4th grade nonfiction passage about cave formations: 176 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
4th gradenonfictioncave formations176 words
Slow Drips Build Stone Icicles in Caves
Some caves are full of pointed rocks that look like icicles. The ones that hang from the ceiling are called stalactites. The ones that rise from the floor are called stalagmites. Both are made by dripping water.
Rainwater soaks into the ground and picks up tiny bits of minerals from the rock. Later it seeps into a cave and collects on the ceiling as a drop. The drop hangs there for a moment. Some of the water dries into the air and leaves a speck of mineral behind. Then the drop falls.
Drip after drip, the specks pile up. A stalactite grows downward from the ceiling, one speck at a time. The drops that hit the floor leave minerals there too. Over time a stalagmite grows upward to meet them. If both keep growing, they may join and make a column.
This work is very, very slow. A stalactite may grow only a tiny bit in a hundred years. Visitors are asked not to touch cave formations, because the oils on hands can stop the growth.
Questions
What are the pointed rocks that hang from a cave ceiling called? in the text
What does rainwater pick up from the rock in the ground? in the text
What is left behind when some of the water dries into the air? in the text
What may happen if a stalactite and a stalagmite keep growing? in the text
Why are visitors asked not to touch cave formations? think about it
Why is a very old stalactite likely to be longer than a young one? think about it
Words to know
stalactites
cave rocks that hang down from the ceiling
minerals
natural solid materials found in rocks and water
ceiling
the top inside surface of a room or cave
formations
shapes made by nature over time
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Slow Drips Build Stone Icicles in Caves
4th grade reading passage
Some caves are full of pointed rocks that look like icicles. The ones that hang from the ceiling are called stalactites. The ones that rise from the floor are called stalagmites. Both are made by dripping water.
Rainwater soaks into the ground and picks up tiny bits of minerals from the rock. Later it seeps into a cave and collects on the ceiling as a drop. The drop hangs there for a moment. Some of the water dries into the air and leaves a speck of mineral behind. Then the drop falls.
Drip after drip, the specks pile up. A stalactite grows downward from the ceiling, one speck at a time. The drops that hit the floor leave minerals there too. Over time a stalagmite grows upward to meet them. If both keep growing, they may join and make a column.
This work is very, very slow. A stalactite may grow only a tiny bit in a hundred years. Visitors are asked not to touch cave formations, because the oils on hands can stop the growth.
Questions
What are the pointed rocks that hang from a cave ceiling called?
What does rainwater pick up from the rock in the ground?
What is left behind when some of the water dries into the air?
What may happen if a stalactite and a stalagmite keep growing?
Why are visitors asked not to touch cave formations?
Why is a very old stalactite likely to be longer than a young one?
Words to know
stalactites: cave rocks that hang down from the ceiling
minerals: natural solid materials found in rocks and water
ceiling: the top inside surface of a room or cave
formations: shapes made by nature over time
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/4/slow-drips-build-stone-icicles-in-caves
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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 · 142 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1
Some caves have pointed rocks that look like icicles. The ones on the ceiling are stalactites. The ones that rise from the floor are stalagmites. Dripping water makes both.
Rain soaks into the ground. It picks up tiny bits of minerals from the rock. Then it seeps into a cave. A drop hangs on the ceiling. Some of the water dries into the air. A speck of mineral stays behind. Then the drop falls.
Drip after drip, the specks pile up. A stalactite grows down from the ceiling. Drops hit the floor and leave minerals there too. A stalagmite grows up. If both keep growing, they may join and make a column.
This is very slow. A stalactite may grow just a tiny bit in a hundred years. Visitors should not touch cave rocks. The oils on hands can stop the growth.
▲ This passage · 176 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.7
Some caves are full of pointed rocks that look like icicles. The ones that hang from the ceiling are called stalactites. The ones that rise from the floor are called stalagmites. Both are made by dripping water.
Rainwater soaks into the ground and picks up tiny bits of minerals from the rock. Later it seeps into a cave and collects on the ceiling as a drop. The drop hangs there for a moment. Some of the water dries into the air and leaves a speck of mineral behind. Then the drop falls.
Drip after drip, the specks pile up. A stalactite grows downward from the ceiling, one speck at a time. The drops that hit the floor leave minerals there too. Over time a stalagmite grows upward to meet them. If both keep growing, they may join and make a column.
This work is very, very slow. A stalactite may grow only a tiny bit in a hundred years. Visitors are asked not to touch cave formations, because the oils on hands can stop the growth.
■ Harder · 190 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.6
Certain caves are filled with pointed formations that resemble icicles made of stone. Those that hang from the ceiling are called stalactites, while those that rise from the floor are called stalagmites. Both are created by dripping water.
