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Rings of Light Around the Moon

5th grade nonfiction passage about moon halos: 214 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction moon halos 214 words

Rings of Light Around the Moon

On some nights, a bright circle of pale light appears around the moon. It is called a halo, and for hundreds of years, people have used it as a sign about the weather. Is there truth in the old saying that a ring around the moon means rain is on the way?

The halo is made by ice. High in the sky, about as far up as jet planes fly, the air is very cold. There, thin, wispy clouds called cirrus clouds form. They are made of tiny six-sided ice crystals instead of water drops.

When moonlight enters one of these crystals, it bends. The light comes out at a slightly different angle, a bit like light passing through a glass prism. Billions of crystals bend light in the same way, and together they paint a ring that is always the same size in the sky. You will never see a halo that is tiny or huge.

Cirrus clouds often come ahead of a large weather system. When one arrives, the sky may be cloudy or wet within a day or so. So the old saying is not always right, but it is often a fair clue. A halo can also appear around the sun, but you should never stare at the sun.

Questions

  1. What causes a halo around the moon? in the text

  2. What are the high, wispy clouds called? in the text

  3. What shape do the ice crystals have? in the text

  4. Why is a halo always the same size? think about it

  5. Why is a halo a fair clue that weather may change? think about it

  6. What safety advice does the passage give? in the text

Words to know

halo
a ring of light around something bright
cirrus
high, thin clouds that look like wisps of hair
crystals
tiny solid pieces with flat sides and sharp edges
prism
a clear block of glass that bends light
wispy
thin and light, like a faint thread
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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 · 192 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.3

On some nights, a bright circle of pale light shows up around the moon. It is called a halo. For hundreds of years, people have used it as a sign of weather. Is it true that a ring around the moon means rain is on the way?

Ice makes the halo. High in the sky, about as high as jet planes fly, the air is very cold. Thin, wispy clouds called cirrus clouds form there. They are made of tiny six-sided ice crystals, not water drops.

When moonlight goes into a crystal, it bends. It comes out at a different angle, like light in a glass prism. Billions of crystals bend light the same way. Together they make a ring that is always the same size in the sky. You never see a halo that is tiny or huge.

Cirrus clouds often come before a big weather system. After they arrive, the sky may turn cloudy or wet in a day or so. So the old saying is not always right, but it is a fair clue. A halo can also show up around the sun. Never stare at the sun.

▲ This passage · 214 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.8

On some nights, a bright circle of pale light appears around the moon. It is called a halo, and for hundreds of years, people have used it as a sign about the weather. Is there truth in the old saying that a ring around the moon means rain is on the way?

The halo is made by ice. High in the sky, about as far up as jet planes fly, the air is very cold. There, thin, wispy clouds called cirrus clouds form. They are made of tiny six-sided ice crystals instead of water drops.

When moonlight enters one of these crystals, it bends. The light comes out at a slightly different angle, a bit like light passing through a glass prism. Billions of crystals bend light in the same way, and together they paint a ring that is always the same size in the sky. You will never see a halo that is tiny or huge.

Cirrus clouds often come ahead of a large weather system. When one arrives, the sky may be cloudy or wet within a day or so. So the old saying is not always right, but it is often a fair clue. A halo can also appear around the sun, but you should never stare at the sun.

■ Harder · 215 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.5

On certain nights, a luminous circle of pale light appears around the moon. It is known as a halo, and for hundreds of years, people have treated it as a sign of coming weather. Is there any truth in the old saying that a ring around the moon means rain is on the way?

The halo is created by ice. High in the sky, at roughly the altitude where jet planes cruise, the air is bitterly cold. There, thin, wispy cirrus clouds form, and they consist of tiny six-sided ice crystals rather than liquid water drops.

When moonlight enters one of these crystals, it bends. The light emerges at a slightly different angle, much like light passing through a glass prism. Billions of crystals bend the light in the same way, and together they paint a ring that always has the same size in the sky. You will never see a halo that is tiny or enormous.

Cirrus clouds frequently arrive ahead of a large weather system. Once one reaches you, the sky may turn cloudy or wet within a day or so. Therefore, the old saying is not always correct, but it is often a reasonable clue. A halo can also appear around the sun, but you should never stare at the sun.

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 halo, cirrus, crystals, prism and wispy 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 4 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 "Rings of Light Around the Moon"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 214 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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