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Rebuilding a Cracked Stained Glass Window

6th grade nonfiction passage about stained glass restorer: 213 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction stained glass restorer 213 words

Rebuilding a Cracked Stained Glass Window

A stained glass window looks like a single picture, but it is really a puzzle of small colored pieces. Each piece is held in place by a thin strip of lead called came. When a window cracks or begins to sag, a restorer is called in to make it whole again.

The work starts with careful records. Before touching a single piece, the restorer photographs the window and lays paper over it to make a rubbing of every line. These records show where each piece belongs, so nothing is lost or misplaced during the repair.

Next, the window is taken out and laid flat on a table. The restorer removes the damaged pieces and cleans the ones that can be saved. Then comes the hardest part. A new piece of glass must match the old one in color, thickness, and even the way it lets in light. The restorer cuts it to the exact shape of the pattern, and fits it back between the lead strips.

At each joint where lead strips meet, the restorer melts a little metal called solder to hold them together. Finally, a soft putty is pressed into the edges to keep out wind and rain. If the job is done well, visitors never notice the repair at all.

Questions

  1. What is came? in the text

  2. Why does the restorer make a rubbing before taking the window apart? in the text

  3. What must a new piece of glass match? in the text

  4. What is the putty used for at the end? in the text

  5. Why does the passage call the matching step the hardest part? think about it

  6. What does it mean if visitors never notice the repair? think about it

Words to know

restorer
a person who repairs old things so they look like new
rubbing
a copy of a surface made by pressing paper over it
solder
melted metal used to join two pieces together
putty
a soft paste that hardens to seal a gap
sag
to sink or bend downward in the middle
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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 · 179 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.8

A stained glass window looks like one picture. But it is made of many small pieces of colored glass. A thin strip of lead holds each piece in place. The strip is called came.

Sometimes a window cracks. Then a restorer comes to fix it. First, the restorer takes photos of the window. The restorer also lays paper on it and makes a rubbing of the lines. The rubbing shows where each piece goes.

Next, the window comes out and lies flat on a table. The restorer takes out the broken pieces and cleans the good ones. Then comes the hard part. The new glass must match the old glass in color and thickness. It must let in light the same way too. The restorer cuts it to fit the pattern and slides it between the lead strips.

At the joints, the restorer melts a little metal called solder. The solder holds the strips together. Last, soft putty goes into the edges to keep out wind and rain. If the job is done well, no one sees the repair.

▲ This passage · 213 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6

A stained glass window looks like a single picture, but it is really a puzzle of small colored pieces. Each piece is held in place by a thin strip of lead called came. When a window cracks or begins to sag, a restorer is called in to make it whole again.

The work starts with careful records. Before touching a single piece, the restorer photographs the window and lays paper over it to make a rubbing of every line. These records show where each piece belongs, so nothing is lost or misplaced during the repair.

Next, the window is taken out and laid flat on a table. The restorer removes the damaged pieces and cleans the ones that can be saved. Then comes the hardest part. A new piece of glass must match the old one in color, thickness, and even the way it lets in light. The restorer cuts it to the exact shape of the pattern, and fits it back between the lead strips.

At each joint where lead strips meet, the restorer melts a little metal called solder to hold them together. Finally, a soft putty is pressed into the edges to keep out wind and rain. If the job is done well, visitors never notice the repair at all.

■ Harder · 240 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8

At first glance, a stained glass window looks like one unbroken picture, but it is actually an intricate puzzle of small colored pieces. Each piece is held in place by a slender strip of lead known as came. When a window cracks or starts to sag under its own weight, a restorer is summoned to make it whole once again.

The work begins with meticulous records. Before touching a single piece, the restorer photographs the window and lays paper across it to make a rubbing of every line. Those records reveal precisely where each piece belongs, so that nothing is lost or misplaced while the window is being repaired.

Afterward, the window is carefully removed and laid flat on a sturdy table. The restorer takes out the damaged pieces and cleans the ones that can be saved. Then comes the most demanding step. A replacement piece of glass must match the original in color and thickness, and even in the way it lets in light. The restorer cuts it to the exact outline of the pattern and fits it back between the lead strips.

At every joint where the strips meet, the restorer melts a small amount of metal called solder to fasten them securely. Finally, a soft putty is pressed into the edges to shut out wind and rain. When the work has been done well, visitors who admire the window will never even notice that it was repaired.

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 restorer, rubbing, solder, putty and sag 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 "Rebuilding a Cracked Stained Glass Window"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 213 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.0. 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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