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Cost Per Wear: The Cheap Coat Trap

6th grade nonfiction passage about cost per use when spending: 213 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction cost per use when spending 213 words

Cost Per Wear: The Cheap Coat Trap

Two winter coats hang side by side in a store, and the first one costs 40 dollars while the second costs 90 dollars. At first glance, the cheaper coat is obviously the better deal, but thoughtful spenders sometimes use a different measure called cost per wear.

Suppose the 40 dollar coat has thin seams and a zipper that sticks. It lasts one winter, and its owner wears it about 20 times. The 90 dollar coat has strong stitching and thick lining. It lasts three winters, and its owner wears it about 90 times. To find the cost per wear, divide the price by the number of wears. For the cheaper coat, 40 divided by 20 is 2 dollars per wear. For the costly coat, 90 divided by 90 is just 1 dollar per wear.

The costly coat is actually the better bargain, even though it takes more money on the first day, and the cheaper coat also has to be replaced sooner, which means paying all over again.

This idea has limits, though. A very costly coat that stays in the closet has a high cost per wear, because the number of wears stays small. And someone with only 40 dollars cannot spend 90, no matter what the math says. Cost per wear works best as one helpful question to ask, alongside the budget you really have.

Questions

  1. How much does the first coat cost? in the text

  2. How do you find the cost per wear? in the text

  3. What is the cost per wear of the 90 dollar coat in the example? in the text

  4. Why is the costly coat the better bargain in the example? think about it

  5. Why would a costly coat in the closet be a poor buy? think about it

  6. Why can cost per wear not be the only thing to think about? in the text

Words to know

measure
a way of judging how good or large something is
seams
the lines where two pieces of cloth are sewn together
stitching
the thread that holds cloth together
bargain
something worth more than the money paid for it
budget
a plan for how much money you can spend
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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 · 178 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.5

Two winter coats hang side by side in a store. One costs 40 dollars. The other costs 90 dollars. The first coat looks like the better deal. But smart spenders use another measure. It is called cost per wear.

Say the 40 dollar coat has thin seams and a zipper that sticks. It lasts one winter. Its owner wears it about 20 times. The 90 dollar coat has strong stitching and a thick lining. It lasts three winters. Its owner wears it about 90 times. To find the cost per wear, divide the price by the number of wears. For the cheap coat, 40 divided by 20 is 2 dollars per wear. For the costly coat, 90 divided by 90 is 1 dollar per wear.

The costly coat is the better bargain, even though it costs more on day one. The cheap coat must be replaced sooner. Then you pay again.

This idea has limits. A costly coat that stays in the closet has a high cost per wear. And a person with only 40 dollars cannot spend 90. Cost per wear is one good question to ask, along with your budget.

▲ This passage · 213 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.1

Two winter coats hang side by side in a store, and the first one costs 40 dollars while the second costs 90 dollars. At first glance, the cheaper coat is obviously the better deal, but thoughtful spenders sometimes use a different measure called cost per wear.

Suppose the 40 dollar coat has thin seams and a zipper that sticks. It lasts one winter, and its owner wears it about 20 times. The 90 dollar coat has strong stitching and thick lining. It lasts three winters, and its owner wears it about 90 times. To find the cost per wear, divide the price by the number of wears. For the cheaper coat, 40 divided by 20 is 2 dollars per wear. For the costly coat, 90 divided by 90 is just 1 dollar per wear.

The costly coat is actually the better bargain, even though it takes more money on the first day, and the cheaper coat also has to be replaced sooner, which means paying all over again.

This idea has limits, though. A very costly coat that stays in the closet has a high cost per wear, because the number of wears stays small. And someone with only 40 dollars cannot spend 90, no matter what the math says. Cost per wear works best as one helpful question to ask, alongside the budget you really have.

■ Harder · 228 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.5

Two winter coats hang side by side in a department store. The first is priced at 40 dollars, and the second at 90 dollars. At first glance the cheaper coat appears to be the better deal, but thoughtful spenders sometimes apply a different yardstick known as cost per wear.

Suppose the 40 dollar coat has thin seams and a zipper that tends to stick. It survives a single winter, and its owner wears it roughly 20 times. The 90 dollar coat, by contrast, has sturdy stitching and a thick lining. It lasts for three winters, and its owner wears it roughly 90 times. To determine the cost per wear, divide the price by the number of wears. For the cheaper coat, 40 divided by 20 is 2 dollars per wear. For the costlier coat, 90 divided by 90 is only 1 dollar per wear.

The expensive coat is therefore the better bargain, even though it demands more money on the first day. The cheaper coat must also be replaced sooner, which means paying a second time.

This idea does have its limits, however. A very costly coat that hangs unused in the closet has a high cost per wear, because the number of wears stays small. Moreover, a person who has only 40 dollars cannot spend 90, regardless of what the arithmetic says. Cost per wear works best as one useful question to ask, considered alongside the budget a person truly has.

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 measure, seams, stitching, bargain and budget 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 4 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 "Cost Per Wear: The Cheap Coat Trap"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 213 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.1. 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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