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Milk Sugar and the Missing Helper

5th grade nonfiction passage about lactose and digestion: 221 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction lactose and digestion 221 words

Milk Sugar and the Missing Helper

Mia loves cheese pizza, but her cousin Omar feels sick if he drinks a big glass of milk. Their bodies handle milk in different ways, and the reason is a sugar called lactose.

Milk contains lactose, a natural sugar. Your body cannot use it until it is cut into smaller pieces. The small intestine does that work with a helper called lactase. Lactase is an enzyme, which is a tool made by the body that breaks down certain foods. Babies make plenty of lactase, because milk is their main food.

As many people grow older, though, their bodies make less lactase. Then some of the lactose is not broken down. It travels on to the large intestine, where tiny bacteria feed on it. The bacteria make gas and extra water, and that can cause a bloated belly, a rumbling stomach, and some pain. People who have this problem are called lactose intolerant. It is not the same as a milk allergy, which is a reaction by the immune system.

The good news is that there are easy ways around it. Lactose-free milk has lactase added to it. Yogurt and hard cheeses have less lactose than a glass of milk, so many people can eat them with no trouble. That may be why Mia and Omar can still share a pizza.

Questions

  1. What is lactose? in the text

  2. What is the job of lactase? in the text

  3. Why do babies make plenty of lactase? think about it

  4. What happens to lactose that is not broken down? in the text

  5. How is lactose intolerance different from a milk allergy? think about it

  6. What are two foods that people with lactose problems may handle better? in the text

Words to know

lactose
the natural sugar that is found in milk
enzyme
a tool made by the body that breaks down food
intestine
the long tube where food is digested
bacteria
very tiny living things
bloated
puffed up and full of gas
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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 · 200 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.1

Mia loves cheese pizza. Her cousin Omar feels sick after a big glass of milk. Their bodies handle milk in different ways. The reason is a sugar called lactose.

Milk has a natural sugar called lactose. Your body cannot use it until it is cut into small pieces. The small intestine does this with a helper called lactase. Lactase is an enzyme. An enzyme is a tool the body makes to break down food. Babies make lots of lactase, because milk is their main food.

Many people make less lactase as they grow. Then some lactose is not broken down. It goes on to the large intestine. Tiny bacteria eat it there. The bacteria make gas and extra water. That can cause a puffy belly, a rumbling stomach, and some pain. People with this problem are called lactose intolerant. It is not the same as a milk allergy. An allergy is a reaction by the immune system.

There are easy ways around it. Lactose-free milk has lactase added to it. Yogurt and hard cheese have less lactose than milk. Many people can eat them with no trouble. That may be why Mia and Omar can still share a pizza.

▲ This passage · 221 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.7

Mia loves cheese pizza, but her cousin Omar feels sick if he drinks a big glass of milk. Their bodies handle milk in different ways, and the reason is a sugar called lactose.

Milk contains lactose, a natural sugar. Your body cannot use it until it is cut into smaller pieces. The small intestine does that work with a helper called lactase. Lactase is an enzyme, which is a tool made by the body that breaks down certain foods. Babies make plenty of lactase, because milk is their main food.

As many people grow older, though, their bodies make less lactase. Then some of the lactose is not broken down. It travels on to the large intestine, where tiny bacteria feed on it. The bacteria make gas and extra water, and that can cause a bloated belly, a rumbling stomach, and some pain. People who have this problem are called lactose intolerant. It is not the same as a milk allergy, which is a reaction by the immune system.

The good news is that there are easy ways around it. Lactose-free milk has lactase added to it. Yogurt and hard cheeses have less lactose than a glass of milk, so many people can eat them with no trouble. That may be why Mia and Omar can still share a pizza.

■ Harder · 235 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8

Mia adores cheese pizza, but her cousin Omar feels unwell whenever he drinks a large glass of milk. Their bodies handle milk in different ways, and the explanation lies in a natural sugar called lactose.

Milk contains lactose, and your body cannot make use of it until it has been cut into smaller pieces. The small intestine carries out that work with the help of a substance called lactase. Lactase is an enzyme, which is a tool manufactured by the body that breaks down certain foods. Babies produce plenty of lactase, because milk is their main source of food.

As many people grow older, however, their bodies produce less lactase. When that happens, some of the lactose is never broken down. It travels onward to the large intestine, where tiny bacteria feed on it. The bacteria create gas and extra water, which can lead to a bloated belly, a rumbling stomach, and occasional pain. People who experience this problem are described as lactose intolerant. It is not the same as a milk allergy, which is a reaction by the immune system.

Fortunately, there are simple ways to work around it. Lactose-free milk has lactase added to it, and yogurt and hard cheeses contain less lactose than a glass of milk does, so many people can eat them without any trouble. That may explain why Mia and Omar are still able to share a pizza.

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 lactose, enzyme, intestine, bacteria and bloated 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 "Milk Sugar and the Missing Helper"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 221 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.7. 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.

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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