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The Head Rush When You Stand Up Fast

3rd grade nonfiction passage about dizziness on standing: 168 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade nonfiction dizziness on standing 168 words

The Head Rush When You Stand Up Fast

Noah sat on the floor for a long time, building with blocks. When he jumped up to get a snack, the room seemed to wobble. Tiny sparkles floated in front of his eyes. What was going on?

Blood travels all around your body, and your brain needs a steady supply. When you sit or lie down, your blood spreads out evenly. When you stand, gravity pulls some of it down toward your legs.

Usually your body adjusts in a blink. Your blood vessels squeeze a little, and your heart pumps a bit faster. That pushes the blood back up to your head. But if you stand up very quickly, the body may lag behind for a moment. For a second or two, less blood reaches your brain. That is what causes the wobbly, sparkly feeling.

It goes away fast. You can help by standing up slowly and pausing before you walk. Drinking enough water helps as well. If dizziness happens a lot or lasts, tell a grown-up.

Questions

  1. What was Noah doing before he jumped up? in the text

  2. What does gravity do to your blood when you stand? in the text

  3. What do blood vessels do to push blood back up? in the text

  4. What causes the wobbly, sparkly feeling? in the text

  5. What should you do if you are dizzy a lot or it lasts? in the text

  6. Why does standing up slowly help? think about it

Words to know

gravity
the pull that draws things down toward the ground
blood vessels
the tiny tubes that carry blood through the body
wobble
to shake or sway from side to side
steady
even and not changing
adjusts
changes a little to fit a new need
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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 · 135 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.4

Noah sat on the floor and built with blocks for a long time. Then he jumped up to get a snack. The room seemed to wobble. Tiny sparkles floated by his eyes. What was going on?

Blood goes all around your body. Your brain needs a steady supply. When you sit, your blood spreads out evenly. When you stand, gravity pulls some of it down to your legs.

Your body usually fixes this fast. Your blood vessels squeeze a little. Your heart pumps faster. The blood goes back up to your head. But if you stand up very fast, your body can be slow for a moment. Less blood reaches your brain. That makes you feel wobbly.

It goes away fast. Stand up slowly. Drink water. If it happens a lot, tell a grown-up.

▲ This passage · 168 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.3

Noah sat on the floor for a long time, building with blocks. When he jumped up to get a snack, the room seemed to wobble. Tiny sparkles floated in front of his eyes. What was going on?

Blood travels all around your body, and your brain needs a steady supply. When you sit or lie down, your blood spreads out evenly. When you stand, gravity pulls some of it down toward your legs.

Usually your body adjusts in a blink. Your blood vessels squeeze a little, and your heart pumps a bit faster. That pushes the blood back up to your head. But if you stand up very quickly, the body may lag behind for a moment. For a second or two, less blood reaches your brain. That is what causes the wobbly, sparkly feeling.

It goes away fast. You can help by standing up slowly and pausing before you walk. Drinking enough water helps as well. If dizziness happens a lot or lasts, tell a grown-up.

■ Harder · 190 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6

Noah sat on the living room floor for a long while, constructing a tower out of wooden blocks. When he suddenly sprang up to fetch a snack, the whole room seemed to wobble, and tiny sparkles floated in front of his eyes. What was going on inside his body?

Blood travels all around your body, and your brain depends on a steady supply of it. When you sit or lie down, your blood is spread out evenly. When you stand, however, gravity pulls some of it down toward your legs.

Usually your body adjusts in the blink of an eye. Your blood vessels squeeze a little, and your heart pumps slightly faster, which pushes the blood back up to your head. But if you stand up extremely quickly, your body may lag behind for a moment, and for a second or two, less blood reaches your brain. That is what causes the wobbly, sparkly feeling.

The sensation fades quickly. You can help by rising slowly and pausing before you walk, and drinking enough water helps as well. If dizziness happens often or does not go away, tell a grown-up.

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 gravity, blood vessels, wobble, steady and adjusts 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 "The Head Rush When You Stand Up Fast"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 168 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.3. 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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