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From River to Tap: Cleaning Water Step by Step

6th grade nonfiction passage about how drinking water is cleaned: 226 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction how drinking water is cleaned 226 words

From River to Tap: Cleaning Water Step by Step

When you fill a glass at the kitchen sink, the water may have started as part of a muddy river. Between the river and the tap, a water treatment plant cleans it in a series of steps.

First, the water passes through screens. These strong grates catch sticks, leaves and other large pieces that floated in.

Second, workers add a substance that makes tiny bits of dirt stick together. The clumps grow heavy enough to form larger lumps, called floc. The water then rests in big tanks, and the lumps sink to the bottom where they can be removed.

Third, the water filters down through deep beds of sand and gravel. Even the smallest bits of dirt are trapped among the grains, so the water that drips out the bottom is clear.

Fourth, the plant disinfects the water. A small amount of chlorine, or another treatment such as ultraviolet light, is used to destroy germs that could make people sick. Some chlorine is often left in the water so it stays safe on its way through the pipes.

At last, pumps push the clean water through a network of underground pipes to homes, schools and fire hydrants. The plant tests the water again and again, so people can trust it. The next time you turn on a faucet, remember how much work went into that glass.

Questions

  1. What do the screens at the start of the process catch? in the text

  2. What is floc? in the text

  3. What traps the smallest bits of dirt during filtering? in the text

  4. Why does the plant disinfect the water? in the text

  5. Why is some chlorine often left in the water? think about it

  6. Why do the lumps of dirt need to grow heavier before they can be removed? think about it

Words to know

treatment
a process that makes something clean or safe
screens
strong grates that catch large things
disinfects
cleans so that germs are destroyed
gravel
small pieces of rock
network
a system of many connected parts
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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 · 199 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.6

When you fill a glass at the sink, the water may have started in a muddy river. A water treatment plant cleans it in steps before it reaches your tap.

First, the water goes through screens. These strong grates catch sticks, leaves and other big pieces.

Second, workers add a substance that makes tiny bits of dirt stick together. The clumps grow heavy. They are called floc. The water rests in big tanks, and the lumps sink to the bottom. Then they can be taken out.

Third, the water filters down through deep beds of sand and gravel. The smallest bits of dirt get trapped between the grains. The water that drips out the bottom is clear.

Fourth, the plant disinfects the water. A small amount of chlorine, or another treatment such as ultraviolet light, destroys germs that could make people sick. Some chlorine is often left in the water. It keeps the water safe in the pipes.

At last, pumps push the clean water through underground pipes to homes, schools and fire hydrants. The plant tests the water again and again. The next time you turn on a faucet, think of the work that went into that glass.

▲ This passage · 226 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.6

When you fill a glass at the kitchen sink, the water may have started as part of a muddy river. Between the river and the tap, a water treatment plant cleans it in a series of steps.

First, the water passes through screens. These strong grates catch sticks, leaves and other large pieces that floated in.

Second, workers add a substance that makes tiny bits of dirt stick together. The clumps grow heavy enough to form larger lumps, called floc. The water then rests in big tanks, and the lumps sink to the bottom where they can be removed.

Third, the water filters down through deep beds of sand and gravel. Even the smallest bits of dirt are trapped among the grains, so the water that drips out the bottom is clear.

Fourth, the plant disinfects the water. A small amount of chlorine, or another treatment such as ultraviolet light, is used to destroy germs that could make people sick. Some chlorine is often left in the water so it stays safe on its way through the pipes.

At last, pumps push the clean water through a network of underground pipes to homes, schools and fire hydrants. The plant tests the water again and again, so people can trust it. The next time you turn on a faucet, remember how much work went into that glass.

■ Harder · 245 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.3

When you fill a glass at the kitchen sink, the water you are holding may have begun its journey as part of a muddy river. Between the river and the faucet, a water treatment plant purifies it through a carefully organized series of steps.

First, the water flows through screens. These sturdy grates catch sticks, leaves and other large debris that floated in with the current.

Second, workers add a substance that causes tiny particles of dirt to cling together. The clumps grow heavy enough to form larger lumps, known as floc. The water then rests in enormous tanks, and the lumps sink to the bottom, where they can be removed.

Third, the water filters downward through deep beds of sand and gravel. Even the smallest specks of dirt are trapped among the grains, so the water that trickles out at the bottom is perfectly clear.

Fourth, the plant disinfects the water. A small amount of chlorine, or an alternative treatment such as ultraviolet light, is used to destroy germs that could make people ill. A little chlorine is frequently left in the water so that it remains safe as it travels through the pipes.

Finally, powerful pumps push the clean water through a network of underground pipes to homes, schools and fire hydrants. The plant tests the water again and again, so that people can trust it. The next time you turn on a faucet, consider how much work went into that single glass.

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 treatment, screens, disinfects, gravel and network 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 "From River to Tap: Cleaning Water Step by Step"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 226 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.6. 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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