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When a River Cuts Off Its Own Loop

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

5th grade nonfiction oxbow lakes 220 words

When a River Cuts Off Its Own Loop

Rivers rarely flow in straight lines. Across flat land, a river usually bends back and forth in wide curves called meanders. Over time, these curves can change so much that a river leaves part of itself behind as a curved lake.

The change begins with moving water. On the outside of a bend, the water travels faster and cuts into the bank, carrying soil away. On the inside of the bend, the water is slower, so it drops sand and mud. The outer bank wears back while the inner bank builds up, and the curve becomes bigger and more bent each year.

After many years, the two ends of a loop may grow close together, leaving only a thin strip of land called a neck. Then a flood comes. Fast water cuts straight across the neck, and the river finds a shorter path.

The old loop is now cut off. Sand and mud pile up at its ends and seal it from the river. What remains is a curved body of still water called an oxbow lake, named for the U-shaped wooden collar once used on a team of oxen.

Oxbow lakes become calm homes for fish, frogs, birds and plants. In time, they slowly fill with mud and plants, and may turn into marshes or even dry land.

Questions

  1. What are the wide curves of a river called? in the text

  2. Where does river water move faster, on the outside or the inside of a bend? in the text

  3. What is the thin strip of land between two ends of a loop called? in the text

  4. How does a flood help create an oxbow lake? think about it

  5. Why is an oxbow lake made of still water? think about it

  6. What may happen to an oxbow lake after a long time? in the text

Words to know

meander
a wide, winding curve in a river
bank
the sloping land along the side of a river
flood
a large amount of water covering normally dry land
seal
to close off tightly so nothing can pass through
marsh
soft, wet land with grasses and reeds
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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 · 208 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.8

Rivers rarely flow in straight lines. On flat land, a river bends back and forth in wide curves called meanders. Over time, the curves can change so much that part of the river is left behind as a curved lake.

It starts with moving water. On the outside of a bend, the water is faster. It cuts into the bank and carries soil away. On the inside of the bend, the water is slower, so it drops sand and mud. The outer bank wears back and the inner bank builds up. Each year the curve gets bigger.

After many years, the two ends of a loop may get close together. Only a thin strip of land, called a neck, is left. Then a flood comes. Fast water cuts across the neck, and the river takes a shorter path.

The old loop is cut off. Sand and mud pile up at its ends and seal it. What is left is a curved lake of still water called an oxbow lake. It is named for the U-shaped wooden collar once used on oxen.

Oxbow lakes are calm homes for fish, frogs, birds and plants. Over time, they fill with mud and plants and may become marshes or dry land.

▲ This passage · 220 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.9

Rivers rarely flow in straight lines. Across flat land, a river usually bends back and forth in wide curves called meanders. Over time, these curves can change so much that a river leaves part of itself behind as a curved lake.

The change begins with moving water. On the outside of a bend, the water travels faster and cuts into the bank, carrying soil away. On the inside of the bend, the water is slower, so it drops sand and mud. The outer bank wears back while the inner bank builds up, and the curve becomes bigger and more bent each year.

After many years, the two ends of a loop may grow close together, leaving only a thin strip of land called a neck. Then a flood comes. Fast water cuts straight across the neck, and the river finds a shorter path.

The old loop is now cut off. Sand and mud pile up at its ends and seal it from the river. What remains is a curved body of still water called an oxbow lake, named for the U-shaped wooden collar once used on a team of oxen.

Oxbow lakes become calm homes for fish, frogs, birds and plants. In time, they slowly fill with mud and plants, and may turn into marshes or even dry land.

■ Harder · 220 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.9

Rivers seldom flow in straight lines. Across flat terrain, a river typically winds back and forth in broad curves known as meanders. Over the years, these curves can change so dramatically that a river abandons part of itself as a curved lake.

The transformation begins with moving water. On the outside of a bend, the current travels faster and gnaws at the bank, carrying soil away. On the inside of the bend, the current is slower, so it deposits sand and mud. The outer bank erodes while the inner bank builds up, and the curve grows larger and more pronounced each year.

After many years, the two ends of a loop may approach one another, leaving only a narrow strip of land called a neck. Then a flood arrives. Rushing water slices directly across the neck, and the river discovers a shorter route.

The old loop is now severed. Sand and mud accumulate at its ends and seal it off from the river. What remains is a curved body of still water called an oxbow lake, named after the U-shaped wooden collar that was once fitted on a team of oxen.

Oxbow lakes become tranquil habitats for fish, frogs, birds and plants. Eventually, they gradually fill with mud and vegetation, and may turn into marshes or even dry land.

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 meander, bank, flood, seal and marsh 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 "When a River Cuts Off Its Own Loop"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 220 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.9. 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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