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Why Hills Need Low Gears

4th grade nonfiction passage about bicycle gears: 205 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade nonfiction bicycle gears 205 words

Why Hills Need Low Gears

Many bicycles have gears, and a rider can choose among them. The choice matters most when the road turns uphill.

A bicycle chain connects the pedals to the back wheel. The chain loops around a toothed wheel at the pedals and another toothed wheel at the back. Those toothed wheels are the gears. A bike with several gears has a few of each, in different sizes.

In a low gear, the chain sits on a small gear at the pedals and a large gear at the back wheel. Each turn of the pedals makes the back wheel turn only a little. Pedaling feels easy, so a low gear is good for climbing a hill. The bike moves slowly, but the rider does not get worn out.

In a high gear, the chain sits on a large gear at the pedals and a small gear at the back. Now each turn of the pedals spins the back wheel many times. Pedaling takes more effort, but the bike goes far with every push. A high gear is good for a flat road or a long, easy downhill.

A rider changes gears with a lever on the handlebars. The lever moves the chain from one gear to another.

Questions

  1. What connects the pedals to the back wheel? in the text

  2. Which gear is good for climbing a hill? in the text

  3. What happens in a high gear each time the pedals turn once? in the text

  4. How does a rider change from one gear to another? in the text

  5. What is the price of easy pedaling in a low gear? in the text

  6. Why would a rider on a flat road feel silly using a low gear? think about it

Words to know

gears
toothed wheels that work together to pass along motion
chain
a row of metal links joined together in a loop
pedals
the parts of a bicycle that you push with your feet
effort
hard work that you put into something
handlebars
the bars at the front of a bicycle that you hold and steer with
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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 · 141 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.7

Many bikes have gears. A rider can pick one. This matters most on a hill.

A chain links the pedals to the back wheel. The chain loops around gears. A gear is a wheel with teeth. A bike with many gears has a few at the pedals and a few at the back.

In a low gear, each turn of the pedals turns the back wheel a little. Pedaling is easy. This is good for a hill. The bike goes slowly, but the rider does not get tired.

In a high gear, each turn of the pedals turns the back wheel many times. Pedaling is harder. But the bike goes far with each push. This is good for a flat road or an easy downhill.

A rider uses a lever on the handlebars to change gears. The lever moves the chain.

▲ This passage · 205 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4

Many bicycles have gears, and a rider can choose among them. The choice matters most when the road turns uphill.

A bicycle chain connects the pedals to the back wheel. The chain loops around a toothed wheel at the pedals and another toothed wheel at the back. Those toothed wheels are the gears. A bike with several gears has a few of each, in different sizes.

In a low gear, the chain sits on a small gear at the pedals and a large gear at the back wheel. Each turn of the pedals makes the back wheel turn only a little. Pedaling feels easy, so a low gear is good for climbing a hill. The bike moves slowly, but the rider does not get worn out.

In a high gear, the chain sits on a large gear at the pedals and a small gear at the back. Now each turn of the pedals spins the back wheel many times. Pedaling takes more effort, but the bike goes far with every push. A high gear is good for a flat road or a long, easy downhill.

A rider changes gears with a lever on the handlebars. The lever moves the chain from one gear to another.

■ Harder · 214 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.7

Many bicycles are equipped with gears, and a rider can choose among them depending on the terrain. The choice matters most when the road turns steeply uphill.

A bicycle chain connects the pedals to the back wheel. The chain loops around a toothed wheel at the pedals and another toothed wheel at the back, and those toothed wheels are the gears. A bicycle with several gears has a few of each, all in different sizes.

In a low gear, the chain sits on a small gear at the pedals and a large gear at the back wheel. Each turn of the pedals makes the back wheel turn only a little, so pedaling feels easy. That makes a low gear ideal for climbing a hill. The bike moves slowly, but the rider does not become exhausted.

In a high gear, the chain sits on a large gear at the pedals and a small gear at the back. Now each turn of the pedals spins the back wheel many times. Pedaling demands more effort, but the bicycle travels a long way with every push. A high gear suits a flat road or a long, gentle downhill.

A rider changes gears with a lever mounted on the handlebars, which moves the chain from one gear to another.

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 gears, chain, pedals, effort and handlebars 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 "Why Hills Need Low Gears"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 205 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.0. 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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