1st grade nonfiction passage about the hourglass: 98 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
1st gradenonfictionthe hourglass98 words
A Sand Clock for Telling Time
An hourglass is a clock made of glass and sand. It has a round part on top and a round part below. A thin neck joins the two.
At first, the sand rests up high. Flip the glass, and the sand starts to run. It trickles down through the neck in a thin stream. A small hill grows in the lower part.
When the top is empty, the time is up. Sailors used hourglasses long ago to count time on a ship. Today, some games have a tiny hourglass that shows how long you have for your turn.
Questions
What is an hourglass made of? in the text
Where does the sand rest at first? in the text
Who used hourglasses long ago? in the text
What happens when you flip the glass? in the text
How do you know the time is up? think about it
Words to know
hourglass
a glass clock that uses falling sand
neck
the thin part in the middle
sailor
a person who works on a ship
count
to figure out how much
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
A Sand Clock for Telling Time
1st grade reading passage
An hourglass is a clock made of glass and sand. It has a round part on top and a round part below. A thin neck joins the two.
At first, the sand rests up high. Flip the glass, and the sand starts to run. It trickles down through the neck in a thin stream. A small hill grows in the lower part.
When the top is empty, the time is up. Sailors used hourglasses long ago to count time on a ship. Today, some games have a tiny hourglass that shows how long you have for your turn.
Questions
What is an hourglass made of?
Where does the sand rest at first?
Who used hourglasses long ago?
What happens when you flip the glass?
How do you know the time is up?
Words to know
hourglass: a glass clock that uses falling sand
neck: the thin part in the middle
sailor: a person who works on a ship
count: to figure out how much
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/1/a-sand-clock-for-telling-time
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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 · 62 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.2
An hourglass is a clock. It is made of glass and sand. It has two round parts. A thin neck joins them.
Sand sits in the top part. Turn the glass over. The sand falls down. It piles up in the bottom part.
When the sand is all at the bottom, the time is up. Sailors used hourglasses on ships long ago.
▲ This passage · 98 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.4
An hourglass is a clock made of glass and sand. It has a round part on top and a round part below. A thin neck joins the two.
At first, the sand rests up high. Flip the glass, and the sand starts to run. It trickles down through the neck in a thin stream. A small hill grows in the lower part.
When the top is empty, the time is up. Sailors used hourglasses long ago to count time on a ship. Today, some games have a tiny hourglass that shows how long you have for your turn.
■ Harder · 110 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3
An hourglass is a kind of clock that is made from glass and sand. It has two round bulbs, and a narrow neck connects them.
At the start, all of the sand sits in the top bulb. When you turn the glass upside down, the sand begins to trickle through the neck, bit by bit, and it slowly piles up in the bottom bulb.
Once all of the sand has fallen to the bottom, you know that the time is up. Long ago, sailors used hourglasses to measure time on their ships. Today, some board games include a small hourglass that shows how long you have to take your turn.
An hourglass is a clock. It is made of glass and sand. It has two round parts. A thin neck joins them.
Sand sits in the top part. Turn the glass over. The sand falls down. It piles up in the bottom part.
When the sand is all at the bottom, the time is up. Sailors used hourglasses on ships long ago.
Questions
What is an hourglass made of?
Where does the sand sit at first?
Who used hourglasses long ago?
What happens when you turn the glass over?
How do you know the time is up?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
A Sand Clock for Telling Time
An hourglass is a clock made of glass and sand. It has a round part on top and a round part below. A thin neck joins the two.
At first, the sand rests up high. Flip the glass, and the sand starts to run. It trickles down through the neck in a thin stream. A small hill grows in the lower part.
When the top is empty, the time is up. Sailors used hourglasses long ago to count time on a ship. Today, some games have a tiny hourglass that shows how long you have for your turn.
Questions
What is an hourglass made of?
Where does the sand rest at first?
Who used hourglasses long ago?
What happens when you flip the glass?
How do you know the time is up?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
A Sand Clock for Telling Time
An hourglass is a kind of clock that is made from glass and sand. It has two round bulbs, and a narrow neck connects them.
At the start, all of the sand sits in the top bulb. When you turn the glass upside down, the sand begins to trickle through the neck, bit by bit, and it slowly piles up in the bottom bulb.
Once all of the sand has fallen to the bottom, you know that the time is up. Long ago, sailors used hourglasses to measure time on their ships. Today, some board games include a small hourglass that shows how long you have to take your turn.
Questions
What materials is an hourglass made from?
Where is all of the sand at the start?
Who used hourglasses to measure time on ships long ago?
What happens to the sand when you turn the glass upside down?
How can you tell that the time is up?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: A Sand Clock for Telling Time
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.2)
Glass and sand.
In the top part.
Sailors.
The sand falls down.
All the sand is at the bottom.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.4)
Glass and sand.
Up high, in the top part.
Sailors.
The sand starts to run down to the lower part.
The top part is empty and all of the sand is below.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3)
Glass and sand.
In the top bulb.
Sailors.
It trickles through the neck and piles up in the bottom bulb.
All of the sand has fallen to the bottom.
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 hourglass, neck, sailor and count 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 Sand Clock for Telling Time"?
It was written for 1st grade. It has 98 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.
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