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Why the Metal Slide Burns and the Grass Does Not

4th grade nonfiction passage about heat and conductors: 193 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade nonfiction heat and conductors 193 words

Why the Metal Slide Burns and the Grass Does Not

On a sunny afternoon, a metal slide can feel too hot to sit on. Yet the grass next to it, in the very same sun, feels fine. Both have been warmed by the same sunshine. So why do they feel so different?

The answer is how well each material moves heat. Heat always flows from something warm to something cooler. Metal is a conductor, which means heat moves through it quickly. When you touch a hot slide, heat rushes from the metal into your skin fast, and it feels painful. Grass, wood and plastic are poor conductors. Heat moves through them slowly, so less of it reaches you each second.

Here is a clue that shows the idea in reverse. On a cold morning, a metal bench feels much colder than a wooden one, even though both are at the same temperature. The metal pulls heat out of your hand quickly, and your hand tells you it is cold.

This is why pot handles are often made of plastic or wood, while the pot itself is metal. The metal carries heat to the food, and the handle keeps it away from your fingers.

Questions

  1. What is a conductor? in the text

  2. In which direction does heat always flow? in the text

  3. Why does a hot metal slide feel painful to sit on? in the text

  4. Which materials are named as poor conductors? in the text

  5. Why does a metal bench feel colder than a wooden bench on a cold morning? think about it

  6. Why are pot handles often made of plastic or wood? think about it

Words to know

conductor
a material that lets heat move through it easily
material
the stuff that something is made from
temperature
how hot or cold something is
handle
the part of an object that you hold
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 · 150 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5

On a sunny day, a metal slide can be too hot to sit on. The grass next to it feels fine. The same sun warmed both. Why do they feel so different?

The answer is how well each one moves heat. Heat flows from warm things to cooler things. Metal is a conductor. Heat moves through it fast. When you touch a hot slide, heat rushes into your skin. It hurts. Grass, wood and plastic are poor conductors. Heat moves through them slowly. Less of it reaches you.

Here is the idea in reverse. On a cold morning, a metal bench feels colder than a wood bench. Both are the same temperature. The metal pulls heat out of your hand fast. So it feels cold.

That is why pot handles are plastic or wood. The metal pot carries heat to the food. The handle keeps heat away from your fingers.

▲ This passage · 193 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.6

On a sunny afternoon, a metal slide can feel too hot to sit on. Yet the grass next to it, in the very same sun, feels fine. Both have been warmed by the same sunshine. So why do they feel so different?

The answer is how well each material moves heat. Heat always flows from something warm to something cooler. Metal is a conductor, which means heat moves through it quickly. When you touch a hot slide, heat rushes from the metal into your skin fast, and it feels painful. Grass, wood and plastic are poor conductors. Heat moves through them slowly, so less of it reaches you each second.

Here is a clue that shows the idea in reverse. On a cold morning, a metal bench feels much colder than a wooden one, even though both are at the same temperature. The metal pulls heat out of your hand quickly, and your hand tells you it is cold.

This is why pot handles are often made of plastic or wood, while the pot itself is metal. The metal carries heat to the food, and the handle keeps it away from your fingers.

■ Harder · 207 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.9

On a sunny afternoon, a metal slide can become far too hot to sit on, even though the grass beside it, warmed by the very same sunshine, feels perfectly comfortable. Both surfaces have absorbed the same amount of sunlight, so why do they feel so different?

The answer lies in how well each material transfers heat. Heat always flows from something warm toward something cooler. Metal is a conductor, which means heat travels through it very quickly. When you touch a hot slide, heat rushes from the metal into your skin so fast that it feels painful. Grass, wood and plastic, on the other hand, are poor conductors. Heat moves through them slowly, so much less of it reaches you each second.

The same idea works in reverse, and that offers a useful clue. On a cold morning, a metal bench feels far colder than a wooden one, although both are at the same temperature. The metal draws heat out of your hand rapidly, and your hand reports that it is cold.

This is why pot handles are frequently made of plastic or wood while the pot itself is metal. The metal carries heat to the food, and the handle keeps that heat away from your fingers.

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 conductor, material, temperature and handle 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 "Why the Metal Slide Burns and the Grass Does Not"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 193 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.6. 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. 4 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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