2nd grade nonfiction passage about saving coins in a jar: 123 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionsaving coins in a jar123 words
A Dime Jar on the Windowsill
Nina wants to buy a new kite. It costs one dollar and fifty cents. She does not have that much, so she starts a saving jar.
A dime is worth ten cents. Nina puts one dime in the jar each week. She keeps the jar on the windowsill so she can see it.
After one week, she has ten cents. After two weeks, she has twenty cents. After three weeks, she has thirty cents. She is counting by tens.
This is a slow plan. Nina asks her uncle if she can do small jobs. She waters his plants for another dime. Now the jar fills up faster.
Saving takes patience. But coin by coin, the jar gets heavier, and the kite gets closer.
Questions
What does Nina want to buy? in the text
How much is a dime worth? in the text
How much money does Nina have after three weeks? in the text
How does Nina earn extra dimes? in the text
Why does the jar fill up faster after Nina asks her uncle for jobs? think about it
Words to know
dime
a coin that is worth ten cents
saving
keeping money to use later
windowsill
the flat shelf at the bottom of a window
patience
being able to wait calmly for something
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
A Dime Jar on the Windowsill
2nd grade reading passage
Nina wants to buy a new kite. It costs one dollar and fifty cents. She does not have that much, so she starts a saving jar.
A dime is worth ten cents. Nina puts one dime in the jar each week. She keeps the jar on the windowsill so she can see it.
After one week, she has ten cents. After two weeks, she has twenty cents. After three weeks, she has thirty cents. She is counting by tens.
This is a slow plan. Nina asks her uncle if she can do small jobs. She waters his plants for another dime. Now the jar fills up faster.
Saving takes patience. But coin by coin, the jar gets heavier, and the kite gets closer.
Questions
What does Nina want to buy?
How much is a dime worth?
How much money does Nina have after three weeks?
How does Nina earn extra dimes?
Why does the jar fill up faster after Nina asks her uncle for jobs?
Words to know
dime: a coin that is worth ten cents
saving: keeping money to use later
windowsill: the flat shelf at the bottom of a window
patience: being able to wait calmly for something
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/a-dime-jar-on-the-windowsill
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 · 91 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.5
Nina wants a new kite. It costs one dollar and fifty cents. She does not have that much. She starts a jar.
A dime is ten cents. Nina puts in one dime each week. The jar sits on the windowsill.
After one week, she has ten cents. After two weeks, twenty cents. After three weeks, thirty cents. She counts by tens.
This is slow. Nina asks her uncle for jobs. She waters his plants for a dime. The jar fills faster.
Saving takes time. Coin by coin, the kite gets closer.
▲ This passage · 123 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.4
Nina wants to buy a new kite. It costs one dollar and fifty cents. She does not have that much, so she starts a saving jar.
A dime is worth ten cents. Nina puts one dime in the jar each week. She keeps the jar on the windowsill so she can see it.
After one week, she has ten cents. After two weeks, she has twenty cents. After three weeks, she has thirty cents. She is counting by tens.
This is a slow plan. Nina asks her uncle if she can do small jobs. She waters his plants for another dime. Now the jar fills up faster.
Saving takes patience. But coin by coin, the jar gets heavier, and the kite gets closer.
■ Harder · 133 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.2
Nina wants to buy a brand new kite, which costs one dollar and fifty cents. She does not have that much money yet, so she begins a saving jar.
A dime is worth ten cents. Every week, Nina drops one dime into the jar, and she keeps the jar on the windowsill where she can see it.
After one week, she has ten cents. After two weeks, she has twenty cents, and after three weeks, she has thirty cents. She is counting by tens.
This plan is rather slow, so Nina asks her uncle whether she can do small jobs. She waters his plants in exchange for another dime, and now the jar fills up much faster.
Saving requires patience, but coin by coin the jar grows heavier and the kite comes closer.
Nina wants a new kite. It costs one dollar and fifty cents. She does not have that much. She starts a jar.
A dime is ten cents. Nina puts in one dime each week. The jar sits on the windowsill.
After one week, she has ten cents. After two weeks, twenty cents. After three weeks, thirty cents. She counts by tens.
This is slow. Nina asks her uncle for jobs. She waters his plants for a dime. The jar fills faster.
Saving takes time. Coin by coin, the kite gets closer.
Questions
What does Nina want to buy?
How much is a dime?
How much does Nina have after three weeks?
How does Nina earn more dimes?
Why does the jar fill faster after she asks her uncle?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
A Dime Jar on the Windowsill
Nina wants to buy a new kite. It costs one dollar and fifty cents. She does not have that much, so she starts a saving jar.
A dime is worth ten cents. Nina puts one dime in the jar each week. She keeps the jar on the windowsill so she can see it.
After one week, she has ten cents. After two weeks, she has twenty cents. After three weeks, she has thirty cents. She is counting by tens.
This is a slow plan. Nina asks her uncle if she can do small jobs. She waters his plants for another dime. Now the jar fills up faster.
Saving takes patience. But coin by coin, the jar gets heavier, and the kite gets closer.
Questions
What does Nina want to buy?
How much is a dime worth?
How much money does Nina have after three weeks?
How does Nina earn extra dimes?
Why does the jar fill up faster after Nina asks her uncle for jobs?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
A Dime Jar on the Windowsill
Nina wants to buy a brand new kite, which costs one dollar and fifty cents. She does not have that much money yet, so she begins a saving jar.
A dime is worth ten cents. Every week, Nina drops one dime into the jar, and she keeps the jar on the windowsill where she can see it.
After one week, she has ten cents. After two weeks, she has twenty cents, and after three weeks, she has thirty cents. She is counting by tens.
This plan is rather slow, so Nina asks her uncle whether she can do small jobs. She waters his plants in exchange for another dime, and now the jar fills up much faster.
Saving requires patience, but coin by coin the jar grows heavier and the kite comes closer.
Questions
What does Nina want to buy?
How much is a dime worth?
How much money does Nina have after three weeks?
How does Nina earn extra dimes?
Why does the jar fill up faster once Nina asks her uncle for jobs?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: A Dime Jar on the Windowsill
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.5)
A new kite.
Ten cents.
Thirty cents.
She waters her uncle's plants.
She adds more dimes each week.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.4)
A new kite.
Ten cents.
Thirty cents.
She waters her uncle's plants.
She adds more dimes each week than before.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.2)
A brand new kite.
Ten cents.
Thirty cents.
She waters her uncle's plants.
She is adding more dimes each week than before.
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 dime, saving, windowsill and patience 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 "A Dime Jar on the Windowsill"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 123 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.4. 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?
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