3rd grade nonfiction passage about fire lookout: 143 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionfire lookout143 words
Watching for Smoke from a Mountain Tower
Some forests have tall lookout towers. A tiny room sits at the top, with windows on every side. A fire lookout lives and works there during the dry months.
The lookout's job is to watch. She scans the hills for a thin line of smoke. She looks many times each day. A small puff of smoke can be seen from miles away.
When she spots smoke, she uses a special map table. A pointer on the table shows which direction the smoke is in. She can check the map to see where the fire might be.
Then she calls the fire crew on the radio. She tells them the spot, so they can get there fast.
A lookout also keeps track of the weather. Wind and dry air can help a fire spread. The crew can use her notes to plan their day.
Questions
Where does a fire lookout work? in the text
What is the lookout watching for? in the text
What does the special map table show? in the text
How does the lookout tell the fire crew? in the text
Why is the tower room built with windows on every side? think about it
Why does the lookout write down the weather? think about it
Words to know
lookout
a person or place used for watching
scans
looks over an area slowly and with care
direction
the way something is, such as north or south
crew
a group of people who work together
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Watching for Smoke from a Mountain Tower
3rd grade reading passage
Some forests have tall lookout towers. A tiny room sits at the top, with windows on every side. A fire lookout lives and works there during the dry months.
The lookout's job is to watch. She scans the hills for a thin line of smoke. She looks many times each day. A small puff of smoke can be seen from miles away.
When she spots smoke, she uses a special map table. A pointer on the table shows which direction the smoke is in. She can check the map to see where the fire might be.
Then she calls the fire crew on the radio. She tells them the spot, so they can get there fast.
A lookout also keeps track of the weather. Wind and dry air can help a fire spread. The crew can use her notes to plan their day.
Questions
Where does a fire lookout work?
What is the lookout watching for?
What does the special map table show?
How does the lookout tell the fire crew?
Why is the tower room built with windows on every side?
Why does the lookout write down the weather?
Words to know
lookout: a person or place used for watching
scans: looks over an area slowly and with care
direction: the way something is, such as north or south
crew: a group of people who work together
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/fire-lookout-mountain-tower
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 · 124 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.8
Some forests have tall lookout towers. A tiny room sits at the top. It has windows on all sides. A fire lookout works there when the weather is dry.
Her job is to watch. She looks over the hills for a thin line of smoke. She looks many times a day. Smoke can be seen from far away.
When she sees smoke, she uses a map table. A pointer shows which way the smoke is. She checks the map to find where the fire may be.
Then she calls the fire crew on the radio. She tells them the spot. They go there fast.
She also notes the weather. Wind and dry air help a fire spread. The crew uses her notes to plan.
▲ This passage · 143 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1
Some forests have tall lookout towers. A tiny room sits at the top, with windows on every side. A fire lookout lives and works there during the dry months.
The lookout's job is to watch. She scans the hills for a thin line of smoke. She looks many times each day. A small puff of smoke can be seen from miles away.
When she spots smoke, she uses a special map table. A pointer on the table shows which direction the smoke is in. She can check the map to see where the fire might be.
Then she calls the fire crew on the radio. She tells them the spot, so they can get there fast.
A lookout also keeps track of the weather. Wind and dry air can help a fire spread. The crew can use her notes to plan their day.
■ Harder · 157 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.9
Certain forests have tall lookout towers, with a tiny room at the top that has windows on every side. A fire lookout lives and works there throughout the dry months of the year.
The lookout's responsibility is to keep watch. She scans the surrounding hills for a thin line of smoke, and she does this many times each day. Even a small puff of smoke can be spotted from miles away.
When she notices smoke, she turns to a special map table. A pointer on the table indicates which direction the smoke lies in, and she can consult the map to work out where the fire might be burning.
Then she contacts the fire crew by radio and gives them the location, so that they can reach it quickly.
A lookout also records the weather. Wind and dry air can help a fire spread, so the crew can rely on her notes when they plan their day.
Some forests have tall lookout towers. A tiny room sits at the top. It has windows on all sides. A fire lookout works there when the weather is dry.
Her job is to watch. She looks over the hills for a thin line of smoke. She looks many times a day. Smoke can be seen from far away.
When she sees smoke, she uses a map table. A pointer shows which way the smoke is. She checks the map to find where the fire may be.
Then she calls the fire crew on the radio. She tells them the spot. They go there fast.
She also notes the weather. Wind and dry air help a fire spread. The crew uses her notes to plan.
Questions
Where does a fire lookout work?
What is the lookout watching for?
What does the map table show?
How does the lookout tell the fire crew?
Why does the tower room have windows on all sides?
Why does the lookout write down the weather?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Watching for Smoke from a Mountain Tower
Some forests have tall lookout towers. A tiny room sits at the top, with windows on every side. A fire lookout lives and works there during the dry months.
The lookout's job is to watch. She scans the hills for a thin line of smoke. She looks many times each day. A small puff of smoke can be seen from miles away.
When she spots smoke, she uses a special map table. A pointer on the table shows which direction the smoke is in. She can check the map to see where the fire might be.
Then she calls the fire crew on the radio. She tells them the spot, so they can get there fast.
A lookout also keeps track of the weather. Wind and dry air can help a fire spread. The crew can use her notes to plan their day.
Questions
Where does a fire lookout work?
What is the lookout watching for?
What does the special map table show?
How does the lookout tell the fire crew?
Why is the tower room built with windows on every side?
Why does the lookout write down the weather?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Watching for Smoke from a Mountain Tower
Certain forests have tall lookout towers, with a tiny room at the top that has windows on every side. A fire lookout lives and works there throughout the dry months of the year.
The lookout's responsibility is to keep watch. She scans the surrounding hills for a thin line of smoke, and she does this many times each day. Even a small puff of smoke can be spotted from miles away.
When she notices smoke, she turns to a special map table. A pointer on the table indicates which direction the smoke lies in, and she can consult the map to work out where the fire might be burning.
Then she contacts the fire crew by radio and gives them the location, so that they can reach it quickly.
A lookout also records the weather. Wind and dry air can help a fire spread, so the crew can rely on her notes when they plan their day.
Questions
Where does a fire lookout work?
What is the lookout watching for?
What does the pointer on the map table indicate?
How does the lookout contact the fire crew?
Why is the tower room built with windows on every side?
Why does the lookout record the weather?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Watching for Smoke from a Mountain Tower
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.8)
In a small room at the top of a tall tower.
A line of smoke.
Which way the smoke is.
She calls them on the radio.
So the lookout can see the forest in every direction.
Wind and dry air help a fire spread, so the crew can plan.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1)
In a small room at the top of a tall tower.
A line or puff of smoke.
The direction the smoke is in.
She calls them on the radio.
So the lookout can see the whole forest in every direction.
Wind and dry air help a fire spread, so the crew can use the notes to plan.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.9)
In a tiny room at the top of a tall tower.
A thin line or small puff of smoke.
The direction the smoke lies in.
By radio.
So the lookout can see the whole forest in every direction.
Wind and dry air can help a fire spread, so the crew can use her notes to plan.
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 lookout, scans, direction and crew 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 "Watching for Smoke from a Mountain Tower"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 143 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.1. 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.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. No sign-in, no ads.