1st grade nonfiction passage about milk delivered by horse and wagon: 102 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
1st gradenonfictionmilk delivered by horse and wagon102 words
The Milk Wagon and Its Horse
Long ago, many families did not buy milk at a store. The milk came to their door!
Early in the morning, a horse pulled a wagon down the quiet street. The wagon was full of glass bottles of milk. The milkman hopped down from his seat. He left the cold bottles by each door.
The horse knew the way. It stopped at each house by itself. Clip, clop, clip, clop! Families put the empty bottles out for the milkman. He took them back to use again.
Later, trucks took the place of horses. Now most of us buy milk at a store.
Questions
What pulled the milk wagon? in the text
What was the milk in? in the text
Where did the milkman leave the bottles? in the text
What took the place of horses later? in the text
Why did families put out the empty bottles? think about it
Words to know
wagon
a cart with wheels that is pulled
bottle
a glass or plastic holder for a drink
milkman
a man whose job is to bring milk to homes
empty
with nothing inside
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
The Milk Wagon and Its Horse
1st grade reading passage
Long ago, many families did not buy milk at a store. The milk came to their door!
Early in the morning, a horse pulled a wagon down the quiet street. The wagon was full of glass bottles of milk. The milkman hopped down from his seat. He left the cold bottles by each door.
The horse knew the way. It stopped at each house by itself. Clip, clop, clip, clop! Families put the empty bottles out for the milkman. He took them back to use again.
Later, trucks took the place of horses. Now most of us buy milk at a store.
Questions
What pulled the milk wagon?
What was the milk in?
Where did the milkman leave the bottles?
What took the place of horses later?
Why did families put out the empty bottles?
Words to know
wagon: a cart with wheels that is pulled
bottle: a glass or plastic holder for a drink
milkman: a man whose job is to bring milk to homes
empty: with nothing inside
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/1/the-milk-wagon-and-its-horse
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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 · 65 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.2
Long ago, milk came to your door. You did not go to a store.
At dawn, a horse pulled a wagon. The wagon had milk in glass bottles. The milkman put the bottles by each door.
The horse knew the way. Clip, clop, clip, clop! Kids put out the empty bottles. The milkman took them back.
Then trucks came. Trucks took the place of horses.
▲ This passage · 102 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.6
Long ago, many families did not buy milk at a store. The milk came to their door!
Early in the morning, a horse pulled a wagon down the quiet street. The wagon was full of glass bottles of milk. The milkman hopped down from his seat. He left the cold bottles by each door.
The horse knew the way. It stopped at each house by itself. Clip, clop, clip, clop! Families put the empty bottles out for the milkman. He took them back to use again.
Later, trucks took the place of horses. Now most of us buy milk at a store.
■ Harder · 109 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.3
Long ago, many families did not have to go to a store to get their milk, because the milk was brought right to their front door.
Early each morning, a horse pulled a wagon filled with glass bottles of milk down the street. The milkman climbed down and left the bottles beside each door.
The horse knew the route so well that it stopped at each house all by itself. Clip, clop, clip, clop! The families set out their empty bottles, and the milkman collected them so the bottles could be used again.
Eventually, trucks replaced the horses, and today most of us buy our milk at a store.
Long ago, milk came to your door. You did not go to a store.
At dawn, a horse pulled a wagon. The wagon had milk in glass bottles. The milkman put the bottles by each door.
The horse knew the way. Clip, clop, clip, clop! Kids put out the empty bottles. The milkman took them back.
Then trucks came. Trucks took the place of horses.
Questions
What pulled the milk wagon?
What was the milk in?
Where did the milkman leave the bottles?
What took the place of horses later?
Why did families put out the empty bottles?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
The Milk Wagon and Its Horse
Long ago, many families did not buy milk at a store. The milk came to their door!
Early in the morning, a horse pulled a wagon down the quiet street. The wagon was full of glass bottles of milk. The milkman hopped down from his seat. He left the cold bottles by each door.
The horse knew the way. It stopped at each house by itself. Clip, clop, clip, clop! Families put the empty bottles out for the milkman. He took them back to use again.
Later, trucks took the place of horses. Now most of us buy milk at a store.
Questions
What pulled the milk wagon?
What was the milk in?
Where did the milkman leave the bottles?
What took the place of horses later?
Why did families put out the empty bottles?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
The Milk Wagon and Its Horse
Long ago, many families did not have to go to a store to get their milk, because the milk was brought right to their front door.
Early each morning, a horse pulled a wagon filled with glass bottles of milk down the street. The milkman climbed down and left the bottles beside each door.
The horse knew the route so well that it stopped at each house all by itself. Clip, clop, clip, clop! The families set out their empty bottles, and the milkman collected them so the bottles could be used again.
Eventually, trucks replaced the horses, and today most of us buy our milk at a store.
Questions
What animal pulled the milk wagon down the street?
What was the milk kept in?
Where did the milkman leave the bottles of milk?
What replaced the horses eventually?
Why did the families set out their empty bottles?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: The Milk Wagon and Its Horse
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.2)
A horse.
Glass bottles.
By each door.
Trucks.
So the milkman could take them back.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.6)
A horse.
Glass bottles.
By each door.
Trucks.
So the milkman could take them back and use them again.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.3)
A horse.
Glass bottles.
Beside each door.
Trucks.
So the milkman could collect them and use them again.
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 wagon, bottle, milkman and empty 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 "The Milk Wagon and Its Horse"?
It was written for 1st grade. It has 102 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.6. 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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