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Comprehension Passage Pack
for Year 6
This resource contains the full text of reading comprehension
passages in Levels 19 through 21 of Lexia® Core5® Reading. It supports
teachers in further scaffolding comprehension instruction and
activities for students.
The comprehension passages in Lexia Core5 Reading have been analysed using a number of tools to determine complexity, including Lexile® measures. Based on this analysis, the comprehension passages are appropriately complex for students reading at the year-level of skills in each program level. For example, the comprehension passages in Levels 19–21 (Year 6 skills) typically fall within the range of Lexile measures deemed appropriate for on-level Year 6 readers. (Texts with non-standard punctuation, such as poems and plays, are not measured.) The Content Area Connection column in the table of contents can be used as a guide to determine the general topic of each passage. It does not indicate alignment to any specific content area standards. Keywords in the passages are indicated in bold and defined in a glossary located at the end of the pack. The words are the same as those found in the online passages. While most terms are included to support word meaning, some terms are included because pronunciation may be challenging. F O R E D U C A T O R S
2 Reading Comprehension Passages: Levels 19– Passage Title Genre Content Area Connection Lexile Measure Page Core5 Level 19 Balancing the Needs of People and Plovers Informational Text Earth & Space Science 980L 4 An Uninvited Guest Narrative Text Earth & Space Science 870L 6 The Business of Zoos Informational Text Earth & Space Science 990L 8 When Lightning Strikes Informational Text Earth & Space Science 920L 10 “Hail” by J. Patrick Lewis Poetry Earth & Space Science NA 12 Walls of Fire Narrative Text Earth & Space Science 870L 13 Join the North School Walkers Opinion/Persuasive Social Studies 880L 15 Support Art in the Park Opinion/Persuasive Social Studies 950L 17 We Can All Be Winners Here! Opinion/Persuasive Social Studies 880L 19 Borrowing Nature’s Designs Informational Text Life Science 950L 21 Splendid Spiders Informational Text Life Science 900L 23 “The Secret Song” by Margaret Wise Brown Poetry Life Science NA 25 A Review of Treasure Island Opinion/Persuasive English Language Arts 940L 26 A Movie for Everyone Opinion/Persuasive English Language Arts 810L 28 Just Listen to This! Informational Text English Language Arts 840L 30 Adventure Island Narrative Text English Language Arts 850L 32 The Harpies Myth English Language Arts 810L 34 an excerpt from Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit Narrative Text English Language Arts 790L 36 Core5 Level 20 The Tunguska Blast Informational Text Earth & Space Science 930L 38 Mysteries of the Deep Sea Informational Text Life Science 910L 40 The Mystery of the Nazca Lines Informational Text Earth & Space Science 920L 42 The Maiden Wiser than the Tsar Folktale Social Studies 890L 44 Wealth and Worries Drama Social Studies NA 46 an excerpt from “Songs for the People” by Francis Harper Poetry Social Studies NA 49
UK Reading Passages LEVEL 19, UNIT 1 INFORMATIONAL TEXT Certain kinds of plovers , such as the piping plover, hooded plover, and western snowy plover, build their nests on sandy beaches. They build them between dunes or sea walls and the high-tide mark. This is precisely where beachgoers like to lay down their towels to enjoy a day at the beach. This has created quite a debate. On one side are the cute little birds that have been described as “cotton balls on toothpicks.” Their light brown, white, and grey colouring makes them hard to spot on the sand. In spring, these birds lay their tiny, sand-coloured, hard-to-see eggs in shallow nests dug into the sand. These nests face danger from many sources. Storms and surging waves may wash them away. The eggs may be crushed by careless humans (on foot, in off-road vehicles , and with dogs). They may also be eaten by predators (such as foxes, cats, gulls, crows, and ravens). If the eggs survive and hatch, it takes over a month for the chicks to grow strong enough to fly. To help them grow, plovers look for food by the water’s edge or in seaweed on the beach. If they’re frightened by people or predators, they run and hide wherever they can. This running and hiding uses up valuable energy. If it happens often enough in a day, a chick will starve. Because the number of beach-nesting plovers is so low, their status is “ threatened .” This means there are laws to protect them and organisations looking out for them. Some of the techniques used to protect nesting plovers include putting ropes around nests and providing little wooden shelters for chicks to hide in. The most extreme of all is closing off part or all of a beach during nesting season (which occurs between April and August).
