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The Seesaw Puzzle: Who Sits Where?

3rd grade nonfiction passage about balance on a seesaw: 168 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade nonfiction balance on a seesaw 168 words

The Seesaw Puzzle: Who Sits Where?

Omar and his little sister Pia ran to the seesaw. Omar sat on one end. Pia sat on the other. Down went Omar, and up went Pia, high in the air. She could not get back down!

"This is not fun," said Pia. Omar was bigger, and his weight pushed his end to the ground.

Their teacher, Ms. Reyes, came over with an idea. "A seesaw turns on a center point," she said. "Try moving closer to it, Omar."

Omar slid his seat toward the middle. Slowly, the board started to level out. When Omar sat just a little way from the center and Pia stayed at the far end, the seesaw was balanced. Pia's feet touched the ground, and then Omar's did too, taking turns.

"A heavy person close to the middle can balance a light person far from it," Ms. Reyes explained. "Distance from the center matters as much as weight."

Pia laughed as she bounced up. Now the seesaw was fun for both of them.

Questions

  1. Why was Pia stuck up in the air at first? in the text

  2. What does a seesaw turn on? in the text

  3. What did Ms. Reyes tell Omar to do? in the text

  4. Where did Pia sit when the seesaw was balanced? in the text

  5. Besides weight, what else matters for balance? think about it

  6. How did Pia feel at the end? in the text

Words to know

seesaw
a long board that goes up and down on a middle point
balanced
level, with neither side going down
weight
how heavy something is
center
the middle point of something
distance
how far apart two things are
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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 · 154 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5

Omar and his little sister Pia ran to the seesaw. Omar sat on one end. Pia sat on the other. Down went Omar. Up went Pia, high in the air. She could not get down!

"This is not fun," said Pia. Omar was bigger. His weight pushed his end to the ground.

Their teacher, Ms. Reyes, had an idea. "A seesaw turns on a center point," she said. "Move closer to it, Omar."

Omar slid toward the middle. The board began to level out. Omar sat a little way from the center. Pia stayed at the far end. The seesaw was balanced. Pia's feet touched the ground. Then Omar's did too. They took turns.

"A heavy person close to the middle can balance a light person far from it," said Ms. Reyes. "Distance from the center matters as much as weight."

Pia laughed as she bounced up. Now the seesaw was fun for both.

▲ This passage · 168 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.7

Omar and his little sister Pia ran to the seesaw. Omar sat on one end. Pia sat on the other. Down went Omar, and up went Pia, high in the air. She could not get back down!

"This is not fun," said Pia. Omar was bigger, and his weight pushed his end to the ground.

Their teacher, Ms. Reyes, came over with an idea. "A seesaw turns on a center point," she said. "Try moving closer to it, Omar."

Omar slid his seat toward the middle. Slowly, the board started to level out. When Omar sat just a little way from the center and Pia stayed at the far end, the seesaw was balanced. Pia's feet touched the ground, and then Omar's did too, taking turns.

"A heavy person close to the middle can balance a light person far from it," Ms. Reyes explained. "Distance from the center matters as much as weight."

Pia laughed as she bounced up. Now the seesaw was fun for both of them.

■ Harder · 196 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5

Omar and his little sister Pia raced across the playground to the seesaw. Omar climbed onto one end, and Pia took the other. Down went Omar, and up went Pia, high into the air, where she was stranded and unable to get back down!

"This is not fun at all," complained Pia. Omar was bigger than she was, and his greater weight pressed his end firmly against the ground.

Their teacher, Ms. Reyes, strolled over with a clever suggestion. "A seesaw turns on a center point," she explained. "Try sliding closer to it, Omar."

Omar scooted his seat toward the middle, and slowly the board began to level out. When Omar sat just a short way from the center and Pia remained at the far end, the seesaw became perfectly balanced. Pia's feet touched the ground, and then Omar's did too, as the two of them took turns.

"A heavy person close to the middle can balance a light person far away from it," Ms. Reyes said. "The distance from the center matters just as much as the weight."

Pia laughed happily as she bounced upward. At last, the seesaw was fun for both of them.

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 seesaw, balanced, weight, center and distance 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.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "The Seesaw Puzzle: Who Sits Where?"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 168 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.7. 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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