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The Metal Path That Guides Lightning Down

5th grade nonfiction passage about how lightning rods protect: 205 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction how lightning rods protect 205 words

The Metal Path That Guides Lightning Down

Look at the roof of a tall building and you may spot a thin metal rod pointing at the sky. Thick wire runs from it down the side of the building and into the ground. This is a lightning rod, and its job is to protect the building.

Lightning is a giant spark of electricity. It happens when electric charge builds up inside a storm cloud, and then it leaps toward the ground. A bolt takes the easiest path it can find. Wood, brick, and plaster are poor at carrying electricity, so a bolt that strikes them can heat them quickly and start a fire. Metal is excellent at carrying electricity. A bolt that hits a metal rod can flow along the thick wire and slip safely into the earth.

A lightning rod does not pull storms toward a building. It simply offers a safe road for the electricity if a strike happens. Benjamin Franklin, a scientist and inventor in the 1700s, was among the first to suggest the idea.

Rods protect buildings, but people need protection too. During a thunderstorm, the safest places are inside a sturdy building or a car with a hard top. Stay away from open fields and tall, lonely trees.

Questions

  1. Where does the thick wire from a lightning rod go? in the text

  2. What is lightning? in the text

  3. Why is metal a good material for a lightning rod? in the text

  4. What can happen when a bolt strikes wood or brick? in the text

  5. Why must the wire reach all the way into the ground? think about it

  6. Where are people safest during a thunderstorm? in the text

Words to know

lightning
a huge flash of electricity in the sky
charge
a tiny amount of electricity that can build up
bolt
one flash of lightning from the sky to the ground
plaster
a smooth paste that hardens to cover walls
sturdy
strong and not easily damaged
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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 · 198 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.6

Look at the roof of a tall building. You may see a thin metal rod pointing at the sky. A thick wire runs from it down the wall and into the ground. This is a lightning rod. It protects the building.

Lightning is a giant spark of electricity. Electric charge builds up in a storm cloud. Then it leaps toward the ground. A bolt takes the easiest path it can find. Wood, brick and plaster are poor at carrying electricity. A bolt that hits them can heat them fast and start a fire. Metal is very good at carrying electricity. A bolt that hits a metal rod can flow down the thick wire and into the earth.

A lightning rod does not pull storms toward a building. It just gives the electricity a safe road if a strike happens. Benjamin Franklin lived in the 1700s. He was a scientist and inventor. He was one of the first to suggest the idea.

Rods protect buildings, but people need to be safe too. In a thunderstorm, the safest places are inside a strong building or a car with a hard top. Stay away from open fields and tall, lonely trees.

▲ This passage · 205 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6

Look at the roof of a tall building and you may spot a thin metal rod pointing at the sky. Thick wire runs from it down the side of the building and into the ground. This is a lightning rod, and its job is to protect the building.

Lightning is a giant spark of electricity. It happens when electric charge builds up inside a storm cloud, and then it leaps toward the ground. A bolt takes the easiest path it can find. Wood, brick, and plaster are poor at carrying electricity, so a bolt that strikes them can heat them quickly and start a fire. Metal is excellent at carrying electricity. A bolt that hits a metal rod can flow along the thick wire and slip safely into the earth.

A lightning rod does not pull storms toward a building. It simply offers a safe road for the electricity if a strike happens. Benjamin Franklin, a scientist and inventor in the 1700s, was among the first to suggest the idea.

Rods protect buildings, but people need protection too. During a thunderstorm, the safest places are inside a sturdy building or a car with a hard top. Stay away from open fields and tall, lonely trees.

■ Harder · 221 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.6

Glance at the roof of a tall building and you may notice a slender metal rod pointing toward the sky. A thick cable runs from the rod down the outside of the building and deep into the ground. This device is a lightning rod, and its purpose is to protect the structure beneath it.

Lightning is a colossal spark of electricity. It occurs when electric charge accumulates inside a storm cloud and then leaps toward the ground. A bolt follows the easiest route it can find. Wood, brick, and plaster are poor conductors of electricity, so a bolt that strikes them can heat them almost instantly and ignite a fire. Metal, by contrast, carries electricity exceptionally well. A bolt that hits a metal rod can travel along the thick cable and slip harmlessly into the earth.

A lightning rod does not draw storms toward a building. It merely offers a safe road for the electricity should a strike occur. Benjamin Franklin, a scientist and inventor who lived in the 1700s, was among the first people to propose the idea.

Rods and cables protect buildings, but people require protection as well. During a thunderstorm, the safest places are inside a sturdy building or a car with a hard top. It is wise to keep away from open fields and tall, solitary trees.

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 lightning, charge, bolt, plaster and sturdy 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 "The Metal Path That Guides Lightning Down"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 205 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.0. 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. 5 ask for something the text says directly and 1 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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