1st grade nonfiction passage about layered sand art: 100 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
1st gradenonfictionlayered sand art100 words
Colored Sand Stacks Into Stripes in a Jar
Sand can be a rainbow. You can dye sand red, blue, yellow and green. Then you can make a picture inside a clear jar.
Use a small spoon. Put in a layer of red sand. Put a layer of blue sand on top. Then add yellow. Each layer stays flat, so you see a stripe of color.
You can poke a stick down the side of the jar. The sand slides and makes a pretty wave. At the end, a grown-up screws the lid on tight. Then the sand cannot spill. You can keep the jar on a shelf.
Questions
What colors can sand be dyed? in the text
What do you put the sand in? in the text
What do you use to add the sand? in the text
What happens if you poke a stick down the side? in the text
Why does a grown-up screw the lid on tight? think about it
Why do you need a clear jar? think about it
Words to know
dye
to change the color of something
layer
one flat level that lies on top of another
stripe
a long, thin band of color
spill
to fall or flow out by accident
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Colored Sand Stacks Into Stripes in a Jar
1st grade reading passage
Sand can be a rainbow. You can dye sand red, blue, yellow and green. Then you can make a picture inside a clear jar.
Use a small spoon. Put in a layer of red sand. Put a layer of blue sand on top. Then add yellow. Each layer stays flat, so you see a stripe of color.
You can poke a stick down the side of the jar. The sand slides and makes a pretty wave. At the end, a grown-up screws the lid on tight. Then the sand cannot spill. You can keep the jar on a shelf.
Questions
What colors can sand be dyed?
What do you put the sand in?
What do you use to add the sand?
What happens if you poke a stick down the side?
Why does a grown-up screw the lid on tight?
Why do you need a clear jar?
Words to know
dye: to change the color of something
layer: one flat level that lies on top of another
stripe: a long, thin band of color
spill: to fall or flow out by accident
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/1/colored-sand-stripes-in-a-jar
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 · 73 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -1.1
Sand can be a rainbow. You can dye sand red, blue, yellow and green. Then you can make art in a clear jar.
Use a small spoon. Put in red sand. Put blue sand on top. Then add yellow. Each layer is flat. You see a stripe.
Poke a stick down the side. The sand slides. It makes a wave. A grown-up screws the lid on tight. Then the sand cannot spill.
▲ This passage · 100 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.2
Sand can be a rainbow. You can dye sand red, blue, yellow and green. Then you can make a picture inside a clear jar.
Use a small spoon. Put in a layer of red sand. Put a layer of blue sand on top. Then add yellow. Each layer stays flat, so you see a stripe of color.
You can poke a stick down the side of the jar. The sand slides and makes a pretty wave. At the end, a grown-up screws the lid on tight. Then the sand cannot spill. You can keep the jar on a shelf.
■ Harder · 132 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3
Plain sand can become a rainbow once it has been dyed red, blue, yellow and green. With the colored sand, you can make a picture inside a clear glass jar.
Scoop the sand in with a small spoon, one color at a time. Begin with a layer of red, press a layer of blue on top of it, and finish with yellow. Because every layer stays flat, you can see a neat stripe of each color through the glass.
Next, you can poke a thin stick down along the inside of the jar. The sand slides out of place and forms a pretty wave. At the end, a grown-up screws the lid on tightly so that none of the sand can spill, and the jar can sit proudly on a shelf.
Sand can be a rainbow. You can dye sand red, blue, yellow and green. Then you can make art in a clear jar.
Use a small spoon. Put in red sand. Put blue sand on top. Then add yellow. Each layer is flat. You see a stripe.
Poke a stick down the side. The sand slides. It makes a wave. A grown-up screws the lid on tight. Then the sand cannot spill.
Questions
What colors can sand be dyed?
What do you put the sand in?
What do you use to add sand?
What happens when you poke a stick down the side?
Why does a grown-up screw the lid on tight?
Why do you need a clear jar?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Colored Sand Stacks Into Stripes in a Jar
Sand can be a rainbow. You can dye sand red, blue, yellow and green. Then you can make a picture inside a clear jar.
Use a small spoon. Put in a layer of red sand. Put a layer of blue sand on top. Then add yellow. Each layer stays flat, so you see a stripe of color.
You can poke a stick down the side of the jar. The sand slides and makes a pretty wave. At the end, a grown-up screws the lid on tight. Then the sand cannot spill. You can keep the jar on a shelf.
Questions
What colors can sand be dyed?
What do you put the sand in?
What do you use to add the sand?
What happens if you poke a stick down the side?
Why does a grown-up screw the lid on tight?
Why do you need a clear jar?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Colored Sand Stacks Into Stripes in a Jar
Plain sand can become a rainbow once it has been dyed red, blue, yellow and green. With the colored sand, you can make a picture inside a clear glass jar.
Scoop the sand in with a small spoon, one color at a time. Begin with a layer of red, press a layer of blue on top of it, and finish with yellow. Because every layer stays flat, you can see a neat stripe of each color through the glass.
Next, you can poke a thin stick down along the inside of the jar. The sand slides out of place and forms a pretty wave. At the end, a grown-up screws the lid on tightly so that none of the sand can spill, and the jar can sit proudly on a shelf.
Questions
What colors can plain sand be dyed?
What holds the finished sand picture?
What do you use to scoop in the sand?
What happens when you poke a thin stick down the inside of the jar?
Why does a grown-up screw the lid on tightly?
Why is a clear jar needed for this art?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Colored Sand Stacks Into Stripes in a Jar
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade -1.1)
Red, blue, yellow and green.
A clear jar.
A small spoon.
The sand makes a wave.
So the sand cannot spill.
So you can see the colors.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.2)
Red, blue, yellow and green.
A clear jar.
A small spoon.
The sand slides and makes a wave.
So the sand cannot spill.
So you can see the stripes of color from outside.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3)
Red, blue, yellow and green.
A clear glass jar.
A small spoon.
The sand slides and forms a wave.
So none of the sand can spill.
You can see the stripes of color through the glass.
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 dye, layer, stripe and spill 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 "Colored Sand Stacks Into Stripes in a Jar"?
It was written for 1st grade. It has 100 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 0.1. 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 six. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 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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