3rd grade nonfiction passage about sound bouncing off hard walls: 178 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionsound bouncing off hard walls178 words
Why Your Voice Sounds Big in the Bathroom
Many people love to sing in the shower. Their voices sound rich and full. But the same song in a bedroom sounds thin and quiet. What makes the bathroom so different?
The answer is in the walls. Sound is made of vibrations that travel through the air. When those vibrations hit something, they can bounce back. A bounce of sound is called a reflection.
A bathroom has hard, smooth walls made of tile, glass and shiny paint. Hard surfaces bounce sound very well. Your voice hits the walls and comes right back to your ears. It mixes with the sound you are making now. This makes your voice seem louder and longer.
A bedroom is full of soft things such as a bed, a rug and curtains. Soft things soak up sound instead of bouncing it. Fewer reflections come back, so your voice sounds plain.
That is why a room with no furniture sounds echoey. And it is why people who record music hang thick blankets or foam on the walls. They want to soak up extra bounces.
Questions
How does a voice sound in the shower? in the text
What is a bounce of sound called? in the text
What are bathroom walls made of? in the text
What do soft things do to sound? in the text
Why does an empty room sound echoey? think about it
What do music recorders hang on walls? in the text
Words to know
reflection
a bounce of sound or light off a surface
vibration
a fast shaking back and forth
tile
a hard, flat square used to cover walls or floors
soak
to take in and hold
echoey
full of echoes
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Why Your Voice Sounds Big in the Bathroom
3rd grade reading passage
Many people love to sing in the shower. Their voices sound rich and full. But the same song in a bedroom sounds thin and quiet. What makes the bathroom so different?
The answer is in the walls. Sound is made of vibrations that travel through the air. When those vibrations hit something, they can bounce back. A bounce of sound is called a reflection.
A bathroom has hard, smooth walls made of tile, glass and shiny paint. Hard surfaces bounce sound very well. Your voice hits the walls and comes right back to your ears. It mixes with the sound you are making now. This makes your voice seem louder and longer.
A bedroom is full of soft things such as a bed, a rug and curtains. Soft things soak up sound instead of bouncing it. Fewer reflections come back, so your voice sounds plain.
That is why a room with no furniture sounds echoey. And it is why people who record music hang thick blankets or foam on the walls. They want to soak up extra bounces.
Questions
How does a voice sound in the shower?
What is a bounce of sound called?
What are bathroom walls made of?
What do soft things do to sound?
Why does an empty room sound echoey?
What do music recorders hang on walls?
Words to know
reflection: a bounce of sound or light off a surface
vibration: a fast shaking back and forth
tile: a hard, flat square used to cover walls or floors
soak: to take in and hold
echoey: full of echoes
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/why-your-voice-sounds-big-in-the-bathroom
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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 · 156 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.9
Many people love to sing in the shower. Their voices sound rich and full. The same song in a bedroom sounds thin and quiet. Why is the bathroom so different?
The answer is in the walls. Sound is vibrations that move through the air. When they hit something, they can bounce back. A bounce of sound is a reflection.
A bathroom has hard, smooth walls. They are made of tile, glass and shiny paint. Hard things bounce sound well. Your voice hits the walls and comes back to your ears. It mixes with the sound you are making. Your voice seems louder and longer.
A bedroom has soft things. It has a bed, a rug and curtains. Soft things soak up sound. Fewer bounces come back. Your voice sounds plain.
An empty room sounds echoey for this reason. People who record music hang thick blankets or foam on walls. They want to soak up extra bounces.
▲ This passage · 178 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3
Many people love to sing in the shower. Their voices sound rich and full. But the same song in a bedroom sounds thin and quiet. What makes the bathroom so different?
The answer is in the walls. Sound is made of vibrations that travel through the air. When those vibrations hit something, they can bounce back. A bounce of sound is called a reflection.
A bathroom has hard, smooth walls made of tile, glass and shiny paint. Hard surfaces bounce sound very well. Your voice hits the walls and comes right back to your ears. It mixes with the sound you are making now. This makes your voice seem louder and longer.
A bedroom is full of soft things such as a bed, a rug and curtains. Soft things soak up sound instead of bouncing it. Fewer reflections come back, so your voice sounds plain.
That is why a room with no furniture sounds echoey. And it is why people who record music hang thick blankets or foam on the walls. They want to soak up extra bounces.
■ Harder · 205 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6
Plenty of people enjoy singing in the shower, where their voices sound rich and full. Yet the very same song sung in a bedroom often sounds thin and quiet. What could make the bathroom so different from other rooms?
The explanation lies in the walls. Sound consists of vibrations that travel through the air, and when those vibrations strike an object, they can bounce straight back. A bounce of sound is known as a reflection.
