4th grade nonfiction passage about surface tension: 190 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
4th gradenonfictionsurface tension190 words
How a Water Strider Walks on a Pond
On a calm pond in summer, you might spot a small insect gliding across the top of the water. It does not swim. It does not sink. It is a water strider, and it walks on the surface as if the pond were a floor.
The secret begins with water itself. The tiny bits that make up water are pulled toward one another. At the surface, those bits pull on their neighbors and form a thin, stretchy skin. Scientists call this surface tension. It is not strong, but it is enough to hold up something very light.
A water strider has long, thin legs that spread its weight over a wide area. Its legs are also covered with tiny hairs that push water away. Because of this, its feet press little dents into the surface but do not break through. The insect can row across the pond with its middle legs and steer with its back legs.
Surface tension also explains why water makes round beads on a waxy leaf. Next time you see a drop on a leaf, think of the strider and the thin skin of the pond.
Questions
Where does a water strider walk? in the text
What is surface tension? in the text
How do the long legs help the insect? in the text
What do the tiny hairs on its legs do? in the text
Why does the strider's foot make a dent but not break through? think about it
How is a drop of water on a waxy leaf like the water strider's pond? think about it
Words to know
strider
an insect that walks or glides on top of water
surface
the outside or top layer of something
tension
a pulling force that holds something tight
steer
to guide which way something goes
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
How a Water Strider Walks on a Pond
4th grade reading passage
On a calm pond in summer, you might spot a small insect gliding across the top of the water. It does not swim. It does not sink. It is a water strider, and it walks on the surface as if the pond were a floor.
The secret begins with water itself. The tiny bits that make up water are pulled toward one another. At the surface, those bits pull on their neighbors and form a thin, stretchy skin. Scientists call this surface tension. It is not strong, but it is enough to hold up something very light.
A water strider has long, thin legs that spread its weight over a wide area. Its legs are also covered with tiny hairs that push water away. Because of this, its feet press little dents into the surface but do not break through. The insect can row across the pond with its middle legs and steer with its back legs.
Surface tension also explains why water makes round beads on a waxy leaf. Next time you see a drop on a leaf, think of the strider and the thin skin of the pond.
Questions
Where does a water strider walk?
What is surface tension?
How do the long legs help the insect?
What do the tiny hairs on its legs do?
Why does the strider's foot make a dent but not break through?
How is a drop of water on a waxy leaf like the water strider's pond?
Words to know
strider: an insect that walks or glides on top of water
surface: the outside or top layer of something
tension: a pulling force that holds something tight
steer: to guide which way something goes
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/4/how-a-water-strider-walks-on-a-pond
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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 · 169 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.6
On a calm pond in summer, you may see a small insect glide across the water. It does not swim. It does not sink. It is a water strider. It walks on the surface like the pond is a floor.
The secret starts with water itself. The tiny bits in water pull on one another. At the top, they pull on their neighbors and make a thin, stretchy skin. Scientists call this surface tension. It is not strong. But it can hold up something very light.
A water strider has long, thin legs. They spread its weight over a wide area. Its legs also have tiny hairs that push water away. So its feet press little dents in the top but do not break through. The insect rows with its middle legs and steers with its back legs.
Surface tension also makes water form round beads on a waxy leaf. Next time you see a drop on a leaf, think of the strider and the skin of the pond.
▲ This passage · 190 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3
On a calm pond in summer, you might spot a small insect gliding across the top of the water. It does not swim. It does not sink. It is a water strider, and it walks on the surface as if the pond were a floor.
The secret begins with water itself. The tiny bits that make up water are pulled toward one another. At the surface, those bits pull on their neighbors and form a thin, stretchy skin. Scientists call this surface tension. It is not strong, but it is enough to hold up something very light.
A water strider has long, thin legs that spread its weight over a wide area. Its legs are also covered with tiny hairs that push water away. Because of this, its feet press little dents into the surface but do not break through. The insect can row across the pond with its middle legs and steer with its back legs.
Surface tension also explains why water makes round beads on a waxy leaf. Next time you see a drop on a leaf, think of the strider and the thin skin of the pond.
■ Harder · 192 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.1
On a calm pond in the middle of summer, you might notice a small insect gliding effortlessly across the top of the water. It is neither swimming nor sinking. It is a water strider, and it walks on the surface as though the pond were a solid floor.
The secret begins with water itself. The tiny particles that make up water are drawn toward one another, and at the surface they pull on their neighbors to form a thin, stretchy skin. Scientists refer to this as surface tension. It is not strong, but it is sufficient to support something extremely light.
