Non-fiction: Musical Instruments – Woodwind Instruments
Musical Instruments Woodwind Instruments
Has your gym coach ever blown a whistle to get your attention? The noise may sound harsh. It is not too different from original woodwind instruments. The first woodwind instruments were hollow pieces of wood. One end was open and the other end was closed. By blowing into the open end, people made whistles. Over time these instruments became more complicated. Since they were made of wood, they became known as the woodwind family.
Today, the most famous woodwind instrument is the flute. It isn’t made of wood at all. It is made of silver. Most professionals play on solid silver flutes. Students play on flutes made of silver-plated metal. Look at the picture of the flute below. It is a long narrow tube. When musicians blow into the mouthpiece of the tube, the flute makes music. Musicians use their fingers to cover the holes along the tube. This controls what notes the flutes plays.
In orchestras, the woodwind section has more kinds of instruments than any other family. The section is made up of flutes, piccolos, oboes, English horns, clarinets, bass clarinets, bassoons and contrabassoons. All of these instruments are hollow tubes made of wood or metal. The piccolo, less than 13 inches long, is the smallest instrument in the whole orchestra.
Flute (27 inches)
Piccolo (12.5 inches)
1
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Musical Instruments – Woodwind Instruments
Name: ______Date:______
1. The main idea of this passage is
a. the flute is longer than the piccolo. b. the piccolo is the smallest instrument in the orchestra. c. the history of music. d. information about woodwind instruments.
2. Woodwinds from the past and today are similar because
a. they are both made of silver. b. they both make music when you blow into them. c. they are both made of wood. d. they both cost a lot of money to make.
3. To have a silver flute you should be
a. very dedicated to playing the flute. b. a student just learning how to play. c. an excellent flute player hired by an orchestra. d. None of the above.
4. Which sentence uses hollow incorrectly?
a. The tree trunk was hollow from the insects eating it. b. The long hollow tunnel was spooky to go through. c. The bread tasted very hollow, but he ate it anyway. d. The hollow cave made an echo when she yelled.
5. Based on the passage, it is likely that covering the holes on the flute
a. makes it buzz b. changes the sound c. does not do anything to the sound d. will stop it from making sound
2
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Musical Instruments – Woodwind Instruments
6. The passage states that the piccolo plays higher notes than the flute. Why do you think that is?
______
______
______
7. Based on the passage, why were these instruments called woodwinds?
______
______
______
8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.
The most famous woodwind instrument is the flute ______it isn’t made of wood.
a. so b. because c. even though d. after
9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below.
The coach blew the whistle during gym class because he wanted to get our attention.
Who? the coach
What? ______
When? ______
Why? ______
10. Vocabulary Word: harsh: unpleasant.
Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: ______
______
3
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Answers: Musical Instruments – Woodwind Instruments
Teacher Guide and Answers
Passage Reading Level: Lexile 670
Featured Text Structure: Descriptive – the writer explains, defines or illustrates a concept or topic
Passage Summary: This passage describes the woodwind family of instruments, including a description of the flute.
1. The main idea of this passage is
a. the flute is longer than the piccolo. b. the piccolo is the smallest instrument in the orchestra. c. the history of music. d. information about woodwind instruments.
2. Woodwinds from the past and today are similar because
a. they are both made of silver. b. they both make music when you blow into them. c. they are both made of wood. d. they both cost a lot of money to make.
3. To have a silver flute you should be
a. very dedicated to playing the flute. b. a student just learning how to play. c. an excellent flute player hired by an orchestra. d. None of the above.
4. Which sentence uses hollow incorrectly?
a. The tree trunk was hollow from the insects eating it. b. The long hollow tunnel was spooky to go through. c. The bread tasted very hollow, but he ate it anyway. d. The hollow cave made an echo when she yelled.
5. Based on the passage, it is likely that covering the holes on the flute
a. makes it buzz b. changes the sound c. does not do anything to the sound d. will stop it from making sound
4
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Answers: Musical Instruments – Woodwind Instruments
6. The piccolo plays higher notes than the flute. Why do you think that is?
Suggested answer: The piccolo plays higher notes because it is smaller. Any small instrument will play higher notes than larger instruments of the same shape. Larger instruments play lower notes.
7. Based on the passage, why were these instruments called woodwinds?
Suggested answer: These instruments were called woodwinds because they made sound by blowing wind or air through them. The early instruments were also made out of wood.
8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence.
The most famous woodwind instrument is the flute ______it isn’t made of wood.
a. so b. because c. even though d. after
9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below.
The coach blew the whistle during gym class because he wanted to get our attention.
Who? the coach
What? blew the whistle
When? during gym class
Why? because he wanted to get our attention
10. Vocabulary Word: harsh: unpleasant.
Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: answers may vary.
5
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.