1st grade nonfiction passage about wind chimes: 98 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
1st gradenonfictionwind chimes98 words
Wind Chimes Sing When the Breeze Blows
A wind chime is a set of hanging pipes or bells. It makes music with no player at all.
The pipes hang from strings. In the middle hangs a small weight, called a clapper. Under it is a flat piece, called a sail. The sail catches the wind.
When the wind blows, the sail moves. The clapper swings and taps the pipes. Ting, tong, ting! Each pipe has its own note. A long pipe makes a deep sound. A short pipe makes a high sound.
On a still day, the chime is quiet. It waits for the breeze.
Questions
What is a wind chime? in the text
What is the small weight in the middle called? in the text
What does the sail catch? in the text
What kind of sound does a long pipe make? in the text
Why does the chime make no sound on a still day? think about it
Why does a wind chime need no player? think about it
Words to know
chime
a set of bells or pipes that ring with a clear sound
clapper
the part that swings and hits to make a bell sound
note
one sound in music, high or low
breeze
a light, gentle wind
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Wind Chimes Sing When the Breeze Blows
1st grade reading passage
A wind chime is a set of hanging pipes or bells. It makes music with no player at all.
The pipes hang from strings. In the middle hangs a small weight, called a clapper. Under it is a flat piece, called a sail. The sail catches the wind.
When the wind blows, the sail moves. The clapper swings and taps the pipes. Ting, tong, ting! Each pipe has its own note. A long pipe makes a deep sound. A short pipe makes a high sound.
On a still day, the chime is quiet. It waits for the breeze.
Questions
What is a wind chime?
What is the small weight in the middle called?
What does the sail catch?
What kind of sound does a long pipe make?
Why does the chime make no sound on a still day?
Why does a wind chime need no player?
Words to know
chime: a set of bells or pipes that ring with a clear sound
clapper: the part that swings and hits to make a bell sound
note: one sound in music, high or low
breeze: a light, gentle wind
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/1/wind-chimes-sing-when-breeze-blows
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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 · 73 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.8
A wind chime has hanging pipes or bells. It plays with no player.
The pipes hang from strings. A small weight hangs in the middle. It is the clapper. A flat piece hangs below. It is the sail. The sail catches the wind.
The wind blows. The sail moves. The clapper taps the pipes. Ting, tong! A long pipe sounds deep. A short pipe sounds high.
With no wind, a chime is quiet.
▲ This passage · 98 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.1
A wind chime is a set of hanging pipes or bells. It makes music with no player at all.
The pipes hang from strings. In the middle hangs a small weight, called a clapper. Under it is a flat piece, called a sail. The sail catches the wind.
When the wind blows, the sail moves. The clapper swings and taps the pipes. Ting, tong, ting! Each pipe has its own note. A long pipe makes a deep sound. A short pipe makes a high sound.
On a still day, the chime is quiet. It waits for the breeze.
■ Harder · 108 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.4
A wind chime is a set of hanging pipes or bells that makes music without any player at all.
The pipes hang from strings, and a small weight called a clapper dangles in the middle. Below the clapper there is a flat piece called a sail, which catches the wind.
Whenever the wind blows, the sail moves and swings the clapper, so it taps against the pipes. Ting, tong, ting! Every pipe has its own note: a long pipe makes a deep sound, while a short pipe makes a high one.
On a perfectly still day, the wind chime stays quiet and simply waits for the next breeze.
A wind chime has hanging pipes or bells. It plays with no player.
The pipes hang from strings. A small weight hangs in the middle. It is the clapper. A flat piece hangs below. It is the sail. The sail catches the wind.
The wind blows. The sail moves. The clapper taps the pipes. Ting, tong! A long pipe sounds deep. A short pipe sounds high.
With no wind, a chime is quiet.
Questions
What is a wind chime?
What is the small weight in the middle called?
What does the sail catch?
How does a long pipe sound?
Why is a chime quiet with no wind?
How does a short pipe sound?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Wind Chimes Sing When the Breeze Blows
A wind chime is a set of hanging pipes or bells. It makes music with no player at all.
The pipes hang from strings. In the middle hangs a small weight, called a clapper. Under it is a flat piece, called a sail. The sail catches the wind.
When the wind blows, the sail moves. The clapper swings and taps the pipes. Ting, tong, ting! Each pipe has its own note. A long pipe makes a deep sound. A short pipe makes a high sound.
On a still day, the chime is quiet. It waits for the breeze.
Questions
What is a wind chime?
What is the small weight in the middle called?
What does the sail catch?
What kind of sound does a long pipe make?
Why does the chime make no sound on a still day?
Why does a wind chime need no player?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Wind Chimes Sing When the Breeze Blows
A wind chime is a set of hanging pipes or bells that makes music without any player at all.
The pipes hang from strings, and a small weight called a clapper dangles in the middle. Below the clapper there is a flat piece called a sail, which catches the wind.
Whenever the wind blows, the sail moves and swings the clapper, so it taps against the pipes. Ting, tong, ting! Every pipe has its own note: a long pipe makes a deep sound, while a short pipe makes a high one.
On a perfectly still day, the wind chime stays quiet and simply waits for the next breeze.
Questions
What is a wind chime made of?
What is the small weight in the middle called?
What does the flat sail catch?
What sound does a long pipe make?
Why is the chime silent on a still day?
How can a wind chime play without a player?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Wind Chimes Sing When the Breeze Blows
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.8)
Hanging pipes or bells that make music.
A clapper.
The wind.
Deep.
Nothing moves the clapper.
High.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.1)
A set of hanging pipes or bells that makes music.
A clapper.
The wind.
A deep sound.
Without wind, the sail and clapper do not move.
The wind moves it and makes it play.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.4)
A set of hanging pipes or bells.
A clapper.
The wind.
A deep sound.
Without wind, the sail and clapper do not move.
The wind moves the sail and clapper and makes the music.
Free at teach.peabody.kids
How to use it
Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.
Ideas for class
Before reading, put chime, clapper, note and breeze 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.
What reading level is "Wind Chimes Sing When the Breeze Blows"?
It was written for 1st grade. It has 98 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about below 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 six. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 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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