Grade 3 Reading Comprehension Worksheets - Free Printable

Problem Analysis:

The task is a reading comprehension exercise based on the passage about "Garden Gold." The goal is to fill in the blanks using information from the text. Let's break it down step by step.

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Passage Summary:

1. Decomposers: Microscopic creatures that break down dead plants and return their nutrients to the soil.
2. Modern Waste: In modern life, scraps from dead plants (fruits, vegetables, etc.) often end up in plastic bags, garbage cans, or landfills instead of returning to the soil.
3. Composting: To recycle nutrients, many people use composting. Compost is made by combining brown plant materials (straw, shredded wood, dead leaves) with green materials (vegetable scraps) in a pile with water.
4. Heat from the Sun: Heat from the sun raises the temperature in the compost pile, helping decomposers break everything down.
5. Value of Compost: Compost is nutrient-dense and valuable for growing healthy plants, sometimes called "black gold."

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Filling in the Blanks:

The blanks need to be filled using specific details from the passage.

#### Blank 1: "Microscopic creatures called _______ break down dead plants..."
- From the passage: "When a plant dies, it falls to the ground, where microscopic creatures called decomposers break it down and return its nutrients to the soil."
- Answer: Decomposers

#### Blank 2: "...and return their _______ to the soil."
- From the passage: "Microscopic creatures called decomposers break it down and return its nutrients to the soil."
- Answer: Nutrients

#### Blank 3: "Farmers and gardeners can recycle nutrients by _______..."
- From the passage: "To keep from wasting this precious resource, many people with backyard gardens also compost."
- Answer: Composting

#### Blank 4: "...which means combining _______ (a color)..."
- From the passage: "Composting means combining brown plant materials like straw, shredded wood, and dead leaves with green materials like vegetable scraps in a pile with water."
- Answer: Brown

#### Blank 5: "...and _______ (a color)..."
- From the passage: "Composting means combining brown plant materials... with green materials like vegetable scraps in a pile with water."
- Answer: Green

#### Blank 6: "...from the sun raises the temperature in the pile..."
- From the passage: "Heat from the sun raises the temperature in the pile, encouraging decomposers and helping it all to break down."
- Answer: Heat

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Final Answer:

1. Decomposers
2. Nutrients
3. Composting
4. Brown
5. Green
6. Heat

Boxed Final Answer:
\[
\boxed{\text{Decomposers, Nutrients, Composting, Brown, Green, Heat}}
\]