Spark CoachBuild Expeditions
Skills
Reading · comprehensionFoundation · 11 minRL.3.4

The Garden Drought

The best builders look at what is being wasted and ask, "Could that be useful instead?"

Read it

The neighborhood garden had not seen rain in weeks, and the soil had grown parched so dry that it cracked into little tiles under the hot sun. The tomato plants drooped, and the volunteers worried the whole harvest would be lost.

Amara had an idea. She had noticed that the water used to rinse vegetables at the garden sink always ran straight down the drain and was wasted. What if they caught that water in buckets and carried it to the thirsty plants instead? The other volunteers were skeptical at first, doubting that plain rinse water could really make a difference.

But within a week, the plants that got the saved water stood tall and green again. The volunteers were no longer doubtful they had turned something they used to throw away into a lifeline for the garden. Amara smiled, glad she had spoken up.

Tap any word to hear it.

Retell it

Retell it: what was the problem, what idea did Amara have, and what happened?

Say it out loud first, then type a little. Retelling is the real reading skill — this gets saved to her report.

Show you understood0/4 answered
Main idea

What is this passage mostly about?

Vocabulary

In this passage, the word "parched" means —

Text detail

What was Amara's idea?

Inference

How do you know the volunteers changed their minds about the rinse water?

Answer all 4 questions to finish. 3 of 4 right and it’s hers.