1st grade nonfiction passage about how a rolling pin flattens dough: 103 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
1st gradenonfictionhow a rolling pin flattens dough103 words
Roll It Flat with a Rolling Pin
Dough starts out as a round lump. How can a baker make it flat for cookies or pie? She uses a rolling pin.
A rolling pin is a smooth wooden roller, as long as your arm. It has a handle on each end. The baker puts the dough on the table and sprinkles on a little flour. The flour keeps the dough from sticking.
Then she pushes the rolling pin forward and back. The roller presses down as it rolls. The lump gets flatter and wider. Soon the dough is the same thickness all over, and it is ready to cut or bake.
Questions
What shape is dough at the start? in the text
What is on each end of the rolling pin? in the text
Why does the baker sprinkle flour on the table? in the text
What happens to the lump as the roller presses it? in the text
Why is a smooth roller better than a bumpy one? think about it
Words to know
dough
a soft mix of flour and water that bakes into bread or cookies
roller
a round tube-shaped part that turns as it moves
flour
a soft powder made by grinding grain
thickness
how thick something is from top to bottom
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Roll It Flat with a Rolling Pin
1st grade reading passage
Dough starts out as a round lump. How can a baker make it flat for cookies or pie? She uses a rolling pin.
A rolling pin is a smooth wooden roller, as long as your arm. It has a handle on each end. The baker puts the dough on the table and sprinkles on a little flour. The flour keeps the dough from sticking.
Then she pushes the rolling pin forward and back. The roller presses down as it rolls. The lump gets flatter and wider. Soon the dough is the same thickness all over, and it is ready to cut or bake.
Questions
What shape is dough at the start?
What is on each end of the rolling pin?
Why does the baker sprinkle flour on the table?
What happens to the lump as the roller presses it?
Why is a smooth roller better than a bumpy one?
Words to know
dough: a soft mix of flour and water that bakes into bread or cookies
roller: a round tube-shaped part that turns as it moves
flour: a soft powder made by grinding grain
thickness: how thick something is from top to bottom
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/1/roll-it-flat-with-a-rolling-pin
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 · 77 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5
Dough starts as a round lump. A baker wants it flat for cookies. She uses a rolling pin.
A rolling pin is a smooth wood roller. It has a handle on each end. The baker puts dough on the table. She sprinkles on flour. The flour keeps the dough from sticking.
She pushes the rolling pin forward and back. The roller presses the dough. The lump gets flat and wide. It is the same thickness all over.
▲ This passage · 103 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.5
Dough starts out as a round lump. How can a baker make it flat for cookies or pie? She uses a rolling pin.
A rolling pin is a smooth wooden roller, as long as your arm. It has a handle on each end. The baker puts the dough on the table and sprinkles on a little flour. The flour keeps the dough from sticking.
Then she pushes the rolling pin forward and back. The roller presses down as it rolls. The lump gets flatter and wider. Soon the dough is the same thickness all over, and it is ready to cut or bake.
■ Harder · 128 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.4
Dough begins as a thick, round lump, and a baker who wants to turn it into cookies or a pie crust must first make it flat. For this job she uses a rolling pin.
A rolling pin is a smooth wooden roller, about as long as your arm, with a handle at each end. The baker sets the dough on the table and sprinkles a little flour underneath it, because the flour stops the dough from sticking to the table.
Then she pushes the rolling pin forward and back across the dough. The roller presses down on the lump as it rolls, and the dough becomes flatter and wider. Before long, the dough has the same thickness all over, and it is ready to be cut or baked.
Dough starts as a round lump. A baker wants it flat for cookies. She uses a rolling pin.
A rolling pin is a smooth wood roller. It has a handle on each end. The baker puts dough on the table. She sprinkles on flour. The flour keeps the dough from sticking.
She pushes the rolling pin forward and back. The roller presses the dough. The lump gets flat and wide. It is the same thickness all over.
Questions
What shape is dough at the start?
What is on each end of the rolling pin?
Why does she sprinkle on flour?
What happens to the lump when the roller presses it?
Why is a smooth roller better than a bumpy one?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Roll It Flat with a Rolling Pin
Dough starts out as a round lump. How can a baker make it flat for cookies or pie? She uses a rolling pin.
A rolling pin is a smooth wooden roller, as long as your arm. It has a handle on each end. The baker puts the dough on the table and sprinkles on a little flour. The flour keeps the dough from sticking.
Then she pushes the rolling pin forward and back. The roller presses down as it rolls. The lump gets flatter and wider. Soon the dough is the same thickness all over, and it is ready to cut or bake.
Questions
What shape is dough at the start?
What is on each end of the rolling pin?
Why does the baker sprinkle flour on the table?
What happens to the lump as the roller presses it?
Why is a smooth roller better than a bumpy one?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Roll It Flat with a Rolling Pin
Dough begins as a thick, round lump, and a baker who wants to turn it into cookies or a pie crust must first make it flat. For this job she uses a rolling pin.
A rolling pin is a smooth wooden roller, about as long as your arm, with a handle at each end. The baker sets the dough on the table and sprinkles a little flour underneath it, because the flour stops the dough from sticking to the table.
Then she pushes the rolling pin forward and back across the dough. The roller presses down on the lump as it rolls, and the dough becomes flatter and wider. Before long, the dough has the same thickness all over, and it is ready to be cut or baked.
Questions
What shape is dough when the baker begins?
What is at each end of the rolling pin?
Why does the baker sprinkle flour on the table?
What happens to the lump as the roller presses down on it?
Why is a smooth roller better than a bumpy one for this job?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Roll It Flat with a Rolling Pin
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5)
A round lump.
A handle.
It keeps the dough from sticking.
It gets flat and wide.
A smooth roller makes the dough the same thickness all over.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.5)
A round lump.
A handle.
It keeps the dough from sticking.
It gets flatter and wider.
A smooth roller makes the dough the same thickness all over.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.4)
A thick, round lump.
A handle.
The flour stops the dough from sticking.
It becomes flatter and wider.
A smooth roller gives the dough the same thickness all over.
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 dough, roller, flour and thickness 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 "Roll It Flat with a Rolling Pin"?
It was written for 1st grade. It has 103 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.5. 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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