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Injera: The Edible Plate of Ethiopia

6th grade nonfiction passage about a flatbread from Ethiopia: 221 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction a flatbread from Ethiopia 221 words

Injera: The Edible Plate of Ethiopia

In many Ethiopian homes, dinner arrives on a single large platter covered with a round, soft bread called injera. Spoonfuls of stew, beans, lentils, and vegetables are placed on top, and everyone tears off a piece of injera to scoop up the food. There are no forks. The bread is both the plate and the spoon.

Injera has an unusual texture. It is spongy, with tiny holes across the top, and it tastes slightly sour. The secret is a grain named teff. Teff seeds are among the smallest of any grain, about as tiny as poppy seeds, and they have grown in the highlands of Ethiopia for a very long time.

To make injera, cooks mix teff flour with water and let the batter sit for a few days. During that time natural yeasts and bacteria go to work, which makes bubbles and gives the bread its gentle sour taste. The thin batter is then poured in a spiral onto a large, round, flat pan. Bubbles rise and pop, leaving the tiny holes. The injera cooks on one side only and is lifted off while it is still pale and soft.

Sharing food from one platter is also a way of showing care. A family member may even make a small bite and offer it to another person at the table.

Questions

  1. What is injera used for at a meal? in the text

  2. Which grain is used to make injera? in the text

  3. What does injera look and feel like? in the text

  4. What happens while the batter sits for a few days? in the text

  5. Why does injera cook on only one side? think about it

  6. What does sharing food from one platter show about the people at the table? think about it

Words to know

platter
a large flat dish for serving food
spongy
soft and full of tiny holes
teff
a tiny grain grown in Ethiopia
batter
a thin mix of flour and liquid
highlands
an area of high land in a country
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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 · 205 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4

In many homes in Ethiopia, dinner comes on one big platter. It is covered with a round, soft bread called injera. Spoonfuls of stew, beans, lentils, and vegetables go on top. Everyone tears off a piece of injera and scoops up the food. There are no forks. The bread is the plate and the spoon.

Injera feels spongy. It has tiny holes on top, and it tastes a little sour. The secret is a grain called teff. Teff seeds are some of the smallest of any grain, as tiny as poppy seeds. They have grown in the highlands of Ethiopia for a very long time.

To make injera, cooks mix teff flour with water. They let the batter sit for a few days. Natural yeasts and bacteria make bubbles and give the bread a gentle sour taste. Then the thin batter is poured in a spiral onto a big, flat, round pan. Bubbles rise and pop and leave tiny holes. The injera cooks on one side only. It is lifted off while it is still pale and soft.

Sharing food from one platter is a way to show care. A person may make a small bite and offer it to someone else at the table.

▲ This passage · 221 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.3

In many Ethiopian homes, dinner arrives on a single large platter covered with a round, soft bread called injera. Spoonfuls of stew, beans, lentils, and vegetables are placed on top, and everyone tears off a piece of injera to scoop up the food. There are no forks. The bread is both the plate and the spoon.

Injera has an unusual texture. It is spongy, with tiny holes across the top, and it tastes slightly sour. The secret is a grain named teff. Teff seeds are among the smallest of any grain, about as tiny as poppy seeds, and they have grown in the highlands of Ethiopia for a very long time.

To make injera, cooks mix teff flour with water and let the batter sit for a few days. During that time natural yeasts and bacteria go to work, which makes bubbles and gives the bread its gentle sour taste. The thin batter is then poured in a spiral onto a large, round, flat pan. Bubbles rise and pop, leaving the tiny holes. The injera cooks on one side only and is lifted off while it is still pale and soft.

Sharing food from one platter is also a way of showing care. A family member may even make a small bite and offer it to another person at the table.

■ Harder · 239 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 9.2

In countless Ethiopian households, the evening meal arrives on a single enormous platter covered with a round, soft bread known as injera. Generous spoonfuls of stew, beans, lentils, and vegetables are arranged on top, and every person at the table tears off a piece of injera to scoop up the food. No forks are needed, because the bread serves as both the plate and the spoon.

Injera has a distinctive texture. It is spongy, with tiny holes scattered across its surface, and it carries a slightly sour flavor. The secret behind it is a grain called teff. Teff seeds are among the smallest of any grain, comparable in size to poppy seeds, and they have been cultivated in the highlands of Ethiopia for a very long time.

To prepare injera, cooks combine teff flour with water and leave the batter to rest for a few days. During that period, natural yeasts and bacteria go to work, producing bubbles and imparting the bread's mild sour taste. The thin batter is then poured in a spiral onto a large, round, flat pan. Bubbles rise and burst, leaving the characteristic tiny holes, and the injera cooks on one side only before being lifted off while it is still pale and tender.

Eating from one shared platter is also a gesture of affection and care. A family member might even form a small bite and offer it to another person at the table.

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 platter, spongy, teff, batter and highlands 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 "Injera: The Edible Plate of Ethiopia"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 221 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.3. 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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