Sarah plants a seed
Passage Activities:

Words: 301-400

Skills: Context Clues Story Elements Summary

Grades: 1st 2nd

Topics: Realistic Fiction

Genres: Informational Prose

Lexile Range: —

Lexile Measure: —

CCSS: Reading: Literature and Science and Technical Subjects

Themes: —

Sarah Plants a Seed

by Elizabeth Trach

When the weather gets warm, Sarah's mother loves to spend time in the garden. Sarah wants to help, so she learns how to plant and care for a seed to make it grow. Students will read the passage and answer questions about the language and story elements while learning about the science of seeds.

Reading Comprehension Passage

Sarah Plants a Seed

by Elizabeth Trach

At breakfast, Sarah saw that her mother was wearing overalls. That meant that she was planning to work in the garden.

"What are you planting today?" asked Sarah.

"Today I will plant radishes and carrots," answered Sarah's mother. "Would you like to help?"

Sarah was happy. She wanted to learn more about how her mother made vegetables grow.

In the garden, Sarah's mother used a stick to make a line in the soil. "This is called a furrow," she said. "It's a small ditch to hold the seeds."

Sarah used the stick to draw a line near her mother's furrow. She watched her mother open a packet of carrot seeds.

"Now I will plant the seeds in a long row in the furrow," Sarah's mother said. She carefully placed the tiny seeds in a neat line.

"Can I help?" asked Sarah.

"Carrot seeds are very small," said Sarah's mother. "Planting radish seeds is easier."

She opened a packet of radish seeds and handed it to Sarah. Sarah picked up a radish seed between her thumb and index finger. It looked like a small tan pebble.

Sarah dropped her seed in the furrow. She picked up another and placed it into the dirt. Her furrow suddenly seemed very long because the seeds were so small.

Sarah's mother began to hum. Sarah liked the song. She joined in, and the music made planting seeds more fun.

When the seeds were gone, Sarah watched her mother gently smooth the dirt over the furrow to cover the seeds. Sarah did the same to her seeds and patted the soil in place.

"Now it's time to water the seeds so they can spout," said Sarah's mother. She used a watering can to soak the ground.

"The water lets the seeds know it's time to grow. The seed will send up a green stem where we can see it. It will also send down white roots underground to drink more water," Sarah's mother said.

"When will they be ready to eat?" asked Sarah.

"In about a month," said Sarah's mother. "The small white root will turn grow nice and fat. The orange roots will be the carrots we eat. The red roots will be the radishes."

Sarah was very happy about her seeds. "I can't wait to eat our vegetables!"

Passage Only

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Reading Comprehension Questions

1. Why did Sarah’s mother give Sarah the radish seeds to plant?



2. What did Sarah’s mother do after the seeds were planted?



3. What is a furrow?



4. Which vegetable will the orange roots be?


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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. Furrow

2. Packet

3. Tiny

4. Pebble

5. Soak

Context Clues

Context Clues

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


1. “Sarah used the stick to draw a line near her mother's furrow.”

a. garden      b. large hole     c. seeds      d. small ditch


2. “She watched her mother open a packet of carrot seeds.”

a. small package      b. large container       c. box      d. can


3. “She carefully placed the tiny seeds in a neat line.”

a. very large      b. very small       c. very cute      d. very clean


4. “It looked like a small tan pebble.”

a. brick      b. stone       c. seed      d. wood chip


5. “She used a watering can to soak the ground.”

a. drench      b. spray      c. dampen      d. cover