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Rrrip! Hooks and Loops Hold Tight

1st grade nonfiction passage about hook and loop fasteners: 99 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

1st grade nonfiction hook and loop fasteners 99 words

Rrrip! Hooks and Loops Hold Tight

Some shoes close with a strap that goes rrrip! The strap has two sides. One side is covered with tiny hooks. The other side is covered with soft little loops.

When you press the two sides together, the hooks catch the loops. The strap sticks and holds. When you pull the sides apart, the hooks let go with a loud rip.

A person got the idea from a plant. Sticky seed pods called burrs caught on his dog's fur. He looked at a burr up close and saw tiny hooks. He made a strap that works the same way.

Questions

  1. What sound does the strap make when you pull it apart? in the text

  2. What is on one side of the strap? in the text

  3. What is on the other side of the strap? in the text

  4. What caught on the dog's fur? in the text

  5. Why did the burr give the person an idea? think about it

Words to know

strap
a flat band that holds something closed
hook
a small curved piece that can catch on something
loop
a small ring made by a curved thread
burr
a sticky seed pod with tiny hooks
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 76 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.4

Some shoes have a strap that goes rrrip! The strap has two sides. One side has tiny hooks. The other side has soft loops.

Press the sides together. The hooks catch the loops. The strap holds. Pull the sides apart. The hooks let go. Rrrip!

A man got the idea from a plant. Sticky burrs got stuck on his dog. He saw tiny hooks on a burr. He made a strap that works the same way.

▲ This passage · 99 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2

Some shoes close with a strap that goes rrrip! The strap has two sides. One side is covered with tiny hooks. The other side is covered with soft little loops.

When you press the two sides together, the hooks catch the loops. The strap sticks and holds. When you pull the sides apart, the hooks let go with a loud rip.

A person got the idea from a plant. Sticky seed pods called burrs caught on his dog's fur. He looked at a burr up close and saw tiny hooks. He made a strap that works the same way.

■ Harder · 130 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.8

Many shoes close with a strap that makes a loud rrrip! when you open it. The strap has two sides. One side is covered with thousands of tiny hooks, and the other side is covered with soft little loops.

When you press the two sides together, the hooks catch on the loops, so the strap sticks and holds firmly. When you pull the sides apart, the hooks let go all at once, and you hear a noisy rip.

A man got the idea for this strap from a plant. Sticky seed pods called burrs kept catching on his dog's fur. When he looked at a burr up close, he noticed that it was covered in tiny hooks. He decided to make a strap that works in the very same way.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put strap, hook, loop and burr on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 1 minute to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 5 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "Rrrip! Hooks and Loops Hold Tight"?

It was written for 1st grade. It has 99 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.1. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are five. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 1 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 1 minute read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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