UK Reading Passages All this protection angers the other side of the debate: beachgoers. Plovers are drawn to exactly the wide, sandy beaches that people like to frequent. When it has come down to the plovers’ right to protection or people’s beach-going rights, plovers have won. People find themselves cut off from favourite beaches and crowded into what is left. But all this may be changing. Plover experts now believe that the biggest dangers to plover nests are storms and predators. Nothing can be done about storms, and destroying or relocating plover predators creates new problems. But it does seem that predators stay away from beaches often filled with people. So some beach communities have begun to have a more “relaxed” attitude. They rope off any plover nests and post warnings to protect the plovers, but they don’t close off the beach. The little birds seem willing to coexist with people, as long as the people don’t disturb their nests or chicks. Maybe, just maybe, we can all get along!
UK Reading Passages “You caught it!” exclaimed Bashir. Every time he visited his grandmother, he was always impressed that she knew exactly how to handle any situation. Bashir crept closer to the bundle in his grandmother’s arms and saw that the bat’s eyes were fixed on him with a combination of what he thought might be curiosity and fear. “Now what should we do with it?” he asked in a hushed tone. “We need to set it free, of course,” their grandmother asserted, walking to the door and opening it. “I’m not sure if this bat wants to make a home in our attic or if it’s lost, but it will be much more comfortable outside.” She shook the blanket gently to release the bat, and they watched it soar into the distance until it disappeared. Bashir breathed a sigh of relief, and his grandmother smiled. “I’m always happy to see bats flying around outside because they devour mosquitoes by the thousands,” she remarked. “Without bats, the world would be much buggier than it is. We need them, even though we don’t like to share our indoor spaces with them.” One evening not long after the weekend visit with his grandmother, Bashir noticed familiar black figures circling swiftly against the dimming sky outside his apartment window. He recognised them immediately and murmured, “Hello, my mosquito-eating friends,” pleased that this time he did not feel afraid at all.
UK Reading Passages LEVEL 19, UNIT 3 INFORMATIONAL TEXT Early in the twenty-first century, conservation groups in Thailand protested against shipping elephants to zoos in Australia. Supporters of animal rights in the United States claimed that elephants in city zoos were being harmed. The leader of one animal-protection group asked, “Is there any value having elephants at zoos other than to allow people to see them in person?” Allowing people to see exotic animals is a main purpose of zoos. Ever since ancient times, wild animals from distant lands have been put on display, simply for people’s viewing pleasure. A zoo animal was placed in a cage with bars. Keepers fed it and cleaned its cage, but paid no attention to its other needs. A caged animal had nothing to do. Zoo visitors might see a lion or a bear endlessly pacing in its tiny cell. They might see a gorilla sitting on a concrete floor, staring blankly. At times, visitors felt more sadness than awe. It was not until recently that many zoos began to change. Zoos created natural-looking environments, such as rainforests and large outdoor enclosures. Many zoos offered animals more space and stimulating activities. But zoo critics point out that, even in natural-looking environments, most animals have nowhere to hide, as they would in nature. They must be on display for visitors. Some opponents of zoos say that there is no need for people to see exotic animals up close anymore. Television and the Internet make it easy to view wild animals in their natural habitats.
