Non-fiction: Water Worries
Water Worries
Almost 1 billion people don’t have clean water, a report finds.
What do you do when you’re thirsty? Chances are you get a glass of water
from the sink. Not everyone can do that. In fact, almost 1 billion people
around the world don’t have clean drinking water.
AP Images
A boy in Africa stands near a water pump. It is
the only source of water in his village.
That’s the finding of a report by world aid groups. The study looked at the
living conditions of people around the globe. Many have to walk hours each
day to collect water from rivers. Often that water is not safe to drink,
because it’s dirty.
About 2.6 billion people don’t have safe places to go to the bathroom, the
report says. Lakshmi grew up in a poor village in India. That is a country in
Asia. For a long time, her school did not have bathrooms. She and her
classmates had to use bushes outside.
World leaders say it’s important for kids to have good hygiene, or
cleanliness. Drinking clean water and washing your hands after using the
bathroom can help prevent diseases.
Aid workers have been helping by installing pipes around the world. To
install is to set up. The pipes have given people water in their homes. Aid
workers also have been teaching people how to filter, or clean, rain water.
They even have built bathrooms. That’s made a difference for Lakshmi. “My
school has toilets now,” she said.
1
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Article: Copyright © 2009 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved.
Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.
Used by permission.
Non-fiction: Water Worries
Still, there is a lot more to do, aid worker Clarissa Brocklehurst says. “We
must act as one ... community to [supply] water and [good hygiene] for all.”
Watch Your Water
How much water do you use? A lot! On average, each American goes
through about 100 gallons of water a day. That’s enough to fill 1,600
drinking glasses! Here are some tips to conserve, or save, water.
Cut while you paste. Keep your pearly whites clean, but be sure to shut off
the faucet while you brush. That can save about 8 gallons of water a day.
Clean up your act. Put away that rubber ducky. Taking a bath can use up
to 70 gallons of water, while showering uses just 10 to 25 gallons of water.
Drop the drips. In one day, a faucet can drip more than 20 gallons of
water, and a leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons! Ask an adult to stop the
drips.
2
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Article: Copyright © 2009 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved.
Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.
Used by permission.
Questions: Water Worries
Name:
____ Date: __________________
1. According to the passage, what is one way to prevent diseases?
A
B
C
D
building bathrooms
installing pipes
washing your hands
walking to collect water
2. The text describes the problem that many people do not have clean water to drink.
What is one solution to this problem that is presented in this text?
A
B
C
D
One
One
One
One
solution
solution
solution
solution
is
is
is
is
filtering rainwater so that it is safe to drink.
getting water from the local river.
using the bathroom outside.
turning off the faucet when you brush your teeth.
3. It can be inferred from the passage that
A
B
C
D
most people in the world can get clean water from a water pump
children in India need to learn about water safety
walking hours every day to collect water is good exercise
many Americans waste a lot of water
4. Read the following sentences and answer the question: “Aid workers are helping by
installing pipes around the world. To install is to set up. The pipes give people water in
their homes. Aid workers also teach people how to filter, or clean, rainwater.”
What does the word aid mean?
A
B
C
D
thirst
help
water
cleanliness
5. The primary purpose of this passage is to describe
A
B
C
D
the
the
the
the
decision of aid workers to install pipes to carry water
fact that many people in the world do not have clean water
importance of good hygiene
need to build more indoor toilets
1
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Water Worries
6. What did world aid groups find when they studied people around the globe?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
7. What can you infer from the passage about why clean drinking water is so important?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes
the sentence.
_______ dirty water can make people sick, it is important that water be clean.
A But
B Because
C So
D However
9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below.
Many people around the world walk for hours to get water from rivers.
Who? many people around the world
(do) What? _____________________________________________________________
Why? _________________________________________________________________
2
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Water Worries
10. Read the vocabulary word and definition below and complete questions 10a, 10b,
and 11.
Vocabulary Word: collect (col · lect): to get one or more things from a place.
10a. Read the sentences below and underline the word collect.
1.
My mother came to collect me from school.
2.
I went to the lost and found to collect my sweatshirt and my reading book.
3.
At the beach, my cousin and I collect seashells.
4.
