2nd grade nonfiction passage about jellyfish bodies: 130 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionjellyfish bodies130 words
A Jellyfish Has No Bones and No Brain
A jellyfish drifts in the sea like a soft, clear bell. It is not really a fish at all. It does not have a backbone or any bones. Its body is mostly water.
A jellyfish has no brain either. It does not have a heart. Even so, it can do what it needs to do. It has a net of tiny nerves that can sense light and touch.
To move, the jellyfish squeezes its bell. This pushes water out, and the jellyfish glides forward. Then it relaxes the bell and does it again.
Long thin arms hang down from the bell. They are called tentacles. They can sting small animals so the jellyfish can eat them. Stay back if you see one at the beach, because some jellyfish stings hurt.
Questions
What is a jellyfish's body mostly made of? in the text
Does a jellyfish have a brain? in the text
How does a jellyfish move forward? in the text
What are the long thin arms called? in the text
Why should you stay back from a jellyfish at the beach? think about it
Words to know
drifts
floats slowly along
backbone
the row of bones down the middle of the back
nerves
thin parts in the body that help it feel things
tentacles
long thin arms that hang down from a jellyfish
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
A Jellyfish Has No Bones and No Brain
2nd grade reading passage
A jellyfish drifts in the sea like a soft, clear bell. It is not really a fish at all. It does not have a backbone or any bones. Its body is mostly water.
A jellyfish has no brain either. It does not have a heart. Even so, it can do what it needs to do. It has a net of tiny nerves that can sense light and touch.
To move, the jellyfish squeezes its bell. This pushes water out, and the jellyfish glides forward. Then it relaxes the bell and does it again.
Long thin arms hang down from the bell. They are called tentacles. They can sting small animals so the jellyfish can eat them. Stay back if you see one at the beach, because some jellyfish stings hurt.
Questions
What is a jellyfish's body mostly made of?
Does a jellyfish have a brain?
How does a jellyfish move forward?
What are the long thin arms called?
Why should you stay back from a jellyfish at the beach?
Words to know
drifts: floats slowly along
backbone: the row of bones down the middle of the back
nerves: thin parts in the body that help it feel things
tentacles: long thin arms that hang down from a jellyfish
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/a-jellyfish-has-no-bones-and-no-brain
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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 · 95 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1
A jellyfish drifts in the sea. It looks like a soft, clear bell. It is not a fish. It has no bones. Its body is mostly water.
A jellyfish has no brain. It has no heart. But it has a net of tiny nerves. They sense light and touch.
To move, the jellyfish squeezes its bell. Water goes out. The jellyfish glides forward. Then it does it again.
Long thin arms hang down. They are tentacles. They can sting small animals, and then the jellyfish eats them. Stay back at the beach. Some stings hurt.
▲ This passage · 130 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.5
A jellyfish drifts in the sea like a soft, clear bell. It is not really a fish at all. It does not have a backbone or any bones. Its body is mostly water.
A jellyfish has no brain either. It does not have a heart. Even so, it can do what it needs to do. It has a net of tiny nerves that can sense light and touch.
To move, the jellyfish squeezes its bell. This pushes water out, and the jellyfish glides forward. Then it relaxes the bell and does it again.
Long thin arms hang down from the bell. They are called tentacles. They can sting small animals so the jellyfish can eat them. Stay back if you see one at the beach, because some jellyfish stings hurt.
■ Harder · 126 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.6
A jellyfish drifts through the sea like a soft, transparent bell. Despite its name, it is not really a fish at all, because it has neither a backbone nor any bones. Its body is mostly water.
A jellyfish also lacks a brain and a heart. Nevertheless, it manages perfectly well, since it has a net of tiny nerves that can sense light and touch.
To travel, the jellyfish squeezes its bell, which forces water out and glides the animal forward. Then it relaxes the bell and repeats the motion.
Long, thin arms called tentacles dangle from the bell. They can sting small animals so that the jellyfish can eat them. If you spot one at the beach, keep your distance, because some jellyfish stings are painful.
A jellyfish drifts in the sea. It looks like a soft, clear bell. It is not a fish. It has no bones. Its body is mostly water.
A jellyfish has no brain. It has no heart. But it has a net of tiny nerves. They sense light and touch.
To move, the jellyfish squeezes its bell. Water goes out. The jellyfish glides forward. Then it does it again.
Long thin arms hang down. They are tentacles. They can sting small animals, and then the jellyfish eats them. Stay back at the beach. Some stings hurt.
Questions
What is a jellyfish's body mostly made of?
Does a jellyfish have a brain?
How does a jellyfish move forward?
What are the long thin arms called?
Why should you stay back from a jellyfish?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
A Jellyfish Has No Bones and No Brain
A jellyfish drifts in the sea like a soft, clear bell. It is not really a fish at all. It does not have a backbone or any bones. Its body is mostly water.
A jellyfish has no brain either. It does not have a heart. Even so, it can do what it needs to do. It has a net of tiny nerves that can sense light and touch.
To move, the jellyfish squeezes its bell. This pushes water out, and the jellyfish glides forward. Then it relaxes the bell and does it again.
Long thin arms hang down from the bell. They are called tentacles. They can sting small animals so the jellyfish can eat them. Stay back if you see one at the beach, because some jellyfish stings hurt.
Questions
What is a jellyfish's body mostly made of?
Does a jellyfish have a brain?
How does a jellyfish move forward?
What are the long thin arms called?
Why should you stay back from a jellyfish at the beach?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
A Jellyfish Has No Bones and No Brain
A jellyfish drifts through the sea like a soft, transparent bell. Despite its name, it is not really a fish at all, because it has neither a backbone nor any bones. Its body is mostly water.
A jellyfish also lacks a brain and a heart. Nevertheless, it manages perfectly well, since it has a net of tiny nerves that can sense light and touch.
To travel, the jellyfish squeezes its bell, which forces water out and glides the animal forward. Then it relaxes the bell and repeats the motion.
Long, thin arms called tentacles dangle from the bell. They can sting small animals so that the jellyfish can eat them. If you spot one at the beach, keep your distance, because some jellyfish stings are painful.
Questions
What is a jellyfish's body mostly made of?
Does a jellyfish have a brain or a heart?
How does a jellyfish travel forward?
What are the long, thin arms of a jellyfish called?
Why should you keep your distance from a jellyfish at the beach?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: A Jellyfish Has No Bones and No Brain
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1)
Water.
No, it has no brain.
It squeezes its bell and pushes water out.
Tentacles.
Some stings hurt.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.5)
Water.
No, it does not have a brain.
It squeezes its bell and pushes water out.
Tentacles.
Some jellyfish stings hurt.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.6)
Water.
No, it has neither a brain nor a heart.
It squeezes its bell, which forces water out.
Tentacles.
Some jellyfish stings are painful.
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 drifts, backbone, nerves and tentacles 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 Jellyfish Has No Bones and No Brain"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 130 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.5. 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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