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The Beep From the Old Water Tower

7th grade fiction passage about tracing a radio signal: 254 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

7th grade fiction tracing a radio signal 254 words

The Beep From the Old Water Tower

Jamal was testing the handheld radio that he had received for his birthday when he picked up an unfamiliar sound. It was a steady beep that repeated once every ten seconds, and it never varied. He wrote the time in his logbook, turned the dial away, and found the signal again right where he had left it.

"It's not a person," he told his friend Sol. "It's a machine, and it must be somewhere nearby."

The signal grew louder when Jamal pointed the antenna in one direction and softer when he turned it in another. The boys therefore walked down Mill Road, pausing at each corner to listen and to note which direction made the beep strongest. Their route gradually bent toward the edge of town, where the old water tower rose behind a tall fence.

They did not attempt to climb the fence, because Sol pointed out the "No Entry" sign. Instead, Jamal stood at the gate and held the radio high above his head. The signal was at its loudest, so it had to be coming from the tower itself.

The two of them walked to the town office and described what they had found. A clerk made a phone call and then thanked them warmly. "That is a small weather sensor," she explained. "A repair crew hung it up last month, and it sends out a beep to let them know that the battery is still working."

On the way home, Sol grinned. "You solved a mystery with a birthday present."

Questions

  1. What did Jamal pick up on his new radio? in the text

  2. How did the boys figure out which way the signal was coming from? in the text

  3. Why did the boys not climb the fence? in the text

  4. What was making the beep? in the text

  5. How did Jamal know the beep came from a machine and not a person? think about it

  6. Why did the boys go to the town office instead of searching the tower themselves? think about it

Words to know

logbook
a notebook for recording what you observe and when
antenna
a rod or wire that sends or picks up radio signals
signal
a message or sound sent from one place to another
sensor
a device that detects something, such as weather
clerk
an office worker who helps people and keeps 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 · 216 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1

Jamal was trying the new handheld radio he got for his birthday. He picked up a strange sound. It was a steady beep, once every ten seconds. It never changed. He wrote the time in his logbook. He turned the dial and found it again in the same place.

"It's not a person," he told his friend Sol. "It's a machine, and it's close."

The signal got louder when Jamal pointed the antenna one way. It got softer when he turned it. So the boys walked down Mill Road. At each corner, they stopped to listen and marked which way made the beep strongest. Their path bent toward the edge of town. There, the old water tower stood behind a fence.

They did not climb the fence. Sol pointed to the "No Entry" sign. Instead, Jamal stood at the gate and held up the radio. The signal was loudest there. It had to come from the tower.

They went to the town office and told what they found. A clerk made a call and thanked them. "That is a small weather sensor," she said. "A repair crew hung it up last month. It sends a beep to show the battery still works."

On the way home, Sol grinned. "You solved a mystery with a birthday present."

▲ This passage · 254 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.9

Jamal was testing the handheld radio that he had received for his birthday when he picked up an unfamiliar sound. It was a steady beep that repeated once every ten seconds, and it never varied. He wrote the time in his logbook, turned the dial away, and found the signal again right where he had left it.

"It's not a person," he told his friend Sol. "It's a machine, and it must be somewhere nearby."

The signal grew louder when Jamal pointed the antenna in one direction and softer when he turned it in another. The boys therefore walked down Mill Road, pausing at each corner to listen and to note which direction made the beep strongest. Their route gradually bent toward the edge of town, where the old water tower rose behind a tall fence.

They did not attempt to climb the fence, because Sol pointed out the "No Entry" sign. Instead, Jamal stood at the gate and held the radio high above his head. The signal was at its loudest, so it had to be coming from the tower itself.

The two of them walked to the town office and described what they had found. A clerk made a phone call and then thanked them warmly. "That is a small weather sensor," she explained. "A repair crew hung it up last month, and it sends out a beep to let them know that the battery is still working."

On the way home, Sol grinned. "You solved a mystery with a birthday present."

■ Harder · 266 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.9

Jamal was testing the handheld radio that he had received for his birthday when he picked up a completely unfamiliar sound. It was a steady beep that repeated once every ten seconds, and it never varied in the slightest. He carefully recorded the time in his logbook, turned the dial away, and then found the signal again right where he had left it.

"It's not a person," he told his friend Sol. "It's a machine, and it must be somewhere fairly nearby."

The signal grew louder whenever Jamal pointed the antenna in one direction and softer whenever he turned it in another. The boys therefore walked down Mill Road, pausing at each corner to listen and to note which direction made the beep strongest. Their route gradually bent toward the edge of town, where the old water tower rose behind a tall chain-link fence.

They did not attempt to climb the fence, because Sol pointed out the "No Entry" sign. Instead, Jamal stood at the gate and held the radio high above his head. The signal was at its loudest, so it clearly had to be coming from the tower itself.

The two of them walked to the town office and described everything that they had found. A clerk made a phone call and then thanked them warmly. "That is a small weather sensor," she explained. "A repair crew hung it up last month, and it sends out a beep to let them know that the battery is still working."

On the way home, Sol grinned. "You solved an entire mystery with a birthday present."

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 logbook, antenna, signal, sensor and clerk on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the story 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 retell the story in three sentences: how it began, what the problem was, and how it ended.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "The Beep From the Old Water Tower"?

It was written for 7th grade. It has 254 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.9. 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 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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