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A Violin Maker Taps Wood and Listens

5th grade nonfiction passage about violin makers: 205 words, seven questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction violin makers 205 words

A Violin Maker Taps Wood and Listens

A violin is made from only a few thin pieces of wood, but each piece has to be just right. The craftsperson who builds violins is called a luthier. A luthier works with both hands and ears.

The top of a violin is usually carved from spruce, a light wood that vibrates easily. The back and sides are often made of maple, which is harder. The luthier carves the top and back from thick blocks, shaping each one into a gentle curve. The wood is scraped until it is only a few millimeters thick in many places.

How does a luthier know when to stop? By tapping. The maker holds up a plate of wood and taps it, listening to the note it rings. A thinner plate rings differently from a thicker one, so the sound is a clue. If the plate sounds dull, the luthier may scrape off a little more wood. If it is too thin, it can be weak or crack.

When the pieces are finished, they are joined to make a hollow body. The maker adds the neck, the strings, and a coat of varnish. The varnish protects the wood. Finally, the luthier plays the instrument to hear how it sounds.

Questions

  1. What is a violin maker called? in the text

  2. Which wood is usually used for the top of a violin? in the text

  3. Why is maple often used for the back and sides? in the text

  4. How does the luthier decide when a plate is thin enough? in the text

  5. What does the varnish do? in the text

  6. Why does the passage say a luthier works with both hands and ears? think about it

  7. Why must the luthier be careful not to carve the wood too thin? think about it

Words to know

luthier
a person who makes stringed instruments
spruce
a light wood from an evergreen tree
vibrate
to shake back and forth very fast
maple
a hard wood from a kind of tree
varnish
a clear coating painted on wood
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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 · 188 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.9

A violin is made from a few thin pieces of wood. Each piece must be just right. A person who builds violins is called a luthier. A luthier works with hands and ears.

The top of a violin is often spruce. Spruce is a light wood that shakes easily. The back and sides are often maple. Maple is harder. The luthier carves the top and back from thick blocks. Each one gets a gentle curve. The wood is scraped until it is thin.

How does the luthier know when to stop? The luthier taps the wood. The maker holds up a plate and listens to the note it rings. A thin plate rings in a different way than a thick one. The sound is a clue. If the plate sounds dull, the luthier may scrape off a bit more. If it gets too thin, it can be weak or crack.

When the pieces are done, they are joined to make a hollow body. The maker adds the neck, the strings, and varnish. The varnish protects the wood. Last, the luthier plays the violin to hear how it sounds.

▲ This passage · 205 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.2

A violin is made from only a few thin pieces of wood, but each piece has to be just right. The craftsperson who builds violins is called a luthier. A luthier works with both hands and ears.

The top of a violin is usually carved from spruce, a light wood that vibrates easily. The back and sides are often made of maple, which is harder. The luthier carves the top and back from thick blocks, shaping each one into a gentle curve. The wood is scraped until it is only a few millimeters thick in many places.

How does a luthier know when to stop? By tapping. The maker holds up a plate of wood and taps it, listening to the note it rings. A thinner plate rings differently from a thicker one, so the sound is a clue. If the plate sounds dull, the luthier may scrape off a little more wood. If it is too thin, it can be weak or crack.

When the pieces are finished, they are joined to make a hollow body. The maker adds the neck, the strings, and a coat of varnish. The varnish protects the wood. Finally, the luthier plays the instrument to hear how it sounds.

■ Harder · 220 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.9

A violin is constructed from just a handful of thin pieces of wood, yet every piece must be exactly right. The craftsperson who builds violins is called a luthier, and a luthier relies on both hands and ears.

The top of a violin is generally carved from spruce, a lightweight wood that vibrates readily. The back and sides are frequently made of maple, a considerably harder wood. The luthier carves the top and back out of thick blocks and shapes each into a gentle curve. Then the wood is scraped until it measures only a few millimeters in thickness across much of its surface.

How does a luthier recognize the moment to stop? By tapping. The maker lifts a plate of wood, taps it, and listens carefully to the note that rings out. A thinner plate sounds different from a thicker one, so the tone serves as a valuable clue. If the plate sounds dull, the luthier might scrape away a little more wood, but if it becomes too thin, it may turn weak or crack.

Once the pieces are complete, they are joined together to form a hollow body. The maker attaches the neck and the strings and applies a coat of varnish to protect the wood. Finally, the luthier plays the finished instrument to judge how it sounds.

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 luthier, spruce, vibrate, maple and varnish 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 6 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 "A Violin Maker Taps Wood and Listens"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 205 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.2. 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 seven. 5 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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