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The Dry Side of the Mountain

5th grade nonfiction passage about rain shadow: 191 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction rain shadow 191 words

The Dry Side of the Mountain

Some mountains split the land into two very different worlds. On one side, forests are thick and green. On the other side, the ground is dry and the plants are few. The mountains cause this difference, and the effect is called a rain shadow.

It starts with wind. Wind blowing off the ocean carries a lot of water vapor. When this moist air reaches a mountain, it cannot go through, so it is pushed up the slope. As air rises, it cools. Cool air cannot hold as much water vapor as warm air, so the vapor turns into tiny drops. The drops form clouds, and rain or snow falls on the side that faces the wind.

By the time the air crosses the top, most of its water is gone. The air then slides down the other side. As it sinks, it warms up and can hold water again, so clouds melt away instead of making rain. The land on that side stays dry.

Deserts and grasslands often sit in the rain shadow of tall mountain ranges. Farmers there must plan carefully for water, while the wet side can grow forests.

Questions

  1. What is the name for the dry area behind a mountain? in the text

  2. What happens to air as it is pushed up a mountain slope? in the text

  3. Why does rain or snow fall on the side facing the wind? in the text

  4. Why do clouds melt away on the far side of the mountain? think about it

  5. Where does the moist air in this passage come from? in the text

  6. Why might farmers on the dry side need to plan carefully? think about it

Words to know

vapor
water in the form of a gas in the air
slope
the slanted side of a hill or mountain
moist
a little bit wet
range
a long row of mountains
shadow
a dark area where light or rain does not reach
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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 · 140 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5

Some mountains have a wet side and a dry side. On the wet side, forests are green and thick. On the dry side, few plants grow. This is called a rain shadow.

It starts with wind. Wind from the ocean brings a lot of water vapor. The wind hits a mountain and goes up the slope. Air gets cooler as it goes up. Cool air holds less water, so the vapor turns into drops. The drops make clouds. Then rain or snow falls on the side that faces the wind.

The air goes over the top with very little water left. It sinks down the other side and gets warm. Warm air can hold water again, so no rain falls. That side stays dry.

Deserts often sit in the rain shadow of tall mountains. Farmers there must plan for water.

▲ This passage · 191 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.9

Some mountains split the land into two very different worlds. On one side, forests are thick and green. On the other side, the ground is dry and the plants are few. The mountains cause this difference, and the effect is called a rain shadow.

It starts with wind. Wind blowing off the ocean carries a lot of water vapor. When this moist air reaches a mountain, it cannot go through, so it is pushed up the slope. As air rises, it cools. Cool air cannot hold as much water vapor as warm air, so the vapor turns into tiny drops. The drops form clouds, and rain or snow falls on the side that faces the wind.

By the time the air crosses the top, most of its water is gone. The air then slides down the other side. As it sinks, it warms up and can hold water again, so clouds melt away instead of making rain. The land on that side stays dry.

Deserts and grasslands often sit in the rain shadow of tall mountain ranges. Farmers there must plan carefully for water, while the wet side can grow forests.

■ Harder · 210 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.4

Certain mountain ranges divide the landscape into two strikingly different worlds. On one side, dense forests cover the hills in green. On the opposite side, the ground is parched and only a scattering of hardy plants survives. The mountains themselves are responsible for this contrast, and the effect is known as a rain shadow.

The process begins with wind. Air blowing in from the ocean carries a great deal of water vapor. When this moist air meets a mountain, it cannot pass straight through, so it is forced to climb the slope. As air rises, it cools, and cool air cannot hold as much water vapor as warm air can. The vapor condenses into tiny drops, which gather into clouds, and rain or snow falls on the side that faces the wind.

By the time the air crosses the summit, most of its moisture has been lost. It then descends the far side, and as it sinks, it warms and becomes able to hold water again, so clouds dissolve instead of producing rain. The land on that side remains dry.

Deserts and grasslands frequently lie in the rain shadow of tall mountain ranges. Farmers there must plan carefully for every drop of water, while the wet side can support forests.

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 vapor, slope, moist, range and shadow 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 4 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 "The Dry Side of the Mountain"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 191 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.9. 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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