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A Gold Record Sent Toward the Stars

6th grade nonfiction passage about the voyager gold records: 220 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction the voyager gold records 220 words

A Gold Record Sent Toward the Stars

Two spacecraft named Voyager were launched in 1977, and both are still traveling far beyond the planets. Each one carries a strange gift attached to its side, a gold-colored record in a protective case. The records are a message in a bottle, thrown into the ocean of space.

A team of scientists and writers chose what to put on them. The records hold greetings spoken in many human languages, from ancient ones to those used today. There are sounds of the natural world as well, such as ocean waves, wind, thunder, birds and whales. A long list of music from different parts of the world was included, along with pictures of people, animals, plants and places, stored as patterns that a player can turn back into images.

How would anyone know how to play a record? The cover has a diagram showing how to use the needle and the turntable, and it uses simple drawings to explain. The record is made of metal, and it was designed to last for a very long time.

Voyager will not pass near another star for a great many years, so it is quite unlikely that anyone will ever find the records. Still, they say something about us. People wanted to share their curiosity, and they hoped for a friendly reply from someone, somewhere.

Questions

  1. When were the two Voyager spacecraft launched? in the text

  2. What does each Voyager carry on its side? in the text

  3. What are two kinds of sounds stored on the records? in the text

  4. How do the makers explain how to play the record? in the text

  5. Why is the record compared to a message in a bottle? think about it

  6. What does the passage say the records show about people? think about it

Words to know

spacecraft
a vehicle built to travel through space
protective
made to keep something safe
diagram
a drawing that explains how something works
curiosity
a strong wish to learn about things
turntable
the spinning part of a machine that plays records
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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 · 189 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.6

Two spacecraft named Voyager were launched in 1977. Both are still flying far past the planets. Each one has a gold-colored record on its side. The record is in a case that keeps it safe. It is like a message in a bottle. But the sea is space.

A team chose what to put on the records. There are greetings in many human languages. There are sounds from nature, like ocean waves, wind, thunder, birds and whales. There is music from many parts of the world. There are pictures of people, animals, plants and places. The pictures are stored as patterns that a player can turn back into images.

How would anyone know how to play it? The cover has a diagram. It uses simple drawings to show how to use the needle and the turntable. The record is made of metal. It was made to last a very long time.

Voyager will not pass near another star for a very long time. So no one will likely find the records. Still, they show something about us. People are curious. They hoped for a friendly reply from someone, somewhere.

▲ This passage · 220 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.8

Two spacecraft named Voyager were launched in 1977, and both are still traveling far beyond the planets. Each one carries a strange gift attached to its side, a gold-colored record in a protective case. The records are a message in a bottle, thrown into the ocean of space.

A team of scientists and writers chose what to put on them. The records hold greetings spoken in many human languages, from ancient ones to those used today. There are sounds of the natural world as well, such as ocean waves, wind, thunder, birds and whales. A long list of music from different parts of the world was included, along with pictures of people, animals, plants and places, stored as patterns that a player can turn back into images.

How would anyone know how to play a record? The cover has a diagram showing how to use the needle and the turntable, and it uses simple drawings to explain. The record is made of metal, and it was designed to last for a very long time.

Voyager will not pass near another star for a great many years, so it is quite unlikely that anyone will ever find the records. Still, they say something about us. People wanted to share their curiosity, and they hoped for a friendly reply from someone, somewhere.

■ Harder · 226 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 9.7

Two spacecraft named Voyager were launched in 1977, and both continue to travel far beyond the outermost planets. Each one carries an extraordinary gift fastened to its side: a gold-colored record sealed inside a protective case. The records are a kind of message in a bottle, cast into the vast ocean of space.

A committee of scientists and writers decided what the records should contain. They hold greetings spoken in many human languages, from ancient tongues to those used today. They also preserve sounds of the natural world, including ocean waves, wind, thunder, birdsong and the calls of whales. A long selection of music from many different cultures was added, together with pictures of people, animals, plants and places, which are stored as patterns that a player can convert back into images.

How would a stranger know how to play a record? The cover carries a diagram that explains, using simple drawings, how to set the needle on the turntable. The record itself is made of metal, and it was designed to survive for an enormously long time.

Voyager will not pass close to another star for a great many years, so it is quite unlikely that anyone will ever discover the records. Nevertheless, they reveal something important about us. People wanted to share their curiosity, and they hoped for a friendly reply from someone, somewhere.

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 spacecraft, protective, diagram, curiosity and turntable 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 "A Gold Record Sent Toward the Stars"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 220 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 7.8. 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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