3rd grade nonfiction passage about the shape of manhole covers: 168 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionthe shape of manhole covers168 words
Why Manhole Covers Are Round
Look down at a city street. You may spot a big metal disk in the road. It is a manhole cover. It closes a hole that leads to pipes and tunnels under the ground. Workers climb down there to fix things.
Nearly all manhole covers are round, and there is a good reason. A round cover can never fall into its hole.
A circle is the same width all the way across, in every direction. The hole is just a little smaller than the cover. So a round cover cannot slip through, no matter how it is turned.
A square cover is different. The distance from corner to corner is longer than the distance across the sides. Someone could tip a square cover on its side. It could slide corner first right down the hole. That would be dangerous for the workers below.
A round cover has one more good point. It is very heavy, but a worker can roll it on its edge, like a giant coin.
Questions
What does a manhole cover close? in the text
What shape are nearly all manhole covers? in the text
Why can a round cover never fall into its hole? in the text
Which is longer on a square, the distance across the sides or corner to corner? in the text
How can a worker move a heavy round cover? in the text
Why would a square cover be dangerous for workers below? think about it
Words to know
manhole
a hole in a street that workers can climb down into
disk
a flat, round shape
circle
a perfectly round shape
corner
the point where two sides of a shape meet
tunnels
long passages that run underground
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Why Manhole Covers Are Round
3rd grade reading passage
Look down at a city street. You may spot a big metal disk in the road. It is a manhole cover. It closes a hole that leads to pipes and tunnels under the ground. Workers climb down there to fix things.
Nearly all manhole covers are round, and there is a good reason. A round cover can never fall into its hole.
A circle is the same width all the way across, in every direction. The hole is just a little smaller than the cover. So a round cover cannot slip through, no matter how it is turned.
A square cover is different. The distance from corner to corner is longer than the distance across the sides. Someone could tip a square cover on its side. It could slide corner first right down the hole. That would be dangerous for the workers below.
A round cover has one more good point. It is very heavy, but a worker can roll it on its edge, like a giant coin.
Questions
What does a manhole cover close?
What shape are nearly all manhole covers?
Why can a round cover never fall into its hole?
Which is longer on a square, the distance across the sides or corner to corner?
How can a worker move a heavy round cover?
Why would a square cover be dangerous for workers below?
Words to know
manhole: a hole in a street that workers can climb down into
disk: a flat, round shape
circle: a perfectly round shape
corner: the point where two sides of a shape meet
tunnels: long passages that run underground
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/round-manhole-covers-cannot-fall
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 · 172 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.8
Look down at a city street. You may see a big metal disk in the road. It is a manhole cover. It closes a hole. The hole leads to pipes and tunnels under the ground. Workers go down there to fix things.
Most manhole covers are round. There is a good reason. A round cover can never fall into its hole.
A circle is the same width all the way across. It is the same in every direction. The hole is a little smaller than the cover. So a round cover cannot slip through. It does not matter how it is turned.
A square cover is not the same. The distance from corner to corner is longer than the distance across the sides. Someone could tip a square cover on its side. It could slide corner first down the hole. That would be bad for the workers below.
A round cover has one more good point. It is heavy. But a worker can roll it on its edge, like a giant coin.
▲ This passage · 168 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.1
Look down at a city street. You may spot a big metal disk in the road. It is a manhole cover. It closes a hole that leads to pipes and tunnels under the ground. Workers climb down there to fix things.
Nearly all manhole covers are round, and there is a good reason. A round cover can never fall into its hole.
A circle is the same width all the way across, in every direction. The hole is just a little smaller than the cover. So a round cover cannot slip through, no matter how it is turned.
A square cover is different. The distance from corner to corner is longer than the distance across the sides. Someone could tip a square cover on its side. It could slide corner first right down the hole. That would be dangerous for the workers below.
A round cover has one more good point. It is very heavy, but a worker can roll it on its edge, like a giant coin.
■ Harder · 179 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.6
If you glance down at a city street, you may notice a large metal disk set into the pavement. It is a manhole cover, and it seals a hole that leads to pipes and tunnels beneath the ground, where workers climb down to make repairs.
Almost all manhole covers are round, and there is an excellent reason for it. A round cover can never drop into its own hole.
