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The Hot Pan Jerk and the Speedy Spinal Cord

4th grade nonfiction passage about reflexes: 209 words, seven questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade nonfiction reflexes 209 words

The Hot Pan Jerk and the Speedy Spinal Cord

Imagine you bump your hand on a hot pan. Before you even think the word ouch, your hand has already jumped away. How did your body move so fast?

The secret is a reflex. A reflex is a quick action your body does without waiting for you to decide. When your skin touches something very hot, nerves send a message toward your spinal cord, the long bundle of nerves inside your backbone. In the spinal cord, a fast message turns around and goes straight back to the muscles in your arm. The muscles pull your hand away.

Your brain is not needed for this first step. That saves time, and a little time can save your skin.

The message also keeps traveling up to your brain. A moment later, your brain knows what happened. That is when you feel the pain and say ouch.

You have other reflexes too. You blink when something flies toward your eye. You cough when something tickles your throat. Each one protects you, and each one works faster because it takes a shortcut.

Remember that a reflex is only a backup. The best safety plan is to keep your hands away from hot things and ask a grown-up for help in the kitchen.

Questions

  1. What is a reflex? in the text

  2. What is the spinal cord? in the text

  3. Where does the fast message in the spinal cord go? in the text

  4. When do you feel the pain and say ouch? in the text

  5. Can you name one other reflex mentioned in the passage? in the text

  6. Why is it good that a reflex takes a shortcut? think about it

  7. Why does the writer say a reflex is only a backup? think about it

Words to know

reflex
a fast action your body does by itself
spinal cord
the bundle of nerves inside your backbone
nerves
thin pathways that carry messages around the body
shortcut
a quicker way to get somewhere
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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 · 189 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.5

Say you bump your hand on a hot pan. Your hand jumps away before you think ouch. How did your body move so fast?

The secret is a reflex. A reflex is a quick action your body does without waiting for you. When your skin touches something very hot, nerves send a message to your spinal cord. That is the long bundle of nerves in your backbone. A fast message turns around and goes back to the muscles in your arm. The muscles pull your hand away.

Your brain is not needed for this first step. That saves time. A little time can save your skin.

The message also goes on up to your brain. A moment later, your brain knows what happened. Then you feel the pain and say ouch.

You have other reflexes too. You blink when something flies at your eye. You cough when something tickles your throat. Each one keeps you safe, and each takes a shortcut.

A reflex is only a backup. The best plan is to keep your hands away from hot things and ask a grown-up for help in the kitchen.

▲ This passage · 209 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.1

Imagine you bump your hand on a hot pan. Before you even think the word ouch, your hand has already jumped away. How did your body move so fast?

The secret is a reflex. A reflex is a quick action your body does without waiting for you to decide. When your skin touches something very hot, nerves send a message toward your spinal cord, the long bundle of nerves inside your backbone. In the spinal cord, a fast message turns around and goes straight back to the muscles in your arm. The muscles pull your hand away.

Your brain is not needed for this first step. That saves time, and a little time can save your skin.

The message also keeps traveling up to your brain. A moment later, your brain knows what happened. That is when you feel the pain and say ouch.

You have other reflexes too. You blink when something flies toward your eye. You cough when something tickles your throat. Each one protects you, and each one works faster because it takes a shortcut.

Remember that a reflex is only a backup. The best safety plan is to keep your hands away from hot things and ask a grown-up for help in the kitchen.

■ Harder · 224 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.7

Imagine that you accidentally bump your hand against a hot pan. Before you have even formed the word ouch in your mind, your hand has already leaped away. How did your body react so quickly?

The secret is a reflex. A reflex is a rapid action your body performs without waiting for you to decide. When your skin touches something dangerously hot, nerves send a message toward your spinal cord, the long bundle of nerves running through your backbone. Inside the spinal cord, a fast message turns around and heads straight back to the muscles in your arm, which pull your hand away.

Your brain is not required for this first step. That saves precious time, and a fraction of a second can save your skin.

The message also continues upward to your brain. A moment later, your brain understands what happened, and that is when you feel the pain and cry out ouch.

You have other reflexes as well. You blink when something flies toward your eye, and you cough when something tickles your throat. Each one protects you, and each one works faster because it takes a shortcut.

Keep in mind that a reflex is only a backup. The wisest safety plan is to keep your hands away from hot things and to ask a grown-up for help in the kitchen.

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 reflex, spinal cord, nerves and shortcut 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 Hot Pan Jerk and the Speedy Spinal Cord"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 209 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.1. 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 seven. 5 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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