4th grade nonfiction passage about straw hats from ecuador: 172 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
4th gradenonfictionstraw hats from ecuador172 words
The Panama Hat That Is Made in Ecuador
A Panama hat sounds as if it should come from Panama. But the best known ones are made in Ecuador, a country in South America. The name stuck because many of the hats were sold in Panama long ago, to travelers who were heading to other places.
These hats are woven by hand. The weaver starts with the toquilla palm, a plant that grows in the warm, damp parts of Ecuador. The long green leaves are cut and split into thin strips. The strips are boiled and then hung up to dry in the shade. As they dry, they turn pale and become soft but strong, almost like fine thread.
Weaving a hat takes patience. A simple hat may take a few days, and a very fine hat can take months. The tighter the weave, the better the hat is thought to be. A very fine hat can even be rolled up and then spring back into shape. Hats like these are light and cool, which makes them perfect for sunny days.
Questions
In which country are the best known Panama hats made? in the text
Which plant do the weavers use to make the hats? in the text
What happens to the thin strips after they are boiled? in the text
According to the passage, what makes a hat better? in the text
Why do people call the hats Panama hats if they are made in Ecuador? think about it
Why might a very fine hat take months to finish? think about it
Words to know
woven
made by crossing strips or threads over and under each other
toquilla
a kind of palm whose leaves are used for making hats
strips
long, thin pieces cut from something larger
patience
the ability to keep going calmly when a job takes a long time
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
The Panama Hat That Is Made in Ecuador
4th grade reading passage
A Panama hat sounds as if it should come from Panama. But the best known ones are made in Ecuador, a country in South America. The name stuck because many of the hats were sold in Panama long ago, to travelers who were heading to other places.
These hats are woven by hand. The weaver starts with the toquilla palm, a plant that grows in the warm, damp parts of Ecuador. The long green leaves are cut and split into thin strips. The strips are boiled and then hung up to dry in the shade. As they dry, they turn pale and become soft but strong, almost like fine thread.
Weaving a hat takes patience. A simple hat may take a few days, and a very fine hat can take months. The tighter the weave, the better the hat is thought to be. A very fine hat can even be rolled up and then spring back into shape. Hats like these are light and cool, which makes them perfect for sunny days.
Questions
In which country are the best known Panama hats made?
Which plant do the weavers use to make the hats?
What happens to the thin strips after they are boiled?
According to the passage, what makes a hat better?
Why do people call the hats Panama hats if they are made in Ecuador?
Why might a very fine hat take months to finish?
Words to know
woven: made by crossing strips or threads over and under each other
toquilla: a kind of palm whose leaves are used for making hats
strips: long, thin pieces cut from something larger
patience: the ability to keep going calmly when a job takes a long time
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/4/panama-hat-made-in-ecuador
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 · 153 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2
A Panama hat sounds like it comes from Panama. But the best ones are made in Ecuador. Ecuador is a country in South America. Long ago, many of the hats were sold in Panama to people who were on their way somewhere else. That is how they got the name.
People weave these hats by hand. They use the toquilla palm. It grows in warm, wet places in Ecuador. The weaver cuts the green leaves and splits them into thin strips. Then the strips are boiled. After that, they dry in the shade. They turn pale. They get soft and strong, like thread.
Weaving a hat takes a long time. A plain hat may take a few days. A very fine hat can take months. A tight weave makes a better hat. A fine hat can be rolled up and it will spring back. These hats are light and cool for sunny days.
▲ This passage · 172 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3
A Panama hat sounds as if it should come from Panama. But the best known ones are made in Ecuador, a country in South America. The name stuck because many of the hats were sold in Panama long ago, to travelers who were heading to other places.
These hats are woven by hand. The weaver starts with the toquilla palm, a plant that grows in the warm, damp parts of Ecuador. The long green leaves are cut and split into thin strips. The strips are boiled and then hung up to dry in the shade. As they dry, they turn pale and become soft but strong, almost like fine thread.
Weaving a hat takes patience. A simple hat may take a few days, and a very fine hat can take months. The tighter the weave, the better the hat is thought to be. A very fine hat can even be rolled up and then spring back into shape. Hats like these are light and cool, which makes them perfect for sunny days.
■ Harder · 197 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.5
A Panama hat sounds as though it ought to come from Panama, yet the most admired ones are produced in Ecuador, a country on the western edge of South America. The name became attached to the hats because so many of them were sold in Panama long ago, to travelers who were on their way to other destinations.
