From tree to you
Passage Activities:

Words: 201-300

Skills: Main / Central Idea Summary

Grades: 2nd 3rd

Topics: Science

Genres: Informational

Lexile Range: 420L - 730L

Lexile Measure: 460L

CCSS: Reading: Informational Text

Themes: —

From Tree to You

Students will read a nonfiction passage to learn where oranges come from and the process of turning oranges into juice. Students will answer questions about the main idea and details, author’s purpose, sequence, organizational structure, and cause and effect.

Reading Comprehension Passage

From Tree to You

Do you like to drink orange juice for breakfast? If you do, you are like many other kids. Orange juice is a very popular drink! It is sweet and tasty. It can help keep you healthy, too. Let’s find out how orange juice gets to your breakfast table!

Orange trees grow in places that are warm and sunny. When many orange trees are planted together, it is called a grove. Oranges need lots of water to grow. Orange groves are often found near rivers. Some orange trees can grow to about 30 feet high! In the spring, the trees have white blooms. Later, these blooms change into oranges. An orange tree can grow about 1,200 oranges in a year! Some oranges are sold as whole fruit. But most are grown for juice.

When the oranges are big enough, they are picked. Some oranges are picked by hand. Sometimes machines are used to pick oranges. Trucks filled with the tasty fruit are then sent to a place that makes juice.

What happens to the oranges at the juicing plant? First, the oranges are squeezed. Then the juice is put into bottles and cartons. Boxes filled with the bottles and cartons are put onto big trucks. Finally, the orange juice is ready to go to stores. People can then buy and enjoy the tasty juice!


Passage Only

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Reading Comprehension Questions

1. What is the main purpose of this article?



2. Which detail in paragraph two supports the sentence “Oranges need lots of water to grow.”



3. How did the author organize the last paragraph? How do you know?



4. Using facts from the text, tell about the relationship between oranges and orange juice. 


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Vocabulary List

Vocabulary List

Each of the vocabulary words below are used in the reading passage. As you read the passage, pay attention to context clues that suggest the word’s meaning.

  1. tasty
  2. grove
  3. blooms
  4. juicing
  5. cartons

Context Clues

Context Clues

Using context clues from the sentences in the passage, underline the correct meaning of the word in boldface.

1) "It is sweet and tasty."

a. thick and gooey     b. smooth     c. good flavor, delicious     d. clear

2) "When many orange trees are planted together, it is called a grove."

a. large hill     b. group of trees, orchard     c. field     d. basket of fruit

3) "In the spring, the trees have white blooms."

a. flowers     b. leaves     c. branches     d. berries

4) "What happens to the oranges at the juicing plant?"

a. cutting in slices     b. throwing away     c. growing     d. taking liquid from fruit, squeezing

5) Then the juice is put into bottles and cartons.

a. glass jars     b. buckets     c. paper boxes     d. metal pots