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Why a Skater Spins Faster With Arms Pulled In

5th grade nonfiction passage about spinning and body shape: 221 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction spinning and body shape 221 words

Why a Skater Spins Faster With Arms Pulled In

On the ice, a skater begins a spin with her arms stretched wide. She turns slowly at first. Then she pulls her arms in close to her body, and she whirls much faster. Nobody pushes her, and she does not kick off again. So where does the extra speed come from?

The answer has to do with how a spinning body is shaped. A spinning object has a kind of turning motion that scientists call angular momentum. As long as nothing pushes or drags on the spin, the amount of this turning stays the same. The skater's blades glide on a thin, slippery layer of ice, so very little drag is there to take her spin away.

The amount of turning depends on two things. One is how fast the body spins. The other is how far its weight is spread out from the center. When the skater pulls in her arms, her weight moves closer to the middle. The spread gets smaller, so the speed must get bigger to keep the total the same. When she stretches her arms out again, the spread grows and she slows down.

Divers use the same trick. A diver tucks into a tight ball to spin quickly in the air, and then stretches out straight to slow the spin before slipping into the water.

Questions

  1. How does the skater begin her spin? in the text

  2. What happens when she pulls her arms in close? in the text

  3. Why does slippery ice matter to her spin? think about it

  4. What two things does the amount of turning depend on? in the text

  5. Why does she slow down when she stretches her arms out? think about it

  6. How do divers use the same trick? in the text

Words to know

momentum
the amount of motion that something has
drag
a force that slows something down
glide
to move along smoothly and easily
center
the middle point of something
tuck
to pull your body into a small, tight shape
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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 · 190 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.7

A skater starts a spin on the ice with her arms stretched out wide. She turns slowly at first. Then she pulls her arms in close, and she spins much faster. Nobody pushes her. So where does the extra speed come from?

It comes from the shape of her body. A spinning thing has a kind of turning motion. Scientists call it angular momentum. If nothing pushes or drags on the spin, the amount of turning stays the same. The ice is slippery, so very little drag takes her spin away.

The amount of turning depends on two things. One is how fast she spins. The other is how far her weight is spread from the middle. When she pulls in her arms, her weight moves closer to the middle. The spread gets smaller, so her speed gets bigger. This keeps the total the same. When she stretches her arms out, the spread grows, and she slows down.

Divers use this trick too. A diver tucks into a tight ball to spin fast in the air. Then the diver stretches out straight to spin slowly before going into the water.

▲ This passage · 221 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.2

On the ice, a skater begins a spin with her arms stretched wide. She turns slowly at first. Then she pulls her arms in close to her body, and she whirls much faster. Nobody pushes her, and she does not kick off again. So where does the extra speed come from?

The answer has to do with how a spinning body is shaped. A spinning object has a kind of turning motion that scientists call angular momentum. As long as nothing pushes or drags on the spin, the amount of this turning stays the same. The skater's blades glide on a thin, slippery layer of ice, so very little drag is there to take her spin away.

The amount of turning depends on two things. One is how fast the body spins. The other is how far its weight is spread out from the center. When the skater pulls in her arms, her weight moves closer to the middle. The spread gets smaller, so the speed must get bigger to keep the total the same. When she stretches her arms out again, the spread grows and she slows down.

Divers use the same trick. A diver tucks into a tight ball to spin quickly in the air, and then stretches out straight to slow the spin before slipping into the water.

■ Harder · 232 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.5

On the ice, a figure skater begins a spin with her arms extended as wide as they will go. At first she rotates slowly. Then she draws her arms tightly against her body, and she suddenly whirls far more quickly. Nobody pushes her, and she does not kick off again, so the source of her extra speed seems like a mystery.

The explanation lies in the way a spinning body is shaped. Any spinning object possesses a quantity of turning motion that scientists call angular momentum. As long as nothing pushes or drags on the spin, that quantity remains exactly the same. The skater's blades glide on a thin, slippery layer of ice, so there is almost no drag to rob her of her spin.

The amount of turning depends on two factors. One is how fast the body rotates, and the other is how far its weight is spread out from the center. When the skater pulls in her arms, her weight moves closer to the middle. Because the spread has become smaller, her speed must grow to keep the total unchanged. When she stretches her arms outward once more, the spread widens and she slows down.

Divers rely on the same principle. A diver curls into a tight ball to rotate quickly through the air, and then stretches out straight to slow the spin just before slipping into the water.

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 momentum, drag, glide, center and tuck 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 Skater Spins Faster With Arms Pulled In"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 221 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. 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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