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Indigo: The Leaf That Turns Blue in Air

6th grade nonfiction passage about indigo and plant dye: 233 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction indigo and plant dye 233 words

Indigo: The Leaf That Turns Blue in Air

Many of the blue jeans in the world get their color from a dye that people first took from a plant. The plant is indigo, a leafy shrub that grows in warm places. Its leaves look plain and green, yet they hold the chemicals that make one of the deepest blues known.

The surprising part is how the color is made. A freshly picked indigo leaf does not contain blue dye. Instead, it holds a colorless substance. To free it, dyers soak the leaves in water and let them ferment for a time. The water turns a murky yellow-green. Then the dyers stir or beat the liquid so that air mixes in.

Once the dissolved substance meets oxygen, it changes into a blue solid that no longer dissolves. A cloth dipped into the vat comes out looking green, but as the air touches it, it slowly turns blue before your eyes. A dyer who wants a darker shade does not leave the cloth in longer. Instead, the dyer dips it again and again, letting it dry in the air between dips.

Indigo was once a valuable trade good that was carried across oceans. Later, chemists learned to make the same blue in factories, and most of the dye used today is made that way. Even so, some craft workers still grow the plant and dye cloth by hand, following the old steps.

Questions

  1. What plant gives the old blue dye? in the text

  2. What do dyers do to free the dye from the leaves? in the text

  3. What color is a cloth when it first comes out of the vat? in the text

  4. How do most dyers get a darker shade of blue? in the text

  5. Why does the cloth change color after it leaves the vat? think about it

  6. Why might a dyer stir or beat the liquid in the vat? think about it

Words to know

indigo
a plant that gives a deep blue dye
ferment
to break down slowly in water with the help of tiny living things
dissolved
mixed into a liquid so that it cannot be seen separately
murky
cloudy and hard to see through
vat
a large container for holding liquid
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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 · 220 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.4

Many blue jeans get their color from a dye that people first took from a plant. The plant is indigo. It is a leafy shrub that grows in warm places. Its leaves look plain and green. But they hold the chemicals that make one of the deepest blues known.

The odd part is how the color is made. A fresh indigo leaf has no blue dye in it. It has a colorless substance instead. To free it, dyers soak the leaves in water. They let the leaves ferment for a time. The water turns a murky yellow-green. Then the dyers stir or beat the liquid so air mixes in.

The dissolved substance meets oxygen. It changes into a blue solid that no longer dissolves. A cloth dipped in the vat comes out green. As air touches it, it slowly turns blue. A dyer who wants a darker blue does not leave the cloth in longer. The dyer dips it again and again. The cloth dries in the air between dips.

Indigo was once a prized trade good. Ships carried it across oceans. Later, chemists learned to make the same blue in factories. Most of the dye used now is made that way. Still, some craft workers grow the plant and dye cloth by hand. They follow the old steps.

▲ This passage · 233 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.3

Many of the blue jeans in the world get their color from a dye that people first took from a plant. The plant is indigo, a leafy shrub that grows in warm places. Its leaves look plain and green, yet they hold the chemicals that make one of the deepest blues known.

The surprising part is how the color is made. A freshly picked indigo leaf does not contain blue dye. Instead, it holds a colorless substance. To free it, dyers soak the leaves in water and let them ferment for a time. The water turns a murky yellow-green. Then the dyers stir or beat the liquid so that air mixes in.

Once the dissolved substance meets oxygen, it changes into a blue solid that no longer dissolves. A cloth dipped into the vat comes out looking green, but as the air touches it, it slowly turns blue before your eyes. A dyer who wants a darker shade does not leave the cloth in longer. Instead, the dyer dips it again and again, letting it dry in the air between dips.

Indigo was once a valuable trade good that was carried across oceans. Later, chemists learned to make the same blue in factories, and most of the dye used today is made that way. Even so, some craft workers still grow the plant and dye cloth by hand, following the old steps.

■ Harder · 240 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.6

A great many pairs of blue jeans owe their color to a dye that people first extracted from a plant. That plant is indigo, a leafy shrub that thrives in warm climates. Its leaves appear plain and green, yet they contain the chemicals that produce one of the deepest blues ever known.

The remarkable part is how the color is created. A freshly picked indigo leaf does not actually contain blue dye. Instead, it holds a colorless substance. To release it, dyers soak the leaves in water and allow them to ferment for a period of time. The water turns a murky yellow-green. The dyers then stir or beat the liquid vigorously so that air becomes mixed into it.

Once the dissolved substance encounters oxygen, it changes into a blue solid that no longer dissolves. A cloth dipped into the vat emerges looking green, but as the air touches it, it gradually turns blue before your eyes. A dyer who desires a darker shade does not simply leave the cloth in longer. Instead, the dyer dips it repeatedly, letting it dry in the air between dips.

Indigo was once a valuable trade good that merchants transported across oceans. Eventually, chemists discovered how to manufacture the same blue in factories, and most of the dye used today is produced that way. Even so, a few craft workers still cultivate the plant and dye cloth by hand, following the traditional steps.

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 indigo, ferment, dissolved, murky and vat 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 "Indigo: The Leaf That Turns Blue in Air"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 233 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.3. 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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