4th grade nonfiction passage about saffron spice: 178 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
4th gradenonfictionsaffron spice178 words
Saffron: The Spice Picked One Flower at a Time
Saffron is a spice that turns food a golden yellow. It has a warm, flowery smell. It also costs a lot of money, and the reason is how it is made.
Saffron comes from a purple flower called a saffron crocus. Inside each flower are three thin red threads. Those threads are the spice. A person has to pick them out, and no machine does the job well.
The flowers bloom for only a short time in the fall. They are often picked early in the morning, before the sun opens them wide. Workers carry the flowers indoors and pull out the threads right away. The threads are dried gently so they keep their color and their smell.
One flower gives only three threads. A small jar of saffron takes thousands and thousands of flowers. That is a great deal of work for a pinch of spice.
Because the spice is so strong, a cook needs only a few threads. Cooks often soak them in warm water first, so the color spreads through a whole pot of rice.
Questions
What color does saffron turn food? in the text
Which part of the saffron crocus is the spice? in the text
When do the flowers bloom? in the text
Why are the threads dried gently? in the text
Why does saffron cost so much? think about it
What do cooks do to spread saffron's color through a pot of rice? in the text
Words to know
spice
a plant part that adds flavor or color to food
crocus
a small flower that grows from a bulb
bloom
to open into a flower
threads
thin strands, like pieces of string
pinch
a very small amount held between two fingers
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Saffron: The Spice Picked One Flower at a Time
4th grade reading passage
Saffron is a spice that turns food a golden yellow. It has a warm, flowery smell. It also costs a lot of money, and the reason is how it is made.
Saffron comes from a purple flower called a saffron crocus. Inside each flower are three thin red threads. Those threads are the spice. A person has to pick them out, and no machine does the job well.
The flowers bloom for only a short time in the fall. They are often picked early in the morning, before the sun opens them wide. Workers carry the flowers indoors and pull out the threads right away. The threads are dried gently so they keep their color and their smell.
One flower gives only three threads. A small jar of saffron takes thousands and thousands of flowers. That is a great deal of work for a pinch of spice.
Because the spice is so strong, a cook needs only a few threads. Cooks often soak them in warm water first, so the color spreads through a whole pot of rice.
Questions
What color does saffron turn food?
Which part of the saffron crocus is the spice?
When do the flowers bloom?
Why are the threads dried gently?
Why does saffron cost so much?
What do cooks do to spread saffron's color through a pot of rice?
Words to know
spice: a plant part that adds flavor or color to food
crocus: a small flower that grows from a bulb
bloom: to open into a flower
threads: thin strands, like pieces of string
pinch: a very small amount held between two fingers
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/4/saffron-the-spice-picked-by-hand
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 1.2
Saffron is a spice. It turns food golden yellow. It smells warm and flowery. It costs a lot of money. Here is why.
Saffron comes from a purple flower called a crocus. Inside each flower are three thin red threads. Those threads are the spice. A person must pick them out by hand.
The flowers bloom for a short time in the fall. Workers pick them early in the morning. They pull out the threads right away. Then the threads are dried gently. This keeps their color and smell.
One flower gives only three threads. A small jar needs thousands of flowers. That is a lot of work for a pinch of spice.
The spice is strong, so a cook needs only a few threads. Cooks soak them in warm water first. Then the color spreads through the rice.
▲ This passage · 178 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.4
Saffron is a spice that turns food a golden yellow. It has a warm, flowery smell. It also costs a lot of money, and the reason is how it is made.
Saffron comes from a purple flower called a saffron crocus. Inside each flower are three thin red threads. Those threads are the spice. A person has to pick them out, and no machine does the job well.
The flowers bloom for only a short time in the fall. They are often picked early in the morning, before the sun opens them wide. Workers carry the flowers indoors and pull out the threads right away. The threads are dried gently so they keep their color and their smell.
One flower gives only three threads. A small jar of saffron takes thousands and thousands of flowers. That is a great deal of work for a pinch of spice.
Because the spice is so strong, a cook needs only a few threads. Cooks often soak them in warm water first, so the color spreads through a whole pot of rice.
■ Harder · 191 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.1
Saffron is a spice that tints food a brilliant golden yellow and gives it a warm, flowery aroma. It is also very expensive, and the reason lies in the way it is made.
The spice comes from a purple flower known as the saffron crocus. Inside each blossom are three slender red threads, and those threads are the spice itself. A person has to pluck them out carefully, because no machine does the job well.
