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Reading a Map Scale

6th grade nonfiction passage about map scales: 241 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction map scales 241 words

Reading a Map Scale

A map shows a huge place on a small sheet of paper, so everything on it has been shrunk. The map scale tells you exactly how much. It compares a distance on the map with the real distance on the ground. A scale might say that one inch on the map stands for ten miles on the land.

Many maps show the scale as a small bar divided into sections, with real distances written beneath it. To use it, you measure the space between two places with a ruler. If the distance between two towns is three inches and one inch equals ten miles, you multiply and find that the towns are thirty miles apart.

Roads usually bend, so a straight ruler does not always work. A good trick is to lay a piece of string along the curves of the road. Then you straighten the string and hold it against the bar scale.

Scales also tell you how much detail to expect. A map of a whole country uses a scale in which an inch covers hundreds of miles, so it can show only the largest cities. A map of a park uses a scale in which an inch covers a few hundred feet, so it can show every trail and picnic table. When a map is enlarged on a copier, a bar scale grows along with the map and stays correct, but a scale written in words does not.

Questions

  1. What does a map scale compare? in the text

  2. If one inch equals ten miles, how far apart are two towns that are three inches apart on the map? in the text

  3. How can you measure a road that bends? in the text

  4. Which map would show more detail, a map of a whole country or a map of a park? think about it

  5. Why does a bar scale stay correct when a map is enlarged on a copier? think about it

Words to know

scale
a tool that shows how map distances match real ones
distance
the amount of space between two places
multiply
to add a number to itself several times
detail
a small part or fact that makes a picture complete
enlarged
made bigger than it was
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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 · 214 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.8

A map shows a huge place on a small sheet of paper. So everything on it is shrunk. The map scale tells you how much. It compares a distance on the map with the real distance on the ground. A scale might say that one inch on the map is ten miles on the land.

Many maps show the scale as a small bar. Real distances are written under it. To use it, measure the space between two places with a ruler. Say two towns are three inches apart. One inch is ten miles. Multiply, and the towns are thirty miles apart.

Roads bend, so a straight ruler does not always work. Here is a trick. Lay a piece of string along the curves of the road. Then straighten the string. Hold it against the bar scale.

Scales also tell you how much detail to expect. A map of a whole country has an inch that covers hundreds of miles. It can show only the biggest cities. A map of a park has an inch that covers a few hundred feet. It can show every trail and picnic table. Say you enlarge a map on a copier. A bar scale grows with the map and stays correct. A scale written in words does not.

▲ This passage · 241 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.6

A map shows a huge place on a small sheet of paper, so everything on it has been shrunk. The map scale tells you exactly how much. It compares a distance on the map with the real distance on the ground. A scale might say that one inch on the map stands for ten miles on the land.

Many maps show the scale as a small bar divided into sections, with real distances written beneath it. To use it, you measure the space between two places with a ruler. If the distance between two towns is three inches and one inch equals ten miles, you multiply and find that the towns are thirty miles apart.

Roads usually bend, so a straight ruler does not always work. A good trick is to lay a piece of string along the curves of the road. Then you straighten the string and hold it against the bar scale.

Scales also tell you how much detail to expect. A map of a whole country uses a scale in which an inch covers hundreds of miles, so it can show only the largest cities. A map of a park uses a scale in which an inch covers a few hundred feet, so it can show every trail and picnic table. When a map is enlarged on a copier, a bar scale grows along with the map and stays correct, but a scale written in words does not.

■ Harder · 258 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 9.4

A map portrays an enormous place on a small sheet of paper, which means that everything on it has been dramatically shrunk. The map scale tells you precisely how much. It compares a distance measured on the map with the actual distance on the ground, so a scale might declare that one inch on the map represents ten miles of land.

Many maps display the scale as a small bar divided into sections, with the real distances printed beneath it. To use it, you measure the space between two locations with a ruler. If the distance between two towns is three inches on the page and one inch equals ten miles, you multiply and discover that the towns are thirty miles apart.

Roads usually wind and bend, so a straight ruler does not always give a reliable answer. A clever trick is to lay a piece of string along every curve of the road, and then to straighten the string and hold it against the bar scale.

Scales also reveal how much detail to expect from a map. A map of an entire country uses a scale in which a single inch covers hundreds of miles, so it can show only the largest cities. A map of a park uses a scale in which an inch covers just a few hundred feet, so it can display every trail and picnic table. When a map is enlarged on a copier, a bar scale grows along with the map and remains accurate, but a scale expressed in words does not.

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 scale, distance, multiply, detail and enlarged 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 "Reading a Map Scale"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 241 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.5. 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 five. 3 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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