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A Cooper Builds a Barrel Without Glue

5th grade nonfiction passage about barrel makers: 208 words, seven questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction barrel makers 208 words

A Cooper Builds a Barrel Without Glue

A barrel looks simple, but it is hard to build. A cooper is the craftsperson who makes barrels, and a well-made barrel can hold liquid for years. The surprise is that a traditional barrel is built without any glue.

The sides of a barrel are made of long wooden strips called staves. Each stave is cut so that it is wider in the middle and narrower at the ends. The cooper stands the staves in a ring and slips a metal hoop around one end to hold them together. At this point the barrel looks a bit like an open flower.

Next comes the clever part. The cooper heats the wood with steam or fire until it becomes bendable. Then a rope or cable slowly pulls the open end of the ring inward, and the staves curve into the round shape of a barrel. More hoops are slid on and tightened. As the wood cools, it keeps its new shape.

Finally, the cooper fits flat pieces onto the top and bottom. When a barrel is filled, the wood soaks up some liquid and swells a little. This makes every seam press together even tighter. The careful fit, and not glue, is what keeps the barrel from leaking.

Questions

  1. What is a cooper? in the text

  2. What are the long wooden strips in a barrel called? in the text

  3. How does the cooper make the wood bendable? in the text

  4. What holds the staves in a ring while the barrel is being shaped? in the text

  5. What happens to the wood when a barrel is filled with liquid? in the text

  6. Why can a barrel hold liquid without any glue? think about it

  7. Why do you think the cooper heats the wood before bending it? think about it

Words to know

cooper
a worker who makes barrels
stave
one of the long wooden strips that form the side of a barrel
hoop
a ring of metal that holds a barrel together
seam
the line where two pieces are joined
swell
to grow a little bigger
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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 · 175 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.3

A barrel looks easy to make, but it is not. A cooper is a worker who makes barrels. A good barrel can hold liquid for years. And a barrel is made without glue.

The sides of a barrel are long wooden strips. These strips are called staves. Each stave is wide in the middle and thin at the ends. The cooper sets the staves in a ring. A metal hoop holds them at one end. Now the barrel looks like an open flower.

Next, the cooper heats the wood with steam or fire. Hot wood can bend. A rope slowly pulls the open end in. The staves curve and make a round shape. The cooper slides on more hoops and tightens them. When the wood cools, it keeps its shape.

Last, the cooper fits flat pieces on the top and bottom. When the barrel is filled, the wood drinks in some liquid. The wood swells a little. Then the seams press tight. This tight fit keeps the barrel from leaking. It does not need glue.

▲ This passage · 208 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.7

A barrel looks simple, but it is hard to build. A cooper is the craftsperson who makes barrels, and a well-made barrel can hold liquid for years. The surprise is that a traditional barrel is built without any glue.

The sides of a barrel are made of long wooden strips called staves. Each stave is cut so that it is wider in the middle and narrower at the ends. The cooper stands the staves in a ring and slips a metal hoop around one end to hold them together. At this point the barrel looks a bit like an open flower.

Next comes the clever part. The cooper heats the wood with steam or fire until it becomes bendable. Then a rope or cable slowly pulls the open end of the ring inward, and the staves curve into the round shape of a barrel. More hoops are slid on and tightened. As the wood cools, it keeps its new shape.

Finally, the cooper fits flat pieces onto the top and bottom. When a barrel is filled, the wood soaks up some liquid and swells a little. This makes every seam press together even tighter. The careful fit, and not glue, is what keeps the barrel from leaking.

■ Harder · 224 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.4

At first glance a barrel appears simple, yet it is surprisingly difficult to construct. A cooper is the skilled craftsperson who makes barrels, and a carefully built barrel can store liquid for many years. Remarkably, a traditional barrel is assembled without any glue whatsoever.

The curved sides of a barrel consist of long wooden strips known as staves. The cooper cuts each stave so that it is broader in the middle and narrower at both ends. After standing the staves upright in a ring, the cooper slips a metal hoop around one end to keep them together. At this stage the barrel resembles a flower that has not yet closed.

The next step is the most ingenious. The cooper heats the wood with steam or fire until it softens enough to bend. A rope or cable then gradually draws the open end of the ring inward, so the staves bow into the rounded shape of a barrel. Additional hoops are driven on and tightened, and as the wood cools it holds its new form.

Finally, the cooper fits flat pieces into the top and bottom. Once the barrel is filled, the wood absorbs a little of the liquid and swells slightly, which presses every seam together even more firmly. It is this precise fit, rather than any glue, that prevents the barrel from leaking.

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 cooper, stave, hoop, seam and swell 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 Cooper Builds a Barrel Without Glue"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 208 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.7. 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 seven. 5 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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