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Names on a Petition for a Crosswalk

5th grade nonfiction passage about how a petition works: 207 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction how a petition works 207 words

Names on a Petition for a Crosswalk

Suppose cars race past the corner near your school, and kids have trouble crossing. You think the street needs a crosswalk. How can ordinary people ask their town to act? One tool is a petition.

A petition is a written request signed by many people. It shows leaders that the problem is not just one person's idea. Here are the usual steps.

First, say exactly what you are asking for. "Please add a marked crosswalk at Elm Street and Pine Road" is clearer than "Make the street safer." Put that sentence at the top of every page.

Second, collect signatures. Each person writes his or her name, and often an address, so officials can see that the signers care about the place. Some towns have rules about who may sign, such as people who live nearby. Be polite and give people time to read.

Third, bring the petition to the right group, such as the town council or a traffic board. Many councils set aside time at meetings to hear from residents.

After that, the leaders may vote, study the street, or say no for now. A petition does not force an answer. But it shows that neighbors are paying attention, and leaders often listen to that.

Questions

  1. What is a petition? in the text

  2. What should be put at the top of every page of the petition? in the text

  3. Why do signers often write an address? in the text

  4. Who might receive the finished petition? in the text

  5. Why is a clear request better than 'Make the street safer'? think about it

  6. Does a petition force leaders to give a yes? How do you know? think about it

Words to know

petition
a written request that many people sign
signatures
people's names written in their own handwriting
crosswalk
a marked place where people cross a street
officials
people who hold jobs in the government
residents
people who live in a place
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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 · 186 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3

Say cars race past the corner near your school. Kids have a hard time crossing. You think the street needs a crosswalk. How can people ask their town to act? One tool is a petition.

A petition is a written request. Many people sign it. It shows leaders that the problem is not just one person's idea. Here are the steps.

First, say exactly what you want. "Please add a marked crosswalk at Elm Street and Pine Road" is clearer than "Make the street safer." Put that sentence at the top of every page.

Second, collect names. Each person writes a name and often an address. Then officials can see that the signers care about the place. Some towns have rules about who may sign. Be polite and give people time to read.

Third, bring the petition to the right group. That might be the town council or a traffic board. Many councils hear from residents at meetings.

Then the leaders may vote, study the street, or say no for now. A petition does not force an answer. But it shows that neighbors are paying attention.

▲ This passage · 207 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.8

Suppose cars race past the corner near your school, and kids have trouble crossing. You think the street needs a crosswalk. How can ordinary people ask their town to act? One tool is a petition.

A petition is a written request signed by many people. It shows leaders that the problem is not just one person's idea. Here are the usual steps.

First, say exactly what you are asking for. "Please add a marked crosswalk at Elm Street and Pine Road" is clearer than "Make the street safer." Put that sentence at the top of every page.

Second, collect signatures. Each person writes his or her name, and often an address, so officials can see that the signers care about the place. Some towns have rules about who may sign, such as people who live nearby. Be polite and give people time to read.

Third, bring the petition to the right group, such as the town council or a traffic board. Many councils set aside time at meetings to hear from residents.

After that, the leaders may vote, study the street, or say no for now. A petition does not force an answer. But it shows that neighbors are paying attention, and leaders often listen to that.

■ Harder · 241 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.9

Suppose cars regularly speed past the corner near your school, and children struggle to cross the street safely. You are convinced that the street needs a crosswalk. How can ordinary people persuade their town to take action? One useful tool is a petition.

A petition is a written request that is signed by many people. It demonstrates to leaders that the problem is not merely one person's opinion. The process usually follows a few steps.

First, state exactly what you are asking for. "Please add a marked crosswalk at Elm Street and Pine Road" is far clearer than "Make the street safer." Put that sentence at the top of every page so that no one signs without understanding the request.

Second, gather signatures. Each person writes his or her name, and often an address, so that officials can see that the signers care about the place. Some towns have rules about who is allowed to sign, such as people who live nearby. Be courteous and allow people plenty of time to read.

Third, deliver the petition to the appropriate group, such as the town council or a traffic board. Many councils set aside time at their meetings to hear from residents.

After that, the leaders may vote on the request, study the street, or decline for the time being. A petition cannot force a particular answer. Even so, it shows that neighbors are paying attention, and leaders often respond to that.

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 petition, signatures, crosswalk, officials and residents 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 "Names on a Petition for a Crosswalk"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 207 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.8. 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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