2nd grade nonfiction passage about warming a bed long ago: 121 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionwarming a bed long ago121 words
A Pan of Coals for a Cold Bed
Long ago, houses had no furnaces. A fire in the fireplace was the main heat. At night the fire died down, and the bedrooms got very cold.
People had a clever way to warm their beds. They used a bed warming pan. It was a round metal pan with a lid and a long wooden handle.
First, a grown-up filled the pan with hot coals from the fire. Then the lid went on. The grown-up slid the pan between the sheets and moved it back and forth. The sheets got warm and toasty.
Before anyone climbed in, the pan was taken out. The long handle kept hands far from the hot coals. Then the bed was ready for sleeping.
Questions
What was the main heat in a house long ago? in the text
What did a bed warming pan look like? in the text
What went inside the pan? in the text
When was the pan taken out of the bed? in the text
Why did the pan have a long handle? think about it
Words to know
furnaces
big machines that heat a whole house
coals
pieces of burning wood or rock that glow with heat
handle
the part you hold in your hand
toasty
nice and warm
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
A Pan of Coals for a Cold Bed
2nd grade reading passage
Long ago, houses had no furnaces. A fire in the fireplace was the main heat. At night the fire died down, and the bedrooms got very cold.
People had a clever way to warm their beds. They used a bed warming pan. It was a round metal pan with a lid and a long wooden handle.
First, a grown-up filled the pan with hot coals from the fire. Then the lid went on. The grown-up slid the pan between the sheets and moved it back and forth. The sheets got warm and toasty.
Before anyone climbed in, the pan was taken out. The long handle kept hands far from the hot coals. Then the bed was ready for sleeping.
Questions
What was the main heat in a house long ago?
What did a bed warming pan look like?
What went inside the pan?
When was the pan taken out of the bed?
Why did the pan have a long handle?
Words to know
furnaces: big machines that heat a whole house
coals: pieces of burning wood or rock that glow with heat
handle: the part you hold in your hand
toasty: nice and warm
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/a-pan-of-coals-for-a-cold-bed
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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 · 97 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1
Long ago, houses had no furnaces. A fire in the fireplace gave the heat. At night the fire got low. The bedrooms were cold.
People had a way to warm their beds. They used a bed warming pan. It was a round metal pan. It had a lid and a long wooden handle.
A grown-up put hot coals in the pan. Then the lid went on. The grown-up slid the pan between the sheets. The sheets got warm.
The pan came out before anyone got in. The long handle kept hands away from the coals.
▲ This passage · 121 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2
Long ago, houses had no furnaces. A fire in the fireplace was the main heat. At night the fire died down, and the bedrooms got very cold.
People had a clever way to warm their beds. They used a bed warming pan. It was a round metal pan with a lid and a long wooden handle.
First, a grown-up filled the pan with hot coals from the fire. Then the lid went on. The grown-up slid the pan between the sheets and moved it back and forth. The sheets got warm and toasty.
Before anyone climbed in, the pan was taken out. The long handle kept hands far from the hot coals. Then the bed was ready for sleeping.
■ Harder · 136 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.8
Long ago, houses did not have furnaces, so the fire in the fireplace was the main source of heat. By nighttime the fire had died down, and the bedrooms became extremely cold.
People came up with a clever way to warm their beds, using a tool called a bed warming pan. It was a round metal pan with a hinged lid and a long wooden handle.
First, a grown-up filled the pan with glowing coals taken from the fire and closed the lid. Then the grown-up slid the pan between the sheets and moved it back and forth until the bedding was warm and toasty.
Before anyone climbed in, the pan was removed. Its long handle kept hands at a safe distance from the hot coals, and the bed was finally ready for sleeping.
Long ago, houses had no furnaces. A fire in the fireplace gave the heat. At night the fire got low. The bedrooms were cold.
People had a way to warm their beds. They used a bed warming pan. It was a round metal pan. It had a lid and a long wooden handle.
A grown-up put hot coals in the pan. Then the lid went on. The grown-up slid the pan between the sheets. The sheets got warm.
The pan came out before anyone got in. The long handle kept hands away from the coals.
Questions
What gave the heat in a house long ago?
What did a bed warming pan look like?
What went inside the pan?
When did the pan come out of the bed?
Why did the pan have a long handle?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
A Pan of Coals for a Cold Bed
Long ago, houses had no furnaces. A fire in the fireplace was the main heat. At night the fire died down, and the bedrooms got very cold.
People had a clever way to warm their beds. They used a bed warming pan. It was a round metal pan with a lid and a long wooden handle.
First, a grown-up filled the pan with hot coals from the fire. Then the lid went on. The grown-up slid the pan between the sheets and moved it back and forth. The sheets got warm and toasty.
Before anyone climbed in, the pan was taken out. The long handle kept hands far from the hot coals. Then the bed was ready for sleeping.
Questions
What was the main heat in a house long ago?
What did a bed warming pan look like?
What went inside the pan?
When was the pan taken out of the bed?
Why did the pan have a long handle?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
A Pan of Coals for a Cold Bed
Long ago, houses did not have furnaces, so the fire in the fireplace was the main source of heat. By nighttime the fire had died down, and the bedrooms became extremely cold.
People came up with a clever way to warm their beds, using a tool called a bed warming pan. It was a round metal pan with a hinged lid and a long wooden handle.
First, a grown-up filled the pan with glowing coals taken from the fire and closed the lid. Then the grown-up slid the pan between the sheets and moved it back and forth until the bedding was warm and toasty.
Before anyone climbed in, the pan was removed. Its long handle kept hands at a safe distance from the hot coals, and the bed was finally ready for sleeping.
Questions
What was the main source of heat in a house long ago?
What did a bed warming pan look like?
What was put inside the pan?
When was the pan removed from the bed?
Why did the pan have such a long handle?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: A Pan of Coals for a Cold Bed
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1)
A fire in the fireplace.
A round metal pan with a lid and a long handle.
Hot coals.
Before anyone got in.
It kept hands away from the hot coals.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2)
A fire in the fireplace.
A round metal pan with a lid and a long wooden handle.
Hot coals from the fire.
Before anyone climbed in.
It kept hands far from the hot coals.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.8)
The fire in the fireplace.
A round metal pan with a hinged lid and a long wooden handle.
Glowing coals taken from the fire.
Before anyone climbed in.
It kept hands at a safe distance from the hot coals.
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 furnaces, coals, handle and toasty 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 Pan of Coals for a Cold Bed"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 121 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.0. 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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