UK Reading Passages LEVEL 19, UNIT 4 INFORMATIONAL TEXT Imagine two huge lightning bolts simultaneously strike the tips of two skyscrapers. Impossible? Well, just such a thing happened in Chicago, USA in 2010, and one photographer was lucky enough to capture the spectacular moment. But then, lightning flashes often have a way of being highly dramatic. Most of us don’t see many lightning flashes in a year, but don’t be fooled. According to recent satellite data, over three million lightning flashes occur worldwide every day. Most travel from cloud to cloud, but about 860,000 of them strike either the ground or some water surface on Earth. Lightning travels at the speed of light, which is 299,792,458 metres per second. The reason the thunder we hear trails far behind the lightning we see is that the speed of sound is comparatively slow. It takes five seconds just to travel a kilometre in warm summer air. This difference in speeds provides a quick way of estimating how close an electrical storm is. As soon as you see a lightning flash, start counting seconds (one thousand and one, one thousand and two). Stop when you hear the thunder and divide by five to get the number of kilometres. As enjoyable as lightning is to watch, it can do tremendous damage. Lightning strikes are the major cause of forest fires and frequently cause power outages. A lightning strike in northern New York caused a blackout that paralysed New York City in 1977. More importantly, about 24,000 people are killed by lightning every year. Ten times that number are seriously injured. So if you see a flash of lightning, start counting. The latest guidelines say to head for shelter as soon as that number is under 30.
UK Reading Passages If you’re in a car, make sure the windows and doors are closed. If you’re outdoors and can’t reach a building, avoid anything tall in your area. Lightning tends to take the most direct route to Earth, striking the closest (tallest) object that happens to be in its path. Stay away from single trees, high fences, and other such structures, especially metal ones that conduct electricity. Avoid open areas. If you can’t get out of the open, crouch close to the ground. If you are swimming in water, get out. If you make it indoors, you still have to be careful. These days, buildings include various forms of lightning protection, but lightning is tricky. It can travel through phone lines, so only use mobile phones for calls. It can come through faucets, so don’t take a shower or wash anything during a storm. Don’t stand close to windows. Electrical storms are amazingly beautiful, but don’t forget that they are also amazingly dangerous!
UK Reading Passages LEVEL 19, UNIT 6 NARRATIVE TEXT “Alana, is everything going to be okay?” Lidia asked me. We were holding hands tightly in the recreation centre waiting for rescuers. Not long before, we’d been swimming in the pool with other campers when the camp director suddenly appeared. She announced that everyone had to get out, get dressed, and follow the camp leaders to the recreation centre—fast! Inside the wooden building, we sat on the floor while the director told us, “We must evacuate the camp because there’s a fire in the woods. Buses are coming to drive us out of here, but we have to wait for them to arrive.” That’s when I realised that the burning sensation in my eyes didn’t come from the pool water, but from smoky air. Grey-black clouds swirled above distant treetops. The recreation centre had a TV, and someone turned it on. We watched a live news report about a wildfire. The cause was unknown—maybe a lightning bolt or a stray spark from a campfire. The long drought in the region meant that dry leaves, grass, and sticks caught fire easily. Then the wind spread the flames, and walls of fire rose high into treetops. Video showed teams of firefighters with chainsaws, shovels, and other tools, labouring in the hot-oven forest to clear vegetation and control the blaze. Yellow-orange flames crept and leaped in the background. The reporter pointed to three parked buses, explaining that they could not get through to a children’s camp because of burning trees that had fallen across the dirt road. “The children are trapped,” he said.
UK Reading Passages The director turned off the TV, but we had already seen too much. Those trapped children were US! Trapped! Some of the campers were crying. Fear grabbed me by the throat, and I gasped for breath. The nature camp leader tried to calm everyone down by telling us about wildfires—how common they were and how some trees even depended on fire to spread seeds. I wondered if I’d ever see my family again. Waiting was agonising. The air thickened with smoke. Harsh odours filled our nostrils. Two long hours later, flashes of colour appeared through the haze. Had the flames reached the camp? No, three yellow school buses were on the road. We cheered as our rescuers pulled up in front of the building. On the drive out of the camp, we could barely see the woods through the smoke. And when we finally reached the open motorway, it was like emerging from a dark, deadly, alien world. This happened six years ago, but the events are burned in my memory. It was the scariest day of my life!
