3rd grade nonfiction passage about patchwork quilts: 139 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionpatchwork quilts139 words
A Quilt Made from Scraps
A patchwork quilt is a blanket made from many small pieces of cloth. Long ago, families did not like to waste anything. They saved the leftover bits from old clothes and sewed them into something new.
A quilter cuts the scraps into shapes, such as squares and triangles. Then the quilter sews the shapes together to make a design. Some designs look like stars. Some look like baskets or flowers.
A finished quilt has three layers. The top is the pretty patchwork. The middle is soft padding that keeps a person warm. The bottom is a plain piece of cloth. Tiny stitches go through all three layers to hold them together.
Making a quilt takes a lot of patience. Sometimes friends and neighbors sit together and sew one. When they finish, every piece of cloth carries a small memory.
Questions
What is a patchwork quilt made from? in the text
Why did families long ago make quilts from scraps? in the text
What shapes does a quilter cut from the scraps? in the text
What are the three layers of a quilt? in the text
Which layer keeps a person warm? think about it
What does the writer mean by saying each piece of cloth carries a small memory? think about it
Words to know
patchwork
a design sewn from many small pieces of cloth
scraps
small leftover pieces
padding
soft stuffing that adds warmth
stitches
small loops of thread made with a needle
patience
the ability to wait and keep working calmly
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
A Quilt Made from Scraps
3rd grade reading passage
A patchwork quilt is a blanket made from many small pieces of cloth. Long ago, families did not like to waste anything. They saved the leftover bits from old clothes and sewed them into something new.
A quilter cuts the scraps into shapes, such as squares and triangles. Then the quilter sews the shapes together to make a design. Some designs look like stars. Some look like baskets or flowers.
A finished quilt has three layers. The top is the pretty patchwork. The middle is soft padding that keeps a person warm. The bottom is a plain piece of cloth. Tiny stitches go through all three layers to hold them together.
Making a quilt takes a lot of patience. Sometimes friends and neighbors sit together and sew one. When they finish, every piece of cloth carries a small memory.
Questions
What is a patchwork quilt made from?
Why did families long ago make quilts from scraps?
What shapes does a quilter cut from the scraps?
What are the three layers of a quilt?
Which layer keeps a person warm?
What does the writer mean by saying each piece of cloth carries a small memory?
Words to know
patchwork: a design sewn from many small pieces of cloth
scraps: small leftover pieces
padding: soft stuffing that adds warmth
stitches: small loops of thread made with a needle
patience: the ability to wait and keep working calmly
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/a-quilt-made-from-scraps
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 2.7
A patchwork quilt is a blanket made of many small pieces of cloth. Long ago, families did not like to waste things. They saved bits of old clothes. They sewed the bits into something new.
A quilter cuts the scraps into shapes, like squares and triangles. Then the quilter sews the shapes into a design. Some designs look like stars. Some look like baskets or flowers.
A quilt has three layers. The top is the patchwork. The middle is soft padding that keeps you warm. The bottom is plain cloth. Tiny stitches hold the layers together.
A quilt takes patience. Friends sometimes sew one together. Each piece of cloth carries a small memory.
▲ This passage · 139 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4
A patchwork quilt is a blanket made from many small pieces of cloth. Long ago, families did not like to waste anything. They saved the leftover bits from old clothes and sewed them into something new.
A quilter cuts the scraps into shapes, such as squares and triangles. Then the quilter sews the shapes together to make a design. Some designs look like stars. Some look like baskets or flowers.
A finished quilt has three layers. The top is the pretty patchwork. The middle is soft padding that keeps a person warm. The bottom is a plain piece of cloth. Tiny stitches go through all three layers to hold them together.
Making a quilt takes a lot of patience. Sometimes friends and neighbors sit together and sew one. When they finish, every piece of cloth carries a small memory.
■ Harder · 143 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.6
A patchwork quilt is a blanket assembled from many small pieces of cloth. In the past, families disliked wasting anything, so they saved the leftover fabric from worn clothing and stitched it together into something entirely new.
