Salt from Sea to Table: Three Short Texts – Try it

Read the three texts

Text 1: Where Salt Comes From

1Salt is a mineral, and people get it from two main places. The first is the ocean. Seawater is salty, so in some sunny, windy places, people let seawater flow into wide, shallow ponds. The sun and wind slowly evaporate the water. When the water is gone, a crust of salt crystals is left behind, and workers rake it into piles.

2The second source is under the ground. Long ago, some seas dried up, and their salt was buried under layers of rock and soil. Today, miners dig into these thick salt beds. In some mines, the tunnels are so wide that big trucks can drive through them. Salt can also be taken from the ground by pumping in water to dissolve it, then drying out the salty water.

Text 2: Salt Long Ago

1For thousands of years, salt helped people keep food from spoiling. Before there were refrigerators, families packed meat and fish in salt or soaked them in very salty water. Salt pulls water out of food, and the tiny living things that make food rot need water to grow. Salted fish could last for months, even on long trips at sea.

2Because salt was so useful, it was also valuable. Traders carried it across deserts and over mountains to trade for other goods. Towns often grew up near places where salt was found. In some places, people even used blocks of salt as money.

Text 3: Salt in Your Kitchen

1Today, salt is cheap and easy to find, and most kitchens have a shaker of it. Cooks add a pinch to soups, breads, and even cookies, because salt brings out the flavors of many foods. Without it, bread can taste flat.

2Our bodies need a small amount of salt to stay healthy. Salt helps muscles move and helps nerves send messages. But doctors say that eating too much salt is not good for us and can raise blood pressure. Many packaged foods, such as chips and canned soups, already contain lots of salt, so it is smart to read food labels.

Find it in the texts

Use the three texts to answer each question.

Which text gives each fact? Sort the facts.

Text 2 says that salt pulls water out of food. Read paragraph 1 of Text 1 again. Underline the sentence that tells how water is removed from seawater so that salt is left.

Text 2 says that towns often grew up near places where salt was found. Which detail from Text 1 tells about one of those places?

A. rivers that flow down from melting snowB. thick salt beds where old seas dried upC. deep forests where the weather is rainyD. kitchens that keep a shaker on the table

Using Text 2 and Text 3, which statement is true?

A. Salt was once cheap, but today it is rare and costly.B. Long ago, people mostly used salt to make cookies sweet.C. Salt was once valuable, but today it is cheap and easy to find.D. People began using salt after refrigerators were invented.

A student wants to explain how salt gets from the ocean or a mine into a family's soup pot. Which texts should the student use?

A. Text 1 onlyB. Text 2 onlyC. Text 2 and Text 3D. Text 1 and Text 3

Put it all together

Use what you learned from all three texts.

Complete this summary of the three texts. Use words from the word bank. You will not use every word.

Salt comes from the ocean and from thick salt buried under rock (Text 1). Long ago, people used salt to keep food from (Text 2). Today, our bodies need a amount of salt, but too much can raise blood (Text 3).

Which sentence would make the best opening for a report that uses all three texts?

A. Salt is found only in the ocean, so people near the sea used it most.B. Salt was once used as money, so it is still too costly for most families.C. Salt is bad for the body, so doctors say people should stop eating it.D. Salt comes from seas and mines, kept food safe, and adds flavor today.

Text 3 says many packaged foods already contain lots of salt. Which detail from Text 2 also tells about food that has a lot of salt in it?

A. Families packed meat and fish in salt.B. Traders carried salt over mountains.C. Towns grew up near places with salt.D. People used blocks of salt as money.

Why has salt been important to people for such a long time? Write a short paragraph that uses at least one detail from each of the three texts.