A water strider has long, slender legs that distribute its weight over a wide area, and those legs are covered with tiny hairs that repel water. As a result, its feet press shallow dents into the surface without breaking through. The insect rows itself across the pond with its middle legs and steers with its back legs.
Surface tension also explains why water forms round beads on a waxy leaf. The next time you notice a droplet on a leaf, think of the strider and the delicate skin of the pond.
On a calm pond in summer, you may see a small insect glide across the water. It does not swim. It does not sink. It is a water strider. It walks on the surface like the pond is a floor.
The secret starts with water itself. The tiny bits in water pull on one another. At the top, they pull on their neighbors and make a thin, stretchy skin. Scientists call this surface tension. It is not strong. But it can hold up something very light.
A water strider has long, thin legs. They spread its weight over a wide area. Its legs also have tiny hairs that push water away. So its feet press little dents in the top but do not break through. The insect rows with its middle legs and steers with its back legs.
Surface tension also makes water form round beads on a waxy leaf. Next time you see a drop on a leaf, think of the strider and the skin of the pond.
Questions
Where does a water strider walk?
What is surface tension?
How do the long legs help the insect?
What do the tiny hairs on its legs do?
Why do its feet make dents but not break through?
How is a drop on a waxy leaf like the strider's pond?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
How a Water Strider Walks on a Pond
On a calm pond in summer, you might spot a small insect gliding across the top of the water. It does not swim. It does not sink. It is a water strider, and it walks on the surface as if the pond were a floor.
The secret begins with water itself. The tiny bits that make up water are pulled toward one another. At the surface, those bits pull on their neighbors and form a thin, stretchy skin. Scientists call this surface tension. It is not strong, but it is enough to hold up something very light.
A water strider has long, thin legs that spread its weight over a wide area. Its legs are also covered with tiny hairs that push water away. Because of this, its feet press little dents into the surface but do not break through. The insect can row across the pond with its middle legs and steer with its back legs.
Surface tension also explains why water makes round beads on a waxy leaf. Next time you see a drop on a leaf, think of the strider and the thin skin of the pond.
Questions
Where does a water strider walk?
What is surface tension?
How do the long legs help the insect?
What do the tiny hairs on its legs do?
Why does the strider's foot make a dent but not break through?
How is a drop of water on a waxy leaf like the water strider's pond?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
How a Water Strider Walks on a Pond
On a calm pond in the middle of summer, you might notice a small insect gliding effortlessly across the top of the water. It is neither swimming nor sinking. It is a water strider, and it walks on the surface as though the pond were a solid floor.
The secret begins with water itself. The tiny particles that make up water are drawn toward one another, and at the surface they pull on their neighbors to form a thin, stretchy skin. Scientists refer to this as surface tension. It is not strong, but it is sufficient to support something extremely light.
A water strider has long, slender legs that distribute its weight over a wide area, and those legs are covered with tiny hairs that repel water. As a result, its feet press shallow dents into the surface without breaking through. The insect rows itself across the pond with its middle legs and steers with its back legs.
Surface tension also explains why water forms round beads on a waxy leaf. The next time you notice a droplet on a leaf, think of the strider and the delicate skin of the pond.
Questions
Where does a water strider walk?
What is surface tension?
How do the long, slender legs help the insect?
What do the tiny hairs on its legs do?
Why do the insect's feet press dents without breaking through?
How is a droplet on a waxy leaf connected to the strider's pond?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: How a Water Strider Walks on a Pond
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.6)
On the surface of a pond.
The thin, stretchy skin at the top of water, made because its tiny bits pull on each other.
They spread its weight over a wide area.
They push water away.
The skin on the water can hold up something very light.
Both show surface tension, which holds water in a skin or a round bead.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3)
On the surface of a pond.
The thin, stretchy skin that forms at the top of water because its tiny bits pull on each other.
They spread its weight over a wide area.
They push water away.
The surface skin is strong enough to hold something very light.
Both show surface tension, which makes the water hold together in a skin or a round bead.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.1)
On the surface of a pond.
The thin, stretchy skin that forms at the surface of water because its tiny particles pull on each other.
They distribute its weight over a wide area.
They repel water.
The skin on the water is strong enough to support something extremely light.
Both show surface tension, which holds water together in a skin or a round bead.
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 strider, surface, tension and steer 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 "How a Water Strider Walks on a Pond"?
It was written for 4th grade. It has 190 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.3. 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 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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