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Islands Made of Reeds on Lake Titicaca

5th grade nonfiction passage about floating reed islands: 207 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction floating reed islands 207 words

Islands Made of Reeds on Lake Titicaca

High in the Andes Mountains, between Peru and Bolivia, lies Lake Titicaca. It is one of the highest large lakes in the world that boats can use. On its Peruvian side, a group of people called the Uros live on islands that they build themselves out of plants.

The plant is a tall reed called totora. It grows in shallow water along the shore. The people cut the reeds and pile them in thick layers, with new ones laid on top of the old. Because the reeds are full of tiny air pockets, they float. The bottom layers slowly rot in the water, so fresh reeds must be added all the time to keep the island firm.

Reeds are used for much more than the ground. Houses are built from them, and so are the boats, some shaped like big curved baskets. The stems can even be eaten. Many visitors learn about the lake and the Uros way of life on guided tours.

An island of totora can be moved if needed. Long ropes and anchors hold it in place, and it can be cut apart and pulled to a new spot. The Uros show how people can shape a home from whatever their land gives them.

Questions

  1. Where is Lake Titicaca? in the text

  2. What plant do the Uros use to build their islands? in the text

  3. Why do the reeds float? in the text

  4. Why must new reeds be added all the time? think about it

  5. Can you name two things besides the ground that are made from totora? in the text

  6. What does the passage suggest about how the Uros live? think about it

Words to know

reed
a tall grass-like plant that grows in water
shallow
not deep
layer
one flat level lying on top of another
anchor
a heavy weight that holds something in place
guided
led by someone who knows the way and the facts
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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 · 144 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.3

High in the Andes Mountains lies Lake Titicaca. It is between Peru and Bolivia. On the Peruvian side, a people called the Uros live on islands. They build the islands out of plants.

The plant is a tall reed called totora. It grows in shallow water by the shore. The people cut the reeds and pile them in thick layers. The reeds are full of tiny air pockets, so they float. The bottom layers rot in the water. New reeds must be added all the time to keep the island firm.

Reeds make more than the ground. Houses are made of reeds. Boats are made of reeds, too. The stems can be eaten.

An island can be moved. Ropes and anchors hold it in place. It can be cut apart and pulled to a new spot. The Uros use what their land gives them.

▲ This passage · 207 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.7

High in the Andes Mountains, between Peru and Bolivia, lies Lake Titicaca. It is one of the highest large lakes in the world that boats can use. On its Peruvian side, a group of people called the Uros live on islands that they build themselves out of plants.

The plant is a tall reed called totora. It grows in shallow water along the shore. The people cut the reeds and pile them in thick layers, with new ones laid on top of the old. Because the reeds are full of tiny air pockets, they float. The bottom layers slowly rot in the water, so fresh reeds must be added all the time to keep the island firm.

Reeds are used for much more than the ground. Houses are built from them, and so are the boats, some shaped like big curved baskets. The stems can even be eaten. Many visitors learn about the lake and the Uros way of life on guided tours.

An island of totora can be moved if needed. Long ropes and anchors hold it in place, and it can be cut apart and pulled to a new spot. The Uros show how people can shape a home from whatever their land gives them.

■ Harder · 213 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7

High in the Andes Mountains, between Peru and Bolivia, lies Lake Titicaca, one of the highest large lakes in the world that ships and boats can navigate. On its Peruvian side, a group of people known as the Uros live on islands that they construct themselves out of plants.

The plant in question is a tall reed called totora, which grows in the shallow water along the shore. The people cut the reeds and stack them in thick layers, laying fresh ones on top of the old. Because the reeds are filled with countless tiny air pockets, they float easily. The bottom layers gradually rot in the water, so new reeds must be added constantly to keep the island firm underfoot.

Reeds are used for far more than the ground itself. Houses are built from them, and so are the boats, some of them shaped like enormous curved baskets. The stems can even be eaten. Many visitors learn about the lake and the Uros way of life on guided tours.

An island of totora can be relocated when necessary. Long ropes and anchors hold it in place, and it can be cut apart and pulled to a different spot. The Uros demonstrate how people can shape a home from whatever their land provides.

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 reed, shallow, layer, anchor and guided 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 "Islands Made of Reeds on Lake Titicaca"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 207 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.7. 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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