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A Clay Rabbit Hops Through Stop-Motion

5th grade nonfiction passage about stop-motion animation: 216 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction stop-motion animation 216 words

A Clay Rabbit Hops Through Stop-Motion

Some movies and shorts feature clay characters that seem to walk, talk, and dance. Nobody is pulling strings, and the figures are not alive. The trick is called stop-motion, and it is built from patience and many photographs.

Imagine an artist who wants a clay rabbit to hop across a table. First, the artist places the camera on a steady stand so that it will not shake. Then the rabbit is set at the start of its path, and the artist takes a photo. Next, the rabbit is moved a tiny bit, perhaps the width of a pencil, and another photo is taken. The artist repeats this move after move, adjusting a paw or an ear each time.

When the photos are played back quickly, one after the other, our eyes blend them into smooth motion. The rabbit looks as if it is hopping by itself. A flip book works in the same way, but the pictures are photographs of real objects.

Stop-motion takes a very long time. A few seconds of film can need many hours of work. Lights must stay exactly the same in every shot, or the picture will flicker. If an artist moves a figure too far, the motion looks jumpy. Small, careful changes make the best illusion of life.

Questions

  1. What is the trick behind clay characters that seem to move called? in the text

  2. Why does the artist put the camera on a steady stand? in the text

  3. How far is the rabbit moved between photos? in the text

  4. Why does the rabbit look as if it is hopping by itself? think about it

  5. What happens if the lights change from shot to shot? in the text

  6. What happens if an artist moves a figure too far at once? in the text

Words to know

patience
the ability to wait or work slowly without getting upset
photographs
pictures taken with a camera
blend
to mix together so they seem like one
flicker
to shine or look unsteady
illusion
something that seems real but is not
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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 · 201 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.6

Some movies have clay characters that seem to walk, talk, and dance. No one pulls strings. The figures are not alive. The trick is called stop-motion. It takes patience and lots of photos.

Say an artist wants a clay rabbit to hop across a table. First, the artist sets the camera on a steady stand so it will not shake. The rabbit goes at the start of its path. The artist takes a photo. Then the rabbit is moved a tiny bit, maybe the width of a pencil. The artist takes another photo. This goes on, move after move. Each time, a paw or an ear is changed a little.

The photos are played back fast, one after the other. Our eyes blend them into smooth motion. The rabbit looks as if it hops by itself. A flip book works the same way. But these pictures are photos of real things.

Stop-motion takes a long time. A few seconds of film can take hours of work. The lights must stay the same in every shot, or the picture will flicker. If a figure moves too far, the motion looks jumpy. Small, careful moves make the best illusion of life.

▲ This passage · 216 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.5

Some movies and shorts feature clay characters that seem to walk, talk, and dance. Nobody is pulling strings, and the figures are not alive. The trick is called stop-motion, and it is built from patience and many photographs.

Imagine an artist who wants a clay rabbit to hop across a table. First, the artist places the camera on a steady stand so that it will not shake. Then the rabbit is set at the start of its path, and the artist takes a photo. Next, the rabbit is moved a tiny bit, perhaps the width of a pencil, and another photo is taken. The artist repeats this move after move, adjusting a paw or an ear each time.

When the photos are played back quickly, one after the other, our eyes blend them into smooth motion. The rabbit looks as if it is hopping by itself. A flip book works in the same way, but the pictures are photographs of real objects.

Stop-motion takes a very long time. A few seconds of film can need many hours of work. Lights must stay exactly the same in every shot, or the picture will flicker. If an artist moves a figure too far, the motion looks jumpy. Small, careful changes make the best illusion of life.

■ Harder · 226 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.9

Certain movies and short films feature clay characters that appear to walk, talk, and dance. Nobody is pulling strings, and the figures are certainly not alive. The technique is called stop-motion, and it is constructed entirely from patience and an enormous number of photographs.

Picture an artist who wants a clay rabbit to hop across a table. To begin, the artist mounts the camera on a steady stand so that it cannot shake. The rabbit is placed at the start of its path, and the artist takes a photo. Next, the rabbit is nudged forward a tiny distance, perhaps the width of a pencil, and another photo is taken. The artist repeats this process move after move, adjusting a paw or an ear slightly each time.

When the photographs are played back rapidly, one after another, our eyes blend them into smooth motion, and the rabbit looks as though it is hopping by itself. A flip book operates on the same principle, except that these pictures are photographs of real objects.

Stop-motion is extraordinarily time-consuming, since a few seconds of film can require many hours of effort. The lighting must remain identical in every shot, or the picture will flicker, and if an artist moves a figure too far, the motion appears jumpy. Small, careful adjustments produce the most convincing illusion of life.

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 patience, photographs, blend, flicker and illusion 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 "A Clay Rabbit Hops Through Stop-Motion"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 216 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.5. 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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