3rd grade nonfiction passage about smell and memory: 162 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionsmell and memory162 words
The Smell That Takes You Back to Grandma's
Has a smell ever made you remember a place or a person? Maybe the scent of pine trees reminds you of a camping trip. Maybe fresh bread brings back a kitchen from long ago. This happens to many people.
Your nose is full of tiny cells that notice smells. When you sniff, little bits of the scent float in and touch these cells. The cells send a message to your brain.
Here is the interesting part. The message goes to a part of the brain that is close to the parts that store memories and feelings. Because they sit so near each other, a smell can pull up a memory fast. You may even feel happy or calm before you know why.
Smells also help keep you safe. Your nose can warn you about smoke or food that has gone bad. Next time a scent makes you smile, think about how well your brain connects what you sense with what you remember.
Questions
What is inside your nose that notices smells? in the text
Where do the cells send their message? in the text
What parts of the brain are close to the smell part? in the text
What is one way smells help keep you safe? in the text
What might you feel before you know why a smell is special? in the text
Why can a smell bring back a memory so fast? think about it
Words to know
scent
a smell, often a nice one
memory
something from the past that you remember
cells
the tiny building blocks that make up living things
sniff
to breathe in quickly through the nose
warn
to tell someone about a danger
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
The Smell That Takes You Back to Grandma's
3rd grade reading passage
Has a smell ever made you remember a place or a person? Maybe the scent of pine trees reminds you of a camping trip. Maybe fresh bread brings back a kitchen from long ago. This happens to many people.
Your nose is full of tiny cells that notice smells. When you sniff, little bits of the scent float in and touch these cells. The cells send a message to your brain.
Here is the interesting part. The message goes to a part of the brain that is close to the parts that store memories and feelings. Because they sit so near each other, a smell can pull up a memory fast. You may even feel happy or calm before you know why.
Smells also help keep you safe. Your nose can warn you about smoke or food that has gone bad. Next time a scent makes you smile, think about how well your brain connects what you sense with what you remember.
Questions
What is inside your nose that notices smells?
Where do the cells send their message?
What parts of the brain are close to the smell part?
What is one way smells help keep you safe?
What might you feel before you know why a smell is special?
Why can a smell bring back a memory so fast?
Words to know
scent: a smell, often a nice one
memory: something from the past that you remember
cells: the tiny building blocks that make up living things
sniff: to breathe in quickly through the nose
warn: to tell someone about a danger
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/the-smell-that-takes-you-back-to-grandmas
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 · 120 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2
Has a smell made you think of a place or a person? Pine trees might remind you of camping. Fresh bread might bring back an old kitchen. This happens to many people.
Your nose has tiny cells that notice smells. When you sniff, bits of a scent float in and touch the cells. The cells send a message to your brain.
The message goes to a part of the brain that is close to the parts that keep memories and feelings. They are so near each other that a smell can bring back a memory fast. You may feel happy before you know why.
Smells help keep you safe too. Your nose can warn you about smoke or bad food.
▲ This passage · 162 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.4
Has a smell ever made you remember a place or a person? Maybe the scent of pine trees reminds you of a camping trip. Maybe fresh bread brings back a kitchen from long ago. This happens to many people.
Your nose is full of tiny cells that notice smells. When you sniff, little bits of the scent float in and touch these cells. The cells send a message to your brain.
Here is the interesting part. The message goes to a part of the brain that is close to the parts that store memories and feelings. Because they sit so near each other, a smell can pull up a memory fast. You may even feel happy or calm before you know why.
Smells also help keep you safe. Your nose can warn you about smoke or food that has gone bad. Next time a scent makes you smile, think about how well your brain connects what you sense with what you remember.
■ Harder · 171 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.5
Has a particular smell ever made you remember a certain place or person? Perhaps the scent of pine trees reminds you of a camping trip, or perhaps the aroma of fresh bread brings back a kitchen from long ago. This experience is common among people of all ages.
