3rd grade nonfiction passage about heat moving through materials: 165 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionheat moving through materials165 words
Why the Metal Gate Feels Colder Than the Fence
On a chilly morning, Mina touched the metal gate at the park. It felt very cold. Then she touched the wooden fence beside it. The wood felt much warmer. Mina wondered why.
The gate and the fence were really the same temperature. They had both sat in the same cool air all night. The difference is in how they move heat.
Heat always flows from a warm thing to a cooler thing. Your hand is warm, so heat flows out of it when you touch something cooler. Metal is very good at carrying heat away. It pulls heat out of your hand fast, so your skin senses cold.
Wood is a poor carrier of heat. It pulls heat from your hand slowly. Your hand stays warmer, and the wood feels less cold.
So the cold feeling is not just about the gate. It is about how quickly heat leaves your hand. That is also why a metal spoon in hot soup gets hot so fast.
Questions
Which felt colder to Mina, the gate or the fence? in the text
Were the gate and the fence really the same temperature? in the text
Which way does heat flow? in the text
What does metal do to the heat in your hand? in the text
Why does wood feel less cold than metal? think about it
What happens to a metal spoon left in hot soup? in the text
Words to know
chilly
cool enough to make you shiver
temperature
how hot or cold something is
metal
a hard, shiny material such as iron or steel
carrier
something that moves a thing from one place to another
flow
to move along smoothly
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Why the Metal Gate Feels Colder Than the Fence
3rd grade reading passage
On a chilly morning, Mina touched the metal gate at the park. It felt very cold. Then she touched the wooden fence beside it. The wood felt much warmer. Mina wondered why.
The gate and the fence were really the same temperature. They had both sat in the same cool air all night. The difference is in how they move heat.
Heat always flows from a warm thing to a cooler thing. Your hand is warm, so heat flows out of it when you touch something cooler. Metal is very good at carrying heat away. It pulls heat out of your hand fast, so your skin senses cold.
Wood is a poor carrier of heat. It pulls heat from your hand slowly. Your hand stays warmer, and the wood feels less cold.
So the cold feeling is not just about the gate. It is about how quickly heat leaves your hand. That is also why a metal spoon in hot soup gets hot so fast.
Questions
Which felt colder to Mina, the gate or the fence?
Were the gate and the fence really the same temperature?
Which way does heat flow?
What does metal do to the heat in your hand?
Why does wood feel less cold than metal?
What happens to a metal spoon left in hot soup?
Words to know
chilly: cool enough to make you shiver
temperature: how hot or cold something is
metal: a hard, shiny material such as iron or steel
carrier: something that moves a thing from one place to another
flow: to move along smoothly
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/metal-gate-colder-than-wood-fence
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 · 126 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.1
It was a chilly morning. Mina touched the metal gate at the park. It felt very cold. Then she touched the wood fence. The wood felt warmer. Why?
The gate and the fence were the same temperature. They sat in the same cool air all night. The difference is how they move heat.
Heat goes from a warm thing to a cooler thing. Your hand is warm. So heat goes out of your hand when you touch something cooler. Metal carries heat away fast. Your skin feels cold.
Wood carries heat away slowly. Your hand stays warm. The wood feels less cold.
So the cold feeling is about how fast heat leaves your hand. A metal spoon in hot soup gets hot fast for this reason.
▲ This passage · 165 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.3
On a chilly morning, Mina touched the metal gate at the park. It felt very cold. Then she touched the wooden fence beside it. The wood felt much warmer. Mina wondered why.
The gate and the fence were really the same temperature. They had both sat in the same cool air all night. The difference is in how they move heat.
Heat always flows from a warm thing to a cooler thing. Your hand is warm, so heat flows out of it when you touch something cooler. Metal is very good at carrying heat away. It pulls heat out of your hand fast, so your skin senses cold.
Wood is a poor carrier of heat. It pulls heat from your hand slowly. Your hand stays warmer, and the wood feels less cold.
So the cold feeling is not just about the gate. It is about how quickly heat leaves your hand. That is also why a metal spoon in hot soup gets hot so fast.
■ Harder · 187 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.7
On a chilly morning at the park, Mina reached out and touched the metal gate. It felt startlingly cold. Next she touched the wooden fence beside it, and the wood felt much warmer. Mina wondered what could explain the difference.
In reality, the gate and the fence were exactly the same temperature, because both had sat in the same cool air throughout the night. The difference lies in the way each material moves heat.
