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The Inspector Who Checks the Stair Railing

5th grade nonfiction passage about building inspectors and codes: 223 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction building inspectors and codes 223 words

The Inspector Who Checks the Stair Railing

When a family builds a new house, the walls do not go up all at once. Along the way, a building inspector visits to look at the work. This person works for the town or county, and the visits keep people safe.

The inspector follows a set of rules called the building code. A building code lists what is needed to make a building safe. For instance, it may say how strong a staircase railing must be, or where smoke alarms must be placed.

Timing matters. Many parts of a house are hidden once the walls are closed. Wires, pipes and the frame lie behind the plaster and paint, and no one can easily see them later. So the inspector checks each part before it is covered. A builder must wait for approval before moving on.

Suppose the inspector finds a stair railing that wobbles. The builder gets a note that tells what to fix. The builder tightens the railing and calls for another visit. When the railing is solid, the inspector approves it.

Some builders find this slow. But the codes are written to prevent harm, and an inspector looks with fresh eyes, since builders can miss things when they are busy. Families who live in the house later may never meet the inspector, but they are safer because of the visits.

Questions

  1. Who does a building inspector work for? in the text

  2. What is a building code? in the text

  3. Why does the inspector look at wires and pipes before the walls are closed? in the text

  4. What does the builder do after the inspector finds a wobbly railing? in the text

  5. Why does a second person checking the work help? think about it

  6. How do families benefit even if they never meet the inspector? think about it

Words to know

inspector
a person whose job is to check that work is done right
code
a set of official rules
staircase
a set of steps that leads up or down
approval
official permission to go ahead
wobbles
shakes or moves from side to side
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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 · 209 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.5

When a family builds a new house, the walls do not go up all at once. Along the way, a building inspector comes to look at the work. This person works for the town or county. The visits keep people safe.

The inspector follows a set of rules called the building code. A building code lists what a building needs to be safe. It may say how strong a stair railing must be. It may say where smoke alarms must go.

Timing matters. Many parts of a house are hidden once the walls are closed. Wires, pipes and the frame are behind the paint. No one can see them later. So the inspector checks each part before it is covered. The builder must wait for approval before moving on.

Say the inspector finds a stair railing that wobbles. The builder gets a note that tells what to fix. The builder tightens the railing and calls for another visit. When the railing is solid, the inspector approves it.

Some builders think this is slow. But codes are written to prevent harm. An inspector looks with fresh eyes. Builders can miss things when they are busy. A family may never meet the inspector, but they are safer because of the visits.

▲ This passage · 223 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5

When a family builds a new house, the walls do not go up all at once. Along the way, a building inspector visits to look at the work. This person works for the town or county, and the visits keep people safe.

The inspector follows a set of rules called the building code. A building code lists what is needed to make a building safe. For instance, it may say how strong a staircase railing must be, or where smoke alarms must be placed.

Timing matters. Many parts of a house are hidden once the walls are closed. Wires, pipes and the frame lie behind the plaster and paint, and no one can easily see them later. So the inspector checks each part before it is covered. A builder must wait for approval before moving on.

Suppose the inspector finds a stair railing that wobbles. The builder gets a note that tells what to fix. The builder tightens the railing and calls for another visit. When the railing is solid, the inspector approves it.

Some builders find this slow. But the codes are written to prevent harm, and an inspector looks with fresh eyes, since builders can miss things when they are busy. Families who live in the house later may never meet the inspector, but they are safer because of the visits.

■ Harder · 228 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.6

When a family builds a new house, the walls do not rise all at once. Throughout the project, a building inspector visits to examine the work. This person is employed by the town or county, and the visits help keep people safe.

The inspector follows a set of regulations known as the building code. A building code lists what is required to make a structure safe. For instance, it may specify how strong a staircase railing must be, or where smoke alarms should be placed.

Timing is important. Many parts of a house are concealed once the walls are closed. Wires, pipes and the frame lie behind the plaster and paint, where no one can easily inspect them later. For that reason, the inspector checks each part before it is covered, and a builder must wait for approval before continuing.

Suppose the inspector discovers a stair railing that wobbles. The builder receives a note explaining what must be fixed. The builder tightens the railing and requests another visit. Once the railing is solid, the inspector approves it.

Some builders consider this process slow. However, the codes were written to prevent harm, and an inspector looks with fresh eyes, since builders can overlook things when they are busy. The family who lives in the house later may never meet the inspector, yet they are safer because of those visits.

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 inspector, code, staircase, approval and wobbles 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 "The Inspector Who Checks the Stair Railing"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 223 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.0. 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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