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How the Erie Canal Changed Life in New York

7th grade nonfiction passage about erie canal and daily life: 234 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

7th grade nonfiction erie canal and daily life 234 words

How the Erie Canal Changed Life in New York

In the early 1800s, travel inland from the American coast was slow and costly. Roads were rough, and wagons got stuck in mud. A farmer in western New York could grow plenty of wheat but still earn little, since hauling it to a market town ate up most of the profit. People began asking whether a waterway might solve the problem.

The plan was to dig a canal more than three hundred miles long, joining the Hudson River at Albany to Lake Erie at Buffalo. Many people doubted it could be done. Construction began in 1817, and workers had no modern machines. They dug with shovels and picks, and horses and oxen pulled scrapers and carts. Locks, which are chambers that raise or lower a boat, helped the canal climb the land.

The canal opened in 1825. Boats floated along it while mules and horses walked on a towpath beside the water, pulling them with long ropes. Shipping a load of grain or lumber suddenly cost far less than it had by wagon.

The effects spread quickly. Farmers in the interior reached eastern markets, and city shops filled with goods from across the state. Towns such as Rochester and Syracuse grew around the canal, and New York City became the busiest port in the country. Settlers also traveled west by boat more cheaply than before. A single ditch had changed how people worked, traded, and lived.

Questions

  1. Why was it hard for a farmer in western New York to earn money from wheat? in the text

  2. Which two bodies of water did the canal connect? in the text

  3. How was the canal dug? in the text

  4. What did a lock do? in the text

  5. Why did towns such as Rochester and Syracuse grow? think about it

  6. Why might people have doubted the canal could be built? think about it

Words to know

inland
away from the coast
canal
a waterway dug by people for boats
locks
chambers on a canal that lift or lower boats
towpath
a path beside a canal where animals pulled boats
interior
the inside or middle part of a region
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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 · 209 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.1

In the early 1800s, travel inland from the coast was slow and cost a lot. Roads were rough. Wagons got stuck in mud. A farmer in western New York could grow lots of wheat but still earn little. Hauling it to market ate up most of the profit. People asked if a waterway could help.

The plan was a canal more than three hundred miles long. It would join the Hudson River at Albany to Lake Erie at Buffalo. Many people thought it could not be done. Work began in 1817. There were no modern machines. Workers dug with shovels and picks. Horses and oxen pulled scrapers and carts. Locks, which raise or lower a boat, helped the canal climb the land.

The canal opened in 1825. Boats floated on it. Mules and horses walked on a towpath beside the water and pulled the boats with long ropes. Shipping grain or lumber cost far less than by wagon.

Life changed fast. Farmers inland could reach eastern markets. City shops filled with goods from the state. Towns like Rochester and Syracuse grew by the canal. New York City became the busiest port in the country. Settlers could go west by boat for less money. One ditch changed how people worked and lived.

▲ This passage · 234 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.4

In the early 1800s, travel inland from the American coast was slow and costly. Roads were rough, and wagons got stuck in mud. A farmer in western New York could grow plenty of wheat but still earn little, since hauling it to a market town ate up most of the profit. People began asking whether a waterway might solve the problem.

The plan was to dig a canal more than three hundred miles long, joining the Hudson River at Albany to Lake Erie at Buffalo. Many people doubted it could be done. Construction began in 1817, and workers had no modern machines. They dug with shovels and picks, and horses and oxen pulled scrapers and carts. Locks, which are chambers that raise or lower a boat, helped the canal climb the land.

The canal opened in 1825. Boats floated along it while mules and horses walked on a towpath beside the water, pulling them with long ropes. Shipping a load of grain or lumber suddenly cost far less than it had by wagon.

The effects spread quickly. Farmers in the interior reached eastern markets, and city shops filled with goods from across the state. Towns such as Rochester and Syracuse grew around the canal, and New York City became the busiest port in the country. Settlers also traveled west by boat more cheaply than before. A single ditch had changed how people worked, traded, and lived.

■ Harder · 253 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.1

During the early 1800s, travel inland from the American coast was both slow and expensive. Roads were rough, and wagons frequently became mired in mud. A farmer in western New York might raise abundant wheat and yet earn very little, since hauling it to a market town consumed most of his profit. People began to wonder whether a waterway might offer a solution.

The proposal was to excavate a canal more than three hundred miles long, linking the Hudson River at Albany with Lake Erie at Buffalo. Many people doubted that such a project could ever be completed. Construction began in 1817, and the workers possessed no modern machinery whatsoever. They dug with shovels and picks, while horses and oxen drew scrapers and carts. Locks, which are chambers that raise or lower a boat, enabled the canal to climb the rising land.

The canal opened in 1825. Boats glided along it while mules and horses plodded on a towpath beside the water, pulling the vessels with long ropes. Shipping a load of grain or lumber suddenly cost far less than it had by wagon.

The consequences spread rapidly. Farmers in the interior gained access to eastern markets, and shops in the cities filled with goods from throughout the state. Towns such as Rochester and Syracuse prospered along the canal, and New York City became the busiest port in the nation. Settlers could also journey westward by boat at a much lower price than before. A single channel had transformed how people worked, traded, and lived.

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 inland, canal, locks, towpath and interior 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 "How the Erie Canal Changed Life in New York"?

It was written for 7th grade. It has 234 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.4. 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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