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The Echo in the Empty Gym

4th grade nonfiction passage about sound and echoes: 187 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade nonfiction sound and echoes 187 words

The Echo in the Empty Gym

Walk into a big, empty gym and clap your hands. You will hear the clap, and then a moment later you will hear it again, a little softer. That second sound is an echo.

Sound travels in waves through the air. When a wave hits a hard, smooth surface, such as a gym wall, much of it bounces back. Your ears catch the sound twice. The first time is when it leaves your hands. The second time is when it returns from the wall.

For you to hear an echo, the wall must be far enough away. If it is too close, the bounced sound comes back so fast that it blends with the original. In a small room you hear one clap, not two.

Soft things do not bounce sound well. Curtains, rugs and cushions soak up much of a sound wave. That is why a bedroom with a thick rug sounds quiet and cozy, while a bare gym sounds big and ringing. Builders of music halls think about this carefully. They choose walls and ceilings that shape how sound bounces, so that music sounds clear.

Questions

  1. What is an echo? in the text

  2. What happens when a sound wave hits a hard, smooth wall? in the text

  3. Why do you hear only one clap in a small room? in the text

  4. Which things soak up sound instead of bouncing it? in the text

  5. Why does a bedroom with a thick rug sound quiet? think about it

  6. Why do builders of music halls think about how sound bounces? in the text

Words to know

echo
a sound you hear again after it bounces off a surface
waves
repeating motions that carry energy, like sound moving through air
surface
the outside or top part of something
soak up
to take in and hold instead of letting go
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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 · 140 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.5

Go into a big, empty gym. Clap your hands. You hear the clap. Then you hear it again, but softer. The second sound is an echo.

Sound moves in waves through the air. A wave can hit a hard wall. Then much of it bounces back. Your ears hear the sound two times. They hear it when you clap. They hear it again when it comes back from the wall.

The wall must be far away for an echo. If it is close, the sound comes back too fast. It blends with the first sound. In a small room, you hear just one clap.

Soft things do not bounce sound well. Curtains, rugs and cushions soak up sound. A bedroom with a rug is quiet. A bare gym rings. Builders of music halls plan the walls so music sounds clear.

▲ This passage · 187 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.1

Walk into a big, empty gym and clap your hands. You will hear the clap, and then a moment later you will hear it again, a little softer. That second sound is an echo.

Sound travels in waves through the air. When a wave hits a hard, smooth surface, such as a gym wall, much of it bounces back. Your ears catch the sound twice. The first time is when it leaves your hands. The second time is when it returns from the wall.

For you to hear an echo, the wall must be far enough away. If it is too close, the bounced sound comes back so fast that it blends with the original. In a small room you hear one clap, not two.

Soft things do not bounce sound well. Curtains, rugs and cushions soak up much of a sound wave. That is why a bedroom with a thick rug sounds quiet and cozy, while a bare gym sounds big and ringing. Builders of music halls think about this carefully. They choose walls and ceilings that shape how sound bounces, so that music sounds clear.

■ Harder · 190 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.4

Step into a large, empty gymnasium and clap your hands once. You will hear the clap itself, and then, a moment afterward, you will hear it again, somewhat softer. That second sound is called an echo.

Sound travels through the air in waves. When a wave strikes a hard, smooth surface such as a gym wall, much of its energy bounces back toward you. Your ears therefore catch the sound twice: once as it leaves your hands, and once as it returns from the wall.

To hear a distinct echo, the wall has to be far enough away. If the wall is too close, the reflected sound returns so quickly that it merges with the original, and in a small room you notice only a single clap.

Soft materials do not reflect sound well. Curtains, rugs and cushions absorb a great deal of a sound wave. That is why a bedroom with a thick rug feels quiet and cozy, whereas a bare gym sounds large and ringing. Designers of music halls consider this carefully, choosing walls and ceilings that shape how sound bounces so that music can be heard clearly.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put echo, waves, surface and soak up 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.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "The Echo in the Empty Gym"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 187 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.1. 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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