It looks like you've uploaded a
Grade 3 reading comprehension worksheet titled
"Garden Gold", and it includes a short passage about composting, followed by a fill-in-the-blank exercise. The goal is to complete the blanks using information from the text.
Let’s go through the passage and solve the blanks step by step.
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Passage Summary:
The article explains how in nature, when plants die, they fall to the ground and are broken down by microscopic creatures called
decomposers. These decomposers return nutrients to the soil, which helps new plants grow. In modern life, food scraps often end up in landfills instead of returning to the soil. To fix this, people use
composting — combining brown (dry) materials like straw and dead leaves with green (wet) materials like vegetable scraps in a pile with water. Heat from the sun helps decomposers break things down. The result is
compost, dark, nutrient-rich soil that's great for plants and sometimes called "black gold."
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Now let's fill in the blanks:
> Microscopic creatures called
______ break down dead plants and return their
______ to the soil. Farmers and gardeners can recycle nutrients by
______, which means combining
______ (a color) and
______ (a color) plants materials in a pile with water.
______ from the sun raises the temperature in the pile, so everything breaks down.
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Step-by-step answers:
1.
Microscopic creatures called ______ break down dead plants...
→ From the first sentence: *"microscopic creatures called decomposers break it down..."*
✔ Answer: decomposers
2.
...return their ______ to the soil.
→ The passage says: *"returns its nutrients to the soil."*
✔ Answer: nutrients
3.
Farmers and gardeners can recycle nutrients by ______,
→ The passage defines composting as recycling nutrients: *"Composting means combining..."*
✔ Answer: composting
4.
...combining ______ (a color) and ______ (a color) plants materials...
→ The passage mentions: *"brown plant materials like straw... and dead leaves with green materials like vegetable scraps..."*
✔ Answer: brown and
green
5.
______ from the sun raises the temperature...
→ The passage says: *"Heat from the sun raises the temperature..."*
✔ Answer: Heat
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✔ Final Completed Sentence:
> Microscopic creatures called
decomposers break down dead plants and return their
nutrients to the soil. Farmers and gardeners can recycle nutrients by
composting, which means combining
brown (a color) and
green (a color) plant materials in a pile with water.
Heat from the sun raises the temperature in the pile, so everything breaks down.
---
🔍 Explanation:
- This is a
reading comprehension exercise where students must
locate key details in the passage.
- It teaches vocabulary like *decomposers*, *composting*, and *nutrients*, while reinforcing science concepts related to ecosystems and recycling.
- The term
"black gold" is used metaphorically to describe compost because it's so valuable — just like gold!
Let me know if you'd like a printable version or a teacher's answer key!
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of third grade reading comprehension passages.
