Explain a topic in writing
Grade 6 Reading Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
How a Rainbow Forms (informative draft)
[1] A rainbow appears when sunlight passes through raindrops. [2] Sunlight looks white, but it is actually a mixture of colors. [3] When light enters a raindrop, it slows down and bends, and the colors bend by slightly different amounts. [4] The light spreads out into a band of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. [5] The light reflects off the back of the drop and bends again as it exits. [6] Pretty colors appear in the sky. [7] A person sees a rainbow only when the Sun is behind the viewer and rain is falling in front. [8] The red band always appears on the outside of the arc. [9] Because each drop sends the colors back at a particular angle, each viewer sees a slightly different rainbow. [10] Scientists use the same principle to study the light from distant stars, because separating light into its colors reveals which materials the stars contain.
Ari wants a new [4] that shows why the light spreads out. Which sentence keeps the cause and the effect in the right order?
- Although the colors bend by different amounts, the light spreads out into a band of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet.
- Because the light spreads into a band of colors, the colors bend by different amounts inside the drop.
- The colors bend by different amounts, and a band of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet is seen in rainbows.
- Because the colors bend by different amounts, the light spreads out into a band of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet.
Bo thinks [6] is vague and too casual. Which sentence replaces it with exact words in a formal voice?
- Some nice colors show up in the sky when the weather is rainy and the Sun is out.
- Super cool colors pop up in the sky when it rains and the Sun comes out again.
- Colors of light mix together into a single white arc across the sky above the falling rain.
- Bands of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet arc across the sky above the falling rain.
Esme wants a source note after [4]. Which source note gives the most trustworthy support for the explanation?
- A weather reporter says that rainbows are most common after an afternoon shower in the spring and in cool weather.
- Experts say that rainbows have something to do with the way light bends inside the water, though they do not say how.
- Dr. Lena Moreau, a physicist who studies light, explains that each color bends by a different amount inside a raindrop.
- A company that sells sunglasses says that rainbows are caused by the way light enters the eye and reaches the back of it.
The Printing Press Changes Reading (informative draft)
[1] Before the 1400s, books in Europe were copied by hand, which took months and made books very expensive. [2] Around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg, a German goldsmith, built a printing press that used movable metal letters. [3] Workers arranged the letters into a page, covered them with ink and pressed paper against them. [4] The letters could be reused. [5] Printing is an awesome invention. [6] As books became cheaper, more people learned to read, and ideas spread faster across Europe. [7] Printers set up shops in dozens of cities within fifty years. [8] Gutenberg's best-known work was a Bible printed in Latin around 1455. [9] Historians credit printing with helping spread new ideas in science and religion.
Jun wants a new [4] that shows what reusable letters made possible. Which sentence keeps the cause and the effect in the right order?
- Because one set of letters could print many copies, the metal letters could be reused for a page.
- Although the metal letters could be reused, one set of letters could print many copies of a page.
- Because the metal letters could be reused, one set of letters could print many copies of a page.
- The metal letters could be reused, and printers sometimes copied pages by hand as well at that time.
Pia wants a source note after [6]. Which source note gives the most trustworthy support for the claim?
- A company that prints calendars says that printing makes reading cheaper for many families who buy calendars.
- Experts say that a lot more books existed after printing was invented in Europe and in other parts of the world.
- Dr. Amara Okoye, a historian of books, reports that book production rose sharply within fifty years of the press.
- A museum guide says that the oldest printed Bible is displayed behind thick glass in a quiet corner of the hall.
A Butterfly's Long Trip (informative draft)
[1] Each autumn, millions of monarch butterflies leave Canada and the northern United States and fly south to central Mexico. [2] The trip can be about three thousand miles. [3] No single monarch makes the whole round trip. [4] Monarchs that fly south in the fall are born late in summer and live for months, while their parents live only weeks. [5] Butterflies are pretty. [6] They gather in fir forests where the air stays cool, which slows their bodies and saves energy through the winter. [7] In spring, the survivors fly north and lay eggs on milkweed plants. [8] Their offspring continue the journey, and the next generations travel farther north. [9] Scientists track monarchs with tiny stickers on their wings to learn which routes they follow and where the butterflies spend the winter.
Milo wants a sentence to follow [4] that shows why the fall monarchs can make the trip. Which sentence keeps the cause and the effect in order?
- Because it flies south and waits out the winter in Mexico, the fall generation lives for months.
- Although the fall generation lives for months, it can fly south and wait out the winter in Mexico.
- The fall generation lives for months. Millions of monarchs gather in Mexico each winter to rest.
- Because the fall generation lives for months, it can fly south and wait out the winter in Mexico.
Noah thinks [5] is vague and too casual. Which sentence replaces it with exact words in a formal voice?
- Their orange and black wings are among the most recognizable of any insect in North America.
- Their white and blue wings help them hide from birds and other animals that eat them.
- Those bugs are way cool to watch when they fly in a big pack across the fields and trees.
- They look really nice when they fly together in big groups across the sky in the fall, from morning until evening.
Kira wants a source note after [2]. Which source note gives the most trustworthy support for the claim about distance?
- Dr. Priya Raman, a biologist who tracks monarchs, reports that tagged butterflies have flown about three thousand miles.
- A travel company says that its trips to Mexico let visitors see monarchs up close, and the tour includes meals and a guide.
- People say that monarchs fly a very long way to a warm place each year, and some travel in large groups.
- A gardener says that milkweed grows well in sunny spots with good soil in spring, and the plants like water.
Islands Built by Fire (informative draft)
[1] The Hawaiian Islands rose from the Pacific Ocean floor over millions of years as lava built up under the water. [2] A hot spot, a place deep beneath the plate where magma rises, feeds the volcanoes. [3] The Pacific Plate moves slowly northwest over the hot spot, carrying older volcanoes away. [4] The islands form a chain, with the oldest islands to the northwest. [5] Volcanoes are exciting. [6] The Big Island is the youngest and still has active volcanoes such as Kilauea. [7] Older islands, such as Kauai, have been worn down by waves and rain for millions of years. [8] They have deep valleys and soft green ridges. [9] Scientists date the rocks on each island to show the order in which the islands formed. [10] Because the Pacific Plate keeps moving, geologists expect that new islands will eventually form southeast of the Big Island, although this process takes many thousands of years.
Ren wants a new [4] that shows why the islands form a chain. Which sentence keeps the cause and the effect in order?
- Because the plate moves over the hot spot, new volcanoes form while the older ones are carried away.
- Because new volcanoes form over the hot spot, the plate moves while the older ones are carried away.
- The plate moves over the hot spot, and some islands in the Pacific have beaches of white sand.
- Although the plate moves over the hot spot, new volcanoes form while the older ones are carried away.
Tala thinks [5] is vague and too casual. Which sentence replaces it with exact words in a formal voice?
- Active volcanoes such as Kilauea release lava that cools into new land.
- Active volcanoes such as Kilauea release ice that melts into new oceans over time.
- Volcanoes are crazy cool, and lava is totally awesome to see up close.
- Volcanoes are very interesting and are worth learning about at some point in school.
