1st grade nonfiction passage about how a hot air balloon rises: 103 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
1st gradenonfictionhow a hot air balloon rises103 words
A Basket Hangs Under a Hot Air Balloon
A hot air balloon is a giant bag filled with air. A basket hangs under it. The people ride in the basket.
At the bottom of the bag is a burner. It makes a big flame. The flame heats the air inside the bag. Hot air is lighter than cool air, so the hot air pushes the balloon up. Up, up, up it goes!
To come down, the pilot lets some of the hot air out. The air in the bag cools off. The balloon sinks slowly back to the ground. A balloon cannot steer like a car. It drifts with the wind.
Questions
Where do the people ride? in the text
What does the flame do? in the text
Which is lighter, hot air or cool air? in the text
How does the pilot bring the balloon down? in the text
Why does a balloon drift in the sky? think about it
Words to know
balloon
a big bag that floats when it is full of hot air
burner
a tool that makes a flame to give heat
pilot
the person who flies a balloon or a plane
drift
to move slowly along with the wind
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
A Basket Hangs Under a Hot Air Balloon
1st grade reading passage
A hot air balloon is a giant bag filled with air. A basket hangs under it. The people ride in the basket.
At the bottom of the bag is a burner. It makes a big flame. The flame heats the air inside the bag. Hot air is lighter than cool air, so the hot air pushes the balloon up. Up, up, up it goes!
To come down, the pilot lets some of the hot air out. The air in the bag cools off. The balloon sinks slowly back to the ground. A balloon cannot steer like a car. It drifts with the wind.
Questions
Where do the people ride?
What does the flame do?
Which is lighter, hot air or cool air?
How does the pilot bring the balloon down?
Why does a balloon drift in the sky?
Words to know
balloon: a big bag that floats when it is full of hot air
burner: a tool that makes a flame to give heat
pilot: the person who flies a balloon or a plane
drift: to move slowly along with the wind
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/1/a-basket-hangs-under-a-hot-air-balloon
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 · 74 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.5
A hot air balloon is a big bag full of air. A basket hangs under it. People ride in the basket.
A burner makes a flame. The flame heats the air in the bag. Hot air is lighter than cool air. So the balloon goes up and up.
To come down, the pilot lets some hot air out. The air cools. The balloon sinks. It cannot steer like a car. The wind moves it.
▲ This passage · 103 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.4
A hot air balloon is a giant bag filled with air. A basket hangs under it. The people ride in the basket.
At the bottom of the bag is a burner. It makes a big flame. The flame heats the air inside the bag. Hot air is lighter than cool air, so the hot air pushes the balloon up. Up, up, up it goes!
To come down, the pilot lets some of the hot air out. The air in the bag cools off. The balloon sinks slowly back to the ground. A balloon cannot steer like a car. It drifts with the wind.
■ Harder · 121 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.4
A hot air balloon is an enormous bag filled with air, and a basket hangs beneath it. The passengers stand inside the basket while the balloon carries them through the sky.
Near the bottom of the bag sits a burner that makes a roaring flame. The flame heats the air inside the bag. Because hot air is lighter than cool air, the hot air lifts the whole balloon higher and higher.
When it is time to land, the pilot lets some of the hot air escape. The air inside the bag cools off, and the balloon sinks gently toward the ground. A balloon cannot be steered the way a car can, so it simply drifts along wherever the wind blows it.
A hot air balloon is a big bag full of air. A basket hangs under it. People ride in the basket.
A burner makes a flame. The flame heats the air in the bag. Hot air is lighter than cool air. So the balloon goes up and up.
To come down, the pilot lets some hot air out. The air cools. The balloon sinks. It cannot steer like a car. The wind moves it.
Questions
Where do the people ride?
What does the flame do?
Which is lighter, hot air or cool air?
How does the pilot bring the balloon down?
Why does the balloon drift?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
A Basket Hangs Under a Hot Air Balloon
A hot air balloon is a giant bag filled with air. A basket hangs under it. The people ride in the basket.
At the bottom of the bag is a burner. It makes a big flame. The flame heats the air inside the bag. Hot air is lighter than cool air, so the hot air pushes the balloon up. Up, up, up it goes!
To come down, the pilot lets some of the hot air out. The air in the bag cools off. The balloon sinks slowly back to the ground. A balloon cannot steer like a car. It drifts with the wind.
Questions
Where do the people ride?
What does the flame do?
Which is lighter, hot air or cool air?
How does the pilot bring the balloon down?
Why does a balloon drift in the sky?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
A Basket Hangs Under a Hot Air Balloon
A hot air balloon is an enormous bag filled with air, and a basket hangs beneath it. The passengers stand inside the basket while the balloon carries them through the sky.
Near the bottom of the bag sits a burner that makes a roaring flame. The flame heats the air inside the bag. Because hot air is lighter than cool air, the hot air lifts the whole balloon higher and higher.
When it is time to land, the pilot lets some of the hot air escape. The air inside the bag cools off, and the balloon sinks gently toward the ground. A balloon cannot be steered the way a car can, so it simply drifts along wherever the wind blows it.
Questions
Where do the passengers stand?
What does the flame from the burner do?
Which is lighter, hot air or cool air?
How does the pilot make the balloon land?
Why does a balloon drift wherever the wind blows?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: A Basket Hangs Under a Hot Air Balloon
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.5)
In the basket.
It heats the air in the bag.
Hot air.
The pilot lets hot air out.
It cannot steer, so the wind moves it.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.4)
In the basket under the balloon.
It heats the air inside the bag.
Hot air.
The pilot lets some hot air out.
It cannot steer like a car, so the wind moves it.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.4)
Inside the basket that hangs beneath the balloon.
It heats the air inside the bag.
Hot air is lighter.
The pilot lets some of the hot air escape.
It cannot be steered the way a car can.
Free at teach.peabody.kids
How to use it
Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.
Ideas for class
Before reading, put balloon, burner, pilot and drift 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 1 minute 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 5 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.
What reading level is "A Basket Hangs Under a Hot Air Balloon"?
It was written for 1st grade. It has 103 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.4. 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 five. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 1 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 1 minute 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.