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 · 246 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.5
The student council had big plans for spirit week. There would be a banner contest, a hallway scavenger hunt, a pizza lunch, and a dance on Friday. Then the treasurer, Hollis, read the budget from the front office. The whole week had forty dollars.
A groan went around the table. "Forty dollars won't buy ten pizzas," someone said. "It won't even buy decorations."
Hollis liked numbers more than speeches. He did not groan. He took a notebook from his bag and listed the plans in a column. "Let's sort these by what each one needs," he said. "A scavenger hunt needs paper and pencils. The library might donate them. A banner contest needs paint. The art room has a shelf of leftover paint. I think Mr. Vance would let us use it."
The group began to see it. Each idea cost less when they asked what the school already had. For the dance, they could skip the hired music. Students could send playlists, and a volunteer would mix them. For the pizza lunch, they could set up a potluck table. Each class would bring one dish.
By the end, the list of things they had to buy was short: poster board, balloons, and napkins. Hollis added up the prices from a flyer. The total was thirty-one dollars and forty cents.
"We have money left over," he said, amazed.
"Then spend it on cookies," said the council president. For the first time that afternoon, everyone laughed.
▲ This passage · 273 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.6
The student council had grand plans for spirit week, including a banner contest, a hallway scavenger hunt, a pizza lunch. A dance on Friday, but then the treasurer, Hollis, read out the budget from the front office, and the total available for the whole week was forty dollars. A groan rippled around the table. Someone said that forty dollars would not buy ten pizzas, let alone decorations.
Hollis, who liked numbers more than speeches, did not groan. He pulled a notebook from his bag, wrote the plans in a column, and suggested that they sort them by what each one actually needed. A scavenger hunt needed paper and pencils, which the library might donate, and a banner contest needed paint. But the art room had a shelf of leftover paint. He was fairly sure that Mr. Vance would let them use it.
The group began to see the point, because each idea lost some of its cost once they asked what the school already owned. For the dance they could skip the hired music and let students submit playlists that a volunteer would mix, and for the pizza lunch they could set up a potluck table where each class brought one dish.
By the end of the meeting, the list of things they truly had to buy was down to poster board, balloons, and napkins, and Hollis added up the prices from a flyer. The total came to thirty-one dollars and forty cents, which left money over. He was almost amazed. The council president declared that they should spend the rest on cookies, and for the first time that afternoon everyone laughed.
■ Harder · 274 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.8
The student council had grand plans for spirit week, including a banner contest, a hallway scavenger hunt, a pizza lunch. A dance on Friday, but then the treasurer, Hollis, read out the budget from the front office, and the total available for the entire week was forty dollars. A groan rippled around the table. Someone said that forty dollars would not buy ten pizzas, let alone decorations.
Hollis, who liked numbers more than speeches, did not groan. He pulled a notebook from his bag, wrote the plans in a column, and suggested that they sort them by what each one actually needed. A scavenger hunt needed paper and pencils, which the library might donate, and a banner contest needed paint, but the art room had a shelf of leftover paint. He was fairly sure that Mr. Vance would let them use it.
The group began to see the point, because each idea lost some of its cost once they asked what the school already owned. For the dance they could skip the hired music and let students submit playlists that a volunteer would mix, and for the pizza lunch they could set up a potluck table where each class brought one dish.
By the end of the meeting, the list of things they truly had to buy was down to poster board, balloons, and napkins, and Hollis added up the prices from a flyer. The total came to thirty-one dollars and forty cents, which left money over, and he was almost astonished. The council president declared that they should spend the rest on cookies, and for the first time that afternoon everyone laughed.
Name ____________________●
Forty Dollars for Spirit Week
The student council had big plans for spirit week. There would be a banner contest, a hallway scavenger hunt, a pizza lunch, and a dance on Friday. Then the treasurer, Hollis, read the budget from the front office. The whole week had forty dollars.
A groan went around the table. "Forty dollars won't buy ten pizzas," someone said. "It won't even buy decorations."
Hollis liked numbers more than speeches. He did not groan. He took a notebook from his bag and listed the plans in a column. "Let's sort these by what each one needs," he said. "A scavenger hunt needs paper and pencils. The library might donate them. A banner contest needs paint. The art room has a shelf of leftover paint. I think Mr. Vance would let us use it."
The group began to see it. Each idea cost less when they asked what the school already had. For the dance, they could skip the hired music. Students could send playlists, and a volunteer would mix them. For the pizza lunch, they could set up a potluck table. Each class would bring one dish.
