4th grade nonfiction passage about harp strings: 193 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
4th gradenonfictionharp strings193 words
Red and Dark Strings Guide a Harpist
A large concert harp has a great many strings, and they all look much alike. Think how easy it would be to lose your place! A harpist cannot look down at her hands like a pianist can. She often sits behind the strings, and the strings are in the way. So harp makers found a clever fix. They use color.
Every string that plays the note C is dyed red. Every string that plays the note F is dyed a dark color, usually black or deep blue. All the other strings are plain white or a light color.
These colored strings work like street signs. A harpist sees a red string and knows right away, "That is a C." She can find her way up and down the harp quickly. She counts from a red string or a dark one to reach the note she needs.
The strings do not stay in one tidy row, either. They rise from the sound box in a long slanted line. The longest strings make the lowest sounds. The shortest strings make the highest sounds. Color lets a player jump around the whole harp without getting lost.
Questions
What color are the strings that play the note C? in the text
What color are the strings that play the note F? in the text
Why can a harpist not look down at her hands the way a pianist can? in the text
Which strings make the lowest sounds? in the text
How are the colored strings like street signs? think about it
What would be harder for a harpist if every string were white? think about it
Words to know
harpist
a person who plays the harp
strings
the thin cords that make sound when plucked
dyed
colored by soaking in a liquid color
slanted
leaning to one side, not straight up
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Red and Dark Strings Guide a Harpist
4th grade reading passage
A large concert harp has a great many strings, and they all look much alike. Think how easy it would be to lose your place! A harpist cannot look down at her hands like a pianist can. She often sits behind the strings, and the strings are in the way. So harp makers found a clever fix. They use color.
Every string that plays the note C is dyed red. Every string that plays the note F is dyed a dark color, usually black or deep blue. All the other strings are plain white or a light color.
These colored strings work like street signs. A harpist sees a red string and knows right away, "That is a C." She can find her way up and down the harp quickly. She counts from a red string or a dark one to reach the note she needs.
The strings do not stay in one tidy row, either. They rise from the sound box in a long slanted line. The longest strings make the lowest sounds. The shortest strings make the highest sounds. Color lets a player jump around the whole harp without getting lost.
Questions
What color are the strings that play the note C?
What color are the strings that play the note F?
Why can a harpist not look down at her hands the way a pianist can?
Which strings make the lowest sounds?
How are the colored strings like street signs?
What would be harder for a harpist if every string were white?
Words to know
harpist: a person who plays the harp
strings: the thin cords that make sound when plucked
dyed: colored by soaking in a liquid color
slanted: leaning to one side, not straight up
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/4/red-and-dark-strings-guide-a-harpist
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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 · 96 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.1
A big harp has many strings. They all look the same. It would be easy to get lost! A harpist sits behind the strings. She cannot look down at her hands. So harp makers use color.
Each C string is red. Each F string is black or dark blue. The rest are white.
The colors work like signs on a street. A harpist sees red and knows, "That is C." She can find her way fast.
The strings go up in a slanted line. The long strings make low sounds. The short strings make high sounds.
▲ This passage · 193 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.8
A large concert harp has a great many strings, and they all look much alike. Think how easy it would be to lose your place! A harpist cannot look down at her hands like a pianist can. She often sits behind the strings, and the strings are in the way. So harp makers found a clever fix. They use color.
Every string that plays the note C is dyed red. Every string that plays the note F is dyed a dark color, usually black or deep blue. All the other strings are plain white or a light color.
These colored strings work like street signs. A harpist sees a red string and knows right away, "That is a C." She can find her way up and down the harp quickly. She counts from a red string or a dark one to reach the note she needs.
The strings do not stay in one tidy row, either. They rise from the sound box in a long slanted line. The longest strings make the lowest sounds. The shortest strings make the highest sounds. Color lets a player jump around the whole harp without getting lost.
■ Harder · 186 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.4
A large concert harp carries an enormous number of strings, and at a glance they all look nearly identical. Imagine how easily a player might lose her place! Unlike a pianist, a harpist cannot glance down at her hands, because she usually sits behind the strings and they block her view. Harp makers solved this problem with color.
