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The Little Tube Behind Your Ear Pops

6th grade nonfiction passage about why ears pop: 273 words, seven questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction why ears pop 273 words

The Little Tube Behind Your Ear Pops

You are riding in a car up a long mountain road when your ears suddenly feel stuffed, as if someone put cotton in them. You swallow, and with a small pop everything sounds normal again. That pop has a simple cause, and it involves a narrow passage that most people never think about.

Behind each eardrum is a small, air-filled space called the middle ear. The eardrum is a thin skin, and it works best when the air pressure on both sides is about the same. The outside air presses on one side, and the air in the middle ear presses on the other. Usually the two match.

Air pressure changes when you go up a hill, ride in an elevator, or fly in a plane. The pressure outside shifts quickly, but the air inside the middle ear stays behind for a moment. The eardrum gets pushed a little toward the side with less pressure, and that stretch is what makes your ears feel full or muffled.

The fix is a thin channel called the eustachian tube. It connects each middle ear to the back of the throat. Most of the time the tube is closed, but swallowing, yawning, or chewing makes it open for a moment. A bit of air moves through, the pressure on both sides evens out, and the eardrum relaxes with a pop or a click.

That is why chewing gum or sipping water can help during a flight. Each swallow gives the tube a chance to open. If your ears stay blocked for a long time, or they hurt, it is wise to tell a grown-up.

Questions

  1. What is the middle ear? in the text

  2. When does air pressure change quickly? in the text

  3. What does the eustachian tube connect? in the text

  4. What actions make the tube open for a moment? in the text

  5. Why do your ears feel full on a mountain road? think about it

  6. Why does the pop make your hearing sound normal again? think about it

  7. Why can chewing gum help during a flight? think about it

Words to know

eardrum
a thin skin inside the ear that shakes when sound arrives
pressure
the push that air or water puts on a surface
passage
a narrow way that lets something move through
muffled
sounding soft and unclear
channel
a narrow path for air or liquid to flow along
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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 1.4

You ride up a long mountain road in a car. Your ears feel stuffed, like they have cotton in them. You swallow. Pop! Now sounds are normal. Why?

Behind each eardrum is a small space full of air. It is called the middle ear. The eardrum is a thin skin. It works best when the air pushes on both sides with the same force. Air outside pushes on one side. Air in the middle ear pushes on the other. Most of the time they match.

The air pressure changes when you go up a hill, ride in an elevator, or fly in a plane. Outside, it changes fast. The air inside is slow to change. The eardrum gets pushed to one side. That makes your ears feel full.

A thin channel fixes it. It is called the eustachian tube. It joins each middle ear to the back of your throat. It is mostly shut. But when you swallow, yawn, or chew, it opens for a moment. Air moves through. The push on both sides is even again. The eardrum relaxes, and you hear a pop.

So gum or a sip of water can help in a plane. Each swallow lets the tube open. If your ears stay blocked or hurt, tell a grown-up.

▲ This passage · 273 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.7

You are riding in a car up a long mountain road when your ears suddenly feel stuffed, as if someone put cotton in them. You swallow, and with a small pop everything sounds normal again. That pop has a simple cause, and it involves a narrow passage that most people never think about.

Behind each eardrum is a small, air-filled space called the middle ear. The eardrum is a thin skin, and it works best when the air pressure on both sides is about the same. The outside air presses on one side, and the air in the middle ear presses on the other. Usually the two match.

Air pressure changes when you go up a hill, ride in an elevator, or fly in a plane. The pressure outside shifts quickly, but the air inside the middle ear stays behind for a moment. The eardrum gets pushed a little toward the side with less pressure, and that stretch is what makes your ears feel full or muffled.

The fix is a thin channel called the eustachian tube. It connects each middle ear to the back of the throat. Most of the time the tube is closed, but swallowing, yawning, or chewing makes it open for a moment. A bit of air moves through, the pressure on both sides evens out, and the eardrum relaxes with a pop or a click.

That is why chewing gum or sipping water can help during a flight. Each swallow gives the tube a chance to open. If your ears stay blocked for a long time, or they hurt, it is wise to tell a grown-up.

■ Harder · 280 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.3

Imagine that you are riding in a car up a long mountain road when, quite suddenly, your ears feel stuffed, as though someone had pressed cotton into them. You swallow, and with a small pop everything sounds normal once more. That pop has a straightforward cause, and it involves a narrow passage that most people never think about.

Behind each eardrum lies a small, air-filled chamber called the middle ear. The eardrum is a thin membrane, and it performs best when the air pressure on both of its sides is roughly equal. The outside air presses on one side while the air in the middle ear presses on the other. Ordinarily the two pressures match.

Air pressure changes whenever you climb a hill, ride in an elevator, or travel in an airplane. The pressure outside shifts rapidly, but the air within the middle ear lags behind for a moment. The eardrum is pushed slightly toward the side with the lower pressure, and that stretching is what makes your ears feel full or muffled.

The remedy is a slender channel called the eustachian tube, which links each middle ear to the back of the throat. The tube generally remains closed, but swallowing, yawning, or chewing causes it to open briefly. A small amount of air passes through, the pressure on both sides equalizes, and the eardrum relaxes with a pop or a click.

That is why chewing gum or sipping water can be useful during a flight, since every swallow offers the tube a chance to open. If your ears remain blocked for a long time, or if they begin to hurt, it is sensible to tell a grown-up.

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 eardrum, pressure, passage, muffled and channel 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 3 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 "The Little Tube Behind Your Ear Pops"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 273 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 seven. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 3 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 3 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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