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The Hidden Water Inside a Cotton Shirt

8th grade nonfiction passage about virtual water in products: 259 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

8th grade nonfiction virtual water in products 259 words

The Hidden Water Inside a Cotton Shirt

A cotton T-shirt looks dry and lightweight, but a large amount of water went into making it. Experts use the term virtual water, or water footprint, for all the water used to grow, process, and produce a product. It is called virtual because you cannot see it in the finished item. Counting it helps people understand how everyday goods connect to rivers and aquifers far away.

The biggest share is used in the field. Cotton is a thirsty plant, especially in dry regions where rain alone is not enough. Farmers there often irrigate, pumping water from rivers or underground and spreading it over the fields. Some of the water is taken up by the plants, and a good deal evaporates from the soil and leaves into the air.

More water is used after the harvest. Mills wash the cotton fibers, spin them into thread, and weave or knit the thread into cloth. Dyeing and finishing the cloth require water too, and the wastewater must be cleaned before it is released so that it does not pollute a river.

The idea does not mean people should never buy clothing. It simply shows where choices matter. Wearing a shirt longer, mending it, passing it on, or washing it only when needed all reduce the demand for new ones. Some farmers use drip irrigation, which delivers small amounts of water right to the roots and wastes less. Understanding virtual water helps shoppers see that saving water is not only about turning off the tap. It also involves the things we buy.

Questions

  1. What is virtual water? in the text

  2. Where is the biggest share of the water used for a cotton shirt? in the text

  3. What happens to cotton at the mills? in the text

  4. Why is it called virtual water? think about it

  5. How does wearing a shirt longer save water? think about it

  6. Why does drip irrigation waste less water? think about it

Words to know

virtual
real in effect but not something you can see
footprint
the total amount of something a product or person uses
aquifers
layers of underground rock or sand that hold water
irrigate
to bring water to crops through pipes or ditches
evaporates
turns from liquid into a gas that rises into the air
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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 · 255 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.3

A cotton T-shirt looks dry and light, but a lot of water went into making it. Experts use the term virtual water, or water footprint, for all the water used to grow and make a product. It is called virtual because you cannot see it in the finished item. Counting it helps people see how everyday goods are linked to rivers and aquifers far away.

Most of the water is used in the field. Cotton needs a lot of water, especially in dry places where rain is not enough. Farmers there often irrigate. They pump water from rivers or from underground and spread it over the fields. The plants take up some of the water. A good deal also evaporates from the soil and leaves into the air.

More water is used after the harvest. Mills wash the cotton fibers. Then they spin the fibers into thread and weave or knit the thread into cloth. Dyeing and finishing the cloth need water too. The wastewater must be cleaned before it is let go, so it does not pollute a river.

This does not mean people should never buy clothes. It shows where choices matter. Wearing a shirt longer, mending it, passing it on, or washing it only when needed all mean fewer new shirts. Some farmers use drip irrigation. It gives small amounts of water right to the roots and wastes less. Virtual water shows that saving water is not only about turning off the tap. It is also about the things we buy.

▲ This passage · 259 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.6

A cotton T-shirt looks dry and lightweight, but a large amount of water went into making it. Experts use the term virtual water, or water footprint, for all the water used to grow, process, and produce a product. It is called virtual because you cannot see it in the finished item. Counting it helps people understand how everyday goods connect to rivers and aquifers far away.

The biggest share is used in the field. Cotton is a thirsty plant, especially in dry regions where rain alone is not enough. Farmers there often irrigate, pumping water from rivers or underground and spreading it over the fields. Some of the water is taken up by the plants, and a good deal evaporates from the soil and leaves into the air.

More water is used after the harvest. Mills wash the cotton fibers, spin them into thread, and weave or knit the thread into cloth. Dyeing and finishing the cloth require water too, and the wastewater must be cleaned before it is released so that it does not pollute a river.

The idea does not mean people should never buy clothing. It simply shows where choices matter. Wearing a shirt longer, mending it, passing it on, or washing it only when needed all reduce the demand for new ones. Some farmers use drip irrigation, which delivers small amounts of water right to the roots and wastes less. Understanding virtual water helps shoppers see that saving water is not only about turning off the tap. It also involves the things we buy.

■ Harder · 282 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.9

A cotton T-shirt appears dry and lightweight, yet an impressive amount of water was needed to make it. Experts use the term virtual water, or water footprint, to describe all the water that is used to grow, process, and produce a product. It is called virtual because the water cannot be seen in the finished item. Counting it helps people understand how ordinary goods are connected to rivers and aquifers located far away.

The largest share is consumed in the field. Cotton is a thirsty plant, particularly in dry regions where rainfall alone is not sufficient. Farmers in those regions often irrigate, pumping water from rivers or from underground and spreading it across their fields. Some of the water is absorbed by the plants, and a considerable amount evaporates from the soil and the leaves into the air.

Additional water is needed after the harvest. Mills wash the cotton fibers, spin them into thread, and then weave or knit the thread into cloth. Dyeing and finishing the cloth require water as well, and the wastewater must be cleaned before it is released so that it does not pollute a river.

The idea does not suggest that people should never buy clothing. It simply reveals where choices make a difference. Wearing a shirt for a longer time, mending it, passing it on, or washing it only when necessary all reduce the demand for new ones. Some farmers use drip irrigation, which delivers small amounts of water directly to the roots and wastes far less. Understanding virtual water helps shoppers recognize that saving water is not only a matter of turning off the tap. It also involves the things we choose to buy.

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 virtual, footprint, aquifers, irrigate and evaporates 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 "The Hidden Water Inside a Cotton Shirt"?

It was written for 8th grade. It has 259 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 7.6. 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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