How Oysters Help the Water
What can an oyster do while it sits in the water? It can eat, help clean the water, and make a home for other animals!
An oyster is a small, soft animal. It has two hard shells that protect its body.
Many oysters live in salty water near the shore. Some grow close together in a group called a reef.
An oyster reef can look like a pile of bumpy shells. Small fish and crabs can hide in the spaces between them. The reef gives these animals shelter from bigger animals.
Oysters eat tiny bits of food that float in the water. An oyster pulls water into its shell and catches the food. Then it sends the water back out.
As oysters feed, they also remove some small bits from the water. This can make the water clearer. Clearer water lets more sunlight reach plants under the water.
Oysters need clean places to live and grow. Trash and dirty water can harm them. People can help by keeping trash out of the water and caring for oyster reefs.
People eat oysters, too. Some people gather wild oysters. Others raise oysters on farms in the water.
National Oyster Day is on August 5. It is a day when people can enjoy oysters and think about the work these little animals do. Under the water, an oyster reef can be a busy home for many living things.
- shore:
- The land next to a body of water.
- shelter:
- A safe place that gives protection.
- float:
- To stay up in water or move along in it.
- remove:
- To take something away.
- gather:
- To collect things.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What are some ways oysters help other living things?
- 2What protects an oyster's soft body?
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About this explanatory article passage for Lower Elementary
“How Oysters Help the Water” is a explanatory article reading passage about Oyster reefs, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (235 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.