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How Echoes Happen

5th grade nonfiction passage about echoes: 231 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction echoes 231 words

How Echoes Happen

Have you ever shouted into a canyon or a big empty gym and heard your own voice come back? That repeated sound is called an echo. An echo is not a trick. It is simply a sound that has bounced off a surface and returned to your ears.

When you speak, your voice makes sound waves that travel through the air. A sound wave keeps moving until it hits something. If it strikes a soft object, such as a curtain or a pillow, much of the sound is soaked up. If it strikes a hard, smooth surface, such as a stone wall or a cliff, the wave bounces back, just as a ball bounces off a floor.

You only hear a clear echo when the surface is far enough away. Sound travels about 343 meters in a second, which is roughly the length of three football fields. Your brain needs about a tenth of a second to tell one sound from another. If the wall is too close, the echo comes back too quickly and blends in with the original sound, so it seems like your voice is just a little louder.

Animals use echoes, too. A bat makes high squeaks and listens for the echoes that come back from insects. By noticing how long the echo takes, the bat can tell how far away its dinner is, even in complete darkness.

Questions

  1. What is an echo? in the text

  2. What kinds of surfaces make sound bounce back? in the text

  3. Why does a pillow or a curtain not make an echo? think about it

  4. Why do you not hear a clear echo when a wall is very close? think about it

  5. How does a bat use echoes? in the text

Words to know

echo
a sound that bounces back and is heard again
canyon
a deep valley with steep rock walls
surface
the outside or top layer of something
smooth
flat and even, without bumps
original
the first one, before any copies
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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 · 213 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.8

Have you ever shouted into a canyon or a big empty gym? Did you hear your own voice come back? That repeated sound is an echo. An echo is not a trick. It is a sound that bounced off a surface and came back to your ears.

When you speak, your voice makes sound waves. They travel through the air. A sound wave keeps moving until it hits something. A soft object, like a curtain or a pillow, soaks up much of the sound. A hard, smooth surface, like a stone wall or a cliff, sends the wave back. It bounces, just as a ball bounces off a floor.

You hear a clear echo only if the surface is far enough away. Sound travels about 343 meters in a second. That is about the length of three football fields. Your brain needs about a tenth of a second to tell one sound from another. If the wall is too close, the echo comes back too fast. It blends in with the first sound. Your voice just seems a little louder.

Animals use echoes too. A bat makes high squeaks. It listens for the echoes that come back from insects. The echo tells the bat how far away its dinner is, even in the dark.

▲ This passage · 231 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.3

Have you ever shouted into a canyon or a big empty gym and heard your own voice come back? That repeated sound is called an echo. An echo is not a trick. It is simply a sound that has bounced off a surface and returned to your ears.

When you speak, your voice makes sound waves that travel through the air. A sound wave keeps moving until it hits something. If it strikes a soft object, such as a curtain or a pillow, much of the sound is soaked up. If it strikes a hard, smooth surface, such as a stone wall or a cliff, the wave bounces back, just as a ball bounces off a floor.

You only hear a clear echo when the surface is far enough away. Sound travels about 343 meters in a second, which is roughly the length of three football fields. Your brain needs about a tenth of a second to tell one sound from another. If the wall is too close, the echo comes back too quickly and blends in with the original sound, so it seems like your voice is just a little louder.

Animals use echoes, too. A bat makes high squeaks and listens for the echoes that come back from insects. By noticing how long the echo takes, the bat can tell how far away its dinner is, even in complete darkness.

■ Harder · 232 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.8

Have you ever shouted into a canyon or a large, empty gymnasium and heard your own voice return to you? That repeated sound is called an echo. An echo is not a trick of any kind. It is simply a sound that has bounced off a surface and traveled back to your ears.

When you speak, your voice produces sound waves that travel through the air. A sound wave continues moving until it encounters an obstacle. If it strikes a soft object, such as a curtain or a pillow, much of the sound is absorbed. If it strikes a hard, smooth surface, such as a stone wall or a cliff, the wave rebounds, just as a ball bounces off a floor.

You can hear a distinct echo only when the surface is sufficiently far away. Sound travels about 343 meters in a second, which is roughly the length of three football fields. Your brain requires approximately a tenth of a second to distinguish one sound from another. If the wall is too close, the echo returns so quickly that it merges with the original sound, and your voice simply seems slightly louder.

Animals rely on echoes as well. A bat emits high squeaks and listens for the echoes that return from insects. By noticing how long the echo takes, the bat can determine how far away its dinner is, even in complete darkness.

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 echo, canyon, surface, smooth and original 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 3 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 Echoes Happen"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 231 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.3. 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 five. 3 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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