★How a Text Is Organized
Grade 4 Reading Worksheet
Read the text. Circle the heading that fits each paragraph.
Read this first
Digging the Erie Canal
In the early 1800s, moving goods across New York State was slow and costly. Farmers in the West had to haul crops over bumpy roads by wagon. A trip from Buffalo to New York City could take weeks.
In 1808, a few leaders began to talk about a bold idea. They wanted to dig a canal, a human-made waterway, from Lake Erie to the Hudson River. Many people laughed at the plan. The canal would need to be more than 350 miles long. Some called it “Clinton's Ditch,” after Governor DeWitt Clinton, who supported it.
On July 4, 1817, workers finally broke ground in the town of Rome, New York. Most of the digging was done by hand. Workers used shovels, picks, wheelbarrows, horses and oxen. Thousands of men, including many immigrants from Ireland, joined the crews.
Over the next few years, the canal grew section by section. The middle part was finished first because the land there was flat. Next, workers faced harder ground in the west. Near Lockport, they had to cut through solid rock. There they built a set of locks, like giant water steps, to raise and lower boats.
At last, in October 1825, the whole canal was complete. Governor Clinton rode a boat from Buffalo all the way to New York City. When he arrived, he poured a barrel of Lake Erie water into the Atlantic Ocean. People called it the “Wedding of the Waters.”
After the canal opened, life in New York changed quickly. Mules walking on paths beside the canal pulled flat boats loaded with grain and lumber. Shipping costs dropped by about ninety percent. Towns along the canal, such as Rochester and Syracuse, grew into busy cities.
Today, the Erie Canal is still open. Most boats on it now carry visitors instead of grain and lumber.
Which heading best fits the sixth paragraph?
- Cutting Through Rock
- Changes After the Canal Opened
- Breaking Ground in Rome
- A Bold Idea Is Laughed At
Which heading best fits the second paragraph?
- Farmers Haul Crops by Wagon
- Digging by Hand in Rome
- Boats Carry Grain and Lumber
- Leaders Dream of a Canal
Which heading best fits the fourth paragraph?
- Governor Clinton's Long Boat Ride
- The Canal Grows Section by Section
- The First Day of Digging in Rome
- Towns Grow Into Busy Cities Fast
Which heading best fits the fifth paragraph?
- Workers Dig Through Solid Rock
- A Trip That Takes Weeks
- Mules Pull Flat Boats
- The Wedding of the Waters
