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What Are Ice Caps

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Format: Interactive (Online), Printable (PDF)
Grades: 456
Subjects: scienceelareading
Standards: 5-ESS2-2
Languages: English, Spanish

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Reading passage

Reading comprehension

Audio narration

With word word highlighting

Comprehension quiz

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Writing activity

Open-ended response

Glossary & flashcards

Vocabulary practice

Differentiated version

Adapted for varied levels

Spanish translation

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About this reader

This engaging 400-word reading passage helps Grade 5 students understand ice caps and ice sheets as outlined in NGSS standard 5-ESS2-2. Students explore how massive areas of ice cover land in Antarctica and Greenland, storing most of Earth's freshwater in frozen form. The passage explains the difference between ice caps and ice sheets, describes their enormous size and thickness, and discusses what would happen if they melted. Through accessible language and real-world examples, students learn why this frozen water is not available for everyday use and how ice caps affect global sea levels. The passage includes audio integration for enhanced accessibility, bold key vocabulary terms with immediate definitions, and an interesting fact about ice core research. Aligned with NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas, this resource builds foundational understanding of Earth's water distribution and prepares students for hands-on investigations about water resources and climate systems.

Written by Workybooks TeamPublished by Workybooks

Sample passage and quiz content

CONTENT PREVIEW

Penny Ice Cap Terminal Moraine" by NASA / Michael Studinger / Wikimedia Commons

An ice cap is a thick layer of ice and snow that covers land in very cold places on Earth. Ice caps are smaller than ice sheets but still enormous. They can cover thousands of square miles and can be more than a mile thick. The largest ice formations are called ice sheets, which are even more massive. Earth has two major ice sheets: one covering Antarctica and one covering most of Greenland.

These frozen areas matter because they hold most of Earth's freshwater—water without salt that people, animals, and plants need to survive. About 68 percent of all freshwater on Earth is frozen in ice caps and ice sheets. This means most of the freshwater on our planet is locked away in solid form and cannot be used for drinking, farming, or other daily needs. Only a tiny amount of Earth's freshwater is available in rivers, lakes, and underground sources that people can easily access.

Ice caps and ice sheets form over thousands of years as snow falls and piles up. The weight of new snow presses down on older layers, turning them into solid ice. This process is similar to how a snowball becomes harder when you pack it tightly in your hands. In Antarctica, the ice sheet is so thick that it reaches nearly 3 miles deep in some places. If you stacked more than 15 Empire State Buildings on top of each other, that's how thick the ice would be.

Scientists study ice caps carefully because they affect sea level—the height of the ocean's surface. When ice caps melt, the water flows into the ocean, causing sea levels to rise. If all the ice in Greenland melted, sea levels around the world would rise about 20 feet. That would flood many coastal cities where millions of people live. Understanding ice caps helps scientists predict how Earth's water supply and coastlines might change in the future.

Interesting Fact: Scientists drill deep into ice sheets to pull out ice cores that contain tiny air bubbles trapped thousands of years ago, allowing them to study what Earth's atmosphere was like in the past.

Where are Earth's two major ice sheets?

Alaska and CanadaAntarctica and GreenlandRussia and IcelandNorway and Sweden

What percent of freshwater is frozen?

About 25 percentAbout 50 percentAbout 68 percentAbout 90 percent

How thick is Antarctica's ice sheet?

About 1 mile deepNearly 3 miles deepAbout 5 miles deepNearly 10 miles deep

What happens when ice caps melt?

Rivers dry up completelyOcean water becomes saltySea levels riseMountains get taller

Why can't we use frozen freshwater?

It is locked in solid formIt is too saltyIt is undergroundIt evaporates too quickly

How do ice caps form?

Rain freezes on mountainsSnow piles up and presses downOcean water freezes on landWind blows ice into piles

Ice sheets are smaller than ice caps.

TrueFalse

What is freshwater?

Water that is very coldWater without saltWater from rain onlyWater that just fell

What Are Ice Caps

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About this reader

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CONTENT PREVIEW

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