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How Landlocked Countries Reach the Sea

6th grade nonfiction passage about countries with no coastline: 209 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction countries with no coastline 209 words

How Landlocked Countries Reach the Sea

A landlocked country is one with no coastline of its own. Switzerland, Paraguay, Mongolia, Ethiopia, and Nepal are all examples. Together there are more than forty of them around the world. Being far from the sea creates a problem, because most goods that travel between continents go by ship.

A landlocked country solves the problem with the help of its neighbors. A truck loaded with goods may drive across another country to a harbor, where a cargo ship waits. This means the country must agree with its neighbors about roads, borders, and fees. Delays at any border can make products slower and more costly.

Rivers can help. Paraguay has no ocean shore, but barges can carry soybeans and other cargo down its rivers to the Atlantic Ocean. Switzerland sends goods along the Rhine River, where barges move them toward ports in the Netherlands. Countries also build railways and pipelines across borders and sometimes rent space at a neighbor's port.

Some landlocked countries have another way to join the world. Their airports connect them to far-off places, and their products are light and valuable enough to fly, such as watches, medicines, or fine tools. Whatever the route, the key to success is good cooperation with the countries in between.

Questions

  1. What is a landlocked country? in the text

  2. Which two landlocked countries from the passage can you name? in the text

  3. How can Paraguay's cargo reach the Atlantic Ocean? in the text

  4. Why must landlocked countries agree with their neighbors? think about it

  5. Why are watches and medicines good products to send by air? think about it

  6. What is the key to success for a landlocked country? in the text

Words to know

landlocked
surrounded by land with no coast
cargo
goods carried by a ship, truck, or plane
barges
long, flat boats used to haul heavy goods
pipelines
long tubes that carry oil, gas, or water
cooperation
working together toward the same goal
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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 · 181 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5

A landlocked country has no coast of its own. Switzerland, Paraguay, Mongolia, Ethiopia, and Nepal are examples. There are more than forty in the world. Being far from the sea is a problem. Most goods that cross the world go by ship.

A landlocked country gets help from its neighbors. A truck may drive across another country to a harbor, where a cargo ship waits. So the country must agree with its neighbors about roads, borders, and fees. A delay at a border makes goods slower and cost more.

Rivers can help. Paraguay has no ocean shore, but barges can carry soybeans and other cargo down its rivers to the Atlantic Ocean. Switzerland sends goods on the Rhine River, where barges take them toward ports in the Netherlands. Countries also build railways and pipelines across borders. Some rent space at a neighbor's port.

Some landlocked countries use planes. Their goods are light and worth a lot, like watches, medicines, and fine tools. These are easy to fly. Whatever the way, the key is to work well with the countries in between.

▲ This passage · 209 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.6

A landlocked country is one with no coastline of its own. Switzerland, Paraguay, Mongolia, Ethiopia, and Nepal are all examples. Together there are more than forty of them around the world. Being far from the sea creates a problem, because most goods that travel between continents go by ship.

A landlocked country solves the problem with the help of its neighbors. A truck loaded with goods may drive across another country to a harbor, where a cargo ship waits. This means the country must agree with its neighbors about roads, borders, and fees. Delays at any border can make products slower and more costly.

Rivers can help. Paraguay has no ocean shore, but barges can carry soybeans and other cargo down its rivers to the Atlantic Ocean. Switzerland sends goods along the Rhine River, where barges move them toward ports in the Netherlands. Countries also build railways and pipelines across borders and sometimes rent space at a neighbor's port.

Some landlocked countries have another way to join the world. Their airports connect them to far-off places, and their products are light and valuable enough to fly, such as watches, medicines, or fine tools. Whatever the route, the key to success is good cooperation with the countries in between.

■ Harder · 226 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 10.3

A landlocked country is one that possesses no coastline of its own, and examples include Switzerland, Paraguay, Mongolia, Ethiopia, and Nepal. More than forty such countries exist around the world. Distance from the sea creates a genuine difficulty, because the bulk of the goods that travel between continents moves aboard ships.

A landlocked country overcomes this obstacle with the assistance of its neighbors. A truck loaded with merchandise may drive across a neighboring country to a harbor, where a cargo ship is waiting. This arrangement requires agreements about roads, borders, and fees, and a delay at any single border can make products slower to arrive and more expensive to buy.

Rivers can provide relief. Although Paraguay has no ocean shore, barges can carry soybeans and other cargo down its rivers all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Switzerland ships goods along the Rhine River, where barges transport them toward ports in the Netherlands. Countries also construct railways and pipelines that cross borders, and some rent storage space at a neighbor's port.

A few landlocked nations rely on yet another connection to the wider world. Their airports link them with distant places, and their exports are light and valuable enough to be flown, such as watches, medicines, and precision tools. Whichever route a country chooses, the secret to success is strong cooperation with the countries in between.

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 landlocked, cargo, barges, pipelines and cooperation 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 "How Landlocked Countries Reach the Sea"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 209 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 7.6. 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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