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Banking Bone Before Age Thirty

8th grade nonfiction passage about building strong bones in youth: 265 words, seven questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

8th grade nonfiction building strong bones in youth 265 words

Banking Bone Before Age Thirty

A bone looks like a dry, chalky stick in a museum, but inside a living body it is active tissue that is constantly being rebuilt. Special cells called osteoclasts break down tiny bits of old bone, while cells called osteoblasts lay down new bone in their place. In children and teenagers, building outpaces breaking down, so the skeleton grows longer, wider, and denser.

This building does not go on forever. Most people reach their peak bone mass, the greatest amount of bone they will ever have, in early adulthood, often before age thirty. After that, the balance slowly tilts, and the skeleton loses a little density each decade. People who arrive at adulthood with a large bone savings account have more to draw on when they are older, which lowers the chance of osteoporosis, a condition in which bones break easily.

That makes the teen years a valuable time to invest. Bone responds to stress, so weight-bearing activities such as walking, running, jumping, and dancing signal the skeleton to strengthen itself. Swimming is excellent for the heart and lungs, but because water supports the body's weight, it does less to build bone. Food matters too. Calcium is the main mineral in bone, and good sources include milk, yogurt, cheese, and leafy greens such as kale. Vitamin D helps the intestine absorb calcium. The skin makes vitamin D when sunlight reaches it, and some foods supply it as well.

None of this requires special equipment. Regular active play, balanced meals, and time outdoors are an ordinary recipe for strong bones that will last a lifetime.

Questions

  1. What do osteoblasts do? in the text

  2. When do most people reach their peak bone mass? in the text

  3. Why are the teen years a valuable time to build bone? think about it

  4. What is the main mineral in bone? in the text

  5. What does vitamin D help the body do? in the text

  6. Why does swimming do less to build bone than running? think about it

  7. What is osteoporosis? in the text

Words to know

osteoblasts
cells that build new bone
density
how tightly packed and solid something is
peak
the highest point, the most of something
weight-bearing
making your bones hold up your body's weight
absorb
to take in and use, as the body does with food
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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 · 234 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.1

In a museum, a bone looks like a dry white stick. In a living body, bone is active tissue. It is always being rebuilt. Cells called osteoclasts break down tiny bits of old bone. Cells called osteoblasts build new bone in its place. In kids and teens, building wins over breaking down. So the skeleton grows longer, wider, and denser.

The building does not last forever. Most people reach peak bone mass in early adulthood, often before age thirty. Peak bone mass is the most bone you will ever have. After that, the skeleton slowly loses a little density each decade. A person who starts adult life with lots of bone has more to use later. That lowers the chance of osteoporosis. This is a condition where bones break easily.

So the teen years are a good time to build. Bones get stronger when they work. Walking, running, jumping, and dancing tell bones to get stronger. Swimming is great for the heart and lungs. But water holds up your weight, so it does less for bone. Food matters too. Calcium is the main mineral in bone. Milk, yogurt, cheese, and leafy greens like kale have it. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. Skin makes vitamin D in sunlight, and some foods have it too.

You do not need special tools. Active play, balanced meals, and time outside help build strong bones for life.

▲ This passage · 265 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.8

A bone looks like a dry, chalky stick in a museum, but inside a living body it is active tissue that is constantly being rebuilt. Special cells called osteoclasts break down tiny bits of old bone, while cells called osteoblasts lay down new bone in their place. In children and teenagers, building outpaces breaking down, so the skeleton grows longer, wider, and denser.

This building does not go on forever. Most people reach their peak bone mass, the greatest amount of bone they will ever have, in early adulthood, often before age thirty. After that, the balance slowly tilts, and the skeleton loses a little density each decade. People who arrive at adulthood with a large bone savings account have more to draw on when they are older, which lowers the chance of osteoporosis, a condition in which bones break easily.

That makes the teen years a valuable time to invest. Bone responds to stress, so weight-bearing activities such as walking, running, jumping, and dancing signal the skeleton to strengthen itself. Swimming is excellent for the heart and lungs, but because water supports the body's weight, it does less to build bone. Food matters too. Calcium is the main mineral in bone, and good sources include milk, yogurt, cheese, and leafy greens such as kale. Vitamin D helps the intestine absorb calcium. The skin makes vitamin D when sunlight reaches it, and some foods supply it as well.

None of this requires special equipment. Regular active play, balanced meals, and time outdoors are an ordinary recipe for strong bones that will last a lifetime.

■ Harder · 270 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 11.4

In a museum display, a bone resembles a dry, chalky stick, yet inside a living body it is vigorously active tissue that is perpetually being remodeled. Specialized cells called osteoclasts dissolve minute fragments of old bone, while cells called osteoblasts deposit fresh bone in their place. Throughout childhood and the teenage years, construction outpaces demolition, so the skeleton becomes longer, wider, and denser.

This construction does not continue indefinitely. Most people attain their peak bone mass, the greatest quantity of bone they will ever possess, in early adulthood, frequently before the age of thirty. Thereafter the balance gradually tilts, and the skeleton sheds a small amount of density each decade. Those who enter adulthood with an ample bone savings account have more to draw upon in later life, which reduces the likelihood of osteoporosis, a condition in which bones fracture easily.

The teenage years are consequently a valuable time to invest. Bone responds to mechanical stress, so weight-bearing activities such as walking, running, jumping, and dancing signal the skeleton to reinforce itself. Swimming is superb for the heart and lungs, but because water supports the body's weight, it contributes less to building bone. Nutrition matters as well. Calcium is the principal mineral in bone, and dependable sources include milk, yogurt, cheese, and leafy greens such as kale. Vitamin D helps the intestine absorb calcium. The skin manufactures vitamin D when sunlight reaches it, and certain foods provide it too.

None of this demands specialized equipment. Regular active play, balanced meals, and time spent outdoors form an ordinary recipe for strong bones that will serve a person for a lifetime.

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 osteoblasts, density, peak, weight-bearing and absorb 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 3 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 3 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 "Banking Bone Before Age Thirty"?

It was written for 8th grade. It has 265 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 8.8. 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 seven. 5 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 3 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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