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Soy Milk Sets Into Tofu

6th grade nonfiction passage about how tofu is made: 225 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction how tofu is made 225 words

Soy Milk Sets Into Tofu

Tofu looks plain, but making it is a small science project. It begins with dried soybeans, which are soaked in water until they are plump. Then the beans are ground with fresh water into a thick, pale mash. The mash is heated and strained, and what pours through is soy milk. The leftover pulp stays behind in the cloth.

At this point the soy milk is still a liquid. To turn it into something solid, the maker stirs in a coagulant. One traditional choice is nigari, a mineral mixture that is left when salt is taken from seawater. Another is a calcium salt called gypsum. Either one makes the proteins in the milk clump together.

The clumps are called curds, and they float in a thin yellow liquid. This is much like the way milk separates when cheese is made. The curds are gently scooped into a mold lined with cloth. Weight is placed on top to press out the extra liquid.

How long the tofu is pressed decides what it becomes. A short press leaves a soft, wobbly block that is nearly like pudding. A long press squeezes out more water and makes a firm block that holds its shape in a hot pan. People in East Asia have been making tofu for many centuries, and it is now eaten all over the world.

Questions

  1. What are dried soybeans soaked in before they are ground? in the text

  2. What is a coagulant used for in making tofu? in the text

  3. Which substance is one traditional coagulant? in the text

  4. What are the clumps that form in the soy milk called? in the text

  5. Why is weight placed on top of the curds in the mold? think about it

  6. How could a maker get tofu firm enough to fry? think about it

Words to know

soybeans
small round beans that are rich in protein
strained
poured through a cloth or sieve to remove solids
coagulant
something added to a liquid to make it clump
curds
the soft lumps that form when milk thickens
mold
a container that gives food its shape
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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 · 204 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.8

Tofu looks plain, but making it is a small science project. It starts with dried soybeans. They are soaked in water until they are plump. Then they are ground with fresh water into a thick, pale mash. The mash is heated and strained. What pours through is soy milk. The pulp stays behind in the cloth.

Now the soy milk is still a liquid. To make it solid, the maker stirs in a coagulant. One old choice is nigari. It is a mineral mix left when salt is taken from seawater. Another is a calcium salt called gypsum. Either one makes the proteins in the milk clump together.

The clumps are called curds. They float in a thin yellow liquid. This is much like how milk separates when cheese is made. The curds are scooped into a mold lined with cloth. A weight on top presses out the extra liquid.

How long the tofu is pressed changes it. A short press makes a soft, wobbly block. A long press squeezes out more water. It makes a firm block that holds its shape in a hot pan. People in East Asia have made tofu for many centuries. Now it is eaten all over the world.

▲ This passage · 225 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.8

Tofu looks plain, but making it is a small science project. It begins with dried soybeans, which are soaked in water until they are plump. Then the beans are ground with fresh water into a thick, pale mash. The mash is heated and strained, and what pours through is soy milk. The leftover pulp stays behind in the cloth.

At this point the soy milk is still a liquid. To turn it into something solid, the maker stirs in a coagulant. One traditional choice is nigari, a mineral mixture that is left when salt is taken from seawater. Another is a calcium salt called gypsum. Either one makes the proteins in the milk clump together.

The clumps are called curds, and they float in a thin yellow liquid. This is much like the way milk separates when cheese is made. The curds are gently scooped into a mold lined with cloth. Weight is placed on top to press out the extra liquid.

How long the tofu is pressed decides what it becomes. A short press leaves a soft, wobbly block that is nearly like pudding. A long press squeezes out more water and makes a firm block that holds its shape in a hot pan. People in East Asia have been making tofu for many centuries, and it is now eaten all over the world.

■ Harder · 242 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.9

Tofu may look plain and unremarkable, but producing it is something like a small science experiment. The process begins with dried soybeans, which are soaked in water until they have swollen and softened. The beans are then ground together with fresh water into a thick, pale mash. After the mash has been heated and strained, the liquid that pours through is soy milk, while the leftover pulp remains behind in the cloth.

At this stage the soy milk is still entirely liquid. To make it solidify, the maker stirs in a coagulant. One traditional choice is nigari, a mineral mixture that remains after salt has been extracted from seawater. Another is a calcium salt known as gypsum. Either substance causes the proteins in the milk to clump together.

These clumps are called curds, and they drift in a thin yellow liquid, much as milk separates when cheese is being made. The curds are gently ladled into a mold lined with cloth, and a weight is set on top to press out the surplus liquid.

The length of time the tofu is pressed determines what it will become. A brief press yields a soft, wobbly block that is nearly like pudding, whereas a lengthy press squeezes out far more water and produces a firm block that keeps its shape in a hot pan. People in East Asia have been making tofu for many centuries, and today it is enjoyed all over the world.

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 soybeans, strained, coagulant, curds and mold 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 "Soy Milk Sets Into Tofu"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 225 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.8. 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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