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When Every Town Had Its Own Noon

4th grade nonfiction passage about time zones and trains: 220 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade nonfiction time zones and trains 220 words

When Every Town Had Its Own Noon

Long ago, a whole country did not share one time. Each town set its clocks by the sun. When the sun climbed to its highest spot in the sky, the town called it noon. The sun reaches that spot a little later as you travel west. So a town to the west had its noon a few minutes after the noon of a town to the east.

This worked well when people walked or rode horses. Trains changed everything. One railroad line could pass through dozens of towns, and every town told time in its own way. Imagine trying to write a train schedule when each station has a different clock. Trains could arrive late, and workers could be unsure which train had the right to use a track.

In 1883, the railroads in the United States found an answer. They divided the country into time zones. Everyone inside one zone used the same time, even if the sun was a few minutes off. Towns soon copied the railroads because shared time made life simpler.

Today the whole world uses time zones. As you travel from one zone to the next, the clock changes by about one hour. A phone can change the time for you, but the idea behind it is a math plan that lets millions of people agree.

Questions

  1. How did towns long ago decide when it was noon? in the text

  2. Why did a town in the west have noon a few minutes after a town in the east? in the text

  3. What problem did trains bring to towns with different clocks? in the text

  4. What did the railroads do in 1883? in the text

  5. About how much does the clock change from one time zone to the next? in the text

  6. Why do you think towns began to copy the railroads? think about it

Words to know

noon
twelve o'clock in the middle of the day
schedule
a list of the times when things will happen
station
a place where trains stop for people to get on and off
zones
areas set apart from other areas for a certain purpose
Share

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 · 146 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2

Long ago, a country did not have one time. Each town set its clocks by the sun. When the sun was at its highest spot, it was noon. The sun gets to that spot later as you go west. So a town in the west had noon a few minutes after a town in the east.

That was fine for people on foot or on horses. Then came trains. A train line passed through many towns. Each town had a different time. It was hard to write a train schedule. Trains could be late.

In 1883, the railroads fixed it. They split the country into time zones. Everyone in one zone used the same time. Towns soon did the same, because it was easier.

Today the world uses time zones. Each zone is about one hour from the next. A phone can change the time for you.

▲ This passage · 220 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.4

Long ago, a whole country did not share one time. Each town set its clocks by the sun. When the sun climbed to its highest spot in the sky, the town called it noon. The sun reaches that spot a little later as you travel west. So a town to the west had its noon a few minutes after the noon of a town to the east.

This worked well when people walked or rode horses. Trains changed everything. One railroad line could pass through dozens of towns, and every town told time in its own way. Imagine trying to write a train schedule when each station has a different clock. Trains could arrive late, and workers could be unsure which train had the right to use a track.

In 1883, the railroads in the United States found an answer. They divided the country into time zones. Everyone inside one zone used the same time, even if the sun was a few minutes off. Towns soon copied the railroads because shared time made life simpler.

Today the whole world uses time zones. As you travel from one zone to the next, the clock changes by about one hour. A phone can change the time for you, but the idea behind it is a math plan that lets millions of people agree.

■ Harder · 222 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.2

Long ago, a whole country did not follow a single time. Every town set its clocks by the sun, and noon was the moment the sun climbed to its highest point in the sky. Because the sun reaches that point slightly later as you travel westward, a western town celebrated its noon a few minutes after an eastern town did.

For people who walked or rode horses, this difference hardly mattered. Trains, however, changed everything. A single railroad line could pass through dozens of towns, and each one kept its own local time. Writing a reliable train schedule became nearly impossible, trains arrived late, and workers could not always be sure which train had the right to use a track.

In 1883, the railroads in the United States came up with a solution. They divided the country into time zones, and everyone inside a zone agreed to use the same time, even when the sun was a few minutes off. Towns soon followed the railroads' example, because shared time made daily life far simpler and more predictable.

Today the entire world relies on time zones. When you travel from one zone to the next, the clock changes by about one hour. Your phone may adjust itself automatically, but behind that convenience is a careful math plan that allows millions of people to agree.

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 noon, schedule, station and zones 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 "When Every Town Had Its Own Noon"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 220 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.4. 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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