By the end, the list of things they had to buy was short: poster board, balloons, and napkins. Hollis added up the prices from a flyer. The total was thirty-one dollars and forty cents.
"We have money left over," he said, amazed.
"Then spend it on cookies," said the council president. For the first time that afternoon, everyone laughed.
Questions
- How much money did the council have?
- Who was the treasurer?
- What did the council use in place of the pizza lunch?
- What was the total cost of the things they had to buy?
- How did Hollis's idea lower the cost of the plans?
- Why was Hollis amazed at the end?
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Name ____________________▲
Forty Dollars for Spirit Week
The student council had grand plans for spirit week, including a banner contest, a hallway scavenger hunt, a pizza lunch. A dance on Friday, but then the treasurer, Hollis, read out the budget from the front office, and the total available for the whole week was forty dollars. A groan rippled around the table. Someone said that forty dollars would not buy ten pizzas, let alone decorations.
Hollis, who liked numbers more than speeches, did not groan. He pulled a notebook from his bag, wrote the plans in a column, and suggested that they sort them by what each one actually needed. A scavenger hunt needed paper and pencils, which the library might donate, and a banner contest needed paint. But the art room had a shelf of leftover paint. He was fairly sure that Mr. Vance would let them use it.
The group began to see the point, because each idea lost some of its cost once they asked what the school already owned. For the dance they could skip the hired music and let students submit playlists that a volunteer would mix, and for the pizza lunch they could set up a potluck table where each class brought one dish.
By the end of the meeting, the list of things they truly had to buy was down to poster board, balloons, and napkins, and Hollis added up the prices from a flyer. The total came to thirty-one dollars and forty cents, which left money over. He was almost amazed. The council president declared that they should spend the rest on cookies, and for the first time that afternoon everyone laughed.
Questions
- How much money did the council have for spirit week?
- Who was the treasurer of the council?
- How did the council replace the pizza lunch?
- How much did the items they had to buy cost in total?
- How did Hollis's approach lower the cost of the plans?
- Why was Hollis almost amazed at the end?
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Name ____________________■
Forty Dollars for Spirit Week
The student council had grand plans for spirit week, including a banner contest, a hallway scavenger hunt, a pizza lunch. A dance on Friday, but then the treasurer, Hollis, read out the budget from the front office, and the total available for the entire week was forty dollars. A groan rippled around the table. Someone said that forty dollars would not buy ten pizzas, let alone decorations.
Hollis, who liked numbers more than speeches, did not groan. He pulled a notebook from his bag, wrote the plans in a column, and suggested that they sort them by what each one actually needed. A scavenger hunt needed paper and pencils, which the library might donate, and a banner contest needed paint, but the art room had a shelf of leftover paint. He was fairly sure that Mr. Vance would let them use it.
The group began to see the point, because each idea lost some of its cost once they asked what the school already owned. For the dance they could skip the hired music and let students submit playlists that a volunteer would mix, and for the pizza lunch they could set up a potluck table where each class brought one dish.
By the end of the meeting, the list of things they truly had to buy was down to poster board, balloons, and napkins, and Hollis added up the prices from a flyer. The total came to thirty-one dollars and forty cents, which left money over, and he was almost astonished. The council president declared that they should spend the rest on cookies, and for the first time that afternoon everyone laughed.
Questions
- How much money was available to the council for spirit week?
- Who held the job of treasurer on the council?
- What did the council substitute for the pizza lunch?
- What was the total cost of the items they had to purchase?
- How did Hollis's approach reduce the cost of the plans?
- Why was Hollis almost astonished at the end of the meeting?
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Answer key: Forty Dollars for Spirit Week
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.5)
- Forty dollars.
- Hollis.
- A potluck table where each class brought one dish.
- Thirty-one dollars and forty cents.
- He asked what the school already had, so less had to be bought.
- He did not expect money to be left over from such a small budget.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.6)
- Forty dollars.
- Hollis.
- With a potluck table where each class brought one dish.
- Thirty-one dollars and forty cents.
- He asked what the school already owned, so many things did not need to be bought.
- He had not expected them to finish with money left over from such a small budget.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.8)
- Forty dollars.
- Hollis.
- A potluck table to which each class contributed one dish.
- Thirty-one dollars and forty cents.
- He asked what the school already owned, so many items did not need to be bought.
- He had not expected money to remain from such a small budget.
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