Each hat is woven entirely by hand. The weaver begins with the toquilla palm, a plant that thrives in the warm, damp regions of Ecuador. The long green leaves are cut and split into narrow strips, which are boiled and then hung up to dry in the shade. As they dry, the strips lose their green color and turn pale, becoming soft yet remarkably strong, almost like fine thread.
Weaving a hat demands great patience. A simple hat may take a few days to finish, while an especially fine one can take several months. The tighter the weave, the more highly the hat is valued. A very fine hat can even be rolled up and will spring back into its proper shape afterward. Hats of this kind are light and cool, which makes them ideal for bright, sunny days.
A Panama hat sounds like it comes from Panama. But the best ones are made in Ecuador. Ecuador is a country in South America. Long ago, many of the hats were sold in Panama to people who were on their way somewhere else. That is how they got the name.
People weave these hats by hand. They use the toquilla palm. It grows in warm, wet places in Ecuador. The weaver cuts the green leaves and splits them into thin strips. Then the strips are boiled. After that, they dry in the shade. They turn pale. They get soft and strong, like thread.
Weaving a hat takes a long time. A plain hat may take a few days. A very fine hat can take months. A tight weave makes a better hat. A fine hat can be rolled up and it will spring back. These hats are light and cool for sunny days.
Questions
In which country are the best known Panama hats made?
Which plant do the weavers use to make the hats?
What happens to the thin strips after they are boiled?
What makes a hat better?
Why are they called Panama hats if they are made in Ecuador?
Why might a fine hat take months to make?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
The Panama Hat That Is Made in Ecuador
A Panama hat sounds as if it should come from Panama. But the best known ones are made in Ecuador, a country in South America. The name stuck because many of the hats were sold in Panama long ago, to travelers who were heading to other places.
These hats are woven by hand. The weaver starts with the toquilla palm, a plant that grows in the warm, damp parts of Ecuador. The long green leaves are cut and split into thin strips. The strips are boiled and then hung up to dry in the shade. As they dry, they turn pale and become soft but strong, almost like fine thread.
Weaving a hat takes patience. A simple hat may take a few days, and a very fine hat can take months. The tighter the weave, the better the hat is thought to be. A very fine hat can even be rolled up and then spring back into shape. Hats like these are light and cool, which makes them perfect for sunny days.
Questions
In which country are the best known Panama hats made?
Which plant do the weavers use to make the hats?
What happens to the thin strips after they are boiled?
According to the passage, what makes a hat better?
Why do people call the hats Panama hats if they are made in Ecuador?
Why might a very fine hat take months to finish?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
The Panama Hat That Is Made in Ecuador
A Panama hat sounds as though it ought to come from Panama, yet the most admired ones are produced in Ecuador, a country on the western edge of South America. The name became attached to the hats because so many of them were sold in Panama long ago, to travelers who were on their way to other destinations.
Each hat is woven entirely by hand. The weaver begins with the toquilla palm, a plant that thrives in the warm, damp regions of Ecuador. The long green leaves are cut and split into narrow strips, which are boiled and then hung up to dry in the shade. As they dry, the strips lose their green color and turn pale, becoming soft yet remarkably strong, almost like fine thread.
Weaving a hat demands great patience. A simple hat may take a few days to finish, while an especially fine one can take several months. The tighter the weave, the more highly the hat is valued. A very fine hat can even be rolled up and will spring back into its proper shape afterward. Hats of this kind are light and cool, which makes them ideal for bright, sunny days.
Questions
In which country are the best known Panama hats made?
Which plant do the weavers use to make the hats?
What is done with the strips after they are boiled?
What makes a hat more highly valued?
How did the hats come to be called Panama hats?
Why would a very fine hat take several months to finish?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: The Panama Hat That Is Made in Ecuador
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2)
Ecuador.
The toquilla palm.
They dry in the shade.
A tight weave.
Many were sold in Panama long ago to people on their way to other places.
It is woven by hand with a very tight weave, so it takes many careful steps.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3)
Ecuador.
The toquilla palm.
They are hung up to dry in the shade.
A tighter weave.
Many were sold in Panama long ago to travelers heading to other places.
It is woven by hand with a very tight weave, so it needs many small, careful steps.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.5)
Ecuador.
The toquilla palm.
They are hung up to dry in the shade.
A tighter weave.
Many were sold in Panama long ago to travelers heading to other places.
It is woven by hand with a very tight weave, which needs many small, careful steps.
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 woven, toquilla, strips and patience 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 "The Panama Hat That Is Made in Ecuador"?
It was written for 4th grade. It has 172 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.3. 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. 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 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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