4th grade nonfiction passage about drawing distance: 196 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
4th gradenonfictiondrawing distance196 words
Railroad Tracks Meet at a Dot
Stand on a long, straight railroad track and look far down the line. Something odd seems to happen. The two rails look as if they are coming closer together. Far away, they seem to meet in a single point. Of course, the rails never really touch. They stay the same distance apart all the way. But your eyes see them squeeze together as they stretch away from you.
Artists use this trick to make a flat sheet of paper look deep. Here is how it works. First, the artist draws a line across the page for the horizon, where the land meets the sky. Next, she makes a small dot on that line. This dot is called the vanishing point. Then she draws lines that start near her and slope toward the dot. Roads, fences, and railroad tracks can all be drawn this way.
Things in the distance also look smaller than things close up. A tree near the dot is drawn tiny, while a tree at the front is drawn large. Put the two ideas together, and a flat drawing seems to open up like a window. Your eye can walk right into the picture.
Questions
What does the passage say really happens to the two rails of a track? in the text
What is the line called where the land meets the sky? in the text
What is the dot on the horizon called? in the text
What kinds of things can be drawn with lines that go toward the dot? in the text
Why does an artist draw a faraway tree smaller than a tree up front? think about it
Why does the passage say the picture opens up like a window? think about it
Words to know
horizon
the line far away where the land seems to meet the sky
vanishing point
the spot where lines in a drawing seem to meet
distance
how far apart two things are
slope
to lean or slant up or down
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Railroad Tracks Meet at a Dot
4th grade reading passage
Stand on a long, straight railroad track and look far down the line. Something odd seems to happen. The two rails look as if they are coming closer together. Far away, they seem to meet in a single point. Of course, the rails never really touch. They stay the same distance apart all the way. But your eyes see them squeeze together as they stretch away from you.
Artists use this trick to make a flat sheet of paper look deep. Here is how it works. First, the artist draws a line across the page for the horizon, where the land meets the sky. Next, she makes a small dot on that line. This dot is called the vanishing point. Then she draws lines that start near her and slope toward the dot. Roads, fences, and railroad tracks can all be drawn this way.
Things in the distance also look smaller than things close up. A tree near the dot is drawn tiny, while a tree at the front is drawn large. Put the two ideas together, and a flat drawing seems to open up like a window. Your eye can walk right into the picture.
Questions
What does the passage say really happens to the two rails of a track?
What is the line called where the land meets the sky?
What is the dot on the horizon called?
What kinds of things can be drawn with lines that go toward the dot?
Why does an artist draw a faraway tree smaller than a tree up front?
Why does the passage say the picture opens up like a window?
Words to know
horizon: the line far away where the land seems to meet the sky
vanishing point: the spot where lines in a drawing seem to meet
distance: how far apart two things are
slope: to lean or slant up or down
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/4/railroad-tracks-meet-at-a-dot
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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 0.2
Stand on a long train track. Look far down the line. The two rails seem to come close. Far away, they seem to meet at one spot. But they do not touch. They stay the same space apart. Your eyes just see them squeeze together.
Artists use this trick. It makes a flat page look deep. First, the artist draws a line across the page. It is the horizon, where the land meets the sky. Next she puts a dot on that line. The dot is the vanishing point. Then she draws lines from near her to the dot. Roads, fences, and tracks can be drawn this way.
Far things look small. A tree near the dot is drawn tiny. A tree in front is drawn big. Now the flat page looks like a window.
▲ This passage · 196 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.9
Stand on a long, straight railroad track and look far down the line. Something odd seems to happen. The two rails look as if they are coming closer together. Far away, they seem to meet in a single point. Of course, the rails never really touch. They stay the same distance apart all the way. But your eyes see them squeeze together as they stretch away from you.
Artists use this trick to make a flat sheet of paper look deep. Here is how it works. First, the artist draws a line across the page for the horizon, where the land meets the sky. Next, she makes a small dot on that line. This dot is called the vanishing point. Then she draws lines that start near her and slope toward the dot. Roads, fences, and railroad tracks can all be drawn this way.
Things in the distance also look smaller than things close up. A tree near the dot is drawn tiny, while a tree at the front is drawn large. Put the two ideas together, and a flat drawing seems to open up like a window. Your eye can walk right into the picture.
■ Harder · 207 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.4
Stand on a long, straight railroad track and gaze far down the line, and something curious seems to occur. The two rails appear to drift closer together until, in the distance, they seem to meet at a single point. In truth, the rails never touch, since they remain exactly the same distance apart along their whole length. It is only your eyes that see them squeeze together as they stretch away from you.
