5th grade nonfiction passage about english tally sticks: 181 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
5th gradenonfictionenglish tally sticks181 words
Split Sticks That Kept the Books
Hundreds of years ago in England, people kept track of the money they owed by using sticks. These sticks were called tally sticks. A tally stick was a straight piece of wood with little cuts in it.
Here is how one worked. Say a person lent money to someone else. A clerk cut several notches into the stick, and the size and place of each notch showed how much money was owed. Then the stick was split down its length. Each person kept one half, and both halves carried the same notches.
This was a clever plan, because a split stick was very hard to fake. When the money was paid back, the two halves were put together again. If the notches and the grain of the wood lined up, everyone knew the halves were real.
The king's treasury used tally sticks for hundreds of years. In 1834, workers burned a big pile of old sticks in the stoves under the Parliament building in London. The fire spread and badly damaged the old buildings. Today the word tally still means to count.
Questions
What were tally sticks used for? in the text
What did the notches on a stick show? in the text
What happened to the stick after the notches were cut? in the text
How did people know the halves were real? in the text
Why was a split stick hard to fake? think about it
What went wrong in 1834? think about it
Words to know
tally
a count or record of how much
notches
small cuts made in the edge of something
clerk
a person who keeps records
grain
the lines and pattern that run through wood
treasury
the place where a ruler or country keeps its money
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Split Sticks That Kept the Books
5th grade reading passage
Hundreds of years ago in England, people kept track of the money they owed by using sticks. These sticks were called tally sticks. A tally stick was a straight piece of wood with little cuts in it.
Here is how one worked. Say a person lent money to someone else. A clerk cut several notches into the stick, and the size and place of each notch showed how much money was owed. Then the stick was split down its length. Each person kept one half, and both halves carried the same notches.
This was a clever plan, because a split stick was very hard to fake. When the money was paid back, the two halves were put together again. If the notches and the grain of the wood lined up, everyone knew the halves were real.
The king's treasury used tally sticks for hundreds of years. In 1834, workers burned a big pile of old sticks in the stoves under the Parliament building in London. The fire spread and badly damaged the old buildings. Today the word tally still means to count.
Questions
What were tally sticks used for?
What did the notches on a stick show?
What happened to the stick after the notches were cut?
How did people know the halves were real?
Why was a split stick hard to fake?
What went wrong in 1834?
Words to know
tally: a count or record of how much
notches: small cuts made in the edge of something
clerk: a person who keeps records
grain: the lines and pattern that run through wood
treasury: the place where a ruler or country keeps its money
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/5/split-sticks-that-kept-the-books
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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 · 166 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.6
Long ago in England, people kept track of money with sticks. These were called tally sticks. A tally stick was a straight piece of wood with little cuts in it.
Here is how it worked. Say a person lent money to someone. A clerk cut notches in the stick. The size and place of the notches showed how much money was owed. Then the stick was split down its length. Each person kept one half. Both halves had the same notches.
This was a clever plan. A split stick was hard to fake. When the money was paid back, the two halves were put together. If the notches and the grain of the wood lined up, everyone knew the halves were real.
The king's treasury used tally sticks for hundreds of years. In 1834, workers burned a pile of old sticks in the stoves under the Parliament building in London. The fire spread and badly hurt the old buildings. Today the word tally still means to count.
▲ This passage · 181 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.1
Hundreds of years ago in England, people kept track of the money they owed by using sticks. These sticks were called tally sticks. A tally stick was a straight piece of wood with little cuts in it.
Here is how one worked. Say a person lent money to someone else. A clerk cut several notches into the stick, and the size and place of each notch showed how much money was owed. Then the stick was split down its length. Each person kept one half, and both halves carried the same notches.
This was a clever plan, because a split stick was very hard to fake. When the money was paid back, the two halves were put together again. If the notches and the grain of the wood lined up, everyone knew the halves were real.
The king's treasury used tally sticks for hundreds of years. In 1834, workers burned a big pile of old sticks in the stoves under the Parliament building in London. The fire spread and badly damaged the old buildings. Today the word tally still means to count.
■ Harder · 185 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.9
Several hundred years ago in England, people recorded who owed money by using wooden sticks known as tally sticks. A tally stick was a straight piece of wood with small cuts carved into its surface.
Here is how one worked. Suppose a person lent money to somebody else. A clerk would cut notches into the stick, and the size and position of each notch indicated how much money was owed. The stick was then split along its length, and each person kept one half, with both halves carrying the same notches.
