2nd grade nonfiction passage about the census: 125 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionthe census125 words
A Town Counts Every Person
Did you know that a country can count all of its people? This count is called a census. In the United States, it happens every ten years.
A paper or a web form goes to each home. Someone in the home fills it out. The form asks how many people live there. Each person is counted one time.
Why count everyone? The count helps leaders see how many people live in each place. A town with many new families may need another school. A town with more children may need more parks.
The census does not tell the names of people to anyone outside of the job. It is only for counting. When you are counted, you help your town plan for what it needs.
Questions
What is the count of all the people in a country called? in the text
How often does the census happen in the United States? in the text
What does the form ask about each home? in the text
What might a town with many new families need? in the text
How does the census help your town? think about it
Words to know
census
a count of all the people who live in a place
form
a paper with spaces to fill in
plan
to think ahead about what to do
country
a land with its own leaders and laws
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
A Town Counts Every Person
2nd grade reading passage
Did you know that a country can count all of its people? This count is called a census. In the United States, it happens every ten years.
A paper or a web form goes to each home. Someone in the home fills it out. The form asks how many people live there. Each person is counted one time.
Why count everyone? The count helps leaders see how many people live in each place. A town with many new families may need another school. A town with more children may need more parks.
The census does not tell the names of people to anyone outside of the job. It is only for counting. When you are counted, you help your town plan for what it needs.
Questions
What is the count of all the people in a country called?
How often does the census happen in the United States?
What does the form ask about each home?
What might a town with many new families need?
How does the census help your town?
Words to know
census: a count of all the people who live in a place
form: a paper with spaces to fill in
plan: to think ahead about what to do
country: a land with its own leaders and laws
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/a-town-counts-every-person
Share
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 2.5
A country can count all its people. This count is a census. In the United States, it happens every ten years.
A paper or a web form goes to each home. One person fills it out. It asks how many people live there. Each person is counted one time.
Why count? The count shows leaders how many people live in each place. A town with many new families may need a school. A town with more children may need parks.
The census is only for counting. When you are counted, you help your town plan.
▲ This passage · 125 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.2
Did you know that a country can count all of its people? This count is called a census. In the United States, it happens every ten years.
A paper or a web form goes to each home. Someone in the home fills it out. The form asks how many people live there. Each person is counted one time.
Why count everyone? The count helps leaders see how many people live in each place. A town with many new families may need another school. A town with more children may need more parks.
The census does not tell the names of people to anyone outside of the job. It is only for counting. When you are counted, you help your town plan for what it needs.
■ Harder · 141 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.9
Did you realize that a country can count every one of its people? This count is known as a census, and in the United States it takes place once every ten years.
A paper form or a web form is sent to each home, and one person there fills it out. The form asks how many people live in the home, and each person is counted just one time.
Why bother to count everyone? The results help leaders understand how many people live in each place. A town with many new families may need to build another school, while a town with more children may need more parks.
The census is used only for counting, and it does not tell people's names to anyone outside of the job. When you are counted, you help your town plan for what it needs.
A country can count all its people. This count is a census. In the United States, it happens every ten years.
A paper or a web form goes to each home. One person fills it out. It asks how many people live there. Each person is counted one time.
Why count? The count shows leaders how many people live in each place. A town with many new families may need a school. A town with more children may need parks.
The census is only for counting. When you are counted, you help your town plan.
Questions
What is a count of all the people called?
How often is the census in the United States?
What does the form ask about each home?
What might a town with many new families need?
How does the census help your town?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
A Town Counts Every Person
Did you know that a country can count all of its people? This count is called a census. In the United States, it happens every ten years.
A paper or a web form goes to each home. Someone in the home fills it out. The form asks how many people live there. Each person is counted one time.
Why count everyone? The count helps leaders see how many people live in each place. A town with many new families may need another school. A town with more children may need more parks.
The census does not tell the names of people to anyone outside of the job. It is only for counting. When you are counted, you help your town plan for what it needs.
Questions
What is the count of all the people in a country called?
How often does the census happen in the United States?
What does the form ask about each home?
What might a town with many new families need?
How does the census help your town?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
A Town Counts Every Person
Did you realize that a country can count every one of its people? This count is known as a census, and in the United States it takes place once every ten years.
A paper form or a web form is sent to each home, and one person there fills it out. The form asks how many people live in the home, and each person is counted just one time.
Why bother to count everyone? The results help leaders understand how many people live in each place. A town with many new families may need to build another school, while a town with more children may need more parks.
The census is used only for counting, and it does not tell people's names to anyone outside of the job. When you are counted, you help your town plan for what it needs.
Questions
What is the count of every person in a country called?
How often does the census take place in the United States?
What does the form ask about each home?
What might a town with many new families have to build?
In what way does the census help your town?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: A Town Counts Every Person
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.5)
A census.
Every ten years.
How many people live there.
Another school.
It helps leaders plan for what the town needs.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.2)
A census.
Every ten years.
How many people live there.
Another school.
It helps leaders plan for what the town needs.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.9)
A census.
Once every ten years.
How many people live in it.
Another school.
It helps leaders plan for what the town needs.
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 census, form, plan and country 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 Town Counts Every Person"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 125 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.2. 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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