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Why Do Apple Slices Turn Brown?

Grade 3 informational reading on why cut apples turn brown, with cause-and-effect and time-order questions.

Grade 3ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toRI.3.3

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What’s included

Single worksheet
Auto-graded online
1 Common Core standard
Printable answer key
11 questions
Classroom-ready

Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 3
Subject: ELA
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Matching, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students explain how events in a science text are connected by cause and effect.
Students use time-order words to describe the steps in a change.

How to use

Read the article together or let students read it alone. Before they answer, ask them to circle words such as first, then, later and because.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

RI.3.3

Describe how historical events, science ideas, or steps in a procedure are related, using words about time, sequence, and cause and effect.

Preview

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Name Date

Why Do Apple Slices Turn Brown?

Read about what happens after you cut an apple.

Read the article

Read the article. Look for words that tell when and why things happen.

Why Do Apple Slices Turn Brown?

1Have you ever cut an apple for a snack and come back to find the slices turning brown? It may look like the apple is going bad, but something else is happening. The brown color is a change caused by the air.

2An apple is made of tiny parts called cells. When you slice an apple, the knife breaks open many of these cells. Then the juices inside the cells touch the air. Air contains a gas called oxygen. When oxygen mixes with the juices, a change happens, and the cut side slowly turns brown.

3At first, a fresh slice looks pale and creamy. After a few minutes, the cut side may start to darken. Later, it turns tan and then brown. The longer the slices sit out, the darker they usually get.

4Families have ways to slow down browning. One way is to squeeze a little lemon juice on the slices. Lemon juice is sour, and that sourness slows down the change. Another way is to put the slices in the refrigerator, because cold also slows the change. Some people wrap the slices tightly, so less air can reach them.

5Apples are not the only foods that do this. Bananas, pears and potatoes can turn brown after they are cut, too. A brown apple slice may not look pretty, but it is usually still safe to eat.

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