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Paper from the Papyrus Plant

4th grade nonfiction passage about ancient egyptian paper: 155 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade nonfiction ancient egyptian paper 155 words

Paper from the Papyrus Plant

Ancient Egyptians needed something to write on. They found it growing along the banks of the Nile River. It was a tall green plant called papyrus.

To make a writing sheet, a worker cut the long stems and peeled away the green skin. The soft white inside was sliced into thin strips. The strips were laid side by side in a row. Then another row went on top, turned crosswise, so the two layers formed a grid.

Next, the layers were pressed and left to dry in the sun. As they dried, they stuck together and became one smooth, flat sheet. A scribe rubbed the surface with a stone to make it even, and then wrote with a reed pen and ink.

Sheets could be joined together into a long roll called a scroll. A scroll was easy to carry and store.

Papyrus was used for many centuries, and our word paper comes from it.

Questions

  1. Where did papyrus grow? in the text

  2. What part of the plant was cut into thin strips? in the text

  3. Why were the second layer of strips placed crosswise? think about it

  4. What was a scroll? in the text

  5. What did a scribe use to write on papyrus? in the text

  6. What modern word comes from papyrus? in the text

Words to know

papyrus
a tall water plant that was used to make writing sheets
crosswise
going across, in the opposite direction
scroll
a long roll of paper or papyrus with writing on it
surface
the outside or top layer of something
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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 · 141 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2

Ancient Egyptians needed something to write on. They found it by the Nile River. It was a tall green plant called papyrus.

To make a sheet, a worker cut the long stems and peeled off the green skin. The soft white inside was cut into thin strips. The strips were laid side by side in a row. Then another row went on top, turned crosswise. The two layers made a grid.

Next, the layers were pressed and dried in the sun. They stuck together and became one smooth, flat sheet. A scribe rubbed it with a stone to make it even. Then he wrote with a reed pen and ink.

Sheets could be joined into a long roll called a scroll. A scroll was easy to carry and store.

Papyrus was used for many centuries. Our word paper comes from it.

▲ This passage · 155 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.7

Ancient Egyptians needed something to write on. They found it growing along the banks of the Nile River. It was a tall green plant called papyrus.

To make a writing sheet, a worker cut the long stems and peeled away the green skin. The soft white inside was sliced into thin strips. The strips were laid side by side in a row. Then another row went on top, turned crosswise, so the two layers formed a grid.

Next, the layers were pressed and left to dry in the sun. As they dried, they stuck together and became one smooth, flat sheet. A scribe rubbed the surface with a stone to make it even, and then wrote with a reed pen and ink.

Sheets could be joined together into a long roll called a scroll. A scroll was easy to carry and store.

Papyrus was used for many centuries, and our word paper comes from it.

■ Harder · 170 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.6

The ancient Egyptians required a suitable surface for writing, and they discovered one growing along the banks of the Nile River. It was a tall, green plant known as papyrus.

To produce a writing sheet, a worker cut the long stems and peeled away the green outer skin. The soft white interior was then sliced into thin strips, which were arranged side by side in a single row. A second row was placed on top, turned crosswise, so that the two layers formed a grid.

Afterward, the layers were pressed together and left to dry in the sun. As they dried, they bonded into one smooth, flat sheet. A scribe polished the surface with a stone to make it even, and then wrote on it using a reed pen and ink.

Several sheets could be joined end to end to form a long roll called a scroll, which was convenient to carry and store.

Papyrus remained in use for many centuries, and our modern word paper is derived from it.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put papyrus, crosswise, scroll and surface 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 3 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.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "Paper from the Papyrus Plant"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 155 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?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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