Your nose is lined with tiny cells that notice smells. When you sniff, microscopic bits of a scent drift in and touch these cells, and the cells then send a message to your brain.
Here is the fascinating part. That message travels to a region of the brain that sits close to the regions that store memories and feelings. Because they are neighbors, a smell can pull up a memory very quickly, and you may even feel happy or calm before you understand why.
Smells also help protect you. Your nose can warn you about smoke or about food that has spoiled. The next time a scent makes you smile, consider how cleverly your brain connects what you sense with what you remember.
Has a smell made you think of a place or a person? Pine trees might remind you of camping. Fresh bread might bring back an old kitchen. This happens to many people.
Your nose has tiny cells that notice smells. When you sniff, bits of a scent float in and touch the cells. The cells send a message to your brain.
The message goes to a part of the brain that is close to the parts that keep memories and feelings. They are so near each other that a smell can bring back a memory fast. You may feel happy before you know why.
Smells help keep you safe too. Your nose can warn you about smoke or bad food.
Questions
What is in your nose that notices smells?
Where do the cells send a message?
What parts of the brain are close to the smell part?
What is one way smells keep you safe?
What might you feel before you know why?
Why can a smell bring back a memory fast?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
The Smell That Takes You Back to Grandma's
Has a smell ever made you remember a place or a person? Maybe the scent of pine trees reminds you of a camping trip. Maybe fresh bread brings back a kitchen from long ago. This happens to many people.
Your nose is full of tiny cells that notice smells. When you sniff, little bits of the scent float in and touch these cells. The cells send a message to your brain.
Here is the interesting part. The message goes to a part of the brain that is close to the parts that store memories and feelings. Because they sit so near each other, a smell can pull up a memory fast. You may even feel happy or calm before you know why.
Smells also help keep you safe. Your nose can warn you about smoke or food that has gone bad. Next time a scent makes you smile, think about how well your brain connects what you sense with what you remember.
Questions
What is inside your nose that notices smells?
Where do the cells send their message?
What parts of the brain are close to the smell part?
What is one way smells help keep you safe?
What might you feel before you know why a smell is special?
Why can a smell bring back a memory so fast?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
The Smell That Takes You Back to Grandma's
Has a particular smell ever made you remember a certain place or person? Perhaps the scent of pine trees reminds you of a camping trip, or perhaps the aroma of fresh bread brings back a kitchen from long ago. This experience is common among people of all ages.
Your nose is lined with tiny cells that notice smells. When you sniff, microscopic bits of a scent drift in and touch these cells, and the cells then send a message to your brain.
Here is the fascinating part. That message travels to a region of the brain that sits close to the regions that store memories and feelings. Because they are neighbors, a smell can pull up a memory very quickly, and you may even feel happy or calm before you understand why.
Smells also help protect you. Your nose can warn you about smoke or about food that has spoiled. The next time a scent makes you smile, consider how cleverly your brain connects what you sense with what you remember.
Questions
What lines your nose and notices smells?
Where do the cells send their message?
Which parts of the brain sit close to the smell region?
What is one way smells help protect you?
What might you feel before you understand why a smell is special?
Why can a smell bring back a memory so quickly?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: The Smell That Takes You Back to Grandma's
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2)
Tiny cells.
To the brain.
The parts that keep memories and feelings.
They can warn you about smoke or bad food.
Happy.
The smell part of the brain is close to the memory part.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.4)
Tiny cells.
To the brain.
The parts that store memories and feelings.
They can warn you about smoke or spoiled food.
Happy or calm.
The smell part of the brain sits close to the memory part.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.5)
Tiny cells.
To the brain.
The parts that store memories and feelings.
They can warn you about smoke or spoiled food.
Happy or calm.
The smell region of the brain is a neighbor of the memory region.
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 scent, memory, cells, sniff and warn 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 "The Smell That Takes You Back to Grandma's"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 162 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.4. 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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