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The Ruler Drop Reaction Test

5th grade nonfiction passage about reaction time: 228 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction reaction time 228 words

The Ruler Drop Reaction Test

Here is a quick experiment that you can try with a friend and a plain wooden or plastic ruler, and it measures how fast your body reacts.

Have your friend hold the ruler up by its top end so it hangs straight down. Hold your thumb and finger open at the bottom, with the zero mark level with the top of your fingers. Do not touch the ruler. Your friend lets go without any warning, and you catch it as fast as you can. Then look at the number where your fingers closed, because that number tells you how far the ruler fell before you grabbed it.

A short fall means a quick reaction. A long fall means a slower one. The ruler does not care how strong you are. It only shows how long your body took to act.

An amazing amount happens in that tiny moment. Your eyes see the ruler move and send a message to your brain, and your brain decides to close your hand. Then another message travels along nerves to the muscles in your fingers, and each step takes a little time, even though it feels instant.

Try the test a few times. Your results will probably change from try to try. Being tired or looking away can make the ruler fall farther. Switch places with your friend and compare your scores.

Questions

  1. What do you need to do the ruler drop test? in the text

  2. What does the number where your fingers closed tell you? in the text

  3. What does a short fall of the ruler mean? in the text

  4. Why does the friend let go without any warning? think about it

  5. What happens in your body after your eyes see the ruler move? in the text

  6. Why might your scores change from one try to the next? think about it

Words to know

reaction
the way you act right after something happens
level
at the same height as something else
muscles
body parts that tighten to make you move
instant
happening right away, with no wait at all
compare
to look at two things to see how they differ
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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 · 185 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2

Here is a quick test. You need a friend and a plain ruler. It shows how fast your body reacts.

Your friend holds the ruler at the top. It hangs straight down. You hold your thumb and finger open at the bottom. The zero mark is level with the top of your fingers. Do not touch the ruler. Your friend drops it with no warning. You catch it fast. Then look at the number where your fingers closed. That number shows how far the ruler fell.

A short fall means a quick reaction. A long fall means a slower one. The ruler does not care how strong you are. It only shows how long your body took.

A lot happens in that tiny moment. Your eyes see the ruler move. They send a message to your brain. Your brain says to close your hand. Then a message goes along nerves to your finger muscles. Each step takes a little time.

Try it a few times. Your scores will change. Being tired can make the ruler fall farther. Trade places with your friend and compare scores.

▲ This passage · 228 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.4

Here is a quick experiment that you can try with a friend and a plain wooden or plastic ruler, and it measures how fast your body reacts.

Have your friend hold the ruler up by its top end so it hangs straight down. Hold your thumb and finger open at the bottom, with the zero mark level with the top of your fingers. Do not touch the ruler. Your friend lets go without any warning, and you catch it as fast as you can. Then look at the number where your fingers closed, because that number tells you how far the ruler fell before you grabbed it.

A short fall means a quick reaction. A long fall means a slower one. The ruler does not care how strong you are. It only shows how long your body took to act.

An amazing amount happens in that tiny moment. Your eyes see the ruler move and send a message to your brain, and your brain decides to close your hand. Then another message travels along nerves to the muscles in your fingers, and each step takes a little time, even though it feels instant.

Try the test a few times. Your results will probably change from try to try. Being tired or looking away can make the ruler fall farther. Switch places with your friend and compare your scores.

■ Harder · 246 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.1

Here is a simple experiment that you can attempt with a friend and an ordinary wooden or plastic ruler. It measures how quickly your body is able to react.

Ask your friend to hold the ruler by its top end so that it dangles straight down. Hold your thumb and finger open near the bottom, with the zero mark level with the top of your fingers, and be careful not to touch the ruler. Your friend releases it without any warning, and you catch it as quickly as you can. Then examine the number at the spot where your fingers closed. That number reveals how far the ruler dropped before you grabbed it.

A short fall indicates a quick reaction, while a long fall indicates a slower one. The ruler does not care how strong you are. It simply shows how much time your body needed in order to act.

An astonishing amount happens during that tiny moment. Your eyes notice the ruler beginning to move and send a message to your brain. Your brain decides that your hand should close, and then another message travels along your nerves to the muscles in your fingers. Each step takes a little time, even though the whole thing feels instant.

Repeat the test several times, and you will probably notice that your results change from try to try. Being tired or looking away can make the ruler fall farther. Switch places with your friend and compare your scores.

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 reaction, level, muscles, instant and compare 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 "The Ruler Drop Reaction Test"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 228 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 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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