be seen
solution
a mixture in which one thing is dissolved in another
evaporation
the change of a liquid into a gas
crystals
small hard pieces of a solid with flat sides
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Getting the Salt Back from Salty Water
4th grade reading passage
Stir a spoonful of salt into a glass of warm water. The salt seems to vanish. The water looks clear, just as it did before. Did the salt disappear?
It did not. The salt broke into pieces too tiny to see, and the pieces spread out evenly through the water. We say the salt dissolved. The mixture of salt and water is called a solution. You can taste the salt in it, which proves that it is still there.
Is there a way to get the salt back? Yes. Pour a little salty water into a shallow dish and set it on a sunny windowsill. Over a few days, the water slowly changes from a liquid into a gas that floats into the air. This change is called evaporation. The salt cannot evaporate in the same way, so it stays behind. When the dish is dry, you will see a thin crust of white salt crystals.
People use this same idea in the real world. In some warm, dry places, workers let sea water flow into wide, flat ponds. The sun dries the water away and leaves salt for people to collect and use in food.
Questions
What happens to salt when you stir it into warm water?
What is a mixture of salt and water called?
How can you tell the salt is still in the water even though you cannot see it?
What is evaporation?
Why does salt stay in the dish when the water evaporates?
How do workers in some warm, dry places use this idea?
Words to know
dissolved: mixed into a liquid so evenly that it cannot be seen
solution: a mixture in which one thing is dissolved in another
evaporation: the change of a liquid into a gas
crystals: small hard pieces of a solid with flat sides
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/4/getting-the-salt-back-from-salty-water
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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 · 152 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2
Stir a spoon of salt into warm water. The salt seems to vanish. The water looks clear. Did the salt go away?
It did not. The salt broke into tiny pieces. They are too small to see. The pieces spread through the water. We say the salt dissolved. Salt and water make a solution. You can taste the salt, so it is still there.
Can you get the salt back? Yes. Pour a little salty water in a shallow dish. Put it on a sunny windowsill. Over a few days, the water turns into a gas and floats into the air. This is called evaporation. The salt does not evaporate this way. It stays. When the dish is dry, you see white salt crystals.
People use this idea. In some warm, dry places, sea water flows into flat ponds. The sun dries the water. The salt is left for people to collect.
▲ This passage · 196 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.7
Stir a spoonful of salt into a glass of warm water. The salt seems to vanish. The water looks clear, just as it did before. Did the salt disappear?
It did not. The salt broke into pieces too tiny to see, and the pieces spread out evenly through the water. We say the salt dissolved. The mixture of salt and water is called a solution. You can taste the salt in it, which proves that it is still there.
Is there a way to get the salt back? Yes. Pour a little salty water into a shallow dish and set it on a sunny windowsill. Over a few days, the water slowly changes from a liquid into a gas that floats into the air. This change is called evaporation. The salt cannot evaporate in the same way, so it stays behind. When the dish is dry, you will see a thin crust of white salt crystals.
People use this same idea in the real world. In some warm, dry places, workers let sea water flow into wide, flat ponds. The sun dries the water away and leaves salt for people to collect and use in food.
■ Harder · 215 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.5
Stir a spoonful of salt into a glass of warm water, and the salt appears to vanish. The water looks perfectly clear, exactly as it did before. Has the salt really disappeared?
In fact it has not. The salt has separated into pieces far too small to see, and those pieces have spread out evenly throughout the water. Scientists say that the salt has dissolved, and the resulting mixture of salt and water is called a solution. You can taste the salt in it, which confirms that the salt is still present.
Is there a way to recover the salt? There is. Pour a small amount of salty water into a shallow dish and place it on a sunny windowsill. Over several days, the water gradually changes from a liquid into a gas that drifts into the air, a process known as evaporation. The salt does not evaporate in the same manner, so it remains behind, and once the dish is completely dry you will find a thin crust of white salt crystals.
People apply this very principle in the real world. In certain warm, dry regions, workers allow sea water to flow into broad, flat ponds. The sun dries the water away and leaves behind salt that can be gathered and used in food.
Stir a spoon of salt into warm water. The salt seems to vanish. The water looks clear. Did the salt go away?