A circle measures exactly the same width across in every direction. Because the hole is slightly smaller than the cover, a round cover cannot slip through no matter how it is turned or tilted.
A square cover would behave quite differently. The distance from one corner to the opposite corner is longer than the distance across the sides. If someone tipped a square cover on its edge, it could slide corner first straight down the hole, which would be dangerous for the workers below.
A round cover has one more advantage. Although it is very heavy, a worker can roll it along on its edge, much like a giant coin.
Look down at a city street. You may see a big metal disk in the road. It is a manhole cover. It closes a hole. The hole leads to pipes and tunnels under the ground. Workers go down there to fix things.
Most manhole covers are round. There is a good reason. A round cover can never fall into its hole.
A circle is the same width all the way across. It is the same in every direction. The hole is a little smaller than the cover. So a round cover cannot slip through. It does not matter how it is turned.
A square cover is not the same. The distance from corner to corner is longer than the distance across the sides. Someone could tip a square cover on its side. It could slide corner first down the hole. That would be bad for the workers below.
A round cover has one more good point. It is heavy. But a worker can roll it on its edge, like a giant coin.
Questions
What does a manhole cover close?
What shape are most manhole covers?
Why can a round cover never fall in?
What is longer on a square, across the sides or corner to corner?
How can a worker move a heavy round cover?
Why would a square cover be bad for workers below?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Why Manhole Covers Are Round
Look down at a city street. You may spot a big metal disk in the road. It is a manhole cover. It closes a hole that leads to pipes and tunnels under the ground. Workers climb down there to fix things.
Nearly all manhole covers are round, and there is a good reason. A round cover can never fall into its hole.
A circle is the same width all the way across, in every direction. The hole is just a little smaller than the cover. So a round cover cannot slip through, no matter how it is turned.
A square cover is different. The distance from corner to corner is longer than the distance across the sides. Someone could tip a square cover on its side. It could slide corner first right down the hole. That would be dangerous for the workers below.
A round cover has one more good point. It is very heavy, but a worker can roll it on its edge, like a giant coin.
Questions
What does a manhole cover close?
What shape are nearly all manhole covers?
Why can a round cover never fall into its hole?
Which is longer on a square, the distance across the sides or corner to corner?
How can a worker move a heavy round cover?
Why would a square cover be dangerous for workers below?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Why Manhole Covers Are Round
If you glance down at a city street, you may notice a large metal disk set into the pavement. It is a manhole cover, and it seals a hole that leads to pipes and tunnels beneath the ground, where workers climb down to make repairs.
Almost all manhole covers are round, and there is an excellent reason for it. A round cover can never drop into its own hole.
A circle measures exactly the same width across in every direction. Because the hole is slightly smaller than the cover, a round cover cannot slip through no matter how it is turned or tilted.
A square cover would behave quite differently. The distance from one corner to the opposite corner is longer than the distance across the sides. If someone tipped a square cover on its edge, it could slide corner first straight down the hole, which would be dangerous for the workers below.
A round cover has one more advantage. Although it is very heavy, a worker can roll it along on its edge, much like a giant coin.
Questions
What does a manhole cover seal?
What shape are almost all manhole covers?
Why can a round cover never drop into its hole?
Which is longer on a square, the distance across the sides or from corner to corner?
How can a worker move a very heavy round cover?
Why would a square cover be dangerous for the workers below?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Why Manhole Covers Are Round
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.8)
A hole that leads to pipes and tunnels.
Round.
A circle is the same width in every direction, and the hole is a little smaller.
Corner to corner.
By rolling it on its edge.
It could be tipped and slide down the hole corner first.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.1)
A hole that leads to pipes and tunnels under the ground.
Round.
A circle is the same width in every direction, and the hole is a little smaller than the cover.
Corner to corner is longer.
By rolling it on its edge.
It could be tipped and slide corner first down the hole.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.6)
A hole that leads to pipes and tunnels beneath the ground.
Round.
A circle is the same width in every direction, and the hole is slightly smaller than the cover.
Corner to corner is longer.
By rolling it along on its edge.
It could be tipped on its edge and slide corner first down the hole.
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 manhole, disk, circle, corner and tunnels 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.
What reading level is "Why Manhole Covers Are Round"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 168 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.1. 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. 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.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. No sign-in, no ads.