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Why Two Signatures Guard the Club Treasury

6th grade nonfiction passage about checks and balances with money: 227 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction checks and balances with money 227 words

Why Two Signatures Guard the Club Treasury

The Robotics Club has a bank account with money from fundraisers and dues. To take any of it out, a check needs two signatures: one from the treasurer and one from the adviser. It might sound like a lot of fuss for a few hundred dollars, but the rule has good reasons behind it.

First, it protects against mistakes. Everyone makes errors, such as writing the wrong amount or paying a bill twice. A second person looking over the check has a chance to catch the problem before the money is gone.

Second, it protects against temptation. When one person alone controls the money, it is hard for others to be sure it is used properly. With two signers, no single person can spend the money in secret. This protects the club, and it also protects the treasurer, who can always show that someone else approved each payment.

Governments use the same idea on a much bigger scale. In a city, the person who approves a payment is often different from the person who writes the check, and a third person may review the records later. Splitting up the steps is called a check and balance, because each person checks the work of the others.

The system works only if people take it seriously. A signature is a promise that you looked carefully, not a quick scribble.

Questions

  1. Who signs the checks for the Robotics Club? in the text

  2. What is one mistake a second person might catch? in the text

  3. How does the rule protect the treasurer? in the text

  4. What is it called when each person checks the work of the others? in the text

  5. Why does the system work only if people take it seriously? think about it

  6. How is a city's way of paying bills like the club's rule? think about it

Words to know

treasurer
the person who looks after a group's money
adviser
an adult who gives guidance to a group
signatures
names written by hand to show approval
temptation
a strong pull to do something you should not do
approved
said yes to something officially
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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 · 187 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.9

The Robotics Club has a bank account. The money comes from fundraisers and dues. To take money out, a check needs two signatures. One is from the treasurer. One is from the adviser. It may seem like a lot of fuss. But the rule has good reasons.

First, it stops mistakes. Everyone makes errors. Someone might write the wrong amount. Someone might pay a bill twice. A second person can catch the problem before the money is gone.

Second, it stops temptation. If one person controls all the money, others cannot be sure it is used well. With two signers, no one can spend it in secret. This protects the club. It protects the treasurer too. The treasurer can show that someone else approved each payment.

Governments use the same idea on a bigger scale. In a city, one person approves a payment. Another person writes the check. A third may look at the records later. Splitting the steps is called a check and balance. Each person checks the others.

It works only if people take it seriously. A signature is a promise that you looked carefully.

▲ This passage · 227 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7

The Robotics Club has a bank account with money from fundraisers and dues. To take any of it out, a check needs two signatures: one from the treasurer and one from the adviser. It might sound like a lot of fuss for a few hundred dollars, but the rule has good reasons behind it.

First, it protects against mistakes. Everyone makes errors, such as writing the wrong amount or paying a bill twice. A second person looking over the check has a chance to catch the problem before the money is gone.

Second, it protects against temptation. When one person alone controls the money, it is hard for others to be sure it is used properly. With two signers, no single person can spend the money in secret. This protects the club, and it also protects the treasurer, who can always show that someone else approved each payment.

Governments use the same idea on a much bigger scale. In a city, the person who approves a payment is often different from the person who writes the check, and a third person may review the records later. Splitting up the steps is called a check and balance, because each person checks the work of the others.

The system works only if people take it seriously. A signature is a promise that you looked carefully, not a quick scribble.

■ Harder · 239 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 9

The Robotics Club keeps a bank account filled with money from fundraisers and membership dues. Before any of it can be withdrawn, a check must carry two signatures: one from the treasurer and one from the adviser. This may sound like an excessive amount of fuss over a few hundred dollars, but the requirement rests on sound reasoning.

To begin with, it guards against mistakes. Everyone makes errors, such as writing down the wrong amount or paying the same bill twice. A second person who examines the check has an opportunity to catch the problem before the money has disappeared.

Next, it guards against temptation. When a single individual controls the funds, it is difficult for others to feel certain that the money is being used properly. With two signers, nobody can spend it in secret. This arrangement protects the club, and it also protects the treasurer, who can always demonstrate that someone else approved each payment.

Governments rely on the same principle at a far larger scale. In a city, the official who approves a payment is frequently different from the one who writes the check, and yet another person may examine the records afterward. Dividing the steps in this way is called a check and balance, because each person verifies the work of the others.

The system succeeds only if people treat it seriously. A signature is a promise that you looked carefully, not a hasty scribble.

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 treasurer, adviser, signatures, temptation and approved 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 "Why Two Signatures Guard the Club Treasury"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 227 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 7.0. 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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