It did not. The salt broke into tiny pieces. They are too small to see. The pieces spread through the water. We say the salt dissolved. Salt and water make a solution. You can taste the salt, so it is still there.
Can you get the salt back? Yes. Pour a little salty water in a shallow dish. Put it on a sunny windowsill. Over a few days, the water turns into a gas and floats into the air. This is called evaporation. The salt does not evaporate this way. It stays. When the dish is dry, you see white salt crystals.
People use this idea. In some warm, dry places, sea water flows into flat ponds. The sun dries the water. The salt is left for people to collect.
Questions
What happens to salt in warm water?
What do salt and water make together?
How can you tell the salt is still in the water?
What is evaporation?
Why does the salt stay in the dish?
How do workers in some warm, dry places use this idea?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Getting the Salt Back from Salty Water
Stir a spoonful of salt into a glass of warm water. The salt seems to vanish. The water looks clear, just as it did before. Did the salt disappear?
It did not. The salt broke into pieces too tiny to see, and the pieces spread out evenly through the water. We say the salt dissolved. The mixture of salt and water is called a solution. You can taste the salt in it, which proves that it is still there.
Is there a way to get the salt back? Yes. Pour a little salty water into a shallow dish and set it on a sunny windowsill. Over a few days, the water slowly changes from a liquid into a gas that floats into the air. This change is called evaporation. The salt cannot evaporate in the same way, so it stays behind. When the dish is dry, you will see a thin crust of white salt crystals.
People use this same idea in the real world. In some warm, dry places, workers let sea water flow into wide, flat ponds. The sun dries the water away and leaves salt for people to collect and use in food.
Questions
What happens to salt when you stir it into warm water?
What is a mixture of salt and water called?
How can you tell the salt is still in the water even though you cannot see it?
What is evaporation?
Why does salt stay in the dish when the water evaporates?
How do workers in some warm, dry places use this idea?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Getting the Salt Back from Salty Water
Stir a spoonful of salt into a glass of warm water, and the salt appears to vanish. The water looks perfectly clear, exactly as it did before. Has the salt really disappeared?
In fact it has not. The salt has separated into pieces far too small to see, and those pieces have spread out evenly throughout the water. Scientists say that the salt has dissolved, and the resulting mixture of salt and water is called a solution. You can taste the salt in it, which confirms that the salt is still present.
Is there a way to recover the salt? There is. Pour a small amount of salty water into a shallow dish and place it on a sunny windowsill. Over several days, the water gradually changes from a liquid into a gas that drifts into the air, a process known as evaporation. The salt does not evaporate in the same manner, so it remains behind, and once the dish is completely dry you will find a thin crust of white salt crystals.
People apply this very principle in the real world. In certain warm, dry regions, workers allow sea water to flow into broad, flat ponds. The sun dries the water away and leaves behind salt that can be gathered and used in food.
Questions
What happens to salt when it is stirred into warm water?
What is a mixture of dissolved salt and water called?
How can you confirm that the salt is still in the water even though you cannot see it?
What is evaporation?
Why does salt remain in the dish after the water has evaporated?
How do workers in certain warm, dry regions apply this principle?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Getting the Salt Back from Salty Water
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2)
It dissolves into tiny pieces you cannot see.
A solution.
You can taste it.
When liquid water turns into a gas and floats into the air.
Salt does not evaporate like water, so it is left behind as crystals.
They let sea water dry in flat ponds and collect the salt left behind.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.7)
It dissolves into pieces too tiny to see.
A solution.
You can taste it.
When liquid water changes into a gas and floats into the air.
The salt cannot evaporate the way water does, so it is left behind as crystals.
They let sea water dry in flat ponds in the sun and collect the salt left behind.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.5)
It dissolves into pieces too small to see.
A solution.
You can taste it.
The process by which liquid water changes into a gas and drifts into the air.
The salt does not evaporate the way water does, so it is left behind as crystals.
They let sea water dry in broad, flat ponds and gather the salt that is left.
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 dissolved, solution, evaporation and crystals 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 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 "Getting the Salt Back from Salty Water"?
It was written for 4th grade. It has 196 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.7. 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 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?
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