Marshmallows Reading Comprehension Passage - Cored Ed Encyclopedia

This marshmallows reading comprehension contains the following:

Visualize on the Cover (Teacher Read Aloud Script)

Start your lesson by taking a few moments to visualize the topic and share thoughts or feelings about it.

Pre-Reading Trivia

Students will write down one thing they already know about the subject and then read five more facts and discuss. These facts are fun, and the students will enjoy learning about the subject before reading more.

Reading Passage

The text is a high-interest reading passage with set paragraphs, roughly three to four paragraphs long. It contains a variety of themes about the topic, anywhere from history to technology. The passage is between 250 and 350 words in length.

Mixed Questions

The first question page contains four multiple-choice questions, each with a choice of four answers, and three written response questions that require a sentence or two from the student.

Vocabulary Questions

Practice seven key words from the text in this section across two activities. First section is scrambled words where students will unscramble three words given a clue for each. The second section is a word to meaning matching activity.

Creative Writing

In this question, the student will be required to write a five to eight sentence paragraph on a question related to the topic.

Extension Activities

This page is optional for fast finishers or to take home. There are several activities, each one requiring a different skill. Do some, do none, do all, completely optional - but you will feel reassured knowing every possibility is planned for. Includes summary writting question.

Answer Key

There are answers for the multiple-choice questions, written response questions have sample answers, vocabulary answers and if there is a summary question then a sample summary will be provided as well.

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Lesson Snapshot

• Title: Marshmallows

• Genre: Nonfiction

• Subject: Science (informational reading)

• Primary Topic: How marshmallows become foam; heat and pressure

• Estimated Guided Reading Level (A–Z): N

What This Lesson Teaches Best

• Explains what a marshmallow is (a sweet foam) and how tiny air bubbles get trapped inside.

• Describes the process of making marshmallow mixture turn “fluffy” as it is beaten and thickens.

• Builds word knowledge through the origin of the name “marshmallow” from the marsh mallow plant and its “root sap.”

• Connects cause-and-effect in simple “food science”: heat toasts the outside and melts the inside; air pressure can make marshmallows puff up or shrink.

• Provides aligned support pages (trivia, questions, vocabulary tasks, writing, and extensions) that reuse the passage’s key ideas and terms.

Learning Goals

• Explain why a marshmallow is called a “foam” using details from the text.

• Describe how air gets trapped in marshmallow ingredients while they are whipped or beaten.

• Tell why marshmallows are dusted with cornstarch.

• Explain where the word “marshmallow” comes from, based on the passage.

• Describe what heat does to a marshmallow over a fire or in hot chocolate.

• Describe how changes in air pressure can make marshmallows change size.

Key Vocabulary From the Text

• Gelatin — ingredient that helps mixture set and hold bubbles.

• Cornstarch — powder dusted on marshmallows so they don’t stick.

• Cylinders — tube shapes, like short, round rolls.

• Sap — sticky liquid from a plant’s root.

• Pressure — force of air that can make bubbles shrink or grow.

Cored Ed Encyclopedia Overview

The Cored Ed Encyclopedia is a weekly series of lessons that you can pick up and use right away. These short readings fit into whatever time you have available. Each one includes a warm-up, a reading, and a set of questions, but it’s flexible — you can do just the reading, the full lesson, or skip the writing section if you need to. Each lesson focuses on a single topic so students don’t get lost. The writing is clear but never childish, making it perfect for grades two through five. Topics range from animals and science to history, inventions, and everyday things. No matter the level of the student, everyone should take away at least one new idea or fact from each lesson. The materials are easy to print, easy to explain, and require no setup. They work well for whole-class teaching, partner work, or independent study.