1st grade nonfiction passage about sun and shadows: 106 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
1st gradenonfictionsun and shadows106 words
Your Shadow Is Long at Sunrise
Your shadow can be tall or short. The sun makes it change.
In the morning, the sun is low in the sky. Your shadow is long. It stretches out far behind you.
At noon, the sun is high. Your shadow gets short. It sits close to your feet.
Later, the sun goes low again. Your shadow grows long once more.
At night, you have no shadow from the sun. The sun is on the other side of Earth.
Try it with a friend. Stand in the sun at noon and again near sunset. Trace your shadow with chalk each time. Look at how long it grows.
Questions
When is the sun low in the sky? in the text
What is your shadow like at noon? in the text
What makes your shadow change? in the text
Where is the sun at night? in the text
Why is your shadow short when the sun is high? think about it
Words to know
shadow
a dark shape made when you block the light
stretch
to reach out long
noon
the middle of the day
chalk
a soft stick that draws on the ground
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Your Shadow Is Long at Sunrise
1st grade reading passage
Your shadow can be tall or short. The sun makes it change.
In the morning, the sun is low in the sky. Your shadow is long. It stretches out far behind you.
At noon, the sun is high. Your shadow gets short. It sits close to your feet.
Later, the sun goes low again. Your shadow grows long once more.
At night, you have no shadow from the sun. The sun is on the other side of Earth.
Try it with a friend. Stand in the sun at noon and again near sunset. Trace your shadow with chalk each time. Look at how long it grows.
Questions
When is the sun low in the sky?
What is your shadow like at noon?
What makes your shadow change?
Where is the sun at night?
Why is your shadow short when the sun is high?
Words to know
shadow: a dark shape made when you block the light
stretch: to reach out long
noon: the middle of the day
chalk: a soft stick that draws on the ground
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/1/your-shadow-is-long-at-sunrise
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 · 54 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.3
Your shadow can be tall or short. The sun makes it change.
In the morning, the sun is low. Your shadow is long.
At noon, the sun is high. Your shadow is short.
Later, the sun goes low. Your shadow is long again.
At night, the sun is on the other side of Earth.
▲ This passage · 106 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.4
Your shadow can be tall or short. The sun makes it change.
In the morning, the sun is low in the sky. Your shadow is long. It stretches out far behind you.
At noon, the sun is high. Your shadow gets short. It sits close to your feet.
Later, the sun goes low again. Your shadow grows long once more.
At night, you have no shadow from the sun. The sun is on the other side of Earth.
Try it with a friend. Stand in the sun at noon and again near sunset. Trace your shadow with chalk each time. Look at how long it grows.
■ Harder · 91 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3
Your shadow can be tall one moment and short the next, and the sun is the reason it changes.
In the morning, the sun hangs low in the sky, so your shadow is long and stretches out far behind you.
At noon, the sun climbs high overhead. Your shadow becomes short and stays close to your feet.
Later in the day, the sun sinks low again, and your shadow grows long once more.
At night, the sun is on the other side of Earth, so it makes no shadow for you.
Your shadow can be tall or short. The sun makes it change.
In the morning, the sun is low. Your shadow is long.
At noon, the sun is high. Your shadow is short.
Later, the sun goes low. Your shadow is long again.
At night, the sun is on the other side of Earth.
Questions
When is the sun low?
What is your shadow like at noon?
What makes your shadow change?
Where is the sun at night?
Why is your shadow short at noon?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Your Shadow Is Long at Sunrise
Your shadow can be tall or short. The sun makes it change.
In the morning, the sun is low in the sky. Your shadow is long. It stretches out far behind you.
At noon, the sun is high. Your shadow gets short. It sits close to your feet.
Later, the sun goes low again. Your shadow grows long once more.
At night, you have no shadow from the sun. The sun is on the other side of Earth.
Try it with a friend. Stand in the sun at noon and again near sunset. Trace your shadow with chalk each time. Look at how long it grows.
Questions
When is the sun low in the sky?
What is your shadow like at noon?
What makes your shadow change?
Where is the sun at night?
Why is your shadow short when the sun is high?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Your Shadow Is Long at Sunrise
Your shadow can be tall one moment and short the next, and the sun is the reason it changes.
In the morning, the sun hangs low in the sky, so your shadow is long and stretches out far behind you.
At noon, the sun climbs high overhead. Your shadow becomes short and stays close to your feet.
Later in the day, the sun sinks low again, and your shadow grows long once more.
At night, the sun is on the other side of Earth, so it makes no shadow for you.
Questions
When does the sun hang low in the sky?
What is your shadow like at noon?
What is the reason your shadow changes?
Where is the sun at night?
Why does your shadow become short when the sun is overhead?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Your Shadow Is Long at Sunrise
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.3)
In the morning, and later in the day.
Short.
The sun.
On the other side of Earth.
The sun is high, so the shadow sits near your feet.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.4)
In the morning, and again later in the day.
It is short.
The sun.
On the other side of Earth.
The light comes from straight above, so the shadow sits close to your feet.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3)
In the morning, and later in the day.
It is short and stays close to your feet.
The sun.
On the other side of Earth.
The light comes from straight above, so the shadow stays near your feet.
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 shadow, stretch, noon and chalk 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 "Your Shadow Is Long at Sunrise"?
It was written for 1st grade. It has 106 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 0.3. 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.
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