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Reading a Bean Plant's Line Graph

5th grade nonfiction passage about line graphs and change over time: 221 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction line graphs and change over time 221 words

Reading a Bean Plant's Line Graph

A line graph is a picture that shows how something changes over time. Time goes along the bottom, which is called the horizontal axis. The thing being measured goes up the side, which is the vertical axis. A dot marks each measurement, and a line connects the dots.

Suppose a class grew a bean plant and measured it at the end of each week. The heights were 2 centimeters, 5, 11, 18, 19, and 19. If you plot these on a line graph, the shape tells a story.

At first the line rises gently, because the plant grew only 3 centimeters in week two. Then it climbs more steeply. The steepest part comes between weeks three and four, when the plant grew 7 centimeters. A steep line means fast change.

Then something interesting happens. Between weeks four and five, the line is almost flat, because the plant added only 1 centimeter. In the last week, the line stays perfectly level, which means the height did not change at all. A flat line means no change. If a plant had been cut back, the line would slope downward, and a falling line means the measurement got smaller.

You do not have to read every number to understand a line graph. Just ask whether the line goes up, down, or stays level, and how steeply. The slope shows the story of change.

Questions

  1. What does a line graph show? in the text

  2. What goes along the horizontal axis? in the text

  3. During which weeks did the bean plant grow the most? in the text

  4. What does a flat line mean on a line graph? in the text

  5. What would a line sloping downward tell you? think about it

  6. Why can you understand a line graph without reading every number? think about it

Words to know

axis
one of the two lines that mark the sides of a graph
plot
to mark points on a graph
steeply
rising or falling very sharply
slope
how much a line slants up or down
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 · 203 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2

A line graph is a picture that shows how something changes over time. Time goes along the bottom. That is the horizontal axis. The thing being measured goes up the side. That is the vertical axis. A dot marks each measurement. A line joins the dots.

Say a class grew a bean plant. They measured it at the end of each week. The heights were 2 centimeters, 5, 11, 18, 19, and 19. Put these on a line graph and the shape tells a story.

At first the line rises a little. In week two the plant grew only 3 centimeters. Then the line climbs more steeply. The steepest part is between weeks three and four. The plant grew 7 centimeters. A steep line means fast change.

Then the line goes almost flat. Between weeks four and five, the plant grew only 1 centimeter. In the last week the line is level. The height did not change at all. A flat line means no change. If a plant were cut back, the line would slope down. A falling line means the measure got smaller.

You do not need to read every number. Ask if the line goes up, down, or stays level. Ask how steeply. The slope tells the story of change.

▲ This passage · 221 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.5

A line graph is a picture that shows how something changes over time. Time goes along the bottom, which is called the horizontal axis. The thing being measured goes up the side, which is the vertical axis. A dot marks each measurement, and a line connects the dots.

Suppose a class grew a bean plant and measured it at the end of each week. The heights were 2 centimeters, 5, 11, 18, 19, and 19. If you plot these on a line graph, the shape tells a story.

At first the line rises gently, because the plant grew only 3 centimeters in week two. Then it climbs more steeply. The steepest part comes between weeks three and four, when the plant grew 7 centimeters. A steep line means fast change.

Then something interesting happens. Between weeks four and five, the line is almost flat, because the plant added only 1 centimeter. In the last week, the line stays perfectly level, which means the height did not change at all. A flat line means no change. If a plant had been cut back, the line would slope downward, and a falling line means the measurement got smaller.

You do not have to read every number to understand a line graph. Just ask whether the line goes up, down, or stays level, and how steeply. The slope shows the story of change.

■ Harder · 239 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6

A line graph is a visual display that shows how something changes as time passes. Time runs along the bottom of the graph, which is called the horizontal axis, while the quantity being measured runs up the side, which is the vertical axis. A dot marks each measurement, and a line connects the dots in order.

Suppose a class grew a bean plant and measured its height at the end of each week. The heights were 2 centimeters, 5, 11, 18, 19, and 19. When these measurements are plotted on a line graph, the shape of the line tells a story.

At first the line rises gently, because the plant grew only 3 centimeters during the second week. Afterward it climbs far more steeply. The steepest section lies between weeks three and four, when the plant grew a full 7 centimeters. A steep line indicates rapid change.

Then something interesting occurs. Between weeks four and five, the line is nearly flat, since the plant added just 1 centimeter. During the final week, the line stays perfectly level, which means the height did not change whatsoever. A flat line indicates no change. Had the plant been trimmed back, the line would have sloped downward, and a falling line means the measurement decreased.

You do not have to read every number to grasp a line graph. Simply ask whether the line climbs, falls, or stays level, and how sharply it does so. The slope reveals the whole story of change.

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 axis, plot, steeply and slope 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 "Reading a Bean Plant's Line Graph"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 221 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.5. 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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