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Roman Roads Built Layer by Layer

5th grade nonfiction passage about how roman roads were built: 186 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction how roman roads were built 186 words

Roman Roads Built Layer by Layer

Roman roads were built to last. Parts of many of them can still be found in Europe today, nearly two thousand years later. How did the builders manage to make something so strong?

First, workers marked a straight line across the land. Roman roads often ran straight so that soldiers and traders could travel fast. Next, crews dug a trench along the line and took out the soft soil. This gave them a firm place to start.

Then they filled the trench in layers. Large stones went at the bottom of it. On top of those came smaller stones, and then gravel mixed with sand. The top layer was often made of flat paving stones, which were fitted closely together. The road was built a little higher in the middle, so rain ran off to the sides, where ditches carried it away.

Stone markers called milestones stood along the roads. Each one told travelers how far they were from a town. Carts, walkers, and messengers all used these roads. People still say that all roads lead to Rome, because so many roads met in that city.

Questions

  1. Why did Roman roads often run in a straight line? in the text

  2. What did crews do after workers marked the line? in the text

  3. What kind of stones went at the bottom of the trench? in the text

  4. How did the shape of the road help with rain? in the text

  5. Why did builders remove the soft soil first? think about it

  6. Why might these roads have lasted so long? think about it

Words to know

trench
a long narrow ditch dug in the ground
layers
flat levels placed one on top of another
gravel
small pieces of rock
paving
a hard surface made for walking or driving
milestones
stone markers that show distances along a road
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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 · 151 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.7

Roman roads were built to last. Parts of many are still in Europe today. They are nearly two thousand years old. How did the builders do it?

First, workers marked a straight line. Roman roads often ran straight so soldiers and traders could go fast. Next, crews dug a trench and took out the soft soil. This gave a firm place to start.

Then they filled the trench in layers. Big stones went at the bottom. Smaller stones went on top. Then came gravel and sand. The top was often flat paving stones set close together. The road was a little higher in the middle. Rain ran off to the sides into ditches.

Stone markers called milestones stood by the roads. Each one told how far it was to a town. Carts, walkers, and messengers used these roads. Many roads met in Rome. So people say all roads lead to Rome.

▲ This passage · 186 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.9

Roman roads were built to last. Parts of many of them can still be found in Europe today, nearly two thousand years later. How did the builders manage to make something so strong?

First, workers marked a straight line across the land. Roman roads often ran straight so that soldiers and traders could travel fast. Next, crews dug a trench along the line and took out the soft soil. This gave them a firm place to start.

Then they filled the trench in layers. Large stones went at the bottom of it. On top of those came smaller stones, and then gravel mixed with sand. The top layer was often made of flat paving stones, which were fitted closely together. The road was built a little higher in the middle, so rain ran off to the sides, where ditches carried it away.

Stone markers called milestones stood along the roads. Each one told travelers how far they were from a town. Carts, walkers, and messengers all used these roads. People still say that all roads lead to Rome, because so many roads met in that city.

■ Harder · 190 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.2

Roman roads were constructed to endure, and parts of many of them can still be found across Europe today, nearly two thousand years after they were laid. How were the builders able to accomplish such a feat?

First, surveyors marked a straight line across the countryside, because Roman roads frequently ran in straight stretches so that soldiers and traders could travel swiftly. Next, crews dug a trench along that line and removed the soft soil, which provided a firm foundation on which to build.

The trench was then filled in layers. Large stones were set at the bottom, followed by smaller stones, and then by gravel mixed with sand. The surface was often made of flat paving stones fitted closely together. The road was built slightly higher in the middle, so that rainwater drained off to the sides, where ditches carried it away.

Stone markers known as milestones stood along the roads, and each one told travelers how far they were from a town. Carts, walkers, and messengers all used these roads. The saying that all roads lead to Rome arose because so many roads came together in that city.

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 trench, layers, gravel, paving and milestones 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 "Roman Roads Built Layer by Layer"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 186 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.9. 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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