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Bamboo, the Giant Grass

5th grade nonfiction passage about bamboo: 220 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction bamboo 220 words

Bamboo, the Giant Grass

Bamboo can look like a tree, but it is really a grass. It belongs to the same big plant family as lawn grass, wheat, and rice. The difference is size. Some kinds of bamboo stand taller than a house.

The stem of a bamboo plant is called a culm. It is hollow inside, with solid rings spaced along it called nodes. The nodes act like braces, making the stem strong even though it is empty in the middle. That mix of light weight and strength is one reason bamboo is so useful.

Bamboo is also famous for growing fast. Many plants start with a single shoot that pushes up from underground. The new shoot already has all of its rings packed inside, and it stretches out quickly, a bit like a telescope opening. Some kinds can grow very tall in just a few months. After that, the stem does not get any thicker or taller, but it becomes harder over time.

People use bamboo in many ways. They build scaffolds, fences, and furniture from it. They weave baskets and make floors and cutting boards. Young shoots of certain kinds are cooked and eaten as food.

Giant pandas also eat bamboo. Because it grows back quickly, bamboo is a plant that can be harvested again and again from the same patch.

Questions

  1. What kind of plant is bamboo? in the text

  2. What is a node on a bamboo stem? in the text

  3. Why is bamboo strong even though its stem is hollow? think about it

  4. How does a new bamboo shoot grow so fast? in the text

  5. What are two ways people use bamboo? in the text

  6. Why can bamboo be harvested again and again from the same patch? think about it

Words to know

culm
the stem of a bamboo plant or other grass
nodes
the solid rings along a bamboo stem
hollow
empty on the inside
scaffolds
frames that workers stand on while they build
harvested
gathered when ready, like a crop
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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 · 195 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.3

Bamboo can look like a tree, but it is really a grass. It is in the same big plant family as lawn grass, wheat, and rice. The difference is size. Some kinds of bamboo are taller than a house.

The stem of a bamboo plant is called a culm. It is hollow inside. Solid rings called nodes are spaced along it. The nodes work like braces. They make the stem strong even though it is empty in the middle. Light weight and strength make bamboo very useful.

Bamboo is also famous for growing fast. A new shoot pushes up from underground. It already has all of its rings packed inside. It stretches out fast, a bit like a telescope opening. Some kinds grow very tall in just a few months. After that, the stem does not get taller or thicker, but it gets harder.

People use bamboo in many ways. They build scaffolds, fences, and furniture. They weave baskets and make floors and cutting boards. Young shoots of some kinds are cooked and eaten.

Giant pandas eat bamboo, too. Bamboo grows back fast, so it can be harvested again and again from the same patch.

▲ This passage · 220 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.5

Bamboo can look like a tree, but it is really a grass. It belongs to the same big plant family as lawn grass, wheat, and rice. The difference is size. Some kinds of bamboo stand taller than a house.

The stem of a bamboo plant is called a culm. It is hollow inside, with solid rings spaced along it called nodes. The nodes act like braces, making the stem strong even though it is empty in the middle. That mix of light weight and strength is one reason bamboo is so useful.

Bamboo is also famous for growing fast. Many plants start with a single shoot that pushes up from underground. The new shoot already has all of its rings packed inside, and it stretches out quickly, a bit like a telescope opening. Some kinds can grow very tall in just a few months. After that, the stem does not get any thicker or taller, but it becomes harder over time.

People use bamboo in many ways. They build scaffolds, fences, and furniture from it. They weave baskets and make floors and cutting boards. Young shoots of certain kinds are cooked and eaten as food.

Giant pandas also eat bamboo. Because it grows back quickly, bamboo is a plant that can be harvested again and again from the same patch.

■ Harder · 223 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.1

Bamboo can resemble a tree, but it is actually a grass, belonging to the same enormous plant family as lawn grass, wheat, and rice. What sets it apart is its size, because some kinds of bamboo stand taller than a house.

The stem of a bamboo plant is called a culm. It is hollow inside, with solid rings known as nodes spaced along its length. The nodes function like braces, giving the stem considerable strength even though it is empty in the middle. This combination of light weight and strength is a major reason bamboo is so useful.

Bamboo is also renowned for its rapid growth. Many plants begin as a single shoot that pushes up from underground, and this shoot already has all of its rings packed inside, so it stretches out swiftly, rather like a telescope opening. Certain kinds can reach great heights in only a few months. Afterward, the stem grows no thicker or taller, although it becomes harder as time passes.

People put bamboo to work in countless ways. They construct scaffolds, fences, and furniture from it, weave baskets, and manufacture floors and cutting boards. Young shoots of particular kinds are cooked and eaten as food.

Giant pandas feed on bamboo as well. Since it regrows so quickly, bamboo can be harvested again and again from the same patch.

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 culm, nodes, hollow, scaffolds and harvested 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 "Bamboo, the Giant Grass"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 220 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.5. 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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