The Moving House: Life on the Tonle Sap
Narrator: Welcome to the Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, located in Cambodia. Here, entire villages float on the water. Houses, schools, and even shops rise and fall with the seasons. As the seasons change, families must work together to adapt to the shifting waters.
Arun: Look at the sky, Father! The dark clouds are rolling in from the south. The monsoon rains are finally here.
Sopheap: Yes, Arun. The rainy season has begun. Soon, the great Mekong River will swell with rainwater and push into the Tonle Sap River, forcing it to flow backward.
Chanthou: That reverse flow is nature's miracle. It will fill our lake to ten times its dry-season size! But before the water rises too high, we must prepare our floating home.
Narrator: In the dry season, the lake is shallow. But during the wet season, the water level can rise up to nine meters. The family must move their house toward the edge of the flooded forest to stay safe from strong winds and deep currents.
Arun: (Holding a thick rope) I have gathered the extra nylon ropes, Mother. Are we untying the house today?
- monsoon:
- A seasonal wind system that brings heavy rains and weather changes to Southeast Asia.
- buoyancy:
- The power or tendency of an object to float or rise when placed in a fluid.
- reverse flow:
- When a river moves in the direction opposite to its usual course, often caused by high water levels elsewhere.
- nutrients:
- Substances that provide nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
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
Practice words from the passage with a printable worksheet.
Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
Fix the Sentence
Practice editing sentences drawn from this passage with a printable worksheet.
Ready to use this passage in class?
Start free with the Mixed worksheet and 3 PDF downloads each week. Focused skill sets depend on plan.
Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Where is the Tonle Sap lake located?
- 2What unusual river behavior happens during Cambodia's rainy season?
Where this passage belongs
You Might Also Like
About this reader's theater passage for Upper Elementary
“The Moving House: Life on the Tonle Sap” is a reader's theater reading passage about Adapting to Seasonal Flooding on the Tonle Sap, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (440 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.