Intonation is the rise and fall in the pitch or tone of your voice as you read aloud. Use this passage to practice reading with proper intonation. Print a copy of this passage from InsideNG.com to help you monitor your progress.
At 5 a.m. it is still dark outside. But Kevin Aiken has been awake for an hour. Kevin is a farmer. He grows cherries near Wenatchee, Washington. In the orchard, Kevin stops at an irrigation pipe. He turns a big wheel on the pipe. Water spouts from sprinklers under the cherry trees.
This area does not have enough rainfall to grow fruit trees. Instead, Kevin uses water from the Columbia River to water the trees. Pumps move the river water to the cherry trees.
Farther down the Columbia River is the city of Pasco, Washington. Roberto López plays basketball at his school there. Roberto stops for a drink of water. The water in the water fountain comes from the Columbia River.
Before the water reaches Roberto’s school, though, it has to be cleaned. People cannot safely drink water directly from rivers. The water is treated at a water treatment plant first.