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Winter Rye Covers the Bare Field

6th grade nonfiction passage about cover crops on a farm: 223 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction cover crops on a farm 223 words

Winter Rye Covers the Bare Field

After the corn is harvested, a field can look finished, with the stalks cut and the soil left bare. Some farmers, however, complete one more important job before winter arrives. They scatter the seeds of a cover crop, often a grass called rye, which they never plan to sell.

Bare soil is easily lost, because heavy rain can wash it downhill and strong wind can blow the dry top layer away. Soil takes an extremely long time to form, so losing it is a serious problem for any farm. Rye sprouts quickly in cool weather, and its roots spread through the ground like a net that holds the soil in place.

The green leaves help, too. They shade the ground in spring, which makes it harder for weeds to sprout. Rye can keep growing slowly through a cold season when most plants have stopped.

Before the next crop is planted, the farmer cuts the rye or turns it under with a plow. As the plants rot, they add organic matter to the soil. That material feeds the tiny creatures living there and helps the ground hold water like a sponge.

A cover crop costs seed and work, so a farmer must plan for it. Many decide it is worth the effort because it protects the most valuable thing the farm owns, the soil.

Questions

  1. What is a cover crop? in the text

  2. What can happen to bare soil? in the text

  3. How do rye roots protect the soil? in the text

  4. How do the green leaves help in spring? in the text

  5. Why does a farmer turn the rye under before planting? think about it

  6. Why do many farmers think a cover crop is worth the cost? think about it

Words to know

cover crop
a plant grown to protect the soil, not to be sold
harvested
picked or cut when the crop is ready
sprouts
begins to grow from a seed
organic matter
rotted plant and animal material in the soil
plow
a farm tool that cuts and turns over the soil
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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 1.9

After the corn is picked, a field can look finished. The stalks are cut. The soil is bare. But some farmers do one more job before winter. They scatter the seeds of a cover crop. It is often a grass called rye. They do not plan to sell it.

Bare soil is easy to lose. Heavy rain can wash it downhill. Strong wind can blow away the dry top layer. Soil takes a very long time to form, so losing it is a big problem. Rye sprouts fast in cool weather. Its roots spread like a net and hold the soil in place.

The green leaves help too. They shade the ground in spring, so weeds have a harder time sprouting. Rye can keep growing slowly in the cold when most plants have stopped.

Before the next crop is planted, the farmer cuts the rye or turns it under with a plow. As the plants rot, they add organic matter to the soil. This feeds the tiny creatures there. It also helps the ground hold water like a sponge.

A cover crop costs seed and work. Many farmers think it is worth it. It protects the most valuable thing on the farm, the soil.

▲ This passage · 223 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.5

After the corn is harvested, a field can look finished, with the stalks cut and the soil left bare. Some farmers, however, complete one more important job before winter arrives. They scatter the seeds of a cover crop, often a grass called rye, which they never plan to sell.

Bare soil is easily lost, because heavy rain can wash it downhill and strong wind can blow the dry top layer away. Soil takes an extremely long time to form, so losing it is a serious problem for any farm. Rye sprouts quickly in cool weather, and its roots spread through the ground like a net that holds the soil in place.

The green leaves help, too. They shade the ground in spring, which makes it harder for weeds to sprout. Rye can keep growing slowly through a cold season when most plants have stopped.

Before the next crop is planted, the farmer cuts the rye or turns it under with a plow. As the plants rot, they add organic matter to the soil. That material feeds the tiny creatures living there and helps the ground hold water like a sponge.

A cover crop costs seed and work, so a farmer must plan for it. Many decide it is worth the effort because it protects the most valuable thing the farm owns, the soil.

■ Harder · 240 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.4

Once the corn has been harvested, a field can appear to be finished for the year. The stalks have been cut and the soil lies bare. Some farmers, however, perform one more task before winter arrives. They scatter the seeds of a cover crop, frequently a grass called rye, that they have no intention of selling.

Bare soil is remarkably easy to lose. Heavy rainfall can carry it downhill, and strong winds can strip away the dry upper layer. Because soil takes an enormously long time to form, losing it is a serious problem for any farm. Rye sprouts quickly in cool weather, and its roots spread through the ground like a net that holds the soil firmly in place.

The green leaves are helpful as well. They shade the ground in spring, which makes it considerably harder for weeds to sprout. Rye can even continue growing slowly through a cold season, when most other plants have stopped.

Before the next crop is planted, the farmer cuts the rye or turns it under with a plow. As the plants decay, they add organic matter to the soil. That material nourishes the tiny creatures living there and helps the ground retain water the way a sponge does.

A cover crop demands both seed and labor, so a farmer must plan ahead. Many conclude that the effort is worthwhile, because it protects the most valuable asset the farm possesses, the soil itself.

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 cover crop, harvested, sprouts, organic matter and plow 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 "Winter Rye Covers the Bare Field"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 223 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.5. 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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