Gunpowder Reading Comprehension Passage - Cored Ed Encyclopedia

This gunpowder reading comprehension with lesson plan includes:

Visualization (on the front cover)

Start your lesson by taking a minute to think and share something about the topic.

• Read the script aloud (slowly), perhaps prepare some music or sound effects. Student close their eyes and let their imaginations wander.

• Students open their eyes, read the question aloud and give them a few minutes to complete. Ask a few students to share or keep answers until the end to compare with what they learn in the passage.

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Pre-Reading Trivia

Students will write down one thing they already know about the subject and then read five more facts and discuss. These facts are fun, and the students will enjoy learning about the subject before reading more.

• Give 1 minute for students to write what they already know (no pressure—best guess is fine).

• Read the five facts together. After each fact, do ask a student for their opinion, was it surprising?

• Set a purpose by asking students to highlight/underline one fact they want to learn more about during the reading.

Reading Passage

The text is a high-interest reading passage with set paragraphs, roughly three to four paragraphs long. It contains a variety of themes about the topic, anywhere from history to technology. The passage is between 250 and 350 words in length.

• First, ask students to look at the headings and see what they’ll learn about today. What do they know about the topic/heading?

• First read options:

  • Teacher read-aloud (best for support).

  • Partner reading (paragraph by paragraph).

• While reading, students underline important details, and vocabulary words they think may come up in the questions section.

Mixed Questions

The first question page contains four multiple-choice questions, each with a choice of four answers, and three written response questions that require a sentence or two from the student.

• Students complete the mcqs first independently, then review quickly as a class.

• For the 3 written responses, try to get students giving the answer with some form of evidence:

  • “I think ___ because the text says ___.”

• If students get stuck, send them back to check the passage.

Vocabulary Questions

Practice seven key words from the text in this section across two activities. First section is scrambled words where students will unscramble three words given a clue for each. The second section is a word to meaning matching activity.

• Before starting, have some students read out words they underlined in the passage. Ask students to say the word and read aloud the sentence(s) around each word.

• Ask students to do scrambled words and the matching exercise in pairs then go through answers as a class.

• For the scrambled spelling task, get four pairs to come up to the board and write the words for extra practice with the other student reading out the clue.

• For the matching task, prompt students to give full sentences: “I matched ___ with ___ because ___.”

Creative Writing

In this question, the student will be required to write a five to eight sentence paragraph on a question related to the topic.

• Before starting, ask students write down 3 key ideas they are going to include in their piece. Ask students for ideas to share around the class to help those struggling.

• Pro writing expectations:

  • 5–8 sentences

  • At least 2 facts or details from the passage

  • At least 2 vocabulary words from the previous page

• Students read their paragraphs while classmates listen for facts and vocabulary words.

Extension Activities

This page is optional for fast finishers or to take home. There are several activities, each one requiring a different skill. Do some, do none, do all, completely optional - but you will feel reassured knowing every possibility is planned for. Includes summary writting question and additional facts.

Answer Key

There are answers for the multiple-choice questions, written response questions have sample answers, vocabulary answers and if there is a summary question then a sample summary will be provided as well.

Lesson Plan Included

Customized lesson plan for this lesson is included.

Lesson Snapshot

• Title: Gunpowder

• Genre: Nonfiction (informational text)

• Subject: Science

• Primary Topic: How gunpowder was discovered and used over time

• Estimated Guided Reading Level (A–Z): Q

What This Lesson Teaches Best

• Explains how gunpowder began in China during the Tang dynasty when alchemists mixed ingredients while searching for a life-lasting “elixir.”

• Identifies the three main powders in gunpowder—charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter (also called potassium nitrate)—and describes what saltpeter adds to help burning.

• Describes how gunpowder behaves differently in an open pile versus a tight tube, leading to a strong push of hot gas.

• Traces how “fire medicine” was used first for celebrations and signals, then developed into fire arrows, bombs, fire lances, and hand cannons by the late 1200s.

• Shows how ideas travel as gunpowder and stories about rockets reached Europe, and how uses expanded to quarrying rock and digging tunnels, not only fighting.

Learning Goals

• Students will describe how the text says gunpowder was discovered during the Tang dynasty in China.

• Students will identify the three main powders in gunpowder and explain what saltpeter adds to the burning process.

• Students will compare what happens when gunpowder burns in an open pile versus in a tight tube.

• Students will explain how “fire medicine” changed from signals and celebrations to fire arrows and later weapons over time.

• Students will describe two non-celebration uses of the powder mentioned in the text (quarrying rock and digging tunnels).

• Students will explain what the author means by “Ideas travel,” using the example of gunpowder reaching Europe.

Key Vocabulary From the Text

• alchemists — people who mixed ingredients while searching for an “elixir.”

• elixir — a life-lasting drink they searched for.

• charcoal — powder from burned wood.

• sulfur — one of the three main powders.

• saltpeter — a mineral also called potassium nitrate.

Discussion Prompts

• Pre-reading question: What do you think might happen if a powder burns very fast?

• Comprehension questions: How did the mixture get the name huoyao, or “fire medicine”?

• Comprehension questions: What role does saltpeter play when a tiny grain is lit?

• Comprehension questions: How did the uses of “fire medicine” change from celebrations to later tools or weapons?

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