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Why Astronauts Must Work Out Every Day

6th grade nonfiction passage about exercise in orbit: 240 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction exercise in orbit 240 words

Why Astronauts Must Work Out Every Day

On Earth, your body works against gravity all day long. Your legs hold you up, your back keeps you straight, and your bones carry your weight. Even simple walking is a small workout, and it keeps muscles and bones strong.

Aboard the International Space Station, everything floats. Astronauts are in a state called microgravity, so their bodies no longer carry any weight. That sounds like fun, and it is, but it causes a problem. When muscles and bones are not used, they begin to weaken. Muscles can shrink, and bones can lose some of their strength, much faster than they would on Earth.

To fight this, astronauts follow a plan of exercise on most days of the week. The workouts last a long time, about two hours each day. Of course, a regular treadmill would not work if the runner floated up off it, so special equipment is used. On the treadmill, a harness and straps hold the astronaut down against the belt. A stationary bike is bolted into place. For lifting, a machine uses vacuum cylinders instead of heavy weights, because weights would be pointless when nothing has any weight.

The exercise helps, but it is not perfect. After a long mission, astronauts often feel weak and wobbly when they return. They may need help walking at first. With rest, healthy food and training, they recover.

The lesson is that our bodies depend on gravity more than we realize.

Questions

  1. Why is walking on Earth a small workout? think about it

  2. What is the floating state aboard the space station called? in the text

  3. What happens to muscles and bones that are not used? in the text

  4. How long do astronauts exercise each day? in the text

  5. Why does a treadmill in space need a harness and straps? think about it

  6. Why does the lifting machine use vacuum cylinders instead of heavy weights? in the text

Words to know

microgravity
a condition where things seem to have almost no weight
weaken
to become less strong
harness
a set of straps that holds someone in place
equipment
tools and machines made for a job
treadmill
a machine with a moving belt for walking or running
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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 · 205 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.9

On Earth, your body works against gravity all day. Your legs hold you up. Your back keeps you straight. Your bones carry your weight. Even simple walking is a small workout. It keeps muscles and bones strong.

On the International Space Station, everything floats. Astronauts are in a state called microgravity. Their bodies do not carry any weight. That sounds like fun, and it is. But it causes a problem. Muscles and bones that are not used begin to weaken. They can lose strength much faster than on Earth.

To fight this, astronauts exercise on most days. Each workout is about two hours. A normal treadmill would not work, because the runner would float off it. So the station has special equipment. On the treadmill, a harness and straps hold the astronaut down. A stationary bike is bolted in place. For lifting, a machine uses vacuum cylinders, not heavy weights. Weights would be pointless when nothing has weight.

The exercise helps, but it is not perfect. After a long mission, astronauts often feel weak and wobbly. They may need help to walk at first. With rest, healthy food and training, they get better.

The lesson is that our bodies need gravity more than we know.

▲ This passage · 240 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.7

On Earth, your body works against gravity all day long. Your legs hold you up, your back keeps you straight, and your bones carry your weight. Even simple walking is a small workout, and it keeps muscles and bones strong.

Aboard the International Space Station, everything floats. Astronauts are in a state called microgravity, so their bodies no longer carry any weight. That sounds like fun, and it is, but it causes a problem. When muscles and bones are not used, they begin to weaken. Muscles can shrink, and bones can lose some of their strength, much faster than they would on Earth.

To fight this, astronauts follow a plan of exercise on most days of the week. The workouts last a long time, about two hours each day. Of course, a regular treadmill would not work if the runner floated up off it, so special equipment is used. On the treadmill, a harness and straps hold the astronaut down against the belt. A stationary bike is bolted into place. For lifting, a machine uses vacuum cylinders instead of heavy weights, because weights would be pointless when nothing has any weight.

The exercise helps, but it is not perfect. After a long mission, astronauts often feel weak and wobbly when they return. They may need help walking at first. With rest, healthy food and training, they recover.

The lesson is that our bodies depend on gravity more than we realize.

■ Harder · 251 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.8

On Earth, your body works against gravity throughout the entire day. Your legs hold you upright, your back keeps you straight, and your bones bear your weight. Even ordinary walking amounts to a modest workout, and it keeps muscles and bones strong.

Aboard the International Space Station, everything drifts and floats. Astronauts live in a state known as microgravity, so their bodies no longer bear any weight. That sounds delightful, and in many ways it is, but it creates a genuine problem. When muscles and bones are left unused, they begin to weaken. Muscles can shrink, and bones can lose some of their strength, far more rapidly than they would on Earth.

To counteract this, astronauts follow a demanding plan of exercise on most days of the week. Each session lasts about two hours. Naturally, an ordinary treadmill would be useless if the runner floated up off it, so the station relies on specialized equipment. On the treadmill, a harness and straps hold the astronaut firmly against the belt. A stationary bike is bolted securely into place. For lifting, a machine uses vacuum cylinders rather than heavy weights, since weights would be pointless when nothing has any weight.

The exercise is beneficial, but it is not flawless. After a long mission, astronauts frequently feel weak and wobbly upon their return, and they may need assistance walking at first. With rest, nourishing food and careful training, they recover.

The lesson is that our bodies depend on gravity far more than we realize.

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 microgravity, weaken, harness, equipment and treadmill 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 1 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 Astronauts Must Work Out Every Day"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 240 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.7. 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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