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The Hairs in Your Ear That Cannot Regrow

4th grade nonfiction passage about protecting your hearing: 212 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade nonfiction protecting your hearing 212 words

The Hairs in Your Ear That Cannot Regrow

Deep in your inner ear is a small part shaped like a snail shell. It is called the cochlea. Its walls are lined with thousands of tiny cells, and each cell has a bunch of super-thin hairs on top. They are not hairs like the ones on your head, but they look something like them.

When sound travels into the cochlea, the fluid there ripples. The tiny hairs bend back and forth. Each time they bend, they send a signal to the brain, and that is how you hear.

These hair cells are delicate. A very loud sound can bend them too far or wear them out. If enough hair cells are harmed, people may have trouble hearing, and the hair cells in a human ear do not grow back. That means hearing needs to be protected for the whole of your life.

Here are some ways to protect your hearing. Keep the volume low on headphones. Take quiet breaks. Wear ear protection near very loud things, like fireworks or a lawn mower. If you have to shout to be heard by someone standing an arm's length away, the noise is too loud.

Your ears will work hard for you for many years. A little care today helps them keep going.

Questions

  1. What is the snail-shaped part in the inner ear called? in the text

  2. What bends back and forth when sound ripples through the fluid? in the text

  3. What do the hairs do each time they bend? in the text

  4. What can happen if a very loud sound harms the hair cells? in the text

  5. Can you name one way to protect your hearing? in the text

  6. Why does the writer say hearing needs protection for your whole life? think about it

Words to know

cochlea
the snail-shaped part of the inner ear
ripples
makes small waves that spread out
delicate
easy to harm or break
protect
to keep safe from harm
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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 · 196 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2

Deep in your inner ear is a small part shaped like a snail shell. It is called the cochlea. Its walls are lined with thousands of tiny cells. Each cell has a bunch of super-thin hairs on top. They are not like the hairs on your head, but they look a bit like them.

When sound comes into the cochlea, the fluid there ripples. The tiny hairs bend back and forth. Each time they bend, they send a signal to the brain. That is how you hear.

These hair cells are delicate. A very loud sound can bend them too far or wear them out. If enough are harmed, people can have trouble hearing. The hair cells in a human ear do not grow back. So you must protect your hearing for life.

Here are ways to protect it. Keep the volume low on headphones. Take quiet breaks. Wear ear protection near very loud things, like fireworks or a lawn mower. If you must shout to be heard by someone an arm away, the noise is too loud.

Your ears will work hard for you for years. A little care today helps them keep going.

▲ This passage · 212 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.3

Deep in your inner ear is a small part shaped like a snail shell. It is called the cochlea. Its walls are lined with thousands of tiny cells, and each cell has a bunch of super-thin hairs on top. They are not hairs like the ones on your head, but they look something like them.

When sound travels into the cochlea, the fluid there ripples. The tiny hairs bend back and forth. Each time they bend, they send a signal to the brain, and that is how you hear.

These hair cells are delicate. A very loud sound can bend them too far or wear them out. If enough hair cells are harmed, people may have trouble hearing, and the hair cells in a human ear do not grow back. That means hearing needs to be protected for the whole of your life.

Here are some ways to protect your hearing. Keep the volume low on headphones. Take quiet breaks. Wear ear protection near very loud things, like fireworks or a lawn mower. If you have to shout to be heard by someone standing an arm's length away, the noise is too loud.

Your ears will work hard for you for many years. A little care today helps them keep going.

■ Harder · 210 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.4

Deep within your inner ear lies a small structure shaped like a snail shell, called the cochlea. Its walls are lined with thousands of tiny cells, and each cell is topped with a bunch of super-thin hairs. They are not hairs like the ones on your head, although they resemble them somewhat.

When sound travels into the cochlea, the fluid there begins to ripple. The tiny hairs bend back and forth, and each time they bend, they send a signal to the brain. That is how you hear.

These hair cells are remarkably delicate. A very loud sound can bend them too far or wear them out. If enough of them are harmed, people may have difficulty hearing, and the hair cells in a human ear do not grow back. That means your hearing needs protection for your entire life.

Here are some ways to protect it. Keep the volume low on headphones. Take quiet breaks. Wear ear protection near very loud things, such as fireworks or a lawn mower. If you have to shout to be heard by someone standing an arm's length away, the noise is too loud.

Your ears will work hard for you for many years, and a little care today helps them keep going.

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 cochlea, ripples, delicate and protect 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 6 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 Hairs in Your Ear That Cannot Regrow"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 212 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.3. 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. 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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