2nd grade nonfiction passage about beavers and dams: 136 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionbeavers and dams136 words
Beavers Build a Lodge
A beaver needs a safe home. It also needs deep water. So a beaver builds a dam across a stream.
A beaver has sharp front teeth. It uses them to cut down small trees. It drags the logs and sticks to the stream. Then it packs them together with mud and stones. The dam holds back the water, and a pond forms.
In the middle of the pond, the beavers build a lodge. A lodge is a home made of sticks and mud. The door is under the water. A fox or a coyote cannot easily get inside.
Above the water, the lodge has a dry room. A beaver family stays warm and safe there. The beavers also have a flat tail. They use it to swim and to slap the water if danger is near.
Questions
Why does a beaver build a dam? in the text
What does a beaver use to cut down small trees? in the text
What is a lodge made of? in the text
Where is the door of the lodge? in the text
How does an underwater door help keep the beavers safe? think about it
What does a beaver do with its flat tail? in the text
Words to know
dam
a wall that holds back water in a stream
lodge
a beaver's home made of sticks and mud
stream
a small, narrow river
pond
a small pool of water
danger
something that could hurt you
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Beavers Build a Lodge
2nd grade reading passage
A beaver needs a safe home. It also needs deep water. So a beaver builds a dam across a stream.
A beaver has sharp front teeth. It uses them to cut down small trees. It drags the logs and sticks to the stream. Then it packs them together with mud and stones. The dam holds back the water, and a pond forms.
In the middle of the pond, the beavers build a lodge. A lodge is a home made of sticks and mud. The door is under the water. A fox or a coyote cannot easily get inside.
Above the water, the lodge has a dry room. A beaver family stays warm and safe there. The beavers also have a flat tail. They use it to swim and to slap the water if danger is near.
Questions
Why does a beaver build a dam?
What does a beaver use to cut down small trees?
What is a lodge made of?
Where is the door of the lodge?
How does an underwater door help keep the beavers safe?
What does a beaver do with its flat tail?
Words to know
dam: a wall that holds back water in a stream
lodge: a beaver's home made of sticks and mud
stream: a small, narrow river
pond: a small pool of water
danger: something that could hurt you
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/beavers-build-a-lodge
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 · 118 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.5
A beaver needs a safe home. It needs deep water too. So a beaver builds a dam across a stream.
A beaver has sharp front teeth. It cuts down small trees with them. It drags the logs to the stream. It packs them with mud and stones. The dam holds back the water. A pond forms.
In the pond, the beavers build a lodge. A lodge is a home of sticks and mud. The door is under the water. A fox cannot get in.
The lodge has a dry room up high. The beaver family stays warm there. A beaver has a flat tail. It uses the tail to swim. It slaps the water if danger is near.
▲ This passage · 136 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.9
A beaver needs a safe home. It also needs deep water. So a beaver builds a dam across a stream.
A beaver has sharp front teeth. It uses them to cut down small trees. It drags the logs and sticks to the stream. Then it packs them together with mud and stones. The dam holds back the water, and a pond forms.
In the middle of the pond, the beavers build a lodge. A lodge is a home made of sticks and mud. The door is under the water. A fox or a coyote cannot easily get inside.
Above the water, the lodge has a dry room. A beaver family stays warm and safe there. The beavers also have a flat tail. They use it to swim and to slap the water if danger is near.
■ Harder · 153 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.3
A beaver needs both a safe home and plenty of deep water. To get them, a beaver builds a dam across a stream.
Beavers have sharp, strong front teeth, which they use to cut down small trees. They drag the logs and branches to the stream and then pack them tightly together with mud and stones. The dam holds back the flowing water, and slowly a pond forms behind it.
In the middle of the pond, the beavers construct a lodge, which is a home made of sticks and mud. Its entrance is hidden under the water, so a fox or a coyote cannot easily reach the family inside.
Above the waterline, the lodge has a dry room where the beaver family stays warm and safe. A beaver also has a broad, flat tail. It uses the tail for swimming, and it slaps the water to warn the others when danger is near.
A beaver needs a safe home. It needs deep water too. So a beaver builds a dam across a stream.
A beaver has sharp front teeth. It cuts down small trees with them. It drags the logs to the stream. It packs them with mud and stones. The dam holds back the water. A pond forms.
In the pond, the beavers build a lodge. A lodge is a home of sticks and mud. The door is under the water. A fox cannot get in.
The lodge has a dry room up high. The beaver family stays warm there. A beaver has a flat tail. It uses the tail to swim. It slaps the water if danger is near.
Questions
Why does a beaver build a dam?
What does a beaver use to cut small trees?
What is a lodge made of?
Where is the door of the lodge?
How does an underwater door keep beavers safe?
What does a beaver do with its flat tail?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Beavers Build a Lodge
A beaver needs a safe home. It also needs deep water. So a beaver builds a dam across a stream.
A beaver has sharp front teeth. It uses them to cut down small trees. It drags the logs and sticks to the stream. Then it packs them together with mud and stones. The dam holds back the water, and a pond forms.
In the middle of the pond, the beavers build a lodge. A lodge is a home made of sticks and mud. The door is under the water. A fox or a coyote cannot easily get inside.
Above the water, the lodge has a dry room. A beaver family stays warm and safe there. The beavers also have a flat tail. They use it to swim and to slap the water if danger is near.
Questions
Why does a beaver build a dam?
What does a beaver use to cut down small trees?
What is a lodge made of?
Where is the door of the lodge?
How does an underwater door help keep the beavers safe?
What does a beaver do with its flat tail?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Beavers Build a Lodge
A beaver needs both a safe home and plenty of deep water. To get them, a beaver builds a dam across a stream.
Beavers have sharp, strong front teeth, which they use to cut down small trees. They drag the logs and branches to the stream and then pack them tightly together with mud and stones. The dam holds back the flowing water, and slowly a pond forms behind it.
In the middle of the pond, the beavers construct a lodge, which is a home made of sticks and mud. Its entrance is hidden under the water, so a fox or a coyote cannot easily reach the family inside.
Above the waterline, the lodge has a dry room where the beaver family stays warm and safe. A beaver also has a broad, flat tail. It uses the tail for swimming, and it slaps the water to warn the others when danger is near.
Questions
Why does a beaver build a dam across a stream?
What do beavers use to cut down small trees?
What materials make up a lodge?
Where is the entrance to the lodge hidden?
How does a hidden underwater entrance protect the beaver family?
What are two things a beaver does with its broad, flat tail?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Beavers Build a Lodge
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.5)
It makes a pond with deep water for the home.
Its sharp front teeth.
Sticks and mud.
Under the water.
A fox cannot get in.
It swims, and it slaps the water if danger is near.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.9)
It makes a pond with deep water for the beaver's home.
Its sharp front teeth.
Sticks and mud.
Under the water.
A fox or a coyote cannot easily get inside.
It swims with it and slaps the water if danger is near.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.3)
It forms a pond with deep water for the beaver's home.
Their sharp, strong front teeth.
Sticks and mud.
Under the water.
A fox or a coyote cannot easily reach the family inside.
It swims with it, and it slaps the water to warn others of danger.
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 dam, lodge, stream, pond and danger 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.
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 136 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.9. 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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