6th grade nonfiction passage about brine pools on the sea floor: 235 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
6th gradenonfictionbrine pools on the sea floor235 words
A Lake Hidden on the Sea Floor
Some of the strangest lakes on Earth are not on land at all. They sit on the bottom of the ocean, hidden far below the waves. Scientists call them brine pools. A brine is water that is much saltier than ordinary seawater.
A brine pool begins when water dissolves salt that is buried deep in the rock and then seeps up through the sea floor. This salty water is heavier than the seawater above it, so the two do not mix. Instead the brine sinks into a dip in the sea floor and fills it, the way a bowl fills with water. The top of the pool is sharp and clear. From a distance it can look like the shore of a real lake, with ripples along its edge.
A brine pool is a hard place to live. The water holds so much salt and so little oxygen that most sea animals cannot survive inside it. Yet tiny living things called microbes can thrive there, and some of them feed on chemicals that leak from the ground. Mussels have been found living along the edges of some pools, where the brine meets the ordinary sea.
Brine pools were discovered by research ships and by small underwater vehicles that carry cameras into the dark. Each pool is a reminder that the deep ocean still holds surprises, and that scientists have a great deal left to learn.
Questions
What is a brine? in the text
Why does the salty water stay in a dip instead of mixing with the sea? in the text
What makes a brine pool look like a real lake? in the text
Why can most sea animals not live inside a brine pool? in the text
Where have mussels been found near some brine pools? in the text
Why does the author say the deep ocean still holds surprises? think about it
Words to know
brine
water that is much saltier than the sea
seeps
flows out slowly through small openings
microbes
living things too small to see without help
thrive
to grow and do very well
research
careful study to find out new facts
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
A Lake Hidden on the Sea Floor
6th grade reading passage
Some of the strangest lakes on Earth are not on land at all. They sit on the bottom of the ocean, hidden far below the waves. Scientists call them brine pools. A brine is water that is much saltier than ordinary seawater.
A brine pool begins when water dissolves salt that is buried deep in the rock and then seeps up through the sea floor. This salty water is heavier than the seawater above it, so the two do not mix. Instead the brine sinks into a dip in the sea floor and fills it, the way a bowl fills with water. The top of the pool is sharp and clear. From a distance it can look like the shore of a real lake, with ripples along its edge.
A brine pool is a hard place to live. The water holds so much salt and so little oxygen that most sea animals cannot survive inside it. Yet tiny living things called microbes can thrive there, and some of them feed on chemicals that leak from the ground. Mussels have been found living along the edges of some pools, where the brine meets the ordinary sea.
Brine pools were discovered by research ships and by small underwater vehicles that carry cameras into the dark. Each pool is a reminder that the deep ocean still holds surprises, and that scientists have a great deal left to learn.
Questions
What is a brine?
Why does the salty water stay in a dip instead of mixing with the sea?
What makes a brine pool look like a real lake?
Why can most sea animals not live inside a brine pool?
Where have mussels been found near some brine pools?
Why does the author say the deep ocean still holds surprises?
Words to know
brine: water that is much saltier than the sea
seeps: flows out slowly through small openings
microbes: living things too small to see without help
thrive: to grow and do very well
research: careful study to find out new facts
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/6/a-lake-hidden-on-the-sea-floor
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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 · 166 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2
Some lakes are not on land. They are on the bottom of the sea. Scientists call them brine pools. A brine is water that is much saltier than seawater.
Deep in the ground, there is salt. Water melts the salt and leaks up through the sea floor. This salty water is heavy. It does not mix with the sea. It sinks into a dip and fills it up, like a bowl. The top of the pool is sharp and clear. It can look like the shore of a lake, with ripples at the edge.
A brine pool is a hard place to live. It has too much salt and too little oxygen. Most sea animals cannot live in it. But tiny living things called microbes do well there. Some eat chemicals that leak from the ground. Mussels have been found along the edges of some pools.
Ships and small underwater machines with cameras found the pools. The pools show that the deep sea still holds surprises.
▲ This passage · 235 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.7
Some of the strangest lakes on Earth are not on land at all. They sit on the bottom of the ocean, hidden far below the waves. Scientists call them brine pools. A brine is water that is much saltier than ordinary seawater.
A brine pool begins when water dissolves salt that is buried deep in the rock and then seeps up through the sea floor. This salty water is heavier than the seawater above it, so the two do not mix. Instead the brine sinks into a dip in the sea floor and fills it, the way a bowl fills with water. The top of the pool is sharp and clear. From a distance it can look like the shore of a real lake, with ripples along its edge.
A brine pool is a hard place to live. The water holds so much salt and so little oxygen that most sea animals cannot survive inside it. Yet tiny living things called microbes can thrive there, and some of them feed on chemicals that leak from the ground. Mussels have been found living along the edges of some pools, where the brine meets the ordinary sea.
Brine pools were discovered by research ships and by small underwater vehicles that carry cameras into the dark. Each pool is a reminder that the deep ocean still holds surprises, and that scientists have a great deal left to learn.
■ Harder · 246 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.3
Some of the most remarkable lakes on Earth are not found on land at all. They rest on the floor of the ocean, concealed far beneath the waves. Scientists call them brine pools, and a brine is water that contains far more salt than ordinary seawater does.
A brine pool begins when water dissolves salt that lies buried deep inside the rock and then seeps upward through the sea floor. Because this salty water is denser than the seawater above it, the two liquids refuse to blend. Instead, the brine collects in a hollow in the sea floor and fills it, much as a bowl fills with water. The surface of the pool is sharp and clear, and from a distance it can resemble the shoreline of a genuine lake, complete with ripples along its edge.
