Skip to the content
Peabody TeachFor teachers and grown-ups

Three Minutes at the Microphone

7th grade nonfiction passage about public comment at city council: 268 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

7th grade nonfiction public comment at city council 268 words

Three Minutes at the Microphone

At the back of many city council chambers stands a plain microphone on a stand. It may not look important, but it is one of the most direct connections between ordinary people and their government. During a part of the meeting called public comment, any resident can walk up to it and speak to the people who make the town's decisions.

The process is usually simple. Residents sign up on a sheet before the meeting begins, and the council posts its agenda ahead of time so people know what will be discussed. Each speaker receives a short, equal amount of time, often about three minutes, and a clerk may use a timer. When the time is up, the speaker sits down, no matter how important the topic feels.

Residents bring all kinds of concerns. A parent might ask for a crosswalk near a school. A business owner might object to a new parking rule. A teenager might ask the council to build a skate park. Council members generally do not argue back during the comment period. They listen and sometimes ask staff to look into the issue, but the decision may come at a later meeting.

The time limit can seem harsh, yet it serves fairness. If one person could speak for an hour, there would be no time for anyone else. Speakers who prepare a clear request, give one or two reasons, and stay polite are often the most effective. Even when a council does not change its mind, the public record shows that residents spoke, and that record matters when elected officials face the next election.

Questions

  1. What is the part of a council meeting called when residents may speak? in the text

  2. How do residents usually get a turn to speak? in the text

  3. About how long does each speaker usually get? in the text

  4. Why do council members usually not argue with speakers during the comment period? think about it

  5. Why is an equal time limit fair? think about it

  6. What makes a speaker more likely to be effective? in the text

Words to know

council
a group of elected people who make decisions for a town or city
resident
a person who lives in a particular place
agenda
the list of things a meeting will cover
clerk
an official who keeps records and handles paperwork
effective
successful at getting the result you want
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 · 225 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.2

In many city council rooms, there is a plain microphone on a stand. It may not look like much. But it connects ordinary people to their leaders. In a part of the meeting called public comment, any resident can walk up and speak to the people who make the town's choices.

The steps are simple. Residents sign up on a sheet before the meeting starts. The council posts its agenda ahead of time, so people know what will be talked about. Each speaker gets the same short time, often about three minutes. A clerk may use a timer. When time is up, the speaker sits down.

People bring many kinds of worries. A parent may ask for a crosswalk near a school. A business owner may dislike a new parking rule. A teenager may ask for a skate park. Council members do not usually argue back. They listen. Sometimes they ask staff to look into it. The choice may come at a later meeting.

The time limit can seem hard, but it is fair. If one person could talk for an hour, no one else could speak. The best speakers have a clear request, one or two reasons, and a polite voice. Even if the council does not change its mind, the public record shows that residents spoke up. That matters at the next election.

▲ This passage · 268 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.6

At the back of many city council chambers stands a plain microphone on a stand. It may not look important, but it is one of the most direct connections between ordinary people and their government. During a part of the meeting called public comment, any resident can walk up to it and speak to the people who make the town's decisions.

The process is usually simple. Residents sign up on a sheet before the meeting begins, and the council posts its agenda ahead of time so people know what will be discussed. Each speaker receives a short, equal amount of time, often about three minutes, and a clerk may use a timer. When the time is up, the speaker sits down, no matter how important the topic feels.

Residents bring all kinds of concerns. A parent might ask for a crosswalk near a school. A business owner might object to a new parking rule. A teenager might ask the council to build a skate park. Council members generally do not argue back during the comment period. They listen and sometimes ask staff to look into the issue, but the decision may come at a later meeting.

The time limit can seem harsh, yet it serves fairness. If one person could speak for an hour, there would be no time for anyone else. Speakers who prepare a clear request, give one or two reasons, and stay polite are often the most effective. Even when a council does not change its mind, the public record shows that residents spoke, and that record matters when elected officials face the next election.

■ Harder · 277 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 11.8

At the rear of many city council chambers stands an unassuming microphone on a stand. It may not appear significant, yet it represents one of the most direct connections between ordinary citizens and their government. During a portion of the meeting known as public comment, any resident is permitted to approach it and address the officials who make the community's decisions.

The procedure is typically straightforward. Residents sign a sheet before the meeting commences, and the council publishes its agenda in advance so that people understand which subjects will be considered. Each speaker receives a brief and equal allotment of time, frequently about three minutes, and a clerk may operate a timer. When the allotted time expires, the speaker returns to a seat, regardless of how important the topic feels.

Residents raise a remarkable variety of concerns. A parent might request a crosswalk near a school, a business owner might object to a newly adopted parking rule, and a teenager might urge the council to construct a skate park. Council members generally refrain from arguing during the comment period. They listen and occasionally direct staff to investigate the matter, although the actual decision may not occur until a subsequent meeting.

The time limit can seem severe, yet it serves the cause of fairness. If a single person could speak for an hour, no opportunity would remain for anyone else. Speakers who prepare a clear request, offer one or two reasons, and remain courteous tend to be the most persuasive. Even when a council declines to change its position, the public record demonstrates that residents spoke, and that record matters considerably when elected officials face the next election.

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 council, resident, agenda, clerk and effective 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 4 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 "Three Minutes at the Microphone"?

It was written for 7th grade. It has 268 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 7.6. 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.

Nothing you do here is sent to us. No sign-in, no ads.