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Why a Red Cape Turns Dark Under Blue Light

5th grade nonfiction passage about colored stage lighting: 223 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction colored stage lighting 223 words

Why a Red Cape Turns Dark Under Blue Light

Imagine an actor in a bright red cape stepping into a stage light that has been changed to blue. Suddenly the cape does not look red anymore. It seems dark gray, almost black. The cape did not change at all. What changed was the light.

We see color because objects bounce some light back to our eyes and soak up the rest. White light is a mix of all colors. A red cape soaks up most of the blue and green parts of the light and bounces back the red part, so it looks red. Under a blue light, though, there is almost no red in the beam for the cape to bounce back. The fabric soaks up nearly everything, and little reaches the audience.

Stage crews use this idea on purpose. They slide thin sheets of colored plastic, called gels, in front of lamps. A warm orange gel can make a scene feel like a sunset, and a cool blue one can suggest night. Costume designers have to test fabrics under these lights, since a color that looks perfect in the shop may look quite different on stage.

A white costume is useful too, because it bounces back whatever light it receives. Under a green lamp, white looks green. Lighting artists use that to paint a whole scene with a few switches.

Questions

  1. What does a red cape look like under a blue light? in the text

  2. Why do we see objects as having a color? in the text

  3. Why does the red cape look dark under blue light? think about it

  4. What are gels? in the text

  5. Why do costume designers test fabrics under stage lights? in the text

  6. What color does a white costume look under a green lamp? in the text

Words to know

audience
the people who watch a show
beam
a narrow line of light
gels
colored sheets that change the color of a light
fabric
cloth made by weaving or knitting
designers
people who plan how things will look
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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 · 206 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.9

Picture an actor in a bright red cape. The actor steps into a stage light that has been changed to blue. Suddenly the cape does not look red. It looks dark gray, almost black. The cape did not change. The light did.

We see color because things bounce some light to our eyes and soak up the rest. White light is a mix of all colors. A red cape soaks up most of the blue and green light. It bounces back the red light, so it looks red. A blue beam has almost no red in it. There is nothing red for the cape to bounce back. The cloth soaks up nearly all of it, and little reaches the audience.

Stage crews use this on purpose. They slide thin sheets of colored plastic, called gels, in front of lamps. An orange gel can make a scene feel like a sunset. A blue gel can suggest night. Costume designers test cloth under these lights. A color that looks right in a shop may look different on stage.

A white costume helps too. It bounces back whatever light it gets. Under a green lamp, white looks green. With a few switches, lighting artists can paint a whole scene.

▲ This passage · 223 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.2

Imagine an actor in a bright red cape stepping into a stage light that has been changed to blue. Suddenly the cape does not look red anymore. It seems dark gray, almost black. The cape did not change at all. What changed was the light.

We see color because objects bounce some light back to our eyes and soak up the rest. White light is a mix of all colors. A red cape soaks up most of the blue and green parts of the light and bounces back the red part, so it looks red. Under a blue light, though, there is almost no red in the beam for the cape to bounce back. The fabric soaks up nearly everything, and little reaches the audience.

Stage crews use this idea on purpose. They slide thin sheets of colored plastic, called gels, in front of lamps. A warm orange gel can make a scene feel like a sunset, and a cool blue one can suggest night. Costume designers have to test fabrics under these lights, since a color that looks perfect in the shop may look quite different on stage.

A white costume is useful too, because it bounces back whatever light it receives. Under a green lamp, white looks green. Lighting artists use that to paint a whole scene with a few switches.

■ Harder · 226 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.2

Imagine an actor wearing a vivid red cape who steps into a stage light that has been switched to blue. Abruptly, the cape no longer appears red at all. It seems dark gray, nearly black. The cape itself did not change in the slightest; what changed was the light.

We perceive color because objects reflect some of the light toward our eyes and absorb the remainder. White light is a combination of all colors. A red cape absorbs most of the blue and green portions of the light and reflects the red portion, which is why it looks red. Under a blue light, however, the beam contains almost no red for the cape to reflect. The fabric absorbs nearly everything, and very little reaches the audience.

Stage crews exploit this idea deliberately. They slide thin sheets of colored plastic, called gels, in front of their lamps. A warm orange gel can make a scene feel like a sunset, while a cool blue one can suggest nighttime. Costume designers must test fabrics under these lights, since a color that looks perfect in the shop may look quite different on stage.

A white costume is useful as well, because it reflects whatever light it receives. Beneath a green lamp, white appears green. Lighting artists take advantage of that to transform an entire scene with just a few switches.

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 audience, beam, gels, fabric and designers 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 3 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 "Why a Red Cape Turns Dark Under Blue Light"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 223 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 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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