This was an ingenious system, because a split stick was extremely difficult to fake. When the money was repaid, the two halves were fitted together. If the notches and the grain of the wood lined up perfectly, everyone could be certain that the halves were genuine.
The king's treasury relied on tally sticks for hundreds of years. In 1834, workers burned a large pile of old sticks in the stoves beneath the Parliament building in London, and the fire spread and badly damaged the historic buildings. Even today, the word tally still means to count.
Long ago in England, people kept track of money with sticks. These were called tally sticks. A tally stick was a straight piece of wood with little cuts in it.
Here is how it worked. Say a person lent money to someone. A clerk cut notches in the stick. The size and place of the notches showed how much money was owed. Then the stick was split down its length. Each person kept one half. Both halves had the same notches.
This was a clever plan. A split stick was hard to fake. When the money was paid back, the two halves were put together. If the notches and the grain of the wood lined up, everyone knew the halves were real.
The king's treasury used tally sticks for hundreds of years. In 1834, workers burned a pile of old sticks in the stoves under the Parliament building in London. The fire spread and badly hurt the old buildings. Today the word tally still means to count.
Questions
What were tally sticks used for?
What did the notches show?
What happened to the stick after the notches were cut?
How did people know the halves were real?
Why was a split stick hard to fake?
What went wrong in 1834?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Split Sticks That Kept the Books
Hundreds of years ago in England, people kept track of the money they owed by using sticks. These sticks were called tally sticks. A tally stick was a straight piece of wood with little cuts in it.
Here is how one worked. Say a person lent money to someone else. A clerk cut several notches into the stick, and the size and place of each notch showed how much money was owed. Then the stick was split down its length. Each person kept one half, and both halves carried the same notches.
This was a clever plan, because a split stick was very hard to fake. When the money was paid back, the two halves were put together again. If the notches and the grain of the wood lined up, everyone knew the halves were real.
The king's treasury used tally sticks for hundreds of years. In 1834, workers burned a big pile of old sticks in the stoves under the Parliament building in London. The fire spread and badly damaged the old buildings. Today the word tally still means to count.
Questions
What were tally sticks used for?
What did the notches on a stick show?
What happened to the stick after the notches were cut?
How did people know the halves were real?
Why was a split stick hard to fake?
What went wrong in 1834?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Split Sticks That Kept the Books
Several hundred years ago in England, people recorded who owed money by using wooden sticks known as tally sticks. A tally stick was a straight piece of wood with small cuts carved into its surface.
Here is how one worked. Suppose a person lent money to somebody else. A clerk would cut notches into the stick, and the size and position of each notch indicated how much money was owed. The stick was then split along its length, and each person kept one half, with both halves carrying the same notches.
This was an ingenious system, because a split stick was extremely difficult to fake. When the money was repaid, the two halves were fitted together. If the notches and the grain of the wood lined up perfectly, everyone could be certain that the halves were genuine.
The king's treasury relied on tally sticks for hundreds of years. In 1834, workers burned a large pile of old sticks in the stoves beneath the Parliament building in London, and the fire spread and badly damaged the historic buildings. Even today, the word tally still means to count.
Questions
What were tally sticks used to record?
What did the size and position of each notch indicate?
What was done with the stick after the notches were cut?
How could people be certain that the halves were genuine?
Why was a split stick extremely difficult to fake?
What went wrong in 1834?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Split Sticks That Kept the Books
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.6)
To keep track of money that was owed.
How much money was owed.
It was split down its length and each person kept one half.
The notches and wood grain lined up.
A faker would have to make a half that matched in notches and grain.
Burning old sticks started a fire that hurt the Parliament buildings.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.1)
To keep track of money that was owed.
How much money was owed.
It was split down its length and each person kept one half.
The notches and the grain of the wood lined up.
A faker would need to make a half that matched in both notches and wood grain.
Burning old sticks in the stoves started a fire that damaged the Parliament buildings.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.9)
Who owed money and how much was owed.
How much money was owed.
It was split along its length and each person kept one half.
The notches and the grain of the wood lined up perfectly.
A faker would need to produce a half that matched in both notches and wood grain.
Burning old sticks started a fire that badly damaged the Parliament buildings.
Free at teach.peabody.kids
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Ideas for class
Before reading, put tally, notches, clerk, grain and treasury 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.
What reading level is "Split Sticks That Kept the Books"?
It was written for 5th grade. It has 181 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.0. 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.
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