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A Fleck of Paint Can Chip a Window

5th grade nonfiction passage about space junk in orbit: 230 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction space junk in orbit 230 words

A Fleck of Paint Can Chip a Window

Around Earth, thousands of old objects race through space. There are pieces of used rockets, satellites that no longer work, and tiny flecks of paint that have flaked off. People call this clutter space junk.

Space junk matters because of its speed. Objects in orbit move many times faster than a speeding airplane. At that speed, even a fleck of paint can hit with a lot of force. Spacecraft windows have been chipped by objects smaller than a grain of sand. Larger pieces could do much more harm to a satellite or a spaceship.

To keep watch, people use radar and telescopes. Teams on the ground track the larger pieces and keep a list of where each one is headed. If a piece is going to pass close to a working satellite or to the space station, controllers can fire small engines to move the spacecraft out of the way.

Some junk does not stay up forever. Objects in low orbits slowly brush against the thin top layer of air and sink lower. Eventually, most of them burn up as they fall into the thick air. Higher orbits, though, can hold junk for a very long time.

Engineers are now building satellites that move themselves out of orbit when their work is finished. Cleaning up after ourselves in space is just as important as cleaning up our rooms at home.

Questions

  1. What is space junk? in the text

  2. Why can a tiny fleck of paint cause damage? think about it

  3. How do people keep watch on space junk? in the text

  4. What can controllers do if a piece of junk will pass close to a satellite? in the text

  5. Why does junk in low orbits not stay up forever? think about it

  6. How are engineers helping to clean up in the future? in the text

Words to know

satellites
machines that circle Earth in space
clutter
a messy pile of things that are not needed
orbit
the path an object takes as it circles a planet
radar
a tool that uses radio waves to find where objects are
controllers
people who direct and guide a machine from far away
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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 · 198 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3

Around Earth, thousands of old objects race through space. There are pieces of used rockets, satellites that no longer work, and tiny flecks of paint. People call this clutter space junk.

Space junk matters because of its speed. Things in orbit move many times faster than a fast airplane. At that speed, even a fleck of paint hits with great force. Spacecraft windows have been chipped by bits smaller than a grain of sand. Bigger pieces could do much more harm.

To keep watch, people use radar and telescopes. Teams on the ground track the bigger pieces and keep a list of where each one goes. If a piece will pass close to a working satellite or the space station, controllers can fire small engines to move the spacecraft away.

Some junk does not stay up forever. Things in low orbits slowly rub against the thin top layer of air and sink lower. Most of them burn up when they fall into thick air. Higher orbits can hold junk for a very long time.

Engineers now build satellites that move out of orbit when their work is done. Cleaning up in space matters, just like cleaning your room.

▲ This passage · 230 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.5

Around Earth, thousands of old objects race through space. There are pieces of used rockets, satellites that no longer work, and tiny flecks of paint that have flaked off. People call this clutter space junk.

Space junk matters because of its speed. Objects in orbit move many times faster than a speeding airplane. At that speed, even a fleck of paint can hit with a lot of force. Spacecraft windows have been chipped by objects smaller than a grain of sand. Larger pieces could do much more harm to a satellite or a spaceship.

To keep watch, people use radar and telescopes. Teams on the ground track the larger pieces and keep a list of where each one is headed. If a piece is going to pass close to a working satellite or to the space station, controllers can fire small engines to move the spacecraft out of the way.

Some junk does not stay up forever. Objects in low orbits slowly brush against the thin top layer of air and sink lower. Eventually, most of them burn up as they fall into the thick air. Higher orbits, though, can hold junk for a very long time.

Engineers are now building satellites that move themselves out of orbit when their work is finished. Cleaning up after ourselves in space is just as important as cleaning up our rooms at home.

■ Harder · 240 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.5

Encircling Earth, thousands of discarded objects hurtle through space. They include fragments of spent rockets, satellites that have stopped working, and minuscule flecks of paint that have peeled away. People refer to this clutter as space junk.

Space junk is a serious concern because of its tremendous speed. Objects in orbit travel many times faster than a speeding airplane. At such velocities, even a fleck of paint can strike with considerable force. Spacecraft windows have been chipped by particles smaller than a grain of sand, and larger fragments could inflict far greater damage on a satellite or a spaceship.

To keep watch, specialists rely on radar and telescopes. Teams on the ground follow the larger pieces and maintain a catalog of where each one is headed. Whenever a piece is predicted to pass close to a working satellite or to the space station, controllers can fire small engines to maneuver the spacecraft out of harm's way.

Some of this junk does not remain aloft forever. Objects in low orbits gradually brush against the thin upper layer of air and spiral lower and lower. Eventually, most of them burn up as they plunge into the thick atmosphere. Higher orbits, however, can hold junk for an extremely long time.

Engineers are now designing satellites that move themselves out of orbit once their work is finished. Cleaning up after ourselves in space is every bit as important as tidying our rooms at home.

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 satellites, clutter, orbit, radar and controllers 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 2 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 Fleck of Paint Can Chip a Window"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 230 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.5. 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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