4th grade nonfiction passage about tide pools: 192 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
4th gradenonfictiontide pools192 words
Tide Pool Life: A Home That Floods Twice a Day
Twice a day, the ocean creeps up the shore and then slides back down again. This rising and falling of the sea is called the tide. When the tide goes out, it leaves small pools of salt water among the rocks. These are tide pools, and living things make their homes in them.
A tide pool is a hard place to live. When the water is gone, the sun can heat the pool and make it very warm. Rain can make the water less salty. Then the tide comes back, and waves crash over everything. The animals here must handle all of these changes.
Many of them have clever ways to cope. A barnacle shuts its tiny shell tight to keep moisture inside until the water returns. A mussel holds onto the rock with strong threads so the waves cannot sweep it away. A sea anemone pulls in its arms and looks like a lump of jelly. Hermit crabs scurry from pool to pool.
If you visit a tide pool, walk slowly and look with your eyes. Put rocks back exactly where you found them, because small animals may be living underneath.
Questions
What is a tide? in the text
How are tide pools made? in the text
What does a barnacle do to keep moisture in? in the text
How does a mussel stay on the rock when waves come? in the text
Why is a tide pool a hard place to live? think about it
Why should a visitor put rocks back where they found them? think about it
Words to know
tide
the slow rise and fall of the sea each day
barnacle
a small sea animal that sticks to rocks and lives in a hard shell
anemone
a sea animal with soft arms that looks a bit like a flower
moisture
a small amount of water
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Tide Pool Life: A Home That Floods Twice a Day
4th grade reading passage
Twice a day, the ocean creeps up the shore and then slides back down again. This rising and falling of the sea is called the tide. When the tide goes out, it leaves small pools of salt water among the rocks. These are tide pools, and living things make their homes in them.
A tide pool is a hard place to live. When the water is gone, the sun can heat the pool and make it very warm. Rain can make the water less salty. Then the tide comes back, and waves crash over everything. The animals here must handle all of these changes.
Many of them have clever ways to cope. A barnacle shuts its tiny shell tight to keep moisture inside until the water returns. A mussel holds onto the rock with strong threads so the waves cannot sweep it away. A sea anemone pulls in its arms and looks like a lump of jelly. Hermit crabs scurry from pool to pool.
If you visit a tide pool, walk slowly and look with your eyes. Put rocks back exactly where you found them, because small animals may be living underneath.
Questions
What is a tide?
How are tide pools made?
What does a barnacle do to keep moisture in?
How does a mussel stay on the rock when waves come?
Why is a tide pool a hard place to live?
Why should a visitor put rocks back where they found them?
Words to know
tide: the slow rise and fall of the sea each day
barnacle: a small sea animal that sticks to rocks and lives in a hard shell
anemone: a sea animal with soft arms that looks a bit like a flower
moisture: a small amount of water
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/4/tide-pool-life-a-home-that-floods-twice-a-day
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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 · 164 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.9
Twice a day, the sea creeps up the shore and slides back. This is called the tide. When the tide goes out, it leaves small pools of salt water in the rocks. These are tide pools. Many animals live in them.
A tide pool is a hard place to live. When the water is gone, the sun can make the pool hot. Rain can make the water less salty. Then the tide comes back and waves crash over the rocks. The animals must handle all of this.
Many have clever ways to cope. A barnacle shuts its small shell tight to keep moisture in. A mussel holds the rock with strong threads, so waves cannot sweep it off. A sea anemone pulls in its arms and looks like a lump of jelly. Hermit crabs scurry from pool to pool.
If you visit a tide pool, walk slowly and look with your eyes. Put rocks back where you found them. Small animals may live underneath.
▲ This passage · 192 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.8
Twice a day, the ocean creeps up the shore and then slides back down again. This rising and falling of the sea is called the tide. When the tide goes out, it leaves small pools of salt water among the rocks. These are tide pools, and living things make their homes in them.
A tide pool is a hard place to live. When the water is gone, the sun can heat the pool and make it very warm. Rain can make the water less salty. Then the tide comes back, and waves crash over everything. The animals here must handle all of these changes.
Many of them have clever ways to cope. A barnacle shuts its tiny shell tight to keep moisture inside until the water returns. A mussel holds onto the rock with strong threads so the waves cannot sweep it away. A sea anemone pulls in its arms and looks like a lump of jelly. Hermit crabs scurry from pool to pool.
If you visit a tide pool, walk slowly and look with your eyes. Put rocks back exactly where you found them, because small animals may be living underneath.
■ Harder · 199 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.8
Twice every day, the ocean creeps up the shore and then withdraws again, a pattern known as the tide. When the tide goes out, it leaves behind small pools of salt water trapped among the rocks. These tide pools are home to a surprising variety of living things.
