2nd grade nonfiction passage about making a constellation: 127 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionmaking a constellation127 words
Draw Your Own Star Picture
Long ago, people looked up at the night sky and saw groups of stars. They drew lines between the stars to make pictures. These star pictures are called constellations. They helped people remember where stars were.
You can make your own constellation. Here is how.
First, get a sheet of dark paper and a white crayon. Next, make ten dots all over the paper. Put them anywhere you like. Then connect some of the dots with lines. Look at the shape you made. Does it look like a cat, a boat, or a tall tree?
Last, give your constellation a name. Write the name at the bottom.
The stars in a real constellation are not really close to each other. They only look that way from Earth.
Questions
What are star pictures called? in the text
Why did people draw constellations long ago? in the text
What do you need to make your own constellation? in the text
What do you do after you make the dots? in the text
Why does the paper need to be dark? think about it
Words to know
constellation
a group of stars that make a picture
connect
to join things together
crayon
a stick of colored wax for drawing
shape
the outline of something
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Draw Your Own Star Picture
2nd grade reading passage
Long ago, people looked up at the night sky and saw groups of stars. They drew lines between the stars to make pictures. These star pictures are called constellations. They helped people remember where stars were.
You can make your own constellation. Here is how.
First, get a sheet of dark paper and a white crayon. Next, make ten dots all over the paper. Put them anywhere you like. Then connect some of the dots with lines. Look at the shape you made. Does it look like a cat, a boat, or a tall tree?
Last, give your constellation a name. Write the name at the bottom.
The stars in a real constellation are not really close to each other. They only look that way from Earth.
Questions
What are star pictures called?
Why did people draw constellations long ago?
What do you need to make your own constellation?
What do you do after you make the dots?
Why does the paper need to be dark?
Words to know
constellation: a group of stars that make a picture
connect: to join things together
crayon: a stick of colored wax for drawing
shape: the outline of something
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/draw-your-own-star-picture
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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 · 108 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.4
Long ago, people looked at the night sky. They saw groups of stars. They drew lines between the stars to make pictures. These star pictures are called constellations. They helped people remember where stars were.
You can make a constellation. Here is how.
First, get dark paper and a white crayon. Next, make ten dots on the paper. Put them anywhere. Then join some dots with lines. Look at your shape. Is it a cat, a boat, or a tree?
Last, give it a name. Write the name at the bottom.
Real stars in a constellation are not close to each other. They only look close from Earth.
▲ This passage · 127 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2
Long ago, people looked up at the night sky and saw groups of stars. They drew lines between the stars to make pictures. These star pictures are called constellations. They helped people remember where stars were.
You can make your own constellation. Here is how.
First, get a sheet of dark paper and a white crayon. Next, make ten dots all over the paper. Put them anywhere you like. Then connect some of the dots with lines. Look at the shape you made. Does it look like a cat, a boat, or a tall tree?
Last, give your constellation a name. Write the name at the bottom.
The stars in a real constellation are not really close to each other. They only look that way from Earth.
■ Harder · 143 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.9
Long ago, people gazed up at the night sky and noticed groups of stars. They imagined lines between the stars and turned each group into a picture. These star pictures are called constellations, and they helped people remember where the stars were.
You can create your own constellation by following these steps.
First, gather a sheet of dark paper and a white crayon. Next, make ten dots scattered all over the paper, putting them wherever you like. Then connect some of the dots with lines. Study the shape you have made. Does it remind you of a cat, a boat, or a tall tree?
Finally, give your constellation a name, and write it at the bottom of the page.
The stars in a real constellation are not actually close to one another. They only appear that way when we view them from Earth.
Long ago, people looked at the night sky. They saw groups of stars. They drew lines between the stars to make pictures. These star pictures are called constellations. They helped people remember where stars were.
You can make a constellation. Here is how.
First, get dark paper and a white crayon. Next, make ten dots on the paper. Put them anywhere. Then join some dots with lines. Look at your shape. Is it a cat, a boat, or a tree?
Last, give it a name. Write the name at the bottom.
Real stars in a constellation are not close to each other. They only look close from Earth.
Questions
What are star pictures called?
Why did people draw constellations long ago?
What do you need to make a constellation?
What do you do after you make the dots?
Why is dark paper a good choice?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Draw Your Own Star Picture
Long ago, people looked up at the night sky and saw groups of stars. They drew lines between the stars to make pictures. These star pictures are called constellations. They helped people remember where stars were.
You can make your own constellation. Here is how.
First, get a sheet of dark paper and a white crayon. Next, make ten dots all over the paper. Put them anywhere you like. Then connect some of the dots with lines. Look at the shape you made. Does it look like a cat, a boat, or a tall tree?
Last, give your constellation a name. Write the name at the bottom.
The stars in a real constellation are not really close to each other. They only look that way from Earth.
Questions
What are star pictures called?
Why did people draw constellations long ago?
What do you need to make your own constellation?
What do you do after you make the dots?
Why does the paper need to be dark?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Draw Your Own Star Picture
Long ago, people gazed up at the night sky and noticed groups of stars. They imagined lines between the stars and turned each group into a picture. These star pictures are called constellations, and they helped people remember where the stars were.
You can create your own constellation by following these steps.
First, gather a sheet of dark paper and a white crayon. Next, make ten dots scattered all over the paper, putting them wherever you like. Then connect some of the dots with lines. Study the shape you have made. Does it remind you of a cat, a boat, or a tall tree?
Finally, give your constellation a name, and write it at the bottom of the page.
The stars in a real constellation are not actually close to one another. They only appear that way when we view them from Earth.
Questions
What are the star pictures that people imagined called?
Why did people make constellations long ago?
What should you gather to make your own constellation?
What do you do once the dots are scattered over the paper?
Why is it smart to use dark paper and a white crayon?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Draw Your Own Star Picture
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.4)
Constellations.
They helped people remember where stars were.
Dark paper and a white crayon.
You join some of them with lines.
White crayon shows up well on dark paper, like stars at night.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2)
Constellations.
They helped people remember where stars were.
A sheet of dark paper and a white crayon.
You connect some of them with lines.
A white crayon shows up well on dark paper, like stars in the night sky.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.9)
Constellations.
They helped people remember where the stars were.
A sheet of dark paper and a white crayon.
You connect some of the dots with lines.
White marks show up well against the dark, just like stars in the night 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 constellation, connect, crayon and shape 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 "Draw Your Own Star Picture"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 127 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.2. 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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