1st grade nonfiction passage about comets: 99 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
1st gradenonfictioncomets99 words
A Comet Tail Points Away From the Sun
A comet is a ball of ice and dust. It floats far out in space. It is dark and cold there.
Some comets travel near the sun. The sun warms the ice. The ice turns to gas and dust, and a glowing tail grows.
The tail always points away from the sun. A comet that is moving toward the sun has its tail behind it. A comet that is moving away has its tail out in front!
People can see a comet from Earth on a dark night. It looks like a fuzzy star with a long, pale tail.
Questions
What is a comet? in the text
What does the sun do to the ice? in the text
Which way does the tail always point? in the text
What does a comet look like from Earth? in the text
Why does a comet far from the sun have no tail? think about it
Words to know
comet
a ball of ice and dust that travels in space
tail
the long part at the back of a thing
dust
tiny bits of dry dirt
fuzzy
not clear, like soft fur
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
A Comet Tail Points Away From the Sun
1st grade reading passage
A comet is a ball of ice and dust. It floats far out in space. It is dark and cold there.
Some comets travel near the sun. The sun warms the ice. The ice turns to gas and dust, and a glowing tail grows.
The tail always points away from the sun. A comet that is moving toward the sun has its tail behind it. A comet that is moving away has its tail out in front!
People can see a comet from Earth on a dark night. It looks like a fuzzy star with a long, pale tail.
Questions
What is a comet?
What does the sun do to the ice?
Which way does the tail always point?
What does a comet look like from Earth?
Why does a comet far from the sun have no tail?
Words to know
comet: a ball of ice and dust that travels in space
tail: the long part at the back of a thing
dust: tiny bits of dry dirt
fuzzy: not clear, like soft fur
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/1/a-comet-tail-points-away-from-the-sun
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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 · 70 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.3
A comet is a ball of ice and dust. It floats far out in space. It is dark and cold there.
Some comets go near the sun. The sun warms the ice. The ice turns to gas and dust, and a glowing tail grows.
The tail points away from the sun. We can see a comet on a dark night. It looks like a fuzzy star with a long tail.
▲ This passage · 99 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.9
A comet is a ball of ice and dust. It floats far out in space. It is dark and cold there.
Some comets travel near the sun. The sun warms the ice. The ice turns to gas and dust, and a glowing tail grows.
The tail always points away from the sun. A comet that is moving toward the sun has its tail behind it. A comet that is moving away has its tail out in front!
People can see a comet from Earth on a dark night. It looks like a fuzzy star with a long, pale tail.
■ Harder · 106 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.6
A comet is a ball of ice and dust that drifts far out in space, where it is dark and bitterly cold.
Some comets travel close to the sun. The sun's heat warms the ice, and the ice turns into gas and dust, which forms a glowing tail.
The tail always points away from the sun. A comet that is moving toward the sun has its tail trailing behind it, but a comet that is moving away has its tail stretched out in front!
On a dark night, people on Earth can see a comet. It looks like a fuzzy star with a long, pale tail.
A comet is a ball of ice and dust. It floats far out in space. It is dark and cold there.
Some comets go near the sun. The sun warms the ice. The ice turns to gas and dust, and a glowing tail grows.
The tail points away from the sun. We can see a comet on a dark night. It looks like a fuzzy star with a long tail.
Questions
What is a comet?
What does the sun do to the ice?
Which way does the tail point?
What does a comet look like from Earth?
Why does a comet far from the sun have no tail?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
A Comet Tail Points Away From the Sun
A comet is a ball of ice and dust. It floats far out in space. It is dark and cold there.
Some comets travel near the sun. The sun warms the ice. The ice turns to gas and dust, and a glowing tail grows.
The tail always points away from the sun. A comet that is moving toward the sun has its tail behind it. A comet that is moving away has its tail out in front!
People can see a comet from Earth on a dark night. It looks like a fuzzy star with a long, pale tail.
Questions
What is a comet?
What does the sun do to the ice?
Which way does the tail always point?
What does a comet look like from Earth?
Why does a comet far from the sun have no tail?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
A Comet Tail Points Away From the Sun
A comet is a ball of ice and dust that drifts far out in space, where it is dark and bitterly cold.
Some comets travel close to the sun. The sun's heat warms the ice, and the ice turns into gas and dust, which forms a glowing tail.
The tail always points away from the sun. A comet that is moving toward the sun has its tail trailing behind it, but a comet that is moving away has its tail stretched out in front!
On a dark night, people on Earth can see a comet. It looks like a fuzzy star with a long, pale tail.
Questions
What is a comet?
What does the sun's heat do to the ice?
Which way does the tail always point?
What does a comet look like from Earth?
Why does a comet far from the sun have no tail?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: A Comet Tail Points Away From the Sun
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.3)
A ball of ice and dust.
It warms the ice.
Away from the sun.
A fuzzy star with a long tail.
It is too cold, so the ice stays ice.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.9)
A ball of ice and dust.
It warms the ice.
Away from the sun.
A fuzzy star with a long, pale tail.
It is too cold there, so the ice does not turn to gas.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.6)
A ball of ice and dust.
It warms the ice and turns it into gas and dust.
Away from the sun.
A fuzzy star with a long, pale tail.
It is too cold there for the ice to turn into gas.
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 comet, tail, dust and fuzzy 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 Comet Tail Points Away From the Sun"?
It was written for 1st grade. It has 99 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.9. 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.
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