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Cochineal: A Red Dye from Tiny Dried Insects

6th grade nonfiction passage about cochineal red dye: 222 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction cochineal red dye 222 words

Cochineal: A Red Dye from Tiny Dried Insects

A brilliant red cloth may seem to come from a plant, but one of the most famous reds in history came from an insect. The cochineal is a tiny bug that lives on prickly pear cactus in the warm parts of the Americas. When the females are dried and crushed, they give off a strong crimson color.

People in Mexico and Central and South America were using this dye long before European ships arrived. They collected the insects by hand, brushing them off the cactus pads with a small tool. It took a huge number of the insects to make even a small amount of dye, so the color was precious.

After sailors from Spain brought cochineal across the ocean, the red became a valued trade good in Europe. It made fabrics, such as the cloaks of soldiers and the robes of rich people, glow a rich, deep scarlet. For a long time, the people who bought it had no idea that it came from a bug. They only knew it made a wonderful red that did not fade easily.

Today, chemists can make many reds in a laboratory. Even so, cochineal is still used in some art supplies, cosmetics, and foods. On a food label it may be listed as carmine, and some people prefer to avoid it for that reason.

Questions

  1. What plant does the cochineal insect live on? in the text

  2. How do people turn the insects into dye? in the text

  3. Who used the dye before European ships arrived? in the text

  4. What name might cochineal have on a food label? in the text

  5. Why was cochineal dye precious? think about it

  6. Why would some people avoid products with this dye? think about it

Words to know

cochineal
a tiny insect used to make a red dye
crimson
a deep, rich red color
precious
very valuable and not easy to get
fabric
cloth made by weaving or knitting
scarlet
a bright red color
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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 · 190 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.7

A bright red cloth seems to come from a plant. But one of the best-known reds came from an insect. The cochineal is a tiny bug. It lives on prickly pear cactus in warm parts of the Americas. People dry and crush the females. They give a strong crimson color.

People in Mexico and Central and South America used this dye long before European ships came. They picked the insects by hand. They brushed them off the cactus pads with a small tool. It took a huge number of insects to make a little dye. So the color was precious.

Sailors from Spain brought cochineal across the ocean. The red became a valued trade good in Europe. It made cloaks and robes glow a deep scarlet. For a long time, buyers did not know it came from a bug. They only knew the red did not fade easily.

Today, chemists can make many reds in a lab. Even so, cochineal is still used in some art supplies, cosmetics, and foods. On a food label it may be listed as carmine. Some people choose to avoid it for that reason.

▲ This passage · 222 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.4

A brilliant red cloth may seem to come from a plant, but one of the most famous reds in history came from an insect. The cochineal is a tiny bug that lives on prickly pear cactus in the warm parts of the Americas. When the females are dried and crushed, they give off a strong crimson color.

People in Mexico and Central and South America were using this dye long before European ships arrived. They collected the insects by hand, brushing them off the cactus pads with a small tool. It took a huge number of the insects to make even a small amount of dye, so the color was precious.

After sailors from Spain brought cochineal across the ocean, the red became a valued trade good in Europe. It made fabrics, such as the cloaks of soldiers and the robes of rich people, glow a rich, deep scarlet. For a long time, the people who bought it had no idea that it came from a bug. They only knew it made a wonderful red that did not fade easily.

Today, chemists can make many reds in a laboratory. Even so, cochineal is still used in some art supplies, cosmetics, and foods. On a food label it may be listed as carmine, and some people prefer to avoid it for that reason.

■ Harder · 229 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 9.2

A brilliant red cloth might appear to owe its color to a plant, yet one of the most celebrated reds in history was extracted from an insect. The cochineal is a minute bug that lives on prickly pear cactus in the warm regions of the Americas. When the females are dried and crushed, they release a powerful crimson pigment.

People in Mexico and in Central and South America were using this dye long before European ships arrived. They gathered the insects by hand, brushing them from the cactus pads with a small tool. An enormous number of the creatures was required to produce even a small quantity of dye, which made the color extremely precious.

After sailors from Spain carried cochineal across the ocean, the red became a highly valued trade good in Europe. It caused fabrics, such as the cloaks of soldiers and the robes of wealthy people, to glow a rich, deep scarlet. For a long time, those who purchased it had no idea that it originated from a bug. They knew only that it produced a wonderful red that did not fade easily.

Today, chemists are able to manufacture many reds in a laboratory. Nevertheless, cochineal is still employed in certain art supplies, cosmetics, and foods. On a food label it may be listed as carmine, and some people prefer to avoid it for that reason.

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 cochineal, crimson, precious, fabric and scarlet 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 5 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 "Cochineal: A Red Dye from Tiny Dried Insects"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 222 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 7.4. 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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