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Mountain Snowpack, the Slow Water Tank

8th grade nonfiction passage about snowpack and water supply: 288 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

8th grade nonfiction snowpack and water supply 288 words

Mountain Snowpack, the Slow Water Tank

In many mountain regions, winter snow works like a water tank that stores water in the cold months and gives it back in the warm ones. This stored snow is called the snowpack. Millions of people in the valleys and cities below depend on it, even in places where it hardly rains in summer.

Snow piles up in layers through the winter. Each snowfall adds a new layer, and the weight of the upper layers presses the lower ones into denser snow. A snowpack holds a surprising amount of water, because water is locked inside the frozen crystals. Scientists measure this by finding the snow water equivalent, which is how deep the water would be if the snow were melted. A deep, fluffy snowpack may hold less water than a shorter, heavy one, so depth alone can be misleading.

When spring warms the slopes, the snow begins to melt. Meltwater trickles into streams, and the streams swell and feed rivers, reservoirs, and underground water supplies. Because melting happens gradually, the supply arrives over weeks or months, just when farms and towns need it most. Without the snowpack, much of the water would rush down in the winter storms and run off to the sea.

Water managers watch the snowpack closely. Crews visit marked sites each month to measure snow depth and weight, and automatic sensors report from remote slopes. These measurements help them predict how much water will flow in the coming summer and how full the reservoirs will become. If winters turn warmer, more precipitation falls as rain and the snow melts earlier, and that can leave less stored for summer. So scientists and water managers keep a careful record of how the mountain tank is filling.

Questions

  1. What is a snowpack? in the text

  2. What is the snow water equivalent? in the text

  3. Where does meltwater go in spring? in the text

  4. Why might a deep, fluffy snowpack hold less water than a shorter, heavy one? think about it

  5. Why does gradual melting help farms and towns? think about it

  6. Why could warmer winters leave less water for summer? think about it

Words to know

snowpack
the snow that builds up in layers on mountains in winter
equivalent
equal in amount or value to something else
meltwater
water made when snow or ice melts
reservoirs
large places where water is stored for people to use
sensors
devices that measure something and report it
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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 · 272 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.8

In many mountain areas, winter snow works like a water tank. It stores water in the cold months and gives it back in the warm ones. This stored snow is called the snowpack. Millions of people in the valleys and cities below depend on it, even where it hardly rains in summer.

Snow piles up in layers through the winter. Each snowfall adds a new layer. The weight of the top layers presses the lower ones into denser snow. A snowpack holds a lot of water, because water is locked inside the frozen crystals. Scientists find the snow water equivalent. This is how deep the water would be if the snow were melted. A deep, fluffy snowpack may hold less water than a shorter, heavy one. So depth alone can fool you.

In spring, the sun warms the slopes and the snow melts. Meltwater trickles into streams. The streams swell and feed rivers, reservoirs, and underground water supplies. Melting is slow, so the water comes over weeks or months, just when farms and towns need it most. Without the snowpack, much of the water would rush down in winter storms and run off to the sea.

Water managers watch the snowpack closely. Crews visit marked sites each month to measure snow depth and weight. Automatic sensors report from far slopes. These facts help predict how much water will flow in summer and how full the reservoirs will be. If winters get warmer, more precipitation falls as rain and the snow melts earlier. That can leave less stored for summer. So people keep a careful record of how the mountain tank is filling.

▲ This passage · 288 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.7

In many mountain regions, winter snow works like a water tank that stores water in the cold months and gives it back in the warm ones. This stored snow is called the snowpack. Millions of people in the valleys and cities below depend on it, even in places where it hardly rains in summer.

Snow piles up in layers through the winter. Each snowfall adds a new layer, and the weight of the upper layers presses the lower ones into denser snow. A snowpack holds a surprising amount of water, because water is locked inside the frozen crystals. Scientists measure this by finding the snow water equivalent, which is how deep the water would be if the snow were melted. A deep, fluffy snowpack may hold less water than a shorter, heavy one, so depth alone can be misleading.

When spring warms the slopes, the snow begins to melt. Meltwater trickles into streams, and the streams swell and feed rivers, reservoirs, and underground water supplies. Because melting happens gradually, the supply arrives over weeks or months, just when farms and towns need it most. Without the snowpack, much of the water would rush down in the winter storms and run off to the sea.

Water managers watch the snowpack closely. Crews visit marked sites each month to measure snow depth and weight, and automatic sensors report from remote slopes. These measurements help them predict how much water will flow in the coming summer and how full the reservoirs will become. If winters turn warmer, more precipitation falls as rain and the snow melts earlier, and that can leave less stored for summer. So scientists and water managers keep a careful record of how the mountain tank is filling.

■ Harder · 300 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 9

In many mountainous regions, winter snow functions like an enormous water tank, storing water throughout the cold months and releasing it again during the warm ones. This accumulated snow is called the snowpack. Millions of people in the valleys and cities below depend on it, even in places where rain is scarce in summer.

Snow builds up in layers over the course of the winter. Each snowfall adds a fresh layer, and the weight of the upper layers presses the lower ones into denser snow. A snowpack holds a surprising quantity of water, because the water is locked inside the frozen crystals. Scientists measure this by determining the snow water equivalent, which is how deep the water would be if the snow were melted. A deep, fluffy snowpack may contain less water than a shorter, heavier one, so depth alone can be misleading.

When spring warms the slopes, the snow begins to melt. Meltwater trickles into streams, and the streams swell and feed rivers, reservoirs, and underground water supplies. Because the melting occurs gradually, the supply arrives over a period of weeks or months, precisely when farms and towns need it most. Without the snowpack, much of the water would rush down during the winter storms and run off to the sea.

Water managers monitor the snowpack with great care. Crews visit marked sites each month to measure the depth and weight of the snow, and automatic sensors report from remote slopes. These measurements help managers predict how much water will flow during the coming summer and how full the reservoirs will become. If winters turn warmer, more precipitation falls as rain and the snow melts earlier, which can leave less water stored for summer. Scientists and managers therefore keep a careful record of how the mountain tank is filling.

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 snowpack, equivalent, meltwater, reservoirs and sensors 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 4 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 "Mountain Snowpack, the Slow Water Tank"?

It was written for 8th grade. It has 288 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 7.7. 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. 3 ask for something the text says directly and 3 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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