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Why Rain Is Loud on a Tin Roof

1st grade nonfiction passage about rain sounds on hard and soft things: 113 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

1st grade nonfiction rain sounds on hard and soft things 113 words

Why Rain Is Loud on a Tin Roof

Rain falls on a tin roof. Ping, ping, rat-a-tat! It is loud inside the shed.

Rain falls on a soft, grassy field. It makes only a quiet hush. Why is the roof so much louder?

Each raindrop hits the roof and makes it shake. A thin sheet of metal shakes easily, and the shaking makes sound. The metal rings like a drum. The hollow shed under it makes the sound even bigger.

Grass is soft. It takes the hit and does not ring. So the sound stays small.

Hard, thin things are often loud. Soft, thick things are often quiet. Next time it rains, listen to see what you can hear.

Questions

  1. What sounds does rain make on a tin roof? in the text

  2. What does rain sound like on a grassy field? in the text

  3. What does each raindrop do to the roof? in the text

  4. What is the roof like when it rings? in the text

  5. Would rain be loud or quiet on a thick, soft rug? Why? think about it

Words to know

tin
a thin, shiny kind of metal
raindrop
one drop of water that falls from a cloud
hollow
empty on the inside
hush
a soft, quiet sound
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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 · 84 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.3

Rain falls on a tin roof. Ping, ping, rat-a-tat! It is loud in the shed.

Rain falls on a soft, grassy field. It makes a quiet hush. Why is the roof so loud?

Each raindrop hits the roof. The roof shakes. The shaking makes sound. The thin metal rings like a drum. The empty shed makes the sound bigger.

Grass is soft. It does not ring. The sound stays small.

Hard, thin things are often loud. Soft, thick things are often quiet.

▲ This passage · 113 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1

Rain falls on a tin roof. Ping, ping, rat-a-tat! It is loud inside the shed.

Rain falls on a soft, grassy field. It makes only a quiet hush. Why is the roof so much louder?

Each raindrop hits the roof and makes it shake. A thin sheet of metal shakes easily, and the shaking makes sound. The metal rings like a drum. The hollow shed under it makes the sound even bigger.

Grass is soft. It takes the hit and does not ring. So the sound stays small.

Hard, thin things are often loud. Soft, thick things are often quiet. Next time it rains, listen to see what you can hear.

■ Harder · 127 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3

When rain falls on a tin roof, it goes ping, ping, rat-a-tat, and it is very loud inside the shed.

When rain falls on a soft, grassy field, it makes only a quiet hush. Why is the roof so much louder?

Each raindrop strikes the roof and makes it shake. A thin sheet of metal shakes easily, and that shaking makes sound. The metal rings much like a drum, and the hollow shed beneath it makes the sound even bigger.

Grass is soft, so it takes the hit without ringing, and the sound stays small.

In general, hard and thin things are often loud, while soft and thick things are often quiet. The next time it rains, listen carefully and see what you can hear.

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 tin, raindrop, hollow and hush 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 "Why Rain Is Loud on a Tin Roof"?

It was written for 1st grade. It has 113 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 0.9. 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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