A quilter cuts the scraps into shapes such as squares and triangles, and then sews those shapes together to form a design. Some designs resemble stars, while others look like baskets or flowers.
A completed quilt consists of three layers. The top is the decorative patchwork. The middle is soft padding that keeps a person warm, and the bottom is a plain piece of cloth. Tiny stitches pass through all three layers to hold them together.
Making a quilt demands a great deal of patience. Occasionally friends and neighbors gather to sew one together, and when they finish, every piece of cloth carries a small memory.
A patchwork quilt is a blanket made of many small pieces of cloth. Long ago, families did not like to waste things. They saved bits of old clothes. They sewed the bits into something new.
A quilter cuts the scraps into shapes, like squares and triangles. Then the quilter sews the shapes into a design. Some designs look like stars. Some look like baskets or flowers.
A quilt has three layers. The top is the patchwork. The middle is soft padding that keeps you warm. The bottom is plain cloth. Tiny stitches hold the layers together.
A quilt takes patience. Friends sometimes sew one together. Each piece of cloth carries a small memory.
Questions
What is a patchwork quilt made of?
Why did families make quilts from scraps?
What shapes does a quilter cut?
What are the three layers?
Which layer keeps a person warm?
What does it mean that each piece carries a small memory?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
A Quilt Made from Scraps
A patchwork quilt is a blanket made from many small pieces of cloth. Long ago, families did not like to waste anything. They saved the leftover bits from old clothes and sewed them into something new.
A quilter cuts the scraps into shapes, such as squares and triangles. Then the quilter sews the shapes together to make a design. Some designs look like stars. Some look like baskets or flowers.
A finished quilt has three layers. The top is the pretty patchwork. The middle is soft padding that keeps a person warm. The bottom is a plain piece of cloth. Tiny stitches go through all three layers to hold them together.
Making a quilt takes a lot of patience. Sometimes friends and neighbors sit together and sew one. When they finish, every piece of cloth carries a small memory.
Questions
What is a patchwork quilt made from?
Why did families long ago make quilts from scraps?
What shapes does a quilter cut from the scraps?
What are the three layers of a quilt?
Which layer keeps a person warm?
What does the writer mean by saying each piece of cloth carries a small memory?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
A Quilt Made from Scraps
A patchwork quilt is a blanket assembled from many small pieces of cloth. In the past, families disliked wasting anything, so they saved the leftover fabric from worn clothing and stitched it together into something entirely new.
A quilter cuts the scraps into shapes such as squares and triangles, and then sews those shapes together to form a design. Some designs resemble stars, while others look like baskets or flowers.
A completed quilt consists of three layers. The top is the decorative patchwork. The middle is soft padding that keeps a person warm, and the bottom is a plain piece of cloth. Tiny stitches pass through all three layers to hold them together.
Making a quilt demands a great deal of patience. Occasionally friends and neighbors gather to sew one together, and when they finish, every piece of cloth carries a small memory.
Questions
What is a patchwork quilt assembled from?
Why did families in the past make quilts from scraps?
Which shapes does a quilter cut from the scraps?
What are the three layers of a completed quilt?
Which layer keeps a person warm?
What does it mean that every piece of cloth carries a small memory?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: A Quilt Made from Scraps
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.7)
Many small pieces of cloth.
They did not like to waste things.
Squares and triangles.
The patchwork top, soft padding and plain bottom cloth.
The soft padding in the middle.
A scrap may come from clothes someone once wore.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4)
Many small pieces of cloth.
They did not like to waste anything.
Squares and triangles.
The patchwork top, the soft padding and the plain bottom cloth.
The soft padding in the middle.
Each scrap may come from clothing that someone once wore, so it reminds people of the past.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.6)
Many small pieces of cloth.
They disliked wasting anything.
Squares and triangles.
The patchwork top, the soft padding and the plain bottom cloth.
The soft padding in the middle.
Each scrap may come from worn clothing, so it reminds people of the past.
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 patchwork, scraps, padding, stitches and patience 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.
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 139 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.0. 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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