3rd grade nonfiction passage about movie sound effects: 142 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionmovie sound effects142 words
The Sound Makers Behind the Movie Screen
When you watch a movie, you hear galloping horses, crackling fires and crashing waves. Many of these sounds were not recorded on the set. They were made later by workers called foley artists.
A foley artist sits in a studio and watches the film. Then the artist invents sounds to go with it, using plain objects. Two coconut shells knocked together can sound like a horse trotting. A sheet of cellophane, when crumpled, can sound like a crackling fire.
Why not keep the sounds from the set? Often those sounds are too quiet, or other noise gets mixed in. Sounds made later can be clean and clear.
Careful watching is the key. If a character steps on screen, the sound must land at that exact moment. When the timing is right, nobody in the audience guesses that coconuts or cellophane were used.
Questions
What are the workers who make movie sounds called? in the text
How can a foley artist make the sound of a horse walking? in the text
What can be crumpled to sound like a crackling fire? in the text
Why do movie makers add sounds later? in the text
Why does a foley artist have to watch the screen closely? think about it
What would happen if the timing were wrong? think about it
Words to know
foley
the art of making everyday sounds for movies
recorded
saved so it can be played again
cellophane
a thin, clear, crinkly sheet of wrapping
audience
the people who watch or listen
timing
when something happens
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
The Sound Makers Behind the Movie Screen
3rd grade reading passage
When you watch a movie, you hear galloping horses, crackling fires and crashing waves. Many of these sounds were not recorded on the set. They were made later by workers called foley artists.
A foley artist sits in a studio and watches the film. Then the artist invents sounds to go with it, using plain objects. Two coconut shells knocked together can sound like a horse trotting. A sheet of cellophane, when crumpled, can sound like a crackling fire.
Why not keep the sounds from the set? Often those sounds are too quiet, or other noise gets mixed in. Sounds made later can be clean and clear.
Careful watching is the key. If a character steps on screen, the sound must land at that exact moment. When the timing is right, nobody in the audience guesses that coconuts or cellophane were used.
Questions
What are the workers who make movie sounds called?
How can a foley artist make the sound of a horse walking?
What can be crumpled to sound like a crackling fire?
Why do movie makers add sounds later?
Why does a foley artist have to watch the screen closely?
What would happen if the timing were wrong?
Words to know
foley: the art of making everyday sounds for movies
recorded: saved so it can be played again
cellophane: a thin, clear, crinkly sheet of wrapping
audience: the people who watch or listen
timing: when something happens
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/sound-makers-behind-the-movie-screen
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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 · 116 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.7
When you watch a movie, you hear galloping horses, crackling fires and crashing waves. Many of these sounds were not made on the set. They were made later by workers called foley artists.
A foley artist watches the movie and makes sounds to match. The artist uses ordinary things. To make a horse go clip clop, the artist may knock two coconut shells together. To make a fire crackle, the artist may crumple cellophane.
Why not use the real sounds? They are often too quiet. Or other noise gets mixed in. Made sounds can be clean and clear.
The artist must watch closely. The sound must happen at the exact moment. Then the audience never guesses.
▲ This passage · 142 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.6
When you watch a movie, you hear galloping horses, crackling fires and crashing waves. Many of these sounds were not recorded on the set. They were made later by workers called foley artists.
A foley artist sits in a studio and watches the film. Then the artist invents sounds to go with it, using plain objects. Two coconut shells knocked together can sound like a horse trotting. A sheet of cellophane, when crumpled, can sound like a crackling fire.
Why not keep the sounds from the set? Often those sounds are too quiet, or other noise gets mixed in. Sounds made later can be clean and clear.
Careful watching is the key. If a character steps on screen, the sound must land at that exact moment. When the timing is right, nobody in the audience guesses that coconuts or cellophane were used.
■ Harder · 153 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6
While you watch a movie, you hear galloping horses, crackling fires and crashing waves. Many of those sounds were never captured on the set. They were produced afterward by specialists known as foley artists.
