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Three Cousins and One Lemonade Stand

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

5th grade nonfiction checks and balances 214 words

Three Cousins and One Lemonade Stand

Imagine three cousins who run a lemonade stand together. What if one cousin made every rule, ran the stand and also settled every argument? That cousin could do whatever he or she liked, even if it was unfair. It is safer to share the power.

So the cousins divide the work into three parts. One cousin writes the rules, such as the price and the hours. A second cousin carries out the rules by making the lemonade and taking the money. The third cousin settles disagreements, such as whether a rule was followed.

Our national government copies the same idea. Its plan, the Constitution, spreads power across three branches. One of them, Congress, makes the laws. The president and many workers carry out the laws. The courts decide what laws mean and settle disputes.

Each branch also has ways to check the others. This is called checks and balances. For example, the president can refuse to sign a bill that Congress passes, which is called a veto. But Congress can still pass the bill if enough members vote for it again. Courts can decide that a law does not fit the Constitution.

These checks make it hard for any one branch to take too much power. Our lemonade stand works better the same way.

Questions

  1. What are the three jobs the cousins share at the lemonade stand? in the text

  2. Which branch of government makes the laws? in the text

  3. What is a veto? in the text

  4. What can courts decide about a law? in the text

  5. Why is it safer for the cousins to share power? think about it

  6. How does a veto keep one branch from having too much power? think about it

Words to know

branches
the main parts of something, like a tree or a government
Constitution
the written plan for how the United States government works
veto
a refusal to sign a bill so it does not become law
disputes
serious disagreements
balances
ways of keeping things equal so none has too much
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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 · 181 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4

Picture three cousins who run a lemonade stand. What if one cousin made all the rules, ran the stand and fixed every argument? That cousin could be unfair. It is safer to share the power.

So the cousins split the work in three. One cousin writes the rules, like the price and the hours. A second cousin follows the rules. This cousin makes the lemonade and takes the money. The third cousin settles arguments, like whether a rule was followed.

The United States government is set up this way too. The Constitution splits power into three branches. Congress makes the laws. The president and many workers carry out the laws. The courts say what laws mean and settle disputes.

Each branch can also check the others. This is called checks and balances. The president can say no to a bill from Congress. That is a veto. But Congress can pass the bill again if enough members vote for it. Courts can decide that a law does not fit the Constitution.

These checks keep any one branch from getting too much power.

▲ This passage · 214 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.4

Imagine three cousins who run a lemonade stand together. What if one cousin made every rule, ran the stand and also settled every argument? That cousin could do whatever he or she liked, even if it was unfair. It is safer to share the power.

So the cousins divide the work into three parts. One cousin writes the rules, such as the price and the hours. A second cousin carries out the rules by making the lemonade and taking the money. The third cousin settles disagreements, such as whether a rule was followed.

Our national government copies the same idea. Its plan, the Constitution, spreads power across three branches. One of them, Congress, makes the laws. The president and many workers carry out the laws. The courts decide what laws mean and settle disputes.

Each branch also has ways to check the others. This is called checks and balances. For example, the president can refuse to sign a bill that Congress passes, which is called a veto. But Congress can still pass the bill if enough members vote for it again. Courts can decide that a law does not fit the Constitution.

These checks make it hard for any one branch to take too much power. Our lemonade stand works better the same way.

■ Harder · 251 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.2

Imagine three cousins who operate a lemonade stand together. What would happen if one cousin made every rule, ran the stand single-handedly and also settled every argument? That cousin could do whatever he or she pleased, even if it were unfair to the others. Sharing the power is a far safer arrangement.

So the cousins divide the responsibilities into three parts. One cousin writes the rules, such as the price and the hours of business. A second cousin carries out those rules by making the lemonade and collecting the money. The third cousin resolves disagreements, for instance whether a particular rule was actually followed.

The government of the United States is organized in a similar fashion. The Constitution divides power among three branches. Congress is responsible for making the laws. The president and the many workers who assist him or her are responsible for carrying out the laws. The courts decide what laws mean and settle disputes.

Each branch also has ways of checking the others, a system known as checks and balances. For example, the president may refuse to sign a bill that Congress has passed, which is called a veto. Even so, Congress can still pass the bill if enough of its members vote for it a second time. The courts, meanwhile, can rule that a law does not fit the Constitution.

Together, these checks make it difficult for any single branch to gather too much power, just as sharing the work makes the lemonade stand run better.

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 branches, Constitution, veto, disputes and balances 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 "Three Cousins and One Lemonade Stand"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 214 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.3. 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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