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The Sensitive Plant That Folds Its Leaves

6th grade nonfiction passage about plants that move when touched: 228 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction plants that move when touched 228 words

The Sensitive Plant That Folds Its Leaves

Touch the leaf of a mimosa pudica, often called the sensitive plant, and something odd happens. Within a second or two, the small leaflets snap shut in pairs, and the whole leaf may droop downward. After several minutes, the plant slowly opens up again as if nothing had happened.

How can a plant move so fast? It does not have muscles. Instead, the plant uses water pressure. At the base of each leaflet is a small joint filled with cells packed with water. When the leaf is touched, a signal passes along it, and the cells in the joint quickly let water flow out. The cells go limp, and the leaflet folds.

Scientists are not completely sure why the plant does this, but there are some ideas. A folded, drooping leaf looks smaller and less appetizing to a hungry insect or grazing animal. The sudden motion might also startle small bugs and shake them off. In a heavy downpour, closing up may protect the delicate leaves from damage.

The plant also folds its leaves at night, which is a regular daily rhythm unrelated to touch. Some experiments have shown that a mimosa can even stop reacting to a harmless drop that falls again and again, as though it has learned that nothing bad will follow. Because of this, it is a favorite plant in classrooms and science labs.

Questions

  1. What happens soon after a sensitive plant's leaf is touched? in the text

  2. How does the plant move without muscles? in the text

  3. What happens to the cells in the joint when the leaf is touched? in the text

  4. What is one idea about why the plant folds its leaves? in the text

  5. Why does the writer say scientists are not completely sure about the reason? think about it

  6. What might it mean that the plant stops reacting to a harmless drop that falls again and again? think about it

Words to know

leaflets
the small parts that make up one whole leaf
pressure
a pushing force against a surface
limp
soft and without stiffness
appetizing
looking tasty and making you want to eat
delicate
easily damaged because it is thin and fragile
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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 · 211 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.9

Touch a leaf of the mimosa pudica. It is often called the sensitive plant. Something odd happens. In a second or two, the small leaflets snap shut in pairs. The whole leaf may droop down. After a few minutes, the plant slowly opens up again.

How can a plant move so fast? It has no muscles. It uses water pressure. At the base of each leaflet is a small joint. Its cells are full of water. When the leaf is touched, a signal runs along it. The cells in the joint let water flow out fast. They go limp, and the leaflet folds.

Scientists are not sure why the plant does this. They have some ideas. A folded, drooping leaf looks smaller and less tasty to a hungry insect or animal. The quick move might startle small bugs and shake them off. In a heavy rain, closing up may protect the delicate leaves.

The plant also folds its leaves at night. That is a daily rhythm, not a reaction to touch. Some tests show that a mimosa can stop reacting to a harmless drop that falls again and again. It is as if it learned that nothing bad will follow. That is why it is a favorite in classrooms and labs.

▲ This passage · 228 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.3

Touch the leaf of a mimosa pudica, often called the sensitive plant, and something odd happens. Within a second or two, the small leaflets snap shut in pairs, and the whole leaf may droop downward. After several minutes, the plant slowly opens up again as if nothing had happened.

How can a plant move so fast? It does not have muscles. Instead, the plant uses water pressure. At the base of each leaflet is a small joint filled with cells packed with water. When the leaf is touched, a signal passes along it, and the cells in the joint quickly let water flow out. The cells go limp, and the leaflet folds.

Scientists are not completely sure why the plant does this, but there are some ideas. A folded, drooping leaf looks smaller and less appetizing to a hungry insect or grazing animal. The sudden motion might also startle small bugs and shake them off. In a heavy downpour, closing up may protect the delicate leaves from damage.

The plant also folds its leaves at night, which is a regular daily rhythm unrelated to touch. Some experiments have shown that a mimosa can even stop reacting to a harmless drop that falls again and again, as though it has learned that nothing bad will follow. Because of this, it is a favorite plant in classrooms and science labs.

■ Harder · 230 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8

Brush a finger against a leaf of the mimosa pudica, commonly called the sensitive plant, and something peculiar occurs. Within a second or two, the small leaflets snap shut in pairs, and the entire leaf may droop downward. After several minutes, the plant gradually reopens as though nothing had happened.

How is it possible for a plant to move so swiftly? It possesses no muscles. Instead, it relies on water pressure. At the base of each leaflet sits a small joint containing cells packed with water. When the leaf is touched, a signal travels along it, and the cells in the joint rapidly release water. The cells become limp, and the leaflet folds.

Scientists are not entirely certain why the plant behaves this way, but several ideas have been proposed. A folded, drooping leaf looks smaller and less appetizing to a hungry insect or a grazing animal. The sudden motion might also startle small bugs and shake them loose. During a heavy downpour, closing up may protect the delicate leaves from damage.

The plant also folds its leaves at night, which is a regular daily rhythm unrelated to touch. Certain experiments have revealed that a mimosa can even cease reacting to a harmless drop that falls repeatedly, as though it has learned that nothing harmful will follow. For this reason, it is a favorite plant in classrooms and science laboratories.

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 leaflets, pressure, limp, appetizing and delicate 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 "The Sensitive Plant That Folds Its Leaves"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 228 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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