A Sandwich in Layers


What can you discover by looking at the cut side of a sandwich? On a plain plate, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich shows layers stacked between two slices of bread. Each layer looks and feels different, and each has a part to play.
The bread forms the outside of the sandwich. Its soft middle has tiny holes that make it feel light and airy. Around the edge, the crust is usually firmer and a little chewy. The slices give the sandwich its shape and hold the softer fillings inside.
Just inside the bread is a layer of peanut butter. It is made from ground peanuts and has a thick, sticky texture. Smooth peanut butter feels creamy, while crunchy peanut butter contains small pieces of peanuts. Either kind can cling to the bread and stay in place.
Next comes the jelly. It is made with fruit juice and has a sweet, fruity flavor. Its texture is soft and smooth, but it can jiggle and slide more easily than peanut butter. Depending on the fruit juice used, jelly may be purple, red, or another color.
- layers:
- Pieces or amounts of something placed on top of one another.
- airy:
- Light and filled with small spaces of air.
- crust:
- The firmer outer edge of bread.
- fillings:
- Foods placed inside something, such as a sandwich.
- texture:
- The way something feels.
- cling:
- To stick to or hold tightly to something.
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Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Vocabulary
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Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is the main idea of the passage? Give one detail that supports it.
- 2How do the bread slices help keep the sandwich together?
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About this explanatory article passage for 3rd Grade
“A Sandwich in Layers” is a explanatory article reading passage about Sandwich textures, written for 3rd Grade. It takes about 2 minutes to read (253 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.


