Skip to the content
Peabody TeachFor teachers and grown-ups

Why a Dark Shirt Feels Warmer in the Sun

1st grade nonfiction passage about dark and light colors in sunshine: 105 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

1st grade nonfiction dark and light colors in sunshine 105 words

Why a Dark Shirt Feels Warmer in the Sun

The sun sends out light, and the light brings warmth with it. When sunshine lands on your clothes, the clothes get warm.

But not all colors get warm the same way. A black shirt soaks up a lot of the sunshine. It gets hot. A white shirt bounces back much of the sunshine. It stays cooler.

You can test this. Lay a black paper and a white paper in the sun. Wait a little while. Then touch each one with your hand. The black paper feels warmer.

That is why many people wear light colors on hot, sunny days. Light colors help them stay cool.

Questions

  1. What does sunshine bring with it? in the text

  2. What does a black shirt do with the sunshine? in the text

  3. What does a white shirt do with the sunshine? in the text

  4. What do you need for the paper test? in the text

  5. Why do many people wear light colors on hot days? think about it

Words to know

warmth
a gentle feeling of being not cold
soaks
takes in and holds on to
bounces
springs back off something
sunshine
the light and warmth that come from the sun
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 · 82 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.4

The sun sends light. The light brings warmth. When sunshine lands on your clothes, they get warm.

But not all colors get warm the same. A black shirt soaks up a lot of sunshine. It gets hot. A white shirt bounces much of the sunshine back. It stays cooler.

Try it. Lay a black paper and a white paper in the sun. Wait. Touch each one. The black paper is warmer.

On hot days, many people wear light colors. They stay cool.

▲ This passage · 105 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2

The sun sends out light, and the light brings warmth with it. When sunshine lands on your clothes, the clothes get warm.

But not all colors get warm the same way. A black shirt soaks up a lot of the sunshine. It gets hot. A white shirt bounces back much of the sunshine. It stays cooler.

You can test this. Lay a black paper and a white paper in the sun. Wait a little while. Then touch each one with your hand. The black paper feels warmer.

That is why many people wear light colors on hot, sunny days. Light colors help them stay cool.

■ Harder · 124 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.7

The sun sends out light, and that light carries warmth along with it. When sunshine lands on your clothes, the clothes slowly warm up.

However, not every color heats up in the same way. A black shirt soaks up a great deal of the sunshine, so it becomes hot. A white shirt bounces back much of the sunshine, so it stays cooler.

You can test this idea yourself. Lay a sheet of black paper and a sheet of white paper in the sun, and wait for a little while. Then touch each one with your hand, and you will find that the black paper feels warmer.

That is why many people choose light colors on hot, sunny days. Light colors help them stay cool.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put warmth, soaks, bounces and sunshine 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.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "Why a Dark Shirt Feels Warmer in the Sun"?

It was written for 1st grade. It has 105 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.2. 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.