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Swollen Glands: Checkpoints in Your Neck

5th grade nonfiction passage about lymph nodes and germs: 229 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction lymph nodes and germs 229 words

Swollen Glands: Checkpoints in Your Neck

When you have a sore throat, the doctor often presses gently along the sides of your neck. Under your skin there are small, bean-shaped lumps called lymph nodes. People sometimes call them glands. Most of the time you cannot feel them at all.

Your body has a network of thin tubes that carry a clear fluid called lymph. The tubes run through the body, and lymph nodes sit along them like checkpoints on a road. You have clusters of nodes in your neck, under your arms, and in other places too. As lymph flows through a node, the node filters it. Germs and other unwanted bits get caught there.

Nodes are also packed with white blood cells, which are the fighters of your immune system. When a germ gets caught, the white blood cells in the node spring into action. The node makes more of them, and this extra crowd makes the node swell up. A swollen node may feel tender, like a small, soft marble under the skin.

That swelling is a sign that your body is working hard. When the sickness is gone, the nodes slowly shrink back to their normal size. If a node stays big for a long time, a doctor will want to take a look. Swollen glands are not a problem in themselves. They are a message that your defenses are busy.

Questions

  1. What are lymph nodes shaped like? in the text

  2. What does lymph do as it flows through a node? in the text

  3. What are white blood cells? in the text

  4. Why does a node swell when you are sick? think about it

  5. What happens to the nodes after the sickness is gone? in the text

  6. Why does the writer call swollen glands a message? think about it

Words to know

network
a set of parts that are all joined together
filters
catches the bad bits and lets the rest pass
clusters
groups of things close together
immune
having to do with the body's way of fighting germs
tender
sore when touched
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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 · 189 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.9

When your throat is sore, a doctor presses the sides of your neck. Under your skin are small lumps shaped like beans. They are called lymph nodes. People sometimes call them glands. Most of the time you cannot feel them.

Your body has thin tubes that carry a clear fluid called lymph. Lymph nodes sit along these tubes like checkpoints on a road. You have groups of nodes in your neck, under your arms, and in other places. Lymph flows through a node, and the node filters it. Germs and other unwanted bits get caught.

Nodes are full of white blood cells. These are the fighters of your immune system. When a germ gets caught, the white blood cells go to work. The node makes more of them. The extra crowd makes the node swell. A swollen node can feel sore, like a soft marble under your skin.

The swelling shows that your body is working hard. When you are well, the nodes shrink back. If a node stays big for a long time, a doctor should look at it. Swollen glands are a message. Your defenses are busy.

▲ This passage · 229 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.8

When you have a sore throat, the doctor often presses gently along the sides of your neck. Under your skin there are small, bean-shaped lumps called lymph nodes. People sometimes call them glands. Most of the time you cannot feel them at all.

Your body has a network of thin tubes that carry a clear fluid called lymph. The tubes run through the body, and lymph nodes sit along them like checkpoints on a road. You have clusters of nodes in your neck, under your arms, and in other places too. As lymph flows through a node, the node filters it. Germs and other unwanted bits get caught there.

Nodes are also packed with white blood cells, which are the fighters of your immune system. When a germ gets caught, the white blood cells in the node spring into action. The node makes more of them, and this extra crowd makes the node swell up. A swollen node may feel tender, like a small, soft marble under the skin.

That swelling is a sign that your body is working hard. When the sickness is gone, the nodes slowly shrink back to their normal size. If a node stays big for a long time, a doctor will want to take a look. Swollen glands are not a problem in themselves. They are a message that your defenses are busy.

■ Harder · 235 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.2

When you have a sore throat, the doctor will often press gently along the sides of your neck. Beneath your skin lie small, bean-shaped lumps called lymph nodes, which people sometimes refer to as glands. Under normal circumstances, you cannot feel them at all.

Your body contains an elaborate network of thin tubes that carry a clear fluid known as lymph. These tubes run throughout your body, and lymph nodes are positioned along them like checkpoints on a highway. You have clusters of nodes in your neck, beneath your arms, and in several other places as well. As lymph flows through a node, the node filters it, and germs and other unwanted particles become trapped inside.

Nodes are also packed with white blood cells, the fighters of your immune system. Whenever a germ gets caught, the white blood cells in that node spring into action. The node produces even more of them, and this extra crowd causes the node to swell. A swollen node may feel tender, rather like a small, soft marble lodged beneath your skin.

That swelling is evidence that your body is working hard. Once the sickness has passed, the nodes gradually shrink back to their normal size. If a node remains enlarged for a long time, a doctor will want to examine it. Swollen glands are not a problem in themselves. They are a message that your defenses are busy.

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 network, filters, clusters, immune and tender 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 "Swollen Glands: Checkpoints in Your Neck"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 229 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.

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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