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A Map Maker Picks What to Show

2nd grade nonfiction passage about mapmaker choices: 145 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

2nd grade nonfiction mapmaker choices 145 words

A Map Maker Picks What to Show

A map is a small picture of a big place. A map maker cannot put everything on it. If she did, the map would be too crowded to read. So she has to choose.

First, she asks what the map is for. A map for hikers needs trails, hills, and streams. A map for drivers needs roads and road names. A map for a zoo shows paths, animals, and where to find a snack.

Next, she picks symbols. A small tent can mean a campsite. A blue line can mean a river. She adds a key, which is a little box that tells what each symbol means.

Last, she checks her work. A good map has to be right, so people do not get lost.

Map makers use computers today, but they still think about the same question. What does the reader need to find?

Questions

  1. Why can a map maker not put everything on a map? in the text

  2. What does a map for hikers need? in the text

  3. What is a key on a map? in the text

  4. Why would a zoo map show paths and animals but not roads across the country? think about it

  5. Why does a map maker check her work at the end? in the text

Words to know

crowded
too full, with too many things close together
symbol
a small picture that stands for something
trails
paths made for walking outdoors
key
a box on a map that explains the symbols
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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 · 110 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.2

A map is a small picture of a big place. A map maker cannot put in everything. The map would be too full. So she has to pick.

First, she asks what the map is for. Hikers need trails and hills. Drivers need roads. A zoo map shows paths and animals.

Next, she picks symbols. A tent can mean a campsite. A blue line can mean a river. She adds a key. A key is a box that tells what each symbol means.

Last, she checks her work. A good map must be right. Then no one gets lost.

She asks one thing. What does the reader need to find?

▲ This passage · 145 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.8

A map is a small picture of a big place. A map maker cannot put everything on it. If she did, the map would be too crowded to read. So she has to choose.

First, she asks what the map is for. A map for hikers needs trails, hills, and streams. A map for drivers needs roads and road names. A map for a zoo shows paths, animals, and where to find a snack.

Next, she picks symbols. A small tent can mean a campsite. A blue line can mean a river. She adds a key, which is a little box that tells what each symbol means.

Last, she checks her work. A good map has to be right, so people do not get lost.

Map makers use computers today, but they still think about the same question. What does the reader need to find?

■ Harder · 157 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.5

A map is a small picture of an enormous place, and a map maker cannot possibly fit everything onto it. If she tried, the map would be far too crowded to read. Instead, she has to make careful choices.

To begin, she asks what the map is for. A map for hikers needs trails, hills, and streams, while a map for drivers needs roads and road names. A map of a zoo shows the paths, the animals, and the place to buy a snack.

Then she chooses symbols. A tiny tent might mean a campsite, and a blue line might mean a river. She also adds a key, a small box that explains what each symbol means.

Finally, she checks her work, because a good map has to be accurate so that people do not get lost.

Even though map makers now use computers, they still ask the same question. What does the reader need to find?

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 crowded, symbol, trails and key 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 4 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 "A Map Maker Picks What to Show"?

It was written for 2nd grade. It has 145 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.8. 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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