A brine pool is an extremely difficult place to live. The water holds so much salt and so little oxygen that most sea animals cannot survive inside it. Nevertheless, microscopic living things called microbes can thrive there, and some of them feed on chemicals that leak out of the ground. Mussels have even been found living along the edges of certain pools, where the brine meets the ordinary sea.
Brine pools were discovered by research ships and by small underwater vehicles that carry cameras into the darkness. Every pool is a reminder that the deep ocean still holds many surprises, and that scientists have a great deal left to learn.
Some lakes are not on land. They are on the bottom of the sea. Scientists call them brine pools. A brine is water that is much saltier than seawater.
Deep in the ground, there is salt. Water melts the salt and leaks up through the sea floor. This salty water is heavy. It does not mix with the sea. It sinks into a dip and fills it up, like a bowl. The top of the pool is sharp and clear. It can look like the shore of a lake, with ripples at the edge.
A brine pool is a hard place to live. It has too much salt and too little oxygen. Most sea animals cannot live in it. But tiny living things called microbes do well there. Some eat chemicals that leak from the ground. Mussels have been found along the edges of some pools.
Ships and small underwater machines with cameras found the pools. The pools show that the deep sea still holds surprises.
Questions
What is a brine?
Why does the salty water stay in a dip?
What makes a brine pool look like a lake?
Why can most sea animals not live in a brine pool?
Where have mussels been found?
What do the pools show about the deep sea?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
A Lake Hidden on the Sea Floor
Some of the strangest lakes on Earth are not on land at all. They sit on the bottom of the ocean, hidden far below the waves. Scientists call them brine pools. A brine is water that is much saltier than ordinary seawater.
A brine pool begins when water dissolves salt that is buried deep in the rock and then seeps up through the sea floor. This salty water is heavier than the seawater above it, so the two do not mix. Instead the brine sinks into a dip in the sea floor and fills it, the way a bowl fills with water. The top of the pool is sharp and clear. From a distance it can look like the shore of a real lake, with ripples along its edge.
A brine pool is a hard place to live. The water holds so much salt and so little oxygen that most sea animals cannot survive inside it. Yet tiny living things called microbes can thrive there, and some of them feed on chemicals that leak from the ground. Mussels have been found living along the edges of some pools, where the brine meets the ordinary sea.
Brine pools were discovered by research ships and by small underwater vehicles that carry cameras into the dark. Each pool is a reminder that the deep ocean still holds surprises, and that scientists have a great deal left to learn.
Questions
What is a brine?
Why does the salty water stay in a dip instead of mixing with the sea?
What makes a brine pool look like a real lake?
Why can most sea animals not live inside a brine pool?
Where have mussels been found near some brine pools?
Why does the author say the deep ocean still holds surprises?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
A Lake Hidden on the Sea Floor
Some of the most remarkable lakes on Earth are not found on land at all. They rest on the floor of the ocean, concealed far beneath the waves. Scientists call them brine pools, and a brine is water that contains far more salt than ordinary seawater does.
A brine pool begins when water dissolves salt that lies buried deep inside the rock and then seeps upward through the sea floor. Because this salty water is denser than the seawater above it, the two liquids refuse to blend. Instead, the brine collects in a hollow in the sea floor and fills it, much as a bowl fills with water. The surface of the pool is sharp and clear, and from a distance it can resemble the shoreline of a genuine lake, complete with ripples along its edge.
A brine pool is an extremely difficult place to live. The water holds so much salt and so little oxygen that most sea animals cannot survive inside it. Nevertheless, microscopic living things called microbes can thrive there, and some of them feed on chemicals that leak out of the ground. Mussels have even been found living along the edges of certain pools, where the brine meets the ordinary sea.
Brine pools were discovered by research ships and by small underwater vehicles that carry cameras into the darkness. Every pool is a reminder that the deep ocean still holds many surprises, and that scientists have a great deal left to learn.
Questions
What is a brine?
Why does the salty water collect in a hollow instead of blending with the sea?
What gives a brine pool the appearance of a genuine lake?
Why can most sea animals not survive inside a brine pool?
Where have mussels been found living near certain pools?
What does the ending suggest about future discoveries in the deep ocean?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: A Lake Hidden on the Sea Floor
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2)
Water that is much saltier than seawater.
It is heavy, so it does not mix with the sea.
Its top is clear, with ripples at the edge like a shore.
It has too much salt and too little oxygen.
Along the edges of some pools.
It still holds surprises, so there may be more to find.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.7)
Water that is much saltier than ordinary seawater.
It is heavier than the seawater above it.
Its top is sharp and clear, with ripples along an edge like a shore.
The water has too much salt and too little oxygen.
Along the edges of the pools.
People only found these pools after ships and cameras went down, so other discoveries may be waiting.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.3)
Water that contains far more salt than ordinary seawater.
It is denser than the seawater above it.
Its sharp, clear surface and ripples along an edge like a shoreline.
The water holds too much salt and too little oxygen.
Along the edges, where the brine meets the ordinary sea.
These pools were found only once ships and cameras went down, so more surprises may be waiting.
Free at teach.peabody.kids
How to use it
Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.
Ideas for class
Before reading, put brine, seeps, microbes, thrive and research 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 6 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.
What reading level is "A Lake Hidden on the Sea Floor"?
It was written for 6th grade. It has 235 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. 5 ask for something the text says directly and 1 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.
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