3rd grade nonfiction passage about hanging mobiles: 160 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionhanging mobiles160 words
A Mobile Is a Balancing Act
A mobile is a piece of art that hangs from the ceiling and moves in the air. Some mobiles have paper birds. Some have shiny shapes or small shells. All of them have to balance.
A mobile is built from bars. Each bar hangs from a string tied at one spot. A shape hangs from each end of the bar. If one shape is heavier than the other, the bar tips down on that side.
To fix this, the maker slides the string toward the heavy side. A heavy shape near the string and a light shape far from it can balance. It works the same way a see saw does when a small child sits far from the middle and a bigger child sits close.
Small bars can hang from bigger bars. The maker adds one at a time and checks the balance. When all the parts are just right, a soft breeze makes the whole mobile turn slowly.
Questions
Where does a mobile hang? in the text
What does each bar hang from? in the text
What happens if one shape is heavier than the other? in the text
How does the maker fix a bar that tips? in the text
Why does the maker add the pieces one at a time? think about it
What makes a finished mobile turn? in the text
Words to know
mobile
a hanging artwork with parts that move
balance
to stay steady without tipping over
heavier
weighing more than something else
breeze
a gentle, light wind
ceiling
the top surface of a room
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
A Mobile Is a Balancing Act
3rd grade reading passage
A mobile is a piece of art that hangs from the ceiling and moves in the air. Some mobiles have paper birds. Some have shiny shapes or small shells. All of them have to balance.
A mobile is built from bars. Each bar hangs from a string tied at one spot. A shape hangs from each end of the bar. If one shape is heavier than the other, the bar tips down on that side.
To fix this, the maker slides the string toward the heavy side. A heavy shape near the string and a light shape far from it can balance. It works the same way a see saw does when a small child sits far from the middle and a bigger child sits close.
Small bars can hang from bigger bars. The maker adds one at a time and checks the balance. When all the parts are just right, a soft breeze makes the whole mobile turn slowly.
Questions
Where does a mobile hang?
What does each bar hang from?
What happens if one shape is heavier than the other?
How does the maker fix a bar that tips?
Why does the maker add the pieces one at a time?
What makes a finished mobile turn?
Words to know
mobile: a hanging artwork with parts that move
balance: to stay steady without tipping over
heavier: weighing more than something else
breeze: a gentle, light wind
ceiling: the top surface of a room
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/a-mobile-is-a-balancing-act
Share
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 · 113 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.1
A mobile is art that hangs from the ceiling. It moves in the air. Some mobiles have paper birds. Some have shiny shapes. All of them must balance.
A mobile is made of bars. Each bar hangs from a string. A shape hangs from each end. If one shape is heavier, the bar tips down on that side.
The maker slides the string toward the heavy side. Then the bar can balance. It is like a see saw. A big child sits close to the middle. A small child sits far from it.
The maker adds one bar at a time and checks it. Then a soft breeze can turn the whole mobile.
▲ This passage · 160 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.6
A mobile is a piece of art that hangs from the ceiling and moves in the air. Some mobiles have paper birds. Some have shiny shapes or small shells. All of them have to balance.
A mobile is built from bars. Each bar hangs from a string tied at one spot. A shape hangs from each end of the bar. If one shape is heavier than the other, the bar tips down on that side.
To fix this, the maker slides the string toward the heavy side. A heavy shape near the string and a light shape far from it can balance. It works the same way a see saw does when a small child sits far from the middle and a bigger child sits close.
Small bars can hang from bigger bars. The maker adds one at a time and checks the balance. When all the parts are just right, a soft breeze makes the whole mobile turn slowly.
■ Harder · 172 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.4
A mobile is a piece of art that dangles from the ceiling and drifts with the movement of the air. Some mobiles carry paper birds, while others hold glittering shapes or tiny shells. Whatever they carry, every mobile must be balanced.