UK Reading Passages In addition, students have a safer way to get to school. The walking- school-bus programme reduces not just the number of school buses, but also the number of parent-driven cars that clog the streets by North School. When students no longer have to dodge traffic to enter the building, safety will be improved. There has been an unexpected bonus to the programme—a greater sense of community among the walkers. What better way to feel part of a neighbourhood than by taking a daily walking tour! Help your child and our community by enrolling in the North School Walkers programme. Sign-up sheets are in the school office. Sincerely yours, Edda Freeman and Tony Palermo Parent Coordinators of the North School Walkers
UK Reading Passages LEVEL 19, UNIT 8 OPINION/PERSUASIVE TEXT Dear Editor, I’m writing to urge everyone to come to Art in the Park this Saturday in Broad Creek Park, from 9 AM to 6 PM. There is no admission fee, and there’s so much to do and see. Over 150 local artists will be showing their work, hoping to sell some of it to you. There will also be an art show featuring the best work of fifty students from local schools. The student works have already been judged, so you can see if you agree with the judges’ choices. They have awarded blue, red, and white ribbons to some of the up-and-coming artists in our local high school, middle school, and two primary schools. This year, we are introducing a special section set aside for even younger artists. It is called Kids in the Park. It comes equipped with fingerpaints, chalk, watercolours, crayons, and lots of paper so kids can make their own artistic creations. And don’t worry about mess. We provide smocks for kids to wear to keep their clothes clean! A local band, the Snow Squalls, will be providing country music to keep things lively. And a food court, run by Aroma Market, will have a wide variety of scrumptious treats. (As everyone knows, Aroma Market is famous for its tasty food!) This is the third year for Art in the Park. We have been encouraged by the number of people who attended the first two times, but we need more of you to come! Supporting art in our community has so many benefits for you, for your kids, and for our local artists.
UK Reading Passages LEVEL 19, UNIT 9 OPINION/PERSUASIVE TEXT By Lamar Green, Year 7 If you listen to the news these days, you know that everybody is concerned that kids aren’t eating enough nutritious food. If any of these concerned citizens ever visited our cafeteria at lunch time, they might worry even more! Yes, the daily hot lunch features healthy food, but the vegetables taste terrible. They’re either overcooked frozen vegetables, or if they’re in salads, they are not very fresh. And then what happens? Kids leave the vegetables untouched. Who wants to eat mushy broccoli or wilted lettuce? So the school spends money on food that gets thrown away, and we kids don’t get a complete, nutritious meal. Everybody loses. But there’s a way for everyone to win: Our school could set up a farm-to-school programme. Over 2,000 schools all across the country already have farm-to-school programmes that are running successfully. Here’s how it works: The school sets up an arrangement with local farmers, who sell certain fresh fruits and vegetables to the school every few days. Farm-to-school programmes also include classroom visits from farmers, who help kids understand what’s involved in farming, and field trips for kids to see real farms firsthand. The farmers win because they have a nearby market for their crops that they can depend on. They don’t have to drive around, selling their food to different shops at a lower price, so the shops can turn around and sell it at a higher price. This means farmers earn more money and don’t have to spend as much on transportation.
UK Reading Passages The school wins, too, because it gets to know the local farmers. It can work with farmers to decide which kinds of fruits and vegetables to grow. (Maybe we kids can make suggestions, too—that would be cool!) But most of all, kids win. We get tasty, fresh fruits and vegetables to eat. Think how fantastic it would be if our cafeteria also included a great salad bar! And along with eating better, we could learn more about where our food comes from through classroom visits and field trips. We’d get to know the farmers in our community and see for ourselves how our food is grown. I hope I’ve made it clear why our school should set up a farm-to-school programme. Everybody wins!
