1st grade nonfiction passage about postage stamps: 108 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
1st gradenonfictionpostage stamps108 words
A Stamp Is a Ticket for Your Letter
A small stamp sits in the corner of a letter. It looks like a tiny picture. But a stamp is more than a picture.
A stamp shows that you paid to send the letter. It is like a ticket. A ticket lets you ride a bus. A stamp lets your letter ride to a new place.
Here is how it goes. You write a letter. You put it in an envelope. You write the address and stick on a stamp. Then you drop it in a mailbox.
A mail carrier picks it up. The letter goes on a long trip. At last it lands in a friend's mailbox.
Questions
Where is a stamp put on a letter? in the text
What does a stamp show? in the text
What do you write on the envelope besides the stamp? in the text
Who picks up the letter from the mailbox? in the text
Why is a stamp like a bus ticket? think about it
Words to know
stamp
a small sticker that shows you paid to mail a letter
envelope
a paper cover that holds a letter
ticket
a small paper that lets you ride or go in
trip
a journey from one place to another
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
A Stamp Is a Ticket for Your Letter
1st grade reading passage
A small stamp sits in the corner of a letter. It looks like a tiny picture. But a stamp is more than a picture.
A stamp shows that you paid to send the letter. It is like a ticket. A ticket lets you ride a bus. A stamp lets your letter ride to a new place.
Here is how it goes. You write a letter. You put it in an envelope. You write the address and stick on a stamp. Then you drop it in a mailbox.
A mail carrier picks it up. The letter goes on a long trip. At last it lands in a friend's mailbox.
Questions
Where is a stamp put on a letter?
What does a stamp show?
What do you write on the envelope besides the stamp?
Who picks up the letter from the mailbox?
Why is a stamp like a bus ticket?
Words to know
stamp: a small sticker that shows you paid to mail a letter
envelope: a paper cover that holds a letter
ticket: a small paper that lets you ride or go in
trip: a journey from one place to another
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/1/a-stamp-is-a-ticket-for-your-letter
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 · 98 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.8
A small stamp sits in the corner of a letter. It looks like a tiny picture. But it is more than a picture.
A stamp shows you paid to send the letter. It is like a ticket. A ticket lets you ride a bus. A stamp lets your letter ride to a new place.
You write a letter. You put it in an envelope. You write the address. You stick on a stamp. You drop it in a mailbox.
A mail carrier picks it up. The letter goes on a long trip. It lands in a friend's mailbox.
▲ This passage · 108 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.9
A small stamp sits in the corner of a letter. It looks like a tiny picture. But a stamp is more than a picture.
A stamp shows that you paid to send the letter. It is like a ticket. A ticket lets you ride a bus. A stamp lets your letter ride to a new place.
Here is how it goes. You write a letter. You put it in an envelope. You write the address and stick on a stamp. Then you drop it in a mailbox.
A mail carrier picks it up. The letter goes on a long trip. At last it lands in a friend's mailbox.
■ Harder · 120 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.7
A small stamp sits in the corner of a letter, and at first it looks like a tiny picture. But a stamp is much more than a picture.
A stamp shows that the sender has paid to mail the letter. It works like a ticket. A ticket allows you to ride a bus, and a stamp allows your letter to travel to a faraway place.
Here is how it works. First you write a letter and slip it into an envelope. Then you write the address on the front, stick on a stamp and drop the letter into a mailbox.
A mail carrier collects it, and the letter begins a long trip. At last it arrives in a friend's mailbox.
A small stamp sits in the corner of a letter. It looks like a tiny picture. But it is more than a picture.
A stamp shows you paid to send the letter. It is like a ticket. A ticket lets you ride a bus. A stamp lets your letter ride to a new place.
You write a letter. You put it in an envelope. You write the address. You stick on a stamp. You drop it in a mailbox.
A mail carrier picks it up. The letter goes on a long trip. It lands in a friend's mailbox.
Questions
Where is a stamp put?
What does a stamp show?
What do you write on the envelope?
Who picks up the letter?
Why is a stamp like a bus ticket?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
A Stamp Is a Ticket for Your Letter
A small stamp sits in the corner of a letter. It looks like a tiny picture. But a stamp is more than a picture.
A stamp shows that you paid to send the letter. It is like a ticket. A ticket lets you ride a bus. A stamp lets your letter ride to a new place.
Here is how it goes. You write a letter. You put it in an envelope. You write the address and stick on a stamp. Then you drop it in a mailbox.
A mail carrier picks it up. The letter goes on a long trip. At last it lands in a friend's mailbox.
Questions
Where is a stamp put on a letter?
What does a stamp show?
What do you write on the envelope besides the stamp?
Who picks up the letter from the mailbox?
Why is a stamp like a bus ticket?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
A Stamp Is a Ticket for Your Letter
A small stamp sits in the corner of a letter, and at first it looks like a tiny picture. But a stamp is much more than a picture.
A stamp shows that the sender has paid to mail the letter. It works like a ticket. A ticket allows you to ride a bus, and a stamp allows your letter to travel to a faraway place.
Here is how it works. First you write a letter and slip it into an envelope. Then you write the address on the front, stick on a stamp and drop the letter into a mailbox.
A mail carrier collects it, and the letter begins a long trip. At last it arrives in a friend's mailbox.
Questions
Where does a stamp sit on a letter?
What does a stamp show?
What do you write on the front of the envelope?
Who collects the letter from the mailbox?
Why is a stamp compared to a bus ticket?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: A Stamp Is a Ticket for Your Letter
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.8)
In the corner of the letter.
That you paid to send the letter.
The address.
A mail carrier.
A ticket lets you ride. A stamp lets your letter travel.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.9)
In the corner.
That you paid to send the letter.
The address.
A mail carrier.
A ticket lets you ride a bus, and a stamp lets your letter travel.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.7)
In the corner.
That the sender has paid to mail the letter.
The address.
A mail carrier.
A ticket allows you to ride a bus, and a stamp allows your letter to travel.
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 stamp, envelope, ticket and trip 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 Stamp Is a Ticket for Your Letter"?
It was written for 1st grade. It has 108 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 0.9. 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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