Heat always flows from a warm object toward a cooler one. Since your hand is warm, heat leaves it whenever you touch something cooler. Metal is extremely good at carrying heat away, so it draws the heat out of your hand quickly, and your skin senses cold.
Wood, on the other hand, is a poor carrier of heat. It draws warmth out of your hand only slowly, so your hand stays warmer and the wood feels less cold.
The cold feeling, therefore, depends less on the gate itself than on how quickly heat escapes from your hand. This is also the reason a metal spoon resting in hot soup becomes hot so fast.
It was a chilly morning. Mina touched the metal gate at the park. It felt very cold. Then she touched the wood fence. The wood felt warmer. Why?
The gate and the fence were the same temperature. They sat in the same cool air all night. The difference is how they move heat.
Heat goes from a warm thing to a cooler thing. Your hand is warm. So heat goes out of your hand when you touch something cooler. Metal carries heat away fast. Your skin feels cold.
Wood carries heat away slowly. Your hand stays warm. The wood feels less cold.
So the cold feeling is about how fast heat leaves your hand. A metal spoon in hot soup gets hot fast for this reason.
Questions
Which felt colder to Mina, the gate or the fence?
Were the gate and the fence the same temperature?
Which way does heat go?
What does metal do to the heat in your hand?
Why does wood feel less cold than metal?
What happens to a metal spoon in hot soup?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Why the Metal Gate Feels Colder Than the Fence
On a chilly morning, Mina touched the metal gate at the park. It felt very cold. Then she touched the wooden fence beside it. The wood felt much warmer. Mina wondered why.
The gate and the fence were really the same temperature. They had both sat in the same cool air all night. The difference is in how they move heat.
Heat always flows from a warm thing to a cooler thing. Your hand is warm, so heat flows out of it when you touch something cooler. Metal is very good at carrying heat away. It pulls heat out of your hand fast, so your skin senses cold.
Wood is a poor carrier of heat. It pulls heat from your hand slowly. Your hand stays warmer, and the wood feels less cold.
So the cold feeling is not just about the gate. It is about how quickly heat leaves your hand. That is also why a metal spoon in hot soup gets hot so fast.
Questions
Which felt colder to Mina, the gate or the fence?
Were the gate and the fence really the same temperature?
Which way does heat flow?
What does metal do to the heat in your hand?
Why does wood feel less cold than metal?
What happens to a metal spoon left in hot soup?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Why the Metal Gate Feels Colder Than the Fence
On a chilly morning at the park, Mina reached out and touched the metal gate. It felt startlingly cold. Next she touched the wooden fence beside it, and the wood felt much warmer. Mina wondered what could explain the difference.
In reality, the gate and the fence were exactly the same temperature, because both had sat in the same cool air throughout the night. The difference lies in the way each material moves heat.
Heat always flows from a warm object toward a cooler one. Since your hand is warm, heat leaves it whenever you touch something cooler. Metal is extremely good at carrying heat away, so it draws the heat out of your hand quickly, and your skin senses cold.
Wood, on the other hand, is a poor carrier of heat. It draws warmth out of your hand only slowly, so your hand stays warmer and the wood feels less cold.
The cold feeling, therefore, depends less on the gate itself than on how quickly heat escapes from your hand. This is also the reason a metal spoon resting in hot soup becomes hot so fast.
Questions
Which felt colder to Mina, the gate or the fence?
Were the gate and the fence really the same temperature?
Which direction does heat always flow?
What does metal do to the heat in your hand?
Why does wood feel less cold than metal?
What happens to a metal spoon resting in hot soup?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Why the Metal Gate Feels Colder Than the Fence
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.1)
The metal gate.
Yes, they were the same temperature.
From a warm thing to a cooler thing.
It carries the heat away fast.
Wood carries heat away slowly, so your hand stays warm.
It gets hot fast.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.3)
The metal gate.
Yes, they were the same temperature.
From a warm thing to a cooler thing.
It pulls the heat away fast.
Wood pulls heat from your hand slowly, so your hand stays warmer.
It gets hot fast.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.7)
The metal gate.
Yes, exactly the same, because they sat in the same cool air all night.
From a warm object toward a cooler one.
It draws the heat away quickly.
Wood draws heat from your hand only slowly, so your hand stays warmer.
It becomes hot very fast.
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 chilly, temperature, metal, carrier and flow 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 "Why the Metal Gate Feels Colder Than the Fence"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 165 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.3. 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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