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Why Water Towers Stand So High

4th grade nonfiction passage about water towers: 175 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade nonfiction water towers 175 words

Why Water Towers Stand So High

Many towns have a tall tank on legs standing over the rooftops. It looks like a giant barrel in the sky. This is a water tower, and it does an important job: it helps water get to your faucet.

Water is stored inside the tank, high above the ground. Because the water sits up high, gravity pulls it downward through the pipes that lead to homes, schools, and stores. The weight of the water makes it push through the pipes with force. When you turn on a faucet, the water flows out without anything pushing it except gravity.

A water tower is also a backup. Pumps fill the tank, often at night when people use less water. During the day, when many families are cooking, washing, and showering, the tower supplies extra water at once. If the power goes out, the water in the tank can still flow for a while.

The higher the tank, the more force the water has. That is why engineers build towers on tall legs or on top of hills.

Questions

  1. What job does a water tower do? in the text

  2. What pulls the water down through the pipes? in the text

  3. When are the tanks often filled? in the text

  4. Why is a water tower called a backup? think about it

  5. What makes the water push harder through the pipes? in the text

  6. Why might engineers build a water tower on top of a hill? think about it

Words to know

tank
a large container that holds water or another liquid
gravity
the pull that draws things toward the ground
supplies
gives what is needed
engineers
people who plan and design buildings and machines
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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 · 150 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.3

Many towns have a tall tank on legs above the rooftops. It looks like a giant barrel in the sky. This is a water tower. It helps water get to your faucet.

Water is kept in the tank, high above the ground. Gravity pulls the water down through the pipes to homes, schools, and stores. The weight of the water makes it push through the pipes. When you turn on a faucet, the water flows out. Only gravity pushes it.

A water tower is also a backup. Pumps fill the tank, often at night when people use less water. In the day, many families cook, wash, and shower. The tower gives extra water at once. If the power goes out, the water can still flow for a while.

The higher the tank, the more force the water has. That is why engineers build towers on tall legs or on hills.

▲ This passage · 175 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.4

Many towns have a tall tank on legs standing over the rooftops. It looks like a giant barrel in the sky. This is a water tower, and it does an important job: it helps water get to your faucet.

Water is stored inside the tank, high above the ground. Because the water sits up high, gravity pulls it downward through the pipes that lead to homes, schools, and stores. The weight of the water makes it push through the pipes with force. When you turn on a faucet, the water flows out without anything pushing it except gravity.

A water tower is also a backup. Pumps fill the tank, often at night when people use less water. During the day, when many families are cooking, washing, and showering, the tower supplies extra water at once. If the power goes out, the water in the tank can still flow for a while.

The higher the tank, the more force the water has. That is why engineers build towers on tall legs or on top of hills.

■ Harder · 185 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.9

Many towns have a tall tank perched on legs high above the rooftops, resembling an enormous barrel in the sky. This structure is a water tower, and it performs an important task: it helps deliver water to the faucets in your home.

The water is stored inside the tank, far above the ground. Because it sits so high, gravity draws it downward through the network of pipes that lead to homes, schools, and stores, and the weight of the water forces it along with considerable pressure. When you turn on a faucet, the water streams out with nothing pushing it except gravity.

A water tower also serves as a backup. Pumps fill the tank, frequently at night when people use less water. During the day, when many families are cooking, washing, and showering, the tower can supply extra water all at once. If the electricity fails, the water stored in the tank can continue to flow for a while.

The higher the tank, the greater the force the water carries. That is why engineers construct water towers on tall legs or on top of hills.

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 tank, gravity, supplies and engineers 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 4 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 Water Towers Stand So High"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 175 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.4. 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. 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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