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The Lake in Cambodia That Swells and Shrinks

6th grade nonfiction passage about a lake that changes with seasons: 222 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction a lake that changes with seasons 222 words

The Lake in Cambodia That Swells and Shrinks

In Cambodia, a lake called Tonle Sap changes its size every year. During the dry season, which lasts from about November to May, the lake is fairly small and shallow. Water flows out of it along the Tonle Sap River, southeast toward the great Mekong River.

Then the rainy season arrives. Heavy rains fill the Mekong until it rises higher than the lake. The Mekong's water pushes up the Tonle Sap River, so the river runs backward and pours into the lake. The lake swells to several times its dry season size and spreads across the forests and fields around it. When the rains end and the Mekong falls, the water flows back out again, and the lake shrinks.

This yearly flood is a gift for the fish. They swim into the flooded forest to feed and lay their eggs among the trees. Later, many fishing families gather their catch, and fish from the lake is an important food for people in Cambodia.

Some villagers live right on the lake in floating homes or in houses built high on stilts. As the water level rises and falls, the floating houses rise and fall with it, and a few villages even move their boats and buildings closer to the shore or farther away. The families have adapted to the rhythm of the lake.

Questions

  1. Where is Tonle Sap located? in the text

  2. In which direction does the Tonle Sap River flow during the dry season? in the text

  3. What happens to the river when the Mekong rises higher than the lake? in the text

  4. Why is the flood a gift for the fish? in the text

  5. What causes the lake to shrink again? think about it

  6. Why do floating houses suit life on this lake? think about it

Words to know

shallow
not deep from top to bottom
swells
grows bigger and fuller
stilts
tall posts that hold a house above the water
flooded
covered with water that rose over the land
adapted
changed ways of living to fit new conditions
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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 · 198 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.4

In Cambodia, a lake called Tonle Sap changes size every year. In the dry season, from about November to May, the lake is small and shallow. Water flows out of it along the Tonle Sap River. The river goes southeast to the great Mekong River.

Then the rainy season comes. Heavy rains fill the Mekong until it rises higher than the lake. The Mekong's water pushes up the Tonle Sap River. The river runs backward and pours into the lake. The lake gets several times bigger. It spreads over the forests and fields around it. When the rains end, the Mekong falls. The water flows back out, and the lake shrinks.

The yearly flood is a gift for the fish. They swim into the flooded forest to feed and lay eggs. Later, fishing families gather their catch. Fish from the lake is an important food for people in Cambodia.

Some villagers live on the lake. They have floating homes or houses on tall stilts. The floating houses rise and fall with the water. A few villages even move their boats and buildings closer to the shore or farther away. These families have learned to live with the lake.

▲ This passage · 222 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.9

In Cambodia, a lake called Tonle Sap changes its size every year. During the dry season, which lasts from about November to May, the lake is fairly small and shallow. Water flows out of it along the Tonle Sap River, southeast toward the great Mekong River.

Then the rainy season arrives. Heavy rains fill the Mekong until it rises higher than the lake. The Mekong's water pushes up the Tonle Sap River, so the river runs backward and pours into the lake. The lake swells to several times its dry season size and spreads across the forests and fields around it. When the rains end and the Mekong falls, the water flows back out again, and the lake shrinks.

This yearly flood is a gift for the fish. They swim into the flooded forest to feed and lay their eggs among the trees. Later, many fishing families gather their catch, and fish from the lake is an important food for people in Cambodia.

Some villagers live right on the lake in floating homes or in houses built high on stilts. As the water level rises and falls, the floating houses rise and fall with it, and a few villages even move their boats and buildings closer to the shore or farther away. The families have adapted to the rhythm of the lake.

■ Harder · 235 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 9.4

In Cambodia, a lake called Tonle Sap alters its size dramatically every year. During the dry season, which stretches from roughly November to May, the lake is fairly small and shallow, and water drains out of it along the Tonle Sap River, heading southeast toward the enormous Mekong River.

Then the rainy season arrives. Torrential rains fill the Mekong until its level rises higher than that of the lake, and the Mekong's water surges up the Tonle Sap River, which therefore runs backward and empties into the lake. The lake swells to several times its dry season size and spreads across the forests and fields that surround it. Once the rains end and the Mekong falls, the water flows back out again, and the lake gradually shrinks.

This annual flood is a tremendous gift for the fish. They swim into the flooded forest to feed and to lay their eggs among the trees. Afterward, many fishing families gather their catch, and fish from the lake is an essential source of food for people throughout Cambodia.

Some villagers live directly on the lake, in floating homes or in houses perched high on stilts. As the water level climbs and drops, the floating houses rise and fall along with it, and a few villages even relocate their boats and buildings closer to the shore or farther away. These families have adapted to the rhythm of the lake.

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 shallow, swells, stilts, flooded and adapted 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 Lake in Cambodia That Swells and Shrinks"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 222 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.9. 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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