2nd grade nonfiction passage about sundials: 114 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionsundials114 words
Is It Almost Noon? Ask the Sundial
Long ago, nobody had a clock with batteries. How did people know if it was almost noon? Some looked at a sundial.
A sundial has a flat plate with numbers or marks around its edge. A thin piece called the gnomon stands up from the middle. The word gnomon begins with a silent g.
Sunlight hits the gnomon and makes a dark shadow. The sun seems to move across the sky. So the shadow slides across the plate. The mark under the shadow is the hour.
A sundial must sit in a sunny spot, such as a garden. It cannot be read at night. Clouds hide the sun, too. Then there is no shadow.
Questions
Why did people long ago need something like a sundial? in the text
What is the thin piece that points up called? in the text
What does the gnomon make when sunlight hits it? in the text
Where is the best place for a sundial? in the text
When can nobody read a sundial? in the text
Why does the shadow slide across the plate? think about it
Words to know
sundial
a tool that uses a shadow to show the time
gnomon
the thin piece on a sundial that makes the shadow
shadow
a dark shape made when something blocks light
plate
a flat piece, like a dish
hour
one of the parts of a day, like one o'clock
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Is It Almost Noon? Ask the Sundial
2nd grade reading passage
Long ago, nobody had a clock with batteries. How did people know if it was almost noon? Some looked at a sundial.
A sundial has a flat plate with numbers or marks around its edge. A thin piece called the gnomon stands up from the middle. The word gnomon begins with a silent g.
Sunlight hits the gnomon and makes a dark shadow. The sun seems to move across the sky. So the shadow slides across the plate. The mark under the shadow is the hour.
A sundial must sit in a sunny spot, such as a garden. It cannot be read at night. Clouds hide the sun, too. Then there is no shadow.
Questions
Why did people long ago need something like a sundial?
What is the thin piece that points up called?
What does the gnomon make when sunlight hits it?
Where is the best place for a sundial?
When can nobody read a sundial?
Why does the shadow slide across the plate?
Words to know
sundial: a tool that uses a shadow to show the time
gnomon: the thin piece on a sundial that makes the shadow
shadow: a dark shape made when something blocks light
plate: a flat piece, like a dish
hour: one of the parts of a day, like one o'clock
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/a-sundial-for-almost-noon
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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 · 114 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.3
Long ago, nobody had a clock with batteries. How did people know it was almost noon? Some looked at a sundial.
A sundial has a flat plate with marks around its edge. A thin piece stands up in the middle. It is the gnomon. The word begins with a silent g.
Sunlight hits the gnomon. It makes a dark shadow. The sun seems to travel across the sky. So the shadow slides across the plate. The mark under the shadow is the hour.
A sundial must sit in a sunny spot, such as a garden. It cannot be read at night. It cannot be read when clouds hide the sun. There is no shadow.
▲ This passage · 114 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.7
Long ago, nobody had a clock with batteries. How did people know if it was almost noon? Some looked at a sundial.
A sundial has a flat plate with numbers or marks around its edge. A thin piece called the gnomon stands up from the middle. The word gnomon begins with a silent g.
Sunlight hits the gnomon and makes a dark shadow. The sun seems to move across the sky. So the shadow slides across the plate. The mark under the shadow is the hour.
A sundial must sit in a sunny spot, such as a garden. It cannot be read at night. Clouds hide the sun, too. Then there is no shadow.
■ Harder · 126 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.9
Long ago, nobody owned a clock that ran on batteries. How did people know when it was almost noon? Some of them looked at a sundial.
A sundial has a flat plate with numbers or marks around its edge. A thin piece called the gnomon stands up from the middle, and the word gnomon begins with a silent g.
Sunlight strikes the gnomon and makes a dark shadow. Because the sun seems to travel across the sky, the shadow slowly slides across the plate. The mark beneath the shadow is the hour.
A sundial must be placed in a sunny spot, such as a garden. Nobody can read it at night, and nobody can read it when clouds hide the sun, either, because no shadow forms.
Long ago, nobody had a clock with batteries. How did people know it was almost noon? Some looked at a sundial.
A sundial has a flat plate with marks around its edge. A thin piece stands up in the middle. It is the gnomon. The word begins with a silent g.
Sunlight hits the gnomon. It makes a dark shadow. The sun seems to travel across the sky. So the shadow slides across the plate. The mark under the shadow is the hour.
A sundial must sit in a sunny spot, such as a garden. It cannot be read at night. It cannot be read when clouds hide the sun. There is no shadow.
Questions
Why did people long ago need something like a sundial?
What is the thin piece in the middle called?
What does the gnomon make when sunlight hits it?
Where is the best place for a sundial?
When can nobody read a sundial?
Why does the shadow slide across the plate?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Is It Almost Noon? Ask the Sundial
Long ago, nobody had a clock with batteries. How did people know if it was almost noon? Some looked at a sundial.
A sundial has a flat plate with numbers or marks around its edge. A thin piece called the gnomon stands up from the middle. The word gnomon begins with a silent g.
Sunlight hits the gnomon and makes a dark shadow. The sun seems to move across the sky. So the shadow slides across the plate. The mark under the shadow is the hour.
A sundial must sit in a sunny spot, such as a garden. It cannot be read at night. Clouds hide the sun, too. Then there is no shadow.
Questions
Why did people long ago need something like a sundial?
What is the thin piece that points up called?
What does the gnomon make when sunlight hits it?
Where is the best place for a sundial?
When can nobody read a sundial?
Why does the shadow slide across the plate?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Is It Almost Noon? Ask the Sundial
Long ago, nobody owned a clock that ran on batteries. How did people know when it was almost noon? Some of them looked at a sundial.
A sundial has a flat plate with numbers or marks around its edge. A thin piece called the gnomon stands up from the middle, and the word gnomon begins with a silent g.
Sunlight strikes the gnomon and makes a dark shadow. Because the sun seems to travel across the sky, the shadow slowly slides across the plate. The mark beneath the shadow is the hour.
A sundial must be placed in a sunny spot, such as a garden. Nobody can read it at night, and nobody can read it when clouds hide the sun, either, because no shadow forms.
Questions
Why did people long ago need something like a sundial?
What is the thin piece that stands up in the middle called?
What does the gnomon make when sunlight strikes it?
Where must a sundial be placed?
When can nobody read a sundial?
Why does the shadow slowly slide across the plate?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Is It Almost Noon? Ask the Sundial
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.3)
They had no clocks with batteries.
The gnomon.
A shadow.
A sunny spot, like a garden.
At night, or when clouds hide the sun.
The sun seems to travel across the sky.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.7)
They had no clocks with batteries.
The gnomon.
A shadow.
A sunny spot, like a garden.
At night, or when clouds hide the sun.
The sun seems to travel across the sky.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.9)
They did not have clocks that ran on batteries.
The gnomon.
A dark shadow.
In a sunny spot, such as a garden.
At night, or when clouds hide the sun.
The sun seems to travel across the sky.
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 sundial, gnomon, shadow, plate and hour 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 6 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 "Is It Almost Noon? Ask the Sundial"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 114 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.7. 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 six. 5 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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