A bathroom is lined with hard, smooth surfaces such as tile, glass and shiny paint, and hard surfaces reflect sound extremely well. Your voice hits the walls and returns to your ears almost at once, blending with the sound you are making at that moment. As a result, your voice seems both louder and longer.
A bedroom, by contrast, is filled with soft furnishings such as a bed, a rug and curtains. Soft materials soak up sound rather than bouncing it back. Fewer reflections return to your ears, so your voice sounds plain.
This is also why a room with no furniture sounds so echoey. And it is why people who record music hang thick blankets or foam on the walls, since they want to soak up any extra bounces.
Many people love to sing in the shower. Their voices sound rich and full. The same song in a bedroom sounds thin and quiet. Why is the bathroom so different?
The answer is in the walls. Sound is vibrations that move through the air. When they hit something, they can bounce back. A bounce of sound is a reflection.
A bathroom has hard, smooth walls. They are made of tile, glass and shiny paint. Hard things bounce sound well. Your voice hits the walls and comes back to your ears. It mixes with the sound you are making. Your voice seems louder and longer.
A bedroom has soft things. It has a bed, a rug and curtains. Soft things soak up sound. Fewer bounces come back. Your voice sounds plain.
An empty room sounds echoey for this reason. People who record music hang thick blankets or foam on walls. They want to soak up extra bounces.
Questions
How does a voice sound in the shower?
What is a bounce of sound called?
What are bathroom walls made of?
What do soft things do to sound?
Why does an empty room sound echoey?
What do music recorders hang on walls?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Why Your Voice Sounds Big in the Bathroom
Many people love to sing in the shower. Their voices sound rich and full. But the same song in a bedroom sounds thin and quiet. What makes the bathroom so different?
The answer is in the walls. Sound is made of vibrations that travel through the air. When those vibrations hit something, they can bounce back. A bounce of sound is called a reflection.
A bathroom has hard, smooth walls made of tile, glass and shiny paint. Hard surfaces bounce sound very well. Your voice hits the walls and comes right back to your ears. It mixes with the sound you are making now. This makes your voice seem louder and longer.
A bedroom is full of soft things such as a bed, a rug and curtains. Soft things soak up sound instead of bouncing it. Fewer reflections come back, so your voice sounds plain.
That is why a room with no furniture sounds echoey. And it is why people who record music hang thick blankets or foam on the walls. They want to soak up extra bounces.
Questions
How does a voice sound in the shower?
What is a bounce of sound called?
What are bathroom walls made of?
What do soft things do to sound?
Why does an empty room sound echoey?
What do music recorders hang on walls?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Why Your Voice Sounds Big in the Bathroom
Plenty of people enjoy singing in the shower, where their voices sound rich and full. Yet the very same song sung in a bedroom often sounds thin and quiet. What could make the bathroom so different from other rooms?
The explanation lies in the walls. Sound consists of vibrations that travel through the air, and when those vibrations strike an object, they can bounce straight back. A bounce of sound is known as a reflection.
A bathroom is lined with hard, smooth surfaces such as tile, glass and shiny paint, and hard surfaces reflect sound extremely well. Your voice hits the walls and returns to your ears almost at once, blending with the sound you are making at that moment. As a result, your voice seems both louder and longer.
A bedroom, by contrast, is filled with soft furnishings such as a bed, a rug and curtains. Soft materials soak up sound rather than bouncing it back. Fewer reflections return to your ears, so your voice sounds plain.
This is also why a room with no furniture sounds so echoey. And it is why people who record music hang thick blankets or foam on the walls, since they want to soak up any extra bounces.
Questions
How does a voice sound in the shower?
What is a bounce of sound known as?
What is a bathroom lined with?
What do soft materials do to sound?
Why does a room with no furniture sound echoey?
What do people who record music hang on the walls?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Why Your Voice Sounds Big in the Bathroom
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.9)
Rich and full.
A reflection.
Hard, smooth things like tile, glass and shiny paint.
They soak it up.
It has no soft things to soak up sound, so the sound keeps bouncing.
Thick blankets or foam.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3)
Rich and full.
A reflection.
Hard, smooth things such as tile, glass and shiny paint.
They soak it up instead of bouncing it.
It has no soft furniture to soak up the sound, so the sound keeps bouncing.
Thick blankets or foam.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 6)
Rich and full.
A reflection.
Hard, smooth surfaces such as tile, glass and shiny paint.
They soak it up rather than bouncing it back.
It has no soft furnishings to soak up sound, so the sound keeps bouncing.
Thick blankets or foam.
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 reflection, vibration, tile, soak and echoey 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.
What reading level is "Why Your Voice Sounds Big in the Bathroom"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 178 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.0. 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?
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