Artists borrow this effect to make a flat sheet of paper look deep. The process begins when the artist draws a line across the page to stand for the horizon, the place where the land seems to meet the sky. Next, she places a small dot on that line, and this dot is known as the vanishing point. Then she draws lines that begin near her and slope toward the dot. Roads, fences, and railroad tracks can all be drawn in this manner.
Objects in the distance also look smaller than objects nearby. A tree close to the dot is drawn tiny, whereas a tree at the front is drawn large. Combine the two ideas, and the flat drawing seems to open like a window, inviting the viewer's eye to wander into the scene.
Stand on a long train track. Look far down the line. The two rails seem to come close. Far away, they seem to meet at one spot. But they do not touch. They stay the same space apart. Your eyes just see them squeeze together.
Artists use this trick. It makes a flat page look deep. First, the artist draws a line across the page. It is the horizon, where the land meets the sky. Next she puts a dot on that line. The dot is the vanishing point. Then she draws lines from near her to the dot. Roads, fences, and tracks can be drawn this way.
Far things look small. A tree near the dot is drawn tiny. A tree in front is drawn big. Now the flat page looks like a window.
Questions
Do the two rails really touch?
What is the line where the land meets the sky called?
What is the dot on the line called?
What can be drawn with lines that go to the dot?
Why is a far tree drawn small?
Why does the page look like a window?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Railroad Tracks Meet at a Dot
Stand on a long, straight railroad track and look far down the line. Something odd seems to happen. The two rails look as if they are coming closer together. Far away, they seem to meet in a single point. Of course, the rails never really touch. They stay the same distance apart all the way. But your eyes see them squeeze together as they stretch away from you.
Artists use this trick to make a flat sheet of paper look deep. Here is how it works. First, the artist draws a line across the page for the horizon, where the land meets the sky. Next, she makes a small dot on that line. This dot is called the vanishing point. Then she draws lines that start near her and slope toward the dot. Roads, fences, and railroad tracks can all be drawn this way.
Things in the distance also look smaller than things close up. A tree near the dot is drawn tiny, while a tree at the front is drawn large. Put the two ideas together, and a flat drawing seems to open up like a window. Your eye can walk right into the picture.
Questions
What does the passage say really happens to the two rails of a track?
What is the line called where the land meets the sky?
What is the dot on the horizon called?
What kinds of things can be drawn with lines that go toward the dot?
Why does an artist draw a faraway tree smaller than a tree up front?
Why does the passage say the picture opens up like a window?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Railroad Tracks Meet at a Dot
Stand on a long, straight railroad track and gaze far down the line, and something curious seems to occur. The two rails appear to drift closer together until, in the distance, they seem to meet at a single point. In truth, the rails never touch, since they remain exactly the same distance apart along their whole length. It is only your eyes that see them squeeze together as they stretch away from you.
Artists borrow this effect to make a flat sheet of paper look deep. The process begins when the artist draws a line across the page to stand for the horizon, the place where the land seems to meet the sky. Next, she places a small dot on that line, and this dot is known as the vanishing point. Then she draws lines that begin near her and slope toward the dot. Roads, fences, and railroad tracks can all be drawn in this manner.
Objects in the distance also look smaller than objects nearby. A tree close to the dot is drawn tiny, whereas a tree at the front is drawn large. Combine the two ideas, and the flat drawing seems to open like a window, inviting the viewer's eye to wander into the scene.
Questions
What does the passage say is truly happening to the two rails of a track?
What is the line where the land seems to meet the sky called?
What name is given to the dot on the horizon?
Which things can be drawn using lines that slope toward the dot?
Why does an artist draw a distant tree smaller than a tree at the front?
Why does the passage compare the finished drawing to a window?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Railroad Tracks Meet at a Dot
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.2)
No. They stay the same space apart.
The horizon.
The vanishing point.
Roads, fences, and tracks.
Far things look small to our eyes.
The tricks make a flat page look deep.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.9)
They never touch and stay the same distance apart.
The horizon.
The vanishing point.
Roads, fences, and railroad tracks.
Things far away look smaller to our eyes, so the drawing matches what we see.
The tricks make a flat page seem deep, as if you could look through it.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.4)
They never touch and stay the same distance apart.
The horizon.
The vanishing point.
Roads, fences, and railroad tracks.
Distant things look smaller to our eyes, so the drawing matches what we see.
The tricks make a flat page seem deep, as though you could look through it.
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 horizon, vanishing point, distance and slope 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 "Railroad Tracks Meet at a Dot"?
It was written for 4th grade. It has 196 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.9. 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?
No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.
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