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A Walk, a Dog, and Burrs That Became Hook Tape

3rd grade nonfiction passage about the invention of hook and loop tape: 163 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade nonfiction the invention of hook and loop tape 163 words

A Walk, a Dog, and Burrs That Became Hook Tape

Have you ever pulled a prickly burr off your sock? A man from Switzerland named George de Mestral did, and it gave him a big idea.

One day, he went for a walk in the countryside with his dog. When they got home, burrs were stuck all over his clothes and the dog's fur. They were hard to pull off. He wondered why they held on so tightly.

He looked at a burr under a microscope. He saw that it was covered with tiny hooks. The hooks caught on the little loops in his clothes and in the dog's fur.

George thought that he could copy this. He made one strip with many tiny hooks and another strip with many soft loops. When the two strips were pressed together, they stuck. When he pulled them apart, they came free with a rip. It took him a long time to get it right.

Today, hook and loop tape is on shoes, jackets, and backpacks.

Questions

  1. Where did George de Mestral go for a walk? in the text

  2. What was stuck to his clothes and his dog's fur? in the text

  3. What did he see when he looked at a burr under a microscope? in the text

  4. What are the two strips of hook and loop tape made of? in the text

  5. Name one place where hook and loop tape is used today? in the text

  6. How did a walk with his dog help George invent something? think about it

Words to know

burr
a prickly seed case that sticks to clothes and fur
microscope
a tool that makes tiny things look much bigger
hooks
small curved pieces that can catch on something
loops
small rings made by a bent thread
countryside
land outside of towns and cities
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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 · 147 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.9

Have you ever pulled a burr off your sock? A man named George de Mestral did. It gave him a big idea. He was from Switzerland.

One day, he took a walk with his dog. They walked in the countryside. At home, burrs were stuck on his clothes. They were on the dog's fur, too. They were hard to pull off. He asked why they stuck so well.

He looked at a burr under a microscope. It had tiny hooks all over. The hooks caught on little loops in his clothes and the dog's fur.

George could copy this. He made a strip with tiny hooks. He made a strip with soft loops. He pressed them together, and they stuck. He pulled, and they came apart. It took him a long time to get it right.

Today, hook and loop tape is on shoes, jackets, and backpacks.

▲ This passage · 163 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.7

Have you ever pulled a prickly burr off your sock? A man from Switzerland named George de Mestral did, and it gave him a big idea.

One day, he went for a walk in the countryside with his dog. When they got home, burrs were stuck all over his clothes and the dog's fur. They were hard to pull off. He wondered why they held on so tightly.

He looked at a burr under a microscope. He saw that it was covered with tiny hooks. The hooks caught on the little loops in his clothes and in the dog's fur.

George thought that he could copy this. He made one strip with many tiny hooks and another strip with many soft loops. When the two strips were pressed together, they stuck. When he pulled them apart, they came free with a rip. It took him a long time to get it right.

Today, hook and loop tape is on shoes, jackets, and backpacks.

■ Harder · 168 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.7

Have you ever tugged a prickly burr off your sock? A Swiss man named George de Mestral did, and the experience sparked a remarkable idea.

One day, he took a stroll through the countryside with his dog. When they arrived home, burrs were clinging to his clothes and to the dog's fur, and they were difficult to remove. He began to wonder why they held on so stubbornly.

Examining a burr under a microscope, he discovered that it was covered with tiny hooks. Those hooks were catching on the little loops in his clothing and in the dog's fur.

George realized that he might be able to imitate nature. He made one strip with countless tiny hooks and another with countless soft loops. When the two strips were pressed together, they stuck fast, and when he pulled them apart, they separated with a ripping sound. It took him a long time to perfect the design.

Today, hook and loop tape can be found on shoes, jackets, and backpacks.

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 burr, microscope, hooks, loops and countryside 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 6 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 "A Walk, a Dog, and Burrs That Became Hook Tape"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 163 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.7. 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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