1st grade nonfiction passage about how a pencil sharpener works: 104 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
1st gradenonfictionhow a pencil sharpener works104 words
Twist! A Sharpener Shaves a Pencil Point
A pencil gets dull when you write a lot. The tip turns round and soft, and the lines look fat. A pencil sharpener can fix it.
A small sharpener has a hole for the pencil. Inside the hole is a tiny, sharp blade. You push the pencil in and twist it around. The blade shaves off a thin layer of wood. It shaves a little of the pencil lead too.
Out come curly bits that look like ribbons. They fall into a little tray. When you pull out the pencil, the tip is thin and sharp again. Now you can write neat, thin lines.
Questions
What happens to a pencil tip when you write a lot? in the text
What is inside the hole of the sharpener? in the text
What do you do with the pencil in the hole? in the text
Where do the curly bits go? in the text
Why do thin lines look neat after sharpening? think about it
Words to know
dull
not sharp, with a round or worn tip
blade
the thin, sharp part of a tool that cuts
shave
to cut off a very thin layer
tray
a flat dish that catches things
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Twist! A Sharpener Shaves a Pencil Point
1st grade reading passage
A pencil gets dull when you write a lot. The tip turns round and soft, and the lines look fat. A pencil sharpener can fix it.
A small sharpener has a hole for the pencil. Inside the hole is a tiny, sharp blade. You push the pencil in and twist it around. The blade shaves off a thin layer of wood. It shaves a little of the pencil lead too.
Out come curly bits that look like ribbons. They fall into a little tray. When you pull out the pencil, the tip is thin and sharp again. Now you can write neat, thin lines.
Questions
What happens to a pencil tip when you write a lot?
What is inside the hole of the sharpener?
What do you do with the pencil in the hole?
Where do the curly bits go?
Why do thin lines look neat after sharpening?
Words to know
dull: not sharp, with a round or worn tip
blade: the thin, sharp part of a tool that cuts
shave: to cut off a very thin layer
tray: a flat dish that catches things
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/1/twist-a-sharpener-shaves-a-pencil-point
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 · 80 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.8
A pencil gets dull when you write a lot. The tip is round and soft. The lines look fat. A pencil sharpener can fix it.
A sharpener has a hole for the pencil. Inside is a tiny, sharp blade. Push the pencil in. Twist it around. The blade shaves off thin wood. It shaves a little lead too.
Curly bits fall into a tray. Pull out the pencil. The tip is thin and sharp. Now you can write thin lines.
▲ This passage · 104 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2
A pencil gets dull when you write a lot. The tip turns round and soft, and the lines look fat. A pencil sharpener can fix it.
A small sharpener has a hole for the pencil. Inside the hole is a tiny, sharp blade. You push the pencil in and twist it around. The blade shaves off a thin layer of wood. It shaves a little of the pencil lead too.
Out come curly bits that look like ribbons. They fall into a little tray. When you pull out the pencil, the tip is thin and sharp again. Now you can write neat, thin lines.
■ Harder · 123 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.7
After you write for a long time, a pencil becomes dull. The tip turns round and soft, and the lines it makes look thick and fat. Fortunately, a pencil sharpener can fix the problem.
A small sharpener has a hole just big enough for a pencil. Inside the hole is a tiny, sharp blade. You push the pencil into the hole and twist it around and around. The blade shaves off a thin layer of wood, and it shaves away a little of the pencil lead as well.
Curly bits that look like ribbons come out and fall into a little tray. When you pull the pencil out, the tip is thin and sharp once again, so you can write neat, thin lines.
A pencil gets dull when you write a lot. The tip is round and soft. The lines look fat. A pencil sharpener can fix it.
A sharpener has a hole for the pencil. Inside is a tiny, sharp blade. Push the pencil in. Twist it around. The blade shaves off thin wood. It shaves a little lead too.
Curly bits fall into a tray. Pull out the pencil. The tip is thin and sharp. Now you can write thin lines.
Questions
What happens to a pencil tip when you write a lot?
What is inside the hole?
What do you do with the pencil in the hole?
Where do the curly bits go?
Why can you write thin lines after sharpening?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Twist! A Sharpener Shaves a Pencil Point
A pencil gets dull when you write a lot. The tip turns round and soft, and the lines look fat. A pencil sharpener can fix it.
A small sharpener has a hole for the pencil. Inside the hole is a tiny, sharp blade. You push the pencil in and twist it around. The blade shaves off a thin layer of wood. It shaves a little of the pencil lead too.
Out come curly bits that look like ribbons. They fall into a little tray. When you pull out the pencil, the tip is thin and sharp again. Now you can write neat, thin lines.
Questions
What happens to a pencil tip when you write a lot?
What is inside the hole of the sharpener?
What do you do with the pencil in the hole?
Where do the curly bits go?
Why do thin lines look neat after sharpening?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Twist! A Sharpener Shaves a Pencil Point
After you write for a long time, a pencil becomes dull. The tip turns round and soft, and the lines it makes look thick and fat. Fortunately, a pencil sharpener can fix the problem.
A small sharpener has a hole just big enough for a pencil. Inside the hole is a tiny, sharp blade. You push the pencil into the hole and twist it around and around. The blade shaves off a thin layer of wood, and it shaves away a little of the pencil lead as well.
Curly bits that look like ribbons come out and fall into a little tray. When you pull the pencil out, the tip is thin and sharp once again, so you can write neat, thin lines.
Questions
What happens to a pencil tip after a long time of writing?
What is inside the hole of a small sharpener?
How do you use the pencil in the sharpener?
Where do the curly bits fall?
Why can you write neat, thin lines after sharpening?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Twist! A Sharpener Shaves a Pencil Point
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.8)
It gets dull and round.
A tiny, sharp blade.
Push it in and twist it.
Into a tray.
The blade made the tip thin and sharp.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2)
It gets dull, round and soft.
A tiny, sharp blade.
Push it in and twist it around.
Into a little tray.
The blade made the tip thin and sharp again.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.7)
It becomes dull, round and soft.
A tiny, sharp blade.
Push it into the hole and twist it around and around.
Into a little tray.
The blade made the tip thin and sharp 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 dull, blade, shave and tray 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 "Twist! A Sharpener Shaves a Pencil Point"?
It was written for 1st grade. It has 104 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.0. 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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