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A Handbell Choir Needs Every Ringer

5th grade nonfiction passage about handbell choirs: 209 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction handbell choirs 209 words

A Handbell Choir Needs Every Ringer

A handbell choir makes music in an unusual way. In most bands, each player controls a whole instrument. In a handbell choir, each player holds only a few bells, and every bell makes just one note. No single ringer can play a song alone.

Imagine a melody that begins with three different notes. Three ringers must each ring a bell at exactly the right moment. One person rings the first note, the next person rings the second, and a third person rings the last. The tune only appears when the whole group works together.

The bells are laid out on long tables covered with thick foam pads. Larger bells make low notes, and smaller bells make high notes. A ringer lifts a bell, swings it forward to make it sound, and then brings it back to the shoulder to stop the sound. Ringers usually wear soft gloves, because the oil on bare skin can leave marks and dull the shiny metal.

Everyone reads from the same sheet music, but each player watches only for the notes on his or her own bells. A director keeps the beat for the group. Handbell music teaches careful listening, counting, and trust, because every small part is needed to make the song whole.

Questions

  1. How many notes does each handbell make? in the text

  2. Why can no single ringer play a song alone? in the text

  3. Which bells make the low notes? in the text

  4. Why do ringers usually wear soft gloves? in the text

  5. What job does the director do? in the text

  6. Why does the passage say trust is part of handbell music? think about it

Words to know

unusual
not common or ordinary
melody
a group of notes that make a tune
ringer
a person who rings a bell
dull
not shiny or bright
director
the person who leads a group of players
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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 · 187 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.6

A handbell choir makes music in a different way. In most bands, one player plays one whole instrument. In a handbell choir, each player holds just a few bells. Each bell makes only one note. One ringer cannot play a song alone.

Think of a tune that starts with three notes. Three ringers must ring their bells at just the right time. One rings the first note. The next rings the second. A third rings the last. The tune comes out only when the group works as a team.

The bells sit on long tables with soft pads. Big bells make low notes. Small bells make high notes. A ringer lifts a bell and swings it to make the sound. Then the ringer pulls it back to stop the sound. Ringers wear soft gloves. Oil from bare skin can leave marks and dull the metal.

All of the ringers read the same music. Each one watches only for the notes on his or her bells. A director keeps the beat. Handbell music teaches us to listen, to count, and to trust, since every small part is needed.

▲ This passage · 209 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.6

A handbell choir makes music in an unusual way. In most bands, each player controls a whole instrument. In a handbell choir, each player holds only a few bells, and every bell makes just one note. No single ringer can play a song alone.

Imagine a melody that begins with three different notes. Three ringers must each ring a bell at exactly the right moment. One person rings the first note, the next person rings the second, and a third person rings the last. The tune only appears when the whole group works together.

The bells are laid out on long tables covered with thick foam pads. Larger bells make low notes, and smaller bells make high notes. A ringer lifts a bell, swings it forward to make it sound, and then brings it back to the shoulder to stop the sound. Ringers usually wear soft gloves, because the oil on bare skin can leave marks and dull the shiny metal.

Everyone reads from the same sheet music, but each player watches only for the notes on his or her own bells. A director keeps the beat for the group. Handbell music teaches careful listening, counting, and trust, because every small part is needed to make the song whole.

■ Harder · 222 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 9.3

A handbell choir creates music in a remarkably unusual way. In most ensembles, each musician controls an entire instrument, but in a handbell choir every player is responsible for only a few bells, and each bell produces just one note. Consequently, no single ringer is able to perform a complete song alone.

Consider a melody that opens with three different notes. Three separate ringers must each sound their bells at precisely the right moment: one person rings the first note, the next person rings the second, and a third person rings the last. The tune emerges only when the whole group cooperates.

The bells are arranged on long tables covered with thick foam pads. Larger bells produce low notes, while smaller bells produce high ones. A ringer lifts a bell, swings it forward to make it sound, and then draws it back to the shoulder in order to stop the vibration. Ringers usually wear soft gloves, because the natural oil on bare skin can leave marks and dull the polished metal.

Everyone reads from the same sheet music, yet each player watches only for the notes assigned to his or her own bells, while a director keeps the beat for the entire group. Handbell music teaches careful listening, counting, and trust, because every small contribution is necessary to make the song complete.

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 unusual, melody, ringer, dull and director 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 "A Handbell Choir Needs Every Ringer"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 209 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.6. 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. 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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