Life in a tide pool is demanding. Once the water has drained away, the sun can heat the pool until it becomes very warm, and a rainstorm can make the water less salty than usual. Then the tide returns, and waves crash over everything in sight. The animals that live here must endure all of these sudden changes.
Many of them have clever ways of coping. A barnacle seals its tiny shell tightly to keep moisture inside until the water comes back. A mussel clings to the rock with strong threads so that the waves cannot sweep it away. A sea anemone draws in its arms and resembles a lump of jelly, while hermit crabs scurry from one pool to another.
If you ever visit a tide pool, walk slowly and look carefully with your eyes. Return rocks to exactly where you found them, because small animals may be sheltering underneath.
Twice a day, the sea creeps up the shore and slides back. This is called the tide. When the tide goes out, it leaves small pools of salt water in the rocks. These are tide pools. Many animals live in them.
A tide pool is a hard place to live. When the water is gone, the sun can make the pool hot. Rain can make the water less salty. Then the tide comes back and waves crash over the rocks. The animals must handle all of this.
Many have clever ways to cope. A barnacle shuts its small shell tight to keep moisture in. A mussel holds the rock with strong threads, so waves cannot sweep it off. A sea anemone pulls in its arms and looks like a lump of jelly. Hermit crabs scurry from pool to pool.
If you visit a tide pool, walk slowly and look with your eyes. Put rocks back where you found them. Small animals may live underneath.
Questions
What is a tide?
How are tide pools made?
What does a barnacle do to keep moisture in?
How does a mussel stay on the rock?
Why is a tide pool a hard place to live?
Why should you put rocks back where you found them?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Tide Pool Life: A Home That Floods Twice a Day
Twice a day, the ocean creeps up the shore and then slides back down again. This rising and falling of the sea is called the tide. When the tide goes out, it leaves small pools of salt water among the rocks. These are tide pools, and living things make their homes in them.
A tide pool is a hard place to live. When the water is gone, the sun can heat the pool and make it very warm. Rain can make the water less salty. Then the tide comes back, and waves crash over everything. The animals here must handle all of these changes.
Many of them have clever ways to cope. A barnacle shuts its tiny shell tight to keep moisture inside until the water returns. A mussel holds onto the rock with strong threads so the waves cannot sweep it away. A sea anemone pulls in its arms and looks like a lump of jelly. Hermit crabs scurry from pool to pool.
If you visit a tide pool, walk slowly and look with your eyes. Put rocks back exactly where you found them, because small animals may be living underneath.
Questions
What is a tide?
How are tide pools made?
What does a barnacle do to keep moisture in?
How does a mussel stay on the rock when waves come?
Why is a tide pool a hard place to live?
Why should a visitor put rocks back where they found them?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Tide Pool Life: A Home That Floods Twice a Day
Twice every day, the ocean creeps up the shore and then withdraws again, a pattern known as the tide. When the tide goes out, it leaves behind small pools of salt water trapped among the rocks. These tide pools are home to a surprising variety of living things.
Life in a tide pool is demanding. Once the water has drained away, the sun can heat the pool until it becomes very warm, and a rainstorm can make the water less salty than usual. Then the tide returns, and waves crash over everything in sight. The animals that live here must endure all of these sudden changes.
Many of them have clever ways of coping. A barnacle seals its tiny shell tightly to keep moisture inside until the water comes back. A mussel clings to the rock with strong threads so that the waves cannot sweep it away. A sea anemone draws in its arms and resembles a lump of jelly, while hermit crabs scurry from one pool to another.
If you ever visit a tide pool, walk slowly and look carefully with your eyes. Return rocks to exactly where you found them, because small animals may be sheltering underneath.
Questions
What is the tide?
How do tide pools come to exist?
How does a barnacle keep moisture inside?
How does a mussel avoid being swept away by waves?
What makes a tide pool such a demanding home?
Why is it important to return rocks to where you found them?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Tide Pool Life: A Home That Floods Twice a Day
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.9)
The rising and falling of the sea.
The tide goes out and leaves small pools of salt water in the rocks.
It shuts its small shell tight.
It holds on with strong threads.
The water can get hot or less salty, and waves crash over it.
Small animals may live underneath.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.8)
The rising and falling of the sea.
The tide goes out and leaves small pools of salt water among the rocks.
It shuts its tiny shell tight.
It holds on with strong threads.
The water can get hot or less salty, and waves crash over it when the tide returns.
Small animals may be living underneath them.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.8)
The rising and falling of the ocean each day.
When the tide goes out, it leaves small pools of salt water among the rocks.
It seals its tiny shell tightly.
It clings to the rock with strong threads.
The water can become hot or less salty, and waves crash over it when the tide returns.
Small animals may be sheltering underneath them.
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 tide, barnacle, anemone and moisture 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 "Tide Pool Life: A Home That Floods Twice a Day"?
It was written for 4th grade. It has 192 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.8. 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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