A mobile is constructed from bars. Each bar hangs from a string that is tied at a single spot, and a shape dangles from each end of the bar. When one shape is heavier than the other, the bar tips down toward the heavy side.
To correct this, the maker slides the string closer to the heavy side. A heavy shape near the string can balance a light shape far from it. A see saw works the same way when a small child sits far from the middle and a bigger child sits close to it.
Smaller bars can hang from larger bars. The maker adds them one at a time, checking the balance each time. Once every part is just right, a gentle breeze will turn the entire mobile slowly.
A mobile is art that hangs from the ceiling. It moves in the air. Some mobiles have paper birds. Some have shiny shapes. All of them must balance.
A mobile is made of bars. Each bar hangs from a string. A shape hangs from each end. If one shape is heavier, the bar tips down on that side.
The maker slides the string toward the heavy side. Then the bar can balance. It is like a see saw. A big child sits close to the middle. A small child sits far from it.
The maker adds one bar at a time and checks it. Then a soft breeze can turn the whole mobile.
Questions
Where does a mobile hang?
What does each bar hang from?
What happens if one shape is heavier?
How does the maker fix a bar that tips?
Why does the maker add one bar at a time?
What makes a finished mobile turn?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
A Mobile Is a Balancing Act
A mobile is a piece of art that hangs from the ceiling and moves in the air. Some mobiles have paper birds. Some have shiny shapes or small shells. All of them have to balance.
A mobile is built from bars. Each bar hangs from a string tied at one spot. A shape hangs from each end of the bar. If one shape is heavier than the other, the bar tips down on that side.
To fix this, the maker slides the string toward the heavy side. A heavy shape near the string and a light shape far from it can balance. It works the same way a see saw does when a small child sits far from the middle and a bigger child sits close.
Small bars can hang from bigger bars. The maker adds one at a time and checks the balance. When all the parts are just right, a soft breeze makes the whole mobile turn slowly.
Questions
Where does a mobile hang?
What does each bar hang from?
What happens if one shape is heavier than the other?
How does the maker fix a bar that tips?
Why does the maker add the pieces one at a time?
What makes a finished mobile turn?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
A Mobile Is a Balancing Act
A mobile is a piece of art that dangles from the ceiling and drifts with the movement of the air. Some mobiles carry paper birds, while others hold glittering shapes or tiny shells. Whatever they carry, every mobile must be balanced.
A mobile is constructed from bars. Each bar hangs from a string that is tied at a single spot, and a shape dangles from each end of the bar. When one shape is heavier than the other, the bar tips down toward the heavy side.
To correct this, the maker slides the string closer to the heavy side. A heavy shape near the string can balance a light shape far from it. A see saw works the same way when a small child sits far from the middle and a bigger child sits close to it.
Smaller bars can hang from larger bars. The maker adds them one at a time, checking the balance each time. Once every part is just right, a gentle breeze will turn the entire mobile slowly.
Questions
Where does a mobile dangle?
What does each bar hang from?
What happens when one shape is heavier than the other?
How does the maker correct a bar that tips?
Why does the maker check the balance after adding each piece?
What turns a finished mobile slowly?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: A Mobile Is a Balancing Act
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.1)
From the ceiling.
A string.
The bar tips down on that side.
By sliding the string toward the heavy side.
To check that the mobile still balances.
A soft breeze.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.6)
From the ceiling.
A string tied at one spot.
The bar tips down on the heavy side.
By sliding the string toward the heavy side.
So the maker can check that the mobile still balances after each one.
A soft breeze moving the air.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.4)
From the ceiling.
A string tied at a single spot.
The bar tips down toward the heavy side.
By sliding the string closer to the heavy side.
Each new piece changes the weight, so the mobile might tip again.
A gentle breeze.
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 mobile, balance, heavier, breeze and ceiling 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 2 minutes 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 "A Mobile Is a Balancing Act"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 160 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.6. 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. 5 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 2 minutes 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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