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Energy

What Is Energy?

What Is Energy?
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.08

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    kinetic, nonrenewable, nuclear, electrical, replanted, energy, firewood, ability, gasoline, natural, power, mechanical, reproduce, engine, diagram, form
     content words:    Niagara Falls

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What Is Energy?
By Patti Hutchison 		  
1     Energy is defined as the ability to do work. Every living thing needs energy. Most of it comes from the sun. Plants are producers. They capture the sun's energy. They use it to grow and reproduce. Any energy that is not used by the plant is stored. Animals are consumers. They eat the plants to get energy for their own life processes. We need energy in order to be able to do anything.
 
2     What did you eat this morning? Did you have a bowl of cereal? A piece of toast? These foods are made from grains, which come from plants. When you eat them, you are consuming the energy the plants have stored from the sun. This energy is released by your body. It helps you to do work.
 
3     Solar energy flows through the food chain. The food chain is a diagram that shows how energy from the sun is used by producers. It also shows how this energy is transferred to consumers in an ecosystem.
 
4     There is energy all around us. What do we use it for? We use it to keep warm. We use it to power our vehicles. Did you ever stop to think of where this energy comes from? If you heat with wood, it comes from plants. Even fossil fuels such as gasoline come from decayed plants and animals. Where did they get this energy they are now giving off? You guessed it- from the sun!

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