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Percents in Everyday Life

5th grade nonfiction passage about percents: 196 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction percents 196 words

Percents in Everyday Life

A percent is a way to show a part of one hundred. The word comes from two old words that mean "for each hundred." If a quiz has 100 questions and you get 90 of them right, you scored 90 percent. The symbol for percent looks like this: %.

You can find percents all around you. A store might put a sign in the window that says 25% off, which means you save 25 cents for every dollar the item costs. If a game costs $20, then 25% off takes away $5, because one quarter of 20 is 5, so you would pay $15.

Percents help us compare things that are different sizes. Imagine that one team won 6 of its 10 games, while another team won 9 of its 20 games. The totals are different, so it is hard to compare the two teams. Changing both results to percents makes the comparison easy. The first team won 60 percent of its games, and the second team won 45 percent.

Weather reports also use percents. A 70% chance of rain means that, on days with weather like today's, it rained on about 70 out of every 100 of them. You might decide to pack an umbrella. Learning how percents work helps you shop, play, and plan wisely.

Questions

  1. What does the word percent mean in the old words it comes from? in the text

  2. If a game costs $20 and is 25% off, how much do you pay? in the text

  3. How did the passage turn 6 wins out of 10 games into a percent? think about it

  4. Why are percents useful for comparing two teams? think about it

  5. What does a 70% chance of rain mean? in the text

Words to know

percent
a part out of one hundred
symbol
a mark that stands for something
compare
to look at how things are alike and different
quarter
one of four equal parts
chance
how likely it is that something will happen
Share

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 · 170 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.9

A percent shows a part of one hundred. The word comes from two old words that mean "for each hundred." Say a quiz has 100 questions. You get 90 right. You scored 90 percent. The symbol for percent looks like this: %.

You can find percents all around you. A store may put a sign in the window that says 25% off. That means you save 25 cents for every dollar. A game costs $20. Then 25% off takes away $5, because one quarter of 20 is 5. You pay $15.

Percents help us compare things of different sizes. One team won 6 of its 10 games. Another team won 9 of its 20 games. The totals are not the same, so it is hard to compare them. Change both to percents. The first team won 60 percent of its games. The second won 45 percent. Now it is easy.

Weather reports use percents too. A 70% chance of rain means that on days with weather like today's, it rained on about 70 out of every 100. You might pack an umbrella. Learning about percents helps you shop, play, and plan.

▲ This passage · 196 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.4

A percent is a way to show a part of one hundred. The word comes from two old words that mean "for each hundred." If a quiz has 100 questions and you get 90 of them right, you scored 90 percent. The symbol for percent looks like this: %.

You can find percents all around you. A store might put a sign in the window that says 25% off, which means you save 25 cents for every dollar the item costs. If a game costs $20, then 25% off takes away $5, because one quarter of 20 is 5, so you would pay $15.

Percents help us compare things that are different sizes. Imagine that one team won 6 of its 10 games, while another team won 9 of its 20 games. The totals are different, so it is hard to compare the two teams. Changing both results to percents makes the comparison easy. The first team won 60 percent of its games, and the second team won 45 percent.

Weather reports also use percents. A 70% chance of rain means that, on days with weather like today's, it rained on about 70 out of every 100 of them. You might decide to pack an umbrella. Learning how percents work helps you shop, play, and plan wisely.

■ Harder · 195 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.3

A percent is a method of expressing a portion of one hundred. The word descends from two old words that mean "for each hundred." If a quiz contains 100 questions and you answer 90 of them correctly, you have scored 90 percent. The symbol for percent looks like this: %.

You can discover percents all around you. A store might display a sign in its window announcing 25% off. That means you save 25 cents for every dollar that the item costs. If a game is priced at $20, then 25% off subtracts $5, because one quarter of 20 is 5, and you would pay $15.

Percents allow us to compare things that are different sizes. Suppose one team won 6 of its 10 games, while another team won 9 of its 20 games. Since the totals are not identical, comparing them is awkward. Converting both results to percents makes the comparison simple. The first team won 60 percent of its games, and the second won 45 percent.

Weather reports also rely on percents. A 70% chance of rain means that, on days with weather like today's, it rained on about 70 out of every 100 of them. You might decide to pack an umbrella. Understanding how percents work helps you shop, play, and plan wisely.

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 percent, symbol, compare, quarter and chance 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 "Percents in Everyday Life"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 196 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.4. 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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