1st grade nonfiction passage about sunflowers as food: 96 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
1st gradenonfictionsunflowers as food96 words
Sunflower Seeds Grow in the Face
A sunflower is a tall plant with a big yellow flower. The middle of the flower is brown. It looks like a face with yellow hair.
Look closely at the middle of the flower. It is full of seeds. They grow in neat curved rows.
As summer ends, the flower dries. The seeds get hard. Birds love to eat them. People do, too. We eat sunflower seeds as a snack. Some seeds are pressed to make oil for cooking.
A few seeds are saved. In spring, we plant them in the ground to grow new sunflowers.
Questions
What color are the petals of a sunflower? in the text
Where do the seeds grow? in the text
What do some seeds get pressed to make? in the text
Who else eats the seeds besides people? in the text
Why do people save a few seeds? think about it
Words to know
sunflower
a tall plant with a big yellow flower
seed
a small thing that can grow into a new plant
snack
a small bit of food between meals
press
to squeeze hard on something
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Sunflower Seeds Grow in the Face
1st grade reading passage
A sunflower is a tall plant with a big yellow flower. The middle of the flower is brown. It looks like a face with yellow hair.
Look closely at the middle of the flower. It is full of seeds. They grow in neat curved rows.
As summer ends, the flower dries. The seeds get hard. Birds love to eat them. People do, too. We eat sunflower seeds as a snack. Some seeds are pressed to make oil for cooking.
A few seeds are saved. In spring, we plant them in the ground to grow new sunflowers.
Questions
What color are the petals of a sunflower?
Where do the seeds grow?
What do some seeds get pressed to make?
Who else eats the seeds besides people?
Why do people save a few seeds?
Words to know
sunflower: a tall plant with a big yellow flower
seed: a small thing that can grow into a new plant
snack: a small bit of food between meals
press: to squeeze hard on something
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/1/sunflower-seeds-grow-in-the-face
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 · 69 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.2
A sunflower is tall. It has a big yellow flower. The middle is brown. It looks like a face.
Look at the middle. It is full of seeds. They grow in curved rows.
At the end of summer, the flower dries. The seeds get hard. Birds eat them. People eat them, too. Some seeds are pressed to make oil.
We save a few seeds. In spring, we plant them.
▲ This passage · 96 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.3
A sunflower is a tall plant with a big yellow flower. The middle of the flower is brown. It looks like a face with yellow hair.
Look closely at the middle of the flower. It is full of seeds. They grow in neat curved rows.
As summer ends, the flower dries. The seeds get hard. Birds love to eat them. People do, too. We eat sunflower seeds as a snack. Some seeds are pressed to make oil for cooking.
A few seeds are saved. In spring, we plant them in the ground to grow new sunflowers.
■ Harder · 115 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.7
A sunflower is a very tall plant with an enormous yellow flower. The center of the flower is brown, so the whole thing looks like a face with bright yellow hair.
If you look closely at the center, you will see that it is packed with seeds. The seeds grow in neat, curved rows.
As summer comes to an end, the flower slowly dries out and the seeds turn hard. Birds love to eat them, and people do, too. We enjoy sunflower seeds as a snack, and some seeds are pressed to make oil for cooking.
Farmers and gardeners save a few seeds, and in the spring they plant them to grow brand new sunflowers.
A sunflower is tall. It has a big yellow flower. The middle is brown. It looks like a face.
Look at the middle. It is full of seeds. They grow in curved rows.
At the end of summer, the flower dries. The seeds get hard. Birds eat them. People eat them, too. Some seeds are pressed to make oil.
We save a few seeds. In spring, we plant them.
Questions
What color are the petals of a sunflower?
Where do the seeds grow?
What are some seeds pressed to make?
Who else eats the seeds besides people?
Why do we save a few seeds?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Sunflower Seeds Grow in the Face
A sunflower is a tall plant with a big yellow flower. The middle of the flower is brown. It looks like a face with yellow hair.
Look closely at the middle of the flower. It is full of seeds. They grow in neat curved rows.
As summer ends, the flower dries. The seeds get hard. Birds love to eat them. People do, too. We eat sunflower seeds as a snack. Some seeds are pressed to make oil for cooking.
A few seeds are saved. In spring, we plant them in the ground to grow new sunflowers.
Questions
What color are the petals of a sunflower?
Where do the seeds grow?
What do some seeds get pressed to make?
Who else eats the seeds besides people?
Why do people save a few seeds?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Sunflower Seeds Grow in the Face
A sunflower is a very tall plant with an enormous yellow flower. The center of the flower is brown, so the whole thing looks like a face with bright yellow hair.
If you look closely at the center, you will see that it is packed with seeds. The seeds grow in neat, curved rows.
As summer comes to an end, the flower slowly dries out and the seeds turn hard. Birds love to eat them, and people do, too. We enjoy sunflower seeds as a snack, and some seeds are pressed to make oil for cooking.
Farmers and gardeners save a few seeds, and in the spring they plant them to grow brand new sunflowers.
Questions
What color are the petals of a sunflower?
Where do the seeds grow in the flower?
What are some of the seeds pressed to make?
Besides people, who loves to eat the seeds?
Why do farmers and gardeners save a few seeds?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Sunflower Seeds Grow in the Face
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.2)
Yellow.
In the middle of the flower.
Oil.
Birds.
We plant them in spring to grow new sunflowers.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.3)
Yellow.
In the middle of the flower.
Oil for cooking.
Birds.
They plant them in spring to grow new sunflowers.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.7)
Yellow.
In the center of the flower.
Oil for cooking.
Birds.
They plant them in the spring to grow brand new sunflowers.
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 sunflower, seed, snack and press 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 "Sunflower Seeds Grow in the Face"?
It was written for 1st grade. It has 96 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.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. No sign-in, no ads.