2nd grade nonfiction passage about carrier pigeons: 103 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictioncarrier pigeons103 words
A Pigeon with a Note on Its Leg
Before phones and email, how could you send a message far away? One way was to use a pigeon.
Pigeons are very good at finding their way home. A person kept pigeons in a loft. To send a message, a person took a pigeon far away in a basket.
The sender wrote a tiny note on thin paper. The note was tied gently to the bird's leg. Then the pigeon was let go. It flew straight back to its loft.
There, another person found the note and read it. A pigeon flies fast, so news came quickly. These birds were called carrier pigeons.
Questions
What are pigeons very good at? in the text
Where was the note fastened? in the text
Where did the pigeon fly after it was let go? in the text
What were these birds called? in the text
Why did a person carry the pigeon away from home first? think about it
Words to know
message
words you send to another person
loft
a small house or room where pigeons live
fastened
tied or attached so it stays on
carrier
something that carries things from place to place
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
A Pigeon with a Note on Its Leg
2nd grade reading passage
Before phones and email, how could you send a message far away? One way was to use a pigeon.
Pigeons are very good at finding their way home. A person kept pigeons in a loft. To send a message, a person took a pigeon far away in a basket.
The sender wrote a tiny note on thin paper. The note was tied gently to the bird's leg. Then the pigeon was let go. It flew straight back to its loft.
There, another person found the note and read it. A pigeon flies fast, so news came quickly. These birds were called carrier pigeons.
Questions
What are pigeons very good at?
Where was the note fastened?
Where did the pigeon fly after it was let go?
What were these birds called?
Why did a person carry the pigeon away from home first?
Words to know
message: words you send to another person
loft: a small house or room where pigeons live
fastened: tied or attached so it stays on
carrier: something that carries things from place to place
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/a-pigeon-with-a-note-on-its-leg
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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 · 98 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.1
Before phones and email, how did you send a message far away? One way was to use a pigeon.
Pigeons are good at finding their way home. A person kept pigeons in a loft. To send a message, a person took a pigeon far away in a basket.
The sender wrote a tiny note. The note was tied gently to the bird's leg. Then the pigeon was let go. It flew back to its loft.
There, a person found the note and read it. A pigeon flies faster than a person walks. These birds were called carrier pigeons.
▲ This passage · 103 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.5
Before phones and email, how could you send a message far away? One way was to use a pigeon.
Pigeons are very good at finding their way home. A person kept pigeons in a loft. To send a message, a person took a pigeon far away in a basket.
The sender wrote a tiny note on thin paper. The note was tied gently to the bird's leg. Then the pigeon was let go. It flew straight back to its loft.
There, another person found the note and read it. A pigeon flies fast, so news came quickly. These birds were called carrier pigeons.
■ Harder · 126 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.5
Before phones and email existed, people wondered how they could send a message across a long distance. One solution was to use a pigeon.
Pigeons are remarkably good at finding their way home. A person kept pigeons in a home loft, and when it was time to send a message, someone carried a pigeon far away from the loft in a basket.
The sender wrote a tiny note on a thin piece of paper and fastened it gently to the bird's leg. Then the pigeon was released, and it flew straight back to its loft.
There, another person found the note and read it. Because a pigeon can fly much faster than a person can walk, news arrived quickly. These birds were known as carrier pigeons.
Before phones and email, how did you send a message far away? One way was to use a pigeon.
Pigeons are good at finding their way home. A person kept pigeons in a loft. To send a message, a person took a pigeon far away in a basket.
The sender wrote a tiny note. The note was tied gently to the bird's leg. Then the pigeon was let go. It flew back to its loft.
There, a person found the note and read it. A pigeon flies faster than a person walks. These birds were called carrier pigeons.
Questions
What are pigeons good at?
Where was the note tied?
Where did the pigeon fly when it was let go?
What were these birds called?
Why did a person take the pigeon away from home first?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
A Pigeon with a Note on Its Leg
Before phones and email, how could you send a message far away? One way was to use a pigeon.
Pigeons are very good at finding their way home. A person kept pigeons in a loft. To send a message, a person took a pigeon far away in a basket.
The sender wrote a tiny note on thin paper. The note was tied gently to the bird's leg. Then the pigeon was let go. It flew straight back to its loft.
There, another person found the note and read it. A pigeon flies fast, so news came quickly. These birds were called carrier pigeons.
Questions
What are pigeons very good at?
Where was the note fastened?
Where did the pigeon fly after it was let go?
What were these birds called?
Why did a person carry the pigeon away from home first?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
A Pigeon with a Note on Its Leg
Before phones and email existed, people wondered how they could send a message across a long distance. One solution was to use a pigeon.
Pigeons are remarkably good at finding their way home. A person kept pigeons in a home loft, and when it was time to send a message, someone carried a pigeon far away from the loft in a basket.
The sender wrote a tiny note on a thin piece of paper and fastened it gently to the bird's leg. Then the pigeon was released, and it flew straight back to its loft.
There, another person found the note and read it. Because a pigeon can fly much faster than a person can walk, news arrived quickly. These birds were known as carrier pigeons.
Questions
What are pigeons remarkably good at?
Where was the tiny note fastened?
Where did the pigeon fly after it was released?
What were these birds known as?
Why did someone carry the pigeon far from the loft before sending it?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: A Pigeon with a Note on Its Leg
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.1)
Finding their way home.
To the bird's leg.
Back to its loft.
Carrier pigeons.
The pigeon flies back home, so it had to start far away.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.5)
Finding their way home.
To the bird's leg.
Back to its loft.
Carrier pigeons.
The pigeon only flies back home, so it had to start far away.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.5)
Finding their way home.
To the bird's leg.
Straight back to its loft.
Carrier pigeons.
The pigeon flies back to its home loft, so it had to start far away.
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 message, loft, fastened and carrier 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 Pigeon with a Note on Its Leg"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 103 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.5. 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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