Rainwater soaks into the ground and dissolves tiny amounts of minerals from the rock it passes through. Eventually it seeps into a cave and gathers on the ceiling as a single drop. The drop clings there for a moment, and some of its water evaporates into the cave air, leaving a minute speck of mineral behind. Then the drop falls.
Drip after drip, those specks accumulate. A stalactite slowly lengthens downward from the ceiling, one speck at a time. The drops that splash onto the floor deposit minerals there as well, and over time a stalagmite builds upward to meet them. If both continue to grow, they may eventually join and form a column.
This process is astonishingly slow, and a stalactite may grow only a tiny amount in a hundred years. Visitors are asked not to touch cave formations, because the natural oils on human hands can interfere with their growth.
Some caves have pointed rocks that look like icicles. The ones on the ceiling are stalactites. The ones that rise from the floor are stalagmites. Dripping water makes both.
Rain soaks into the ground. It picks up tiny bits of minerals from the rock. Then it seeps into a cave. A drop hangs on the ceiling. Some of the water dries into the air. A speck of mineral stays behind. Then the drop falls.
Drip after drip, the specks pile up. A stalactite grows down from the ceiling. Drops hit the floor and leave minerals there too. A stalagmite grows up. If both keep growing, they may join and make a column.
This is very slow. A stalactite may grow just a tiny bit in a hundred years. Visitors should not touch cave rocks. The oils on hands can stop the growth.
Questions
What are the pointed rocks on a cave ceiling called?
What does rainwater pick up from the rock?
What stays behind when water dries into the air?
What may happen if a stalactite and a stalagmite keep growing?
Why should visitors not touch cave rocks?
Why is an old stalactite likely to be longer than a young one?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Slow Drips Build Stone Icicles in Caves
Some caves are full of pointed rocks that look like icicles. The ones that hang from the ceiling are called stalactites. The ones that rise from the floor are called stalagmites. Both are made by dripping water.
Rainwater soaks into the ground and picks up tiny bits of minerals from the rock. Later it seeps into a cave and collects on the ceiling as a drop. The drop hangs there for a moment. Some of the water dries into the air and leaves a speck of mineral behind. Then the drop falls.
Drip after drip, the specks pile up. A stalactite grows downward from the ceiling, one speck at a time. The drops that hit the floor leave minerals there too. Over time a stalagmite grows upward to meet them. If both keep growing, they may join and make a column.
This work is very, very slow. A stalactite may grow only a tiny bit in a hundred years. Visitors are asked not to touch cave formations, because the oils on hands can stop the growth.
Questions
What are the pointed rocks that hang from a cave ceiling called?
What does rainwater pick up from the rock in the ground?
What is left behind when some of the water dries into the air?
What may happen if a stalactite and a stalagmite keep growing?
Why are visitors asked not to touch cave formations?
Why is a very old stalactite likely to be longer than a young one?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Slow Drips Build Stone Icicles in Caves
Certain caves are filled with pointed formations that resemble icicles made of stone. Those that hang from the ceiling are called stalactites, while those that rise from the floor are called stalagmites. Both are created by dripping water.
Rainwater soaks into the ground and dissolves tiny amounts of minerals from the rock it passes through. Eventually it seeps into a cave and gathers on the ceiling as a single drop. The drop clings there for a moment, and some of its water evaporates into the cave air, leaving a minute speck of mineral behind. Then the drop falls.
Drip after drip, those specks accumulate. A stalactite slowly lengthens downward from the ceiling, one speck at a time. The drops that splash onto the floor deposit minerals there as well, and over time a stalagmite builds upward to meet them. If both continue to grow, they may eventually join and form a column.
This process is astonishingly slow, and a stalactite may grow only a tiny amount in a hundred years. Visitors are asked not to touch cave formations, because the natural oils on human hands can interfere with their growth.
Questions
What are the pointed formations that hang from a cave ceiling called?
What does rainwater dissolve from the rock it passes through?
What is left behind when some of the water evaporates into the cave air?
What may happen if a stalactite and a stalagmite both continue to grow?
Why are visitors asked not to touch cave formations?
Why would a very old stalactite probably be longer than a young one?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Slow Drips Build Stone Icicles in Caves
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1)
Stalactites.
Tiny bits of minerals.
A speck of mineral.
They may join and make a column.
The oils on hands can stop them from growing.
It has had more time to grow from the drips.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.7)
Stalactites.
Tiny bits of minerals.
A speck of mineral.
They may join and make a column.
The oils on hands can stop them from growing.
It has had more time for drips to add minerals.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.6)
Stalactites.
Tiny amounts of minerals.
A minute speck of mineral.
They may join and form a column.
The natural oils on hands can interfere with their growth.
It has had far more time for drips to add minerals.
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 stalactites, minerals, ceiling and formations 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 "Slow Drips Build Stone Icicles in Caves"?
It was written for 4th grade. It has 176 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. 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.
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