Harps Reading Comprehension Passage - Cored Ed Encyclopedia

This harps reading comprehension contains the following:

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.

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.

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.

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.

Extension Activities

This page is optional for fast finishers. If there are five to ten minutes left at the end of the lesson, the student can choose one of three activities, each one requiring a different skill.

Answer Key

There are answers for the multiple-choice questions and three written response questions have sample answers.

FULL CATALOG OF DOWNLOAD LINKS AND ENCYCLOPEDIA INDEX HERE

Lesson Snapshot

• Title: Harps

• Genre: Nonfiction (informational text)

• Subject: Music (Informational Reading)

• Primary Topic: How harps work, types, and early history

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

What This Lesson Teaches Best

• Explains what a harp looks like and how it makes sound when strings are plucked.

• Connects string length and thickness to low and high notes (how pitch changes).

• Describes the soundboard’s role in helping the sound “ring out.”

• Introduces harps as an ancient instrument and names early places they were played (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Sumer).

• Compares types of harps today (lever harps vs. pedal harps) and what levers/pedals do to change pitch.

Learning Goals

• Describe how a harp makes sound using details from the passage.

• Explain how longer/thicker strings and shorter/thinner strings relate to low and high notes.

• Identify what the soundboard does for the harp’s sound.

• Compare lever harps and pedal harps by explaining how each changes pitch.

• Summarize evidence that harps are very old by naming where early harps were played or found.

Key Vocabulary From the Text

• soundboard — flat wooden part that helps sound ring out.

• plucking — pulling and releasing strings with fingers to make sound.

• pitch — how high or low a note sounds.

• glissando — a swooshing sound moving across many notes.

• mechanism — parts that work together to change something.

Cored Ed Encyclopedia Overview

The Cored Ed Encyclopedia is a weekly series of lessons that you can pick up and use right away. These short readings fit into whatever time you have available. Each one includes a warm-up, a reading, and a set of questions, but it’s flexible — you can do just the reading, the full lesson, or skip the writing section if you need to. Each lesson focuses on a single topic so students don’t get lost. The writing is clear but never childish, making it perfect for grades two through five. Topics range from animals and science to history, inventions, and everyday things. No matter the level of the student, everyone should take away at least one new idea or fact from each lesson. The materials are easy to print, easy to explain, and require no setup. They work well for whole-class teaching, partner work, or independent study.