I thought it was strange that my friend’s uncle liked to collect bottle caps.
5.
My brother likes to collect stamps and has over 1,000 of them.
10b.Which image shows an object that people are more likely to collect?
11. At the end of the day, does everyone in your class collect everything from their
desks to take home?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Teacher Guide & Answers: Water Worries
Teacher Guide & Answers
Passage Reading Level: Lexile 660
Featured Text Structure: Problem/Solution – the writer poses a problem and suggests possible
solutions
Passage Summary: This passage describes the situation that almost 1 billion people around the world do
not have clean water to drink. The passage then goes on to describe some solutions to this problem, such
as installing pipes, building bathrooms, and teaching people to filter rainwater.
1. According to the passage, what is one way to prevent diseases?
A
B
C
D
building bathrooms
installing pipes
washing your hands
walking to collect water
2. The text describes the problem that many people do not have clean water to drink. What is one
solution to this problem that is presented in this text?
A
B
C
D
One solution is filtering rainwater so that it is safe to drink.
One solution is getting water from the local river.
One solution is using the bathroom outside.
One solution is turning off the faucet when you brush your teeth.
3. It can be inferred from the passage that
A
B
C
D
most people in the world can get clean water from a water pump
children in India need to learn about water safety
walking hours every day to collect water is good exercise
many Americans waste a lot of water
4. Read the following sentences and answer the question: “Aid workers have been helping by installing
pipes around the world. To install is to set up. The pipes have given people water in their homes. Aid
workers also have been teaching people how to filter, or clean, rain water.”
What does the word aid mean?
A
B
C
D
thirst
help
water
cleanliness
5. The primary purpose of this passage is to describe
A
B
C
D
the decision of aid workers to install pipes to carry water
the fact that many people in the world do not have clean water
the importance of good hygiene
the need to build more indoor toilets
1
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Teacher Guide & Answers: Water Worries
6. What did world aid groups find when they studied people around the globe?
Suggested answer: World aid groups found that almost 1 billion people in the world do not have clean
water to drink. [paragraphs #1, 2]
7. What can you infer from the passage about why clean drinking water is so important?
Suggested answer: Clean drinking water is so important because dirty water can carry diseases and
make people sick. [paragraphs #2, 4]
8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.
_______ dirty water can make people sick, it is important that water be clean.
A
B
C
D
But
Because
So
However
9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below.
Many people around the world walk for hours to get water from rivers.
Who? many people around the world
(do) What? walk for hours
Why? to get water from rivers
10. ReadWorks recommends that you teach this vocabulary word to the whole class out loud using the
four steps listed below.
Vocabulary Word: collect
Step 1: Introduce the word
a. Teacher writes the word on the board and divides it into syllables: (col · lect)
b. Teacher says: “This word is collect. What is the word?” [All students reply together out loud:
“collect.”]
Step 2: Provide a child-friendly definition
a. Teacher says: “Collect means to get one or more things from a place.”
b. Teacher says: “In the text, the author states that people go to local rivers to collect water. This
means that they go to the river to get their water. Collect also sometimes means to bring many
things together, as in collecting coins. In this text, collect means to get one or more things from a
place.”
c. Teacher says: “What is the word?” [All students reply together out loud: “collect.”]
2
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Teacher Guide & Answers: Water Worries
Step 3: Practice the word
Teacher provides examples and additional opportunities to repeat the word. Read the first sentence out
loud to your students. Begin reading it again and when you come to the vocabulary word prompt students
to say the vocabulary word out loud. Then, finish reading the sentence out loud to your students.
10a.
1.
My mother came to collect me from school.
2.
I went to the lost and found to collect my sweatshirt and my reading book.
3.
At the beach, my cousin and I collect seashells.
4.
5.
I thought it was strange that my friend’s uncle liked to collect bottle caps.
My brother likes to collect stamps and has over 1,000 of them.
Step 4: Check for student understanding
This step can be completed as a whole class activity or as an independent practice.
10b. Which image shows an object that people are more likely to collect?
11. At the end of the day, does everyone in your class collect everything from their desks to take home?
Suggested answer: Answers may vary.
Suggested Additional Vocabulary: conditions, install, community, conserve
3
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.