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How Car Wheels Take a Turn Without Skidding

5th grade nonfiction passage about the car differential: 219 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction the car differential 219 words

How Car Wheels Take a Turn Without Skidding

When a car goes around a corner, its wheels do not all travel the same distance. Picture a curve like a bend in a road. The wheel on the outside of the bend has to cover a longer path than the wheel on the inside. If both wheels were forced to spin at exactly the same speed, one of them would have to skid or drag.

Engineers solved this puzzle with a set of gears called a differential. It sits between the two driving wheels, usually in the middle of an axle. The engine sends its turning power into the differential, and the differential splits that power between the two wheels.

The clever part is that the split does not have to be even. On a straight road, both wheels turn at the same rate. In a curve, the small gears inside the differential rotate in a way that lets the outer wheel spin faster and the inner wheel spin slower. Both wheels still get power, and both keep gripping the road.

Without this machine, a car would be hard to steer, and the tires would wear out quickly. You cannot see a differential from the driver's seat, yet it works every time you turn a corner. Many trucks and cars use one, and so do some small vehicles.

Questions

  1. Which wheel travels a longer path in a curve? in the text

  2. What is the set of gears called that splits the engine's power? in the text

  3. Where is a differential usually found? in the text

  4. What happens to the two wheels on a straight road? in the text

  5. Why would a car skid in a turn without a differential? think about it

  6. Why does the passage say you cannot see a differential from the driver's seat? think about it

Words to know

differential
a set of gears that lets wheels turn at different speeds
axle
the rod that a pair of wheels turns on
skid
to slide sideways out of control
engineer
a person who designs machines and structures
rotate
to turn around a center point
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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 · 181 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.5

A car goes around a corner. Its wheels do not all go the same distance. Think of a bend in a road. The wheel on the outside has a longer path. The wheel on the inside has a shorter path. If both wheels had to spin at the same speed, one would skid or drag.

Engineers solved this with a set of gears called a differential. It sits between the two driving wheels, in the middle of an axle. The engine sends power to the differential. The differential splits the power between the wheels.

The split does not have to be even. On a straight road, both wheels turn at the same rate. In a curve, the small gears inside turn so the outer wheel spins faster. The inner wheel spins slower. Both wheels still get power. Both still grip the road.

Without it, a car would be hard to steer. The tires would wear out fast. You cannot see a differential from the driver's seat. But it works each time you turn a corner. Many cars and trucks have one.

▲ This passage · 219 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6

When a car goes around a corner, its wheels do not all travel the same distance. Picture a curve like a bend in a road. The wheel on the outside of the bend has to cover a longer path than the wheel on the inside. If both wheels were forced to spin at exactly the same speed, one of them would have to skid or drag.

Engineers solved this puzzle with a set of gears called a differential. It sits between the two driving wheels, usually in the middle of an axle. The engine sends its turning power into the differential, and the differential splits that power between the two wheels.

The clever part is that the split does not have to be even. On a straight road, both wheels turn at the same rate. In a curve, the small gears inside the differential rotate in a way that lets the outer wheel spin faster and the inner wheel spin slower. Both wheels still get power, and both keep gripping the road.

Without this machine, a car would be hard to steer, and the tires would wear out quickly. You cannot see a differential from the driver's seat, yet it works every time you turn a corner. Many trucks and cars use one, and so do some small vehicles.

■ Harder · 220 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.9

When a car rounds a corner, its wheels do not all travel the same distance. Picture a curve like a bend in a road. The wheel on the outside of the bend must cover a longer path than the wheel on the inside. If both wheels were forced to spin at exactly the same speed, one of them would inevitably skid or drag.

Engineers solved this puzzle with a set of gears called a differential. It sits between the two driving wheels, usually in the middle of an axle. The engine sends its turning power into the differential, and the differential divides that power between the two wheels.

The ingenious part is that the division does not have to be equal. On a straight road, both wheels turn at the same rate. Around a curve, the small gears inside the differential rotate in a way that allows the outer wheel to spin faster and the inner wheel to spin slower. Both wheels continue to receive power, and both keep gripping the road.

Without this machine, a car would be difficult to steer, and its tires would wear out quickly. You cannot see a differential from the driver's seat, yet it quietly works every time you turn a corner. Many trucks and cars use one, and so do some small vehicles.

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 differential, axle, skid, engineer and rotate 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 "How Car Wheels Take a Turn Without Skidding"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 219 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.0. 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. 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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