A foley artist studies the film and creates sounds to match each action. The tools are surprisingly ordinary. To imitate the clip clop of a horse, the artist might knock two coconut shells together. To imitate a crackling fire, the artist might crumple a sheet of cellophane.
Why not simply use the sounds from the set? The real sounds are frequently too quiet, or unwanted noise gets mixed in with them. Sounds made later can be clean and clear.
The artist must watch with great care. When a character steps onto the screen, the sound has to occur at precisely that moment. When the timing is right, the audience never suspects that the sound came from coconuts or cellophane.
When you watch a movie, you hear galloping horses, crackling fires and crashing waves. Many of these sounds were not made on the set. They were made later by workers called foley artists.
A foley artist watches the movie and makes sounds to match. The artist uses ordinary things. To make a horse go clip clop, the artist may knock two coconut shells together. To make a fire crackle, the artist may crumple cellophane.
Why not use the real sounds? They are often too quiet. Or other noise gets mixed in. Made sounds can be clean and clear.
The artist must watch closely. The sound must happen at the exact moment. Then the audience never guesses.
Questions
What are the sound workers called?
How can an artist make the sound of a horse?
What can be crumpled to sound like a crackling fire?
Why are sounds added later?
Why must the artist watch the screen closely?
What if the timing were wrong?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
The Sound Makers Behind the Movie Screen
When you watch a movie, you hear galloping horses, crackling fires and crashing waves. Many of these sounds were not recorded on the set. They were made later by workers called foley artists.
A foley artist sits in a studio and watches the film. Then the artist invents sounds to go with it, using plain objects. Two coconut shells knocked together can sound like a horse trotting. A sheet of cellophane, when crumpled, can sound like a crackling fire.
Why not keep the sounds from the set? Often those sounds are too quiet, or other noise gets mixed in. Sounds made later can be clean and clear.
Careful watching is the key. If a character steps on screen, the sound must land at that exact moment. When the timing is right, nobody in the audience guesses that coconuts or cellophane were used.
Questions
What are the workers who make movie sounds called?
How can a foley artist make the sound of a horse walking?
What can be crumpled to sound like a crackling fire?
Why do movie makers add sounds later?
Why does a foley artist have to watch the screen closely?
What would happen if the timing were wrong?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
The Sound Makers Behind the Movie Screen
While you watch a movie, you hear galloping horses, crackling fires and crashing waves. Many of those sounds were never captured on the set. They were produced afterward by specialists known as foley artists.
A foley artist studies the film and creates sounds to match each action. The tools are surprisingly ordinary. To imitate the clip clop of a horse, the artist might knock two coconut shells together. To imitate a crackling fire, the artist might crumple a sheet of cellophane.
Why not simply use the sounds from the set? The real sounds are frequently too quiet, or unwanted noise gets mixed in with them. Sounds made later can be clean and clear.
The artist must watch with great care. When a character steps onto the screen, the sound has to occur at precisely that moment. When the timing is right, the audience never suspects that the sound came from coconuts or cellophane.
Questions
What are the specialists who produce movie sounds called?
How might an artist imitate the sound of a horse walking?
What might be crumpled to imitate a crackling fire?
Why are sounds often made later instead of using the set sounds?
Why must the artist watch the film with great care?
What might the audience notice if the timing were wrong?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: The Sound Makers Behind the Movie Screen
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.7)
Foley artists.
By knocking two coconut shells together.
A sheet of cellophane.
Real sounds can be too quiet or have other noise mixed in.
The sound must happen at the exact moment of the action.
The audience might notice the sound does not match.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.6)
Foley artists.
By knocking two coconut shells together.
A sheet of cellophane.
The real sounds can be too quiet or have other noise mixed in.
The sound must happen at the exact moment the action does.
The audience might notice that the sound does not match the picture.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 6)
Foley artists.
By knocking two coconut shells together.
A sheet of cellophane.
The real sounds can be too quiet or mixed with unwanted noise.
The sound has to happen at precisely the same moment as the action.
That the sound does not match the picture.
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 foley, recorded, cellophane, audience and timing 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 "The Sound Makers Behind the Movie Screen"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 142 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.6. 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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