Every string that sounds the note C is dyed red. Every string that sounds the note F is dyed a dark shade, most often black or deep blue. All of the remaining strings are plain white or another light color.
These colored strings function like street signs. When a harpist spots a red string, she knows at once that it is a C, and she can count from a red or dark string to reach whatever note she needs.
The strings also do not stand in a neat, even row. They rise from the sound box along a long slanted line. The longest strings produce the lowest sounds, while the shortest produce the highest. Thanks to color, a player can leap around the entire harp without getting lost.
A big harp has many strings. They all look the same. It would be easy to get lost! A harpist sits behind the strings. She cannot look down at her hands. So harp makers use color.
Each C string is red. Each F string is black or dark blue. The rest are white.
The colors work like signs on a street. A harpist sees red and knows, "That is C." She can find her way fast.
The strings go up in a slanted line. The long strings make low sounds. The short strings make high sounds.
Questions
What color are the C strings?
What color are the F strings?
Why can a harpist not look down at her hands?
Which strings make low sounds?
How are the colors like street signs?
What would be hard if all strings were white?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Red and Dark Strings Guide a Harpist
A large concert harp has a great many strings, and they all look much alike. Think how easy it would be to lose your place! A harpist cannot look down at her hands like a pianist can. She often sits behind the strings, and the strings are in the way. So harp makers found a clever fix. They use color.
Every string that plays the note C is dyed red. Every string that plays the note F is dyed a dark color, usually black or deep blue. All the other strings are plain white or a light color.
These colored strings work like street signs. A harpist sees a red string and knows right away, "That is a C." She can find her way up and down the harp quickly. She counts from a red string or a dark one to reach the note she needs.
The strings do not stay in one tidy row, either. They rise from the sound box in a long slanted line. The longest strings make the lowest sounds. The shortest strings make the highest sounds. Color lets a player jump around the whole harp without getting lost.
Questions
What color are the strings that play the note C?
What color are the strings that play the note F?
Why can a harpist not look down at her hands the way a pianist can?
Which strings make the lowest sounds?
How are the colored strings like street signs?
What would be harder for a harpist if every string were white?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Red and Dark Strings Guide a Harpist
A large concert harp carries an enormous number of strings, and at a glance they all look nearly identical. Imagine how easily a player might lose her place! Unlike a pianist, a harpist cannot glance down at her hands, because she usually sits behind the strings and they block her view. Harp makers solved this problem with color.
Every string that sounds the note C is dyed red. Every string that sounds the note F is dyed a dark shade, most often black or deep blue. All of the remaining strings are plain white or another light color.
These colored strings function like street signs. When a harpist spots a red string, she knows at once that it is a C, and she can count from a red or dark string to reach whatever note she needs.
The strings also do not stand in a neat, even row. They rise from the sound box along a long slanted line. The longest strings produce the lowest sounds, while the shortest produce the highest. Thanks to color, a player can leap around the entire harp without getting lost.
Questions
Which color is used for the strings that sound the note C?
What color are the strings that sound the note F?
Why is a harpist unable to look down at her hands as a pianist can?
Which strings produce the lowest sounds?
In what way do the colored strings work like street signs?
What difficulty would a harpist face if all of the strings were white?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Red and Dark Strings Guide a Harpist
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.1)
Red.
Black or dark blue.
She sits behind the strings.
The long strings.
They show the player where she is.
She would lose her place.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.8)
Red.
A dark color, usually black or deep blue.
She sits behind the strings, and they are in the way.
The longest strings.
They help the player know where she is, just as signs help a traveler find the way.
She would lose her place and have a harder time finding the right note.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.4)
Red.
A dark shade, most often black or deep blue.
She sits behind the strings, which block her view.
The longest strings.
They tell the player where she is, the way signs guide a traveler.
She would easily lose her place and struggle to find the right note.
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 harpist, strings, dyed and slanted 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 "Red and Dark Strings Guide a Harpist"?
It was written for 4th grade. It has 193 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.8. 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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