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The Library Your Taxes Built

7th grade nonfiction passage about public libraries and local taxes: 283 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

7th grade nonfiction public libraries and local taxes 283 words

The Library Your Taxes Built

When you swipe a library card and walk out with a stack of books, it may feel like the books are free. In a sense they are, because you do not pay at the desk. But somebody does pay, and the system is one of the best examples of how a community shares its resources.

Many public libraries are funded mostly by local taxes, often taxes collected on property such as homes and businesses. Gifts and grants add more, but tax money pays for much of the staff, the building, the heat and lights, and the new books. A resident who owns a house contributes through the taxes on it, and a renter contributes through the rent that helps cover the owner's tax bill. Everyone, including people who rarely visit, helps keep the doors open.

The reasoning behind this design is simple. If each family bought every book it wanted to read, a town would need thousands of copies of the same popular title, and many people could not afford them. A single library copy, however, can be borrowed by dozens of readers over the year. Sharing makes much more reading possible for the same amount of money.

A library is also governed by the community. Many have a board of local citizens who help set policies, and the town or city usually votes on the library's budget along with its other spending. When residents show up to support the library, the budget often grows. When they stay home, it can shrink.

That is why a library card is more than a piece of plastic. It is a sign that you belong to a community that decided reading should be available to all.

Questions

  1. What pays for much of a public library's staff, building, and books? in the text

  2. How can a renter help pay for the library even without owning property? think about it

  3. Why is sharing books cheaper than everyone buying their own? in the text

  4. Who helps set a library's policies? in the text

  5. Why might it matter when residents attend meetings about the library budget? think about it

  6. Besides taxes, what else can help fund a library? in the text

Words to know

resources
things a group has and can use, such as money and supplies
property
land, buildings, or other things that a person or business owns
grants
gifts of money given for a specific purpose
policies
official rules about how something is done
budget
a plan for how money will be earned and spent
Share

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 · 236 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.5

When you swipe a library card and leave with books, it feels like they are free. You do not pay at the desk. But someone does pay. A library is a good example of how a town shares what it has.

Many public libraries get most of their money from local taxes. Often these are taxes on property, like homes and shops. Gifts and grants add some more. But taxes pay for much of the staff, the building, the heat and lights, and new books. A home owner pays through the tax on the house. A renter pays through rent that helps cover the owner's tax bill. Even people who rarely visit help keep the doors open.

The idea is simple. If each family bought every book it wanted, a town would need thousands of copies of the same book. Many people could not afford them. But one library copy can be borrowed by dozens of readers in a year. Sharing lets more people read for the same money.

The community also runs the library. Many have a board of local citizens who help set the rules. The town or city usually votes on the library budget. When people show up to help the library, the budget can grow. When they stay home, it can shrink.

So a library card is more than plastic. It shows that your town decided reading should be open to all.

▲ This passage · 283 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.2

When you swipe a library card and walk out with a stack of books, it may feel like the books are free. In a sense they are, because you do not pay at the desk. But somebody does pay, and the system is one of the best examples of how a community shares its resources.

Many public libraries are funded mostly by local taxes, often taxes collected on property such as homes and businesses. Gifts and grants add more, but tax money pays for much of the staff, the building, the heat and lights, and the new books. A resident who owns a house contributes through the taxes on it, and a renter contributes through the rent that helps cover the owner's tax bill. Everyone, including people who rarely visit, helps keep the doors open.

The reasoning behind this design is simple. If each family bought every book it wanted to read, a town would need thousands of copies of the same popular title, and many people could not afford them. A single library copy, however, can be borrowed by dozens of readers over the year. Sharing makes much more reading possible for the same amount of money.

A library is also governed by the community. Many have a board of local citizens who help set policies, and the town or city usually votes on the library's budget along with its other spending. When residents show up to support the library, the budget often grows. When they stay home, it can shrink.

That is why a library card is more than a piece of plastic. It is a sign that you belong to a community that decided reading should be available to all.

■ Harder · 292 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 10.3

When you scan a library card and depart with an armful of books, it may seem as though the books are entirely free. In one sense they are, since you pay nothing at the desk. Yet somebody certainly pays, and the arrangement is among the finest illustrations of how a community pools its resources.

Many public libraries are financed predominantly by local taxes, frequently those collected on property such as homes and businesses. Gifts and grants contribute additional funds, but tax revenue covers a large portion of the staff, the building, the heating and lighting, and the purchase of new books. A resident who owns a house contributes through the taxes on that house, while a renter contributes through the rent that helps cover the owner's tax bill. Everyone, including those who rarely visit, helps keep the doors open.

The reasoning behind this design is straightforward. If every family purchased each book it wished to read, a town would require thousands of duplicate copies of popular titles, and many households could not afford them. A single library copy, by contrast, can be borrowed by dozens of readers over the course of a year. Sharing makes considerably more reading possible for the same expenditure.

A library is also governed by the community it serves. Many have a board of local citizens who help establish policies, and the town or city usually votes on the library's budget along with its other spending. When residents turn out to support the library, the budget often grows, whereas when they remain at home, it may shrink.

That is why a library card is far more than a piece of plastic. It signifies that you belong to a community that decided reading ought to be available to everyone.

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 resources, property, grants, policies and budget 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 2 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 Library Your Taxes Built"?

It was written for 7th grade. It has 283 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 8.2. 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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