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A Map Shows Where

1st grade nonfiction passage about maps: 91 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

1st grade nonfiction maps 91 words

A Map Shows Where

A map is a picture of a place. It shows the place as if you were looking down from above.

A map can show a town, a state, or the whole world. It uses small pictures called symbols. A blue patch can stand for a lake. A tiny house can stand for a school.

Look for the key. The key tells what each symbol means.

A map also has a compass rose. It shows four directions: north, south, east, and west. You can use the compass rose to find your way.

Questions

  1. What is a map? in the text

  2. What are symbols on a map? in the text

  3. What does the key tell you? in the text

  4. What are the four directions on a compass rose? in the text

  5. Why would a person look at a map? think about it

Words to know

map
a drawing that shows where places and things are
symbol
a small picture that stands for something real
key
the box on a map that tells what the symbols mean
compass rose
the drawing on a map that shows north, south, east and west

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put map, symbol, key and compass rose 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.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "A Map Shows Where"?

It was written for 1st grade. It has 91 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.3. 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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