The flowers bloom for only a brief time each fall. They are often picked in the early morning, before the sun has opened them wide. Workers carry the blossoms indoors and remove the threads immediately, and then the threads are dried gently so that they keep their color and their fragrance.
Since a single flower yields just three threads, one small jar of saffron requires thousands upon thousands of flowers. That is an enormous amount of labor for a mere pinch of spice.
The spice is so powerful that a cook needs only a few threads, which are often soaked in warm water first so that the color can spread through an entire pot of rice.
Saffron is a spice. It turns food golden yellow. It smells warm and flowery. It costs a lot of money. Here is why.
Saffron comes from a purple flower called a crocus. Inside each flower are three thin red threads. Those threads are the spice. A person must pick them out by hand.
The flowers bloom for a short time in the fall. Workers pick them early in the morning. They pull out the threads right away. Then the threads are dried gently. This keeps their color and smell.
One flower gives only three threads. A small jar needs thousands of flowers. That is a lot of work for a pinch of spice.
The spice is strong, so a cook needs only a few threads. Cooks soak them in warm water first. Then the color spreads through the rice.
Questions
What color does saffron turn food?
Which part of the crocus is the spice?
When do the flowers bloom?
Why are the threads dried gently?
Why does saffron cost so much?
What do cooks do to spread the color through rice?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Saffron: The Spice Picked One Flower at a Time
Saffron is a spice that turns food a golden yellow. It has a warm, flowery smell. It also costs a lot of money, and the reason is how it is made.
Saffron comes from a purple flower called a saffron crocus. Inside each flower are three thin red threads. Those threads are the spice. A person has to pick them out, and no machine does the job well.
The flowers bloom for only a short time in the fall. They are often picked early in the morning, before the sun opens them wide. Workers carry the flowers indoors and pull out the threads right away. The threads are dried gently so they keep their color and their smell.
One flower gives only three threads. A small jar of saffron takes thousands and thousands of flowers. That is a great deal of work for a pinch of spice.
Because the spice is so strong, a cook needs only a few threads. Cooks often soak them in warm water first, so the color spreads through a whole pot of rice.
Questions
What color does saffron turn food?
Which part of the saffron crocus is the spice?
When do the flowers bloom?
Why are the threads dried gently?
Why does saffron cost so much?
What do cooks do to spread saffron's color through a pot of rice?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Saffron: The Spice Picked One Flower at a Time
Saffron is a spice that tints food a brilliant golden yellow and gives it a warm, flowery aroma. It is also very expensive, and the reason lies in the way it is made.
The spice comes from a purple flower known as the saffron crocus. Inside each blossom are three slender red threads, and those threads are the spice itself. A person has to pluck them out carefully, because no machine does the job well.
The flowers bloom for only a brief time each fall. They are often picked in the early morning, before the sun has opened them wide. Workers carry the blossoms indoors and remove the threads immediately, and then the threads are dried gently so that they keep their color and their fragrance.
Since a single flower yields just three threads, one small jar of saffron requires thousands upon thousands of flowers. That is an enormous amount of labor for a mere pinch of spice.
The spice is so powerful that a cook needs only a few threads, which are often soaked in warm water first so that the color can spread through an entire pot of rice.
Questions
What color does saffron give to food?
Which part of the saffron crocus is the spice itself?
How long do the flowers bloom each fall?
Why are the threads dried gently?
What makes saffron so expensive?
How do cooks spread saffron's color through a pot of rice?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Saffron: The Spice Picked One Flower at a Time
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2)
Golden yellow.
The three thin red threads inside the flower.
For a short time in the fall.
To keep their color and smell.
Each flower gives only three threads, and people pick them by hand.
They soak a few threads in warm water first.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.4)
A golden yellow.
The three thin red threads inside the flower.
For a short time in the fall.
So they keep their color and their smell.
Each flower gives only three threads, and people must pick them by hand, so a small jar takes thousands of flowers.
They soak a few threads in warm water first.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.1)
A brilliant golden yellow.
The three slender red threads inside each blossom.
For only a brief time.
So that they keep their color and their fragrance.
A flower yields just three threads and people must pluck them by hand, so a small jar needs thousands of flowers.
They soak a few threads in warm water first.
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 spice, crocus, bloom, threads and pinch 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 "Saffron: The Spice Picked One Flower at a Time"?
It was written for 4th grade. It has 178 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.4. 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.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. No sign-in, no ads.