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Beatboxing: A Drum Kit Made from a Mouth

6th grade nonfiction passage about beatboxing with the mouth: 220 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction beatboxing with the mouth 220 words

Beatboxing: A Drum Kit Made from a Mouth

A beatboxer can sound like a whole band using only a mouth. With no drums in sight, the performer makes thumping bass, snapping snares, and sizzling cymbals. Beatboxing grew out of hip hop music, where people wanted a beat even when no drummer or machine was around.

Each drum sound comes from a small movement of the lips, tongue, and breath. A deep kick drum often starts with a quick burst of air pushed out between closed lips, like saying a soft letter b. A crisp hi-hat can be made by hissing through the teeth with a short, sharp ts. A snare drum often takes a sudden push of air that makes a pop, which beatboxers shape with the tongue and cheeks.

A microphone helps a lot. It makes quiet puffs and clicks louder and gives the low sounds more power. Without one, many of the smallest sounds would vanish into the room.

The real challenge is putting the sounds together. Beatboxers stack a kick, a snare, and a hi-hat into a steady rhythm, and some even hum a tune at the same time. They must breathe in the middle of the beat without breaking it. Practice is the secret. Learning each sound one at a time, slowly, builds the muscle memory that lets the whole groove flow.

Questions

  1. What music did beatboxing grow out of? in the text

  2. How can a kick drum sound be made? in the text

  3. Which body parts help shape the sounds? in the text

  4. What does a microphone do for a beatboxer? in the text

  5. Why is it hard to keep a steady beat while beatboxing? think about it

  6. Why does learning each sound slowly help? think about it

Words to know

beatbox
to make drum and bass sounds using your mouth and voice
snare
a drum that makes a sharp, snapping sound
cymbal
a thin metal plate that makes a crashing or sizzling sound
microphone
a device that makes sounds louder
rhythm
a pattern of beats in music
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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 · 184 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.5

A beatboxer can sound like a band with just a mouth. There are no drums. Yet you hear deep bass, sharp snares, and hissing cymbals. Beatboxing grew out of hip hop music. People wanted a beat even with no drummer or machine around.

Each drum sound comes from a small move of the lips, tongue, and breath. A deep kick drum often starts with a burst of air between closed lips, like a soft b. A crisp hi-hat can be a hiss through the teeth, like a short ts. A snare often starts with a quick push of air that makes a pop. The tongue and cheeks shape it.

A microphone helps a lot. It makes quiet puffs and clicks louder. It gives low sounds more power. Without one, many small sounds would be lost.

The hard part is putting sounds together. A beatboxer stacks a kick, a snare, and a hi-hat into a steady rhythm. Some even hum a tune too. They must breathe without breaking the beat. Practice is the secret. Learn each sound slowly, and your muscles will remember.

▲ This passage · 220 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.3

A beatboxer can sound like a whole band using only a mouth. With no drums in sight, the performer makes thumping bass, snapping snares, and sizzling cymbals. Beatboxing grew out of hip hop music, where people wanted a beat even when no drummer or machine was around.

Each drum sound comes from a small movement of the lips, tongue, and breath. A deep kick drum often starts with a quick burst of air pushed out between closed lips, like saying a soft letter b. A crisp hi-hat can be made by hissing through the teeth with a short, sharp ts. A snare drum often takes a sudden push of air that makes a pop, which beatboxers shape with the tongue and cheeks.

A microphone helps a lot. It makes quiet puffs and clicks louder and gives the low sounds more power. Without one, many of the smallest sounds would vanish into the room.

The real challenge is putting the sounds together. Beatboxers stack a kick, a snare, and a hi-hat into a steady rhythm, and some even hum a tune at the same time. They must breathe in the middle of the beat without breaking it. Practice is the secret. Learning each sound one at a time, slowly, builds the muscle memory that lets the whole groove flow.

■ Harder · 234 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.3

A skilled beatboxer can sound like an entire band while using nothing but a mouth. With no drums anywhere in sight, the performer produces thumping bass, snapping snares, and sizzling cymbals. Beatboxing developed out of hip hop music, in which people wanted a beat even when no drummer or machine happened to be available.

Each drum sound originates in a small movement of the lips, tongue, and breath. A deep kick drum often begins with a quick burst of air pushed out between closed lips, much like saying a soft letter b. A crisp hi-hat can be created by hissing through the teeth with a short, sharp ts. A snare drum frequently calls for a sudden push of air that makes a pop, which beatboxers then shape with the tongue and cheeks.

A microphone assists considerably. It amplifies the quiet puffs and clicks and gives the low sounds more power. Without one, many of the smallest sounds would disappear into the surrounding room.

The genuine challenge lies in combining the sounds. Beatboxers layer a kick, a snare, and a hi-hat into a steady rhythm, and some even hum a melody at the same moment. They must also find time to breathe in the middle of the beat without breaking it. Patient practice is the secret. Learning each sound individually and slowly builds the muscle memory that allows the entire groove to flow.

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 beatbox, snare, cymbal, microphone and rhythm 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 "Beatboxing: A Drum Kit Made from a Mouth"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 220 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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