2nd grade nonfiction passage about houses with grass roofs: 123 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionhouses with grass roofs123 words
Grass Roofs in the Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are a group of small islands in the cold North Atlantic Ocean. The wind blows hard there, and rain falls often.
For a long time, people on these islands built houses with roofs made of grass. First they laid down layers of bark. Next they piled soil on top. Last they put down grass, with the roots side down.
Why a roof of grass? The thick layers help keep the warmth inside. They also keep the wind and the rain out. The grass grows right on the roof and stays green.
Today, many houses have normal roofs. But you can still see some old homes with grass on top. Each one looks like a small green hill with a door.
Questions
Where are the Faroe Islands? in the text
What did builders lay down first on a grass roof? in the text
What goes on top of the soil? in the text
What does a grass roof keep inside the house? in the text
Why was a thick roof a good idea on windy, rainy islands? think about it
Words to know
islands
pieces of land with water all around them
bark
the tough outside layer of a tree
soil
the dirt that plants grow in
layers
flat levels placed one on top of another
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Grass Roofs in the Faroe Islands
2nd grade reading passage
The Faroe Islands are a group of small islands in the cold North Atlantic Ocean. The wind blows hard there, and rain falls often.
For a long time, people on these islands built houses with roofs made of grass. First they laid down layers of bark. Next they piled soil on top. Last they put down grass, with the roots side down.
Why a roof of grass? The thick layers help keep the warmth inside. They also keep the wind and the rain out. The grass grows right on the roof and stays green.
Today, many houses have normal roofs. But you can still see some old homes with grass on top. Each one looks like a small green hill with a door.
Questions
Where are the Faroe Islands?
What did builders lay down first on a grass roof?
What goes on top of the soil?
What does a grass roof keep inside the house?
Why was a thick roof a good idea on windy, rainy islands?
Words to know
islands: pieces of land with water all around them
bark: the tough outside layer of a tree
soil: the dirt that plants grow in
layers: flat levels placed one on top of another
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/grass-roofs-in-the-faroe-islands
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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 · 88 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.1
The Faroe Islands are small islands in the cold North Atlantic Ocean. The wind is strong there. It rains a lot.
Long ago, people built houses with grass roofs. First they put down bark. Next they piled on soil. Last they put on grass.
Why a grass roof? The thick roof keeps the warmth in. It keeps the wind and rain out. The grass grows right on top.
Now most houses have normal roofs. But a few old homes still have grass. They look like small green hills.
▲ This passage · 123 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5
The Faroe Islands are a group of small islands in the cold North Atlantic Ocean. The wind blows hard there, and rain falls often.
For a long time, people on these islands built houses with roofs made of grass. First they laid down layers of bark. Next they piled soil on top. Last they put down grass, with the roots side down.
Why a roof of grass? The thick layers help keep the warmth inside. They also keep the wind and the rain out. The grass grows right on the roof and stays green.
Today, many houses have normal roofs. But you can still see some old homes with grass on top. Each one looks like a small green hill with a door.
■ Harder · 130 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.6
The Faroe Islands are a cluster of small islands in the chilly North Atlantic Ocean. The wind blows fiercely there, and rain falls frequently.
For many generations, people on these islands built houses with roofs made of grass. Builders began by laying down layers of bark. Then they piled soil on top, and finally they spread grass across it, with the roots side down.
Why would anyone choose a roof of grass? The thick layers help to hold the warmth inside the house, and they also keep out the wind and the rain. The grass grows right on the roof and stays green.
Nowadays, many houses have ordinary roofs, but a few old homes with grass on top remain. Each one looks like a small green hill with a door.
The Faroe Islands are small islands in the cold North Atlantic Ocean. The wind is strong there. It rains a lot.
Long ago, people built houses with grass roofs. First they put down bark. Next they piled on soil. Last they put on grass.
Why a grass roof? The thick roof keeps the warmth in. It keeps the wind and rain out. The grass grows right on top.
Now most houses have normal roofs. But a few old homes still have grass. They look like small green hills.
Questions
Where are the Faroe Islands?
What did builders put down first?
What goes on top of the soil?
What does the thick roof keep in?
Why was a thick roof good for these islands?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Grass Roofs in the Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are a group of small islands in the cold North Atlantic Ocean. The wind blows hard there, and rain falls often.
For a long time, people on these islands built houses with roofs made of grass. First they laid down layers of bark. Next they piled soil on top. Last they put down grass, with the roots side down.
Why a roof of grass? The thick layers help keep the warmth inside. They also keep the wind and the rain out. The grass grows right on the roof and stays green.
Today, many houses have normal roofs. But you can still see some old homes with grass on top. Each one looks like a small green hill with a door.
Questions
Where are the Faroe Islands?
What did builders lay down first on a grass roof?
What goes on top of the soil?
What does a grass roof keep inside the house?
Why was a thick roof a good idea on windy, rainy islands?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Grass Roofs in the Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are a cluster of small islands in the chilly North Atlantic Ocean. The wind blows fiercely there, and rain falls frequently.
For many generations, people on these islands built houses with roofs made of grass. Builders began by laying down layers of bark. Then they piled soil on top, and finally they spread grass across it, with the roots side down.
Why would anyone choose a roof of grass? The thick layers help to hold the warmth inside the house, and they also keep out the wind and the rain. The grass grows right on the roof and stays green.
Nowadays, many houses have ordinary roofs, but a few old homes with grass on top remain. Each one looks like a small green hill with a door.
Questions
Where are the Faroe Islands located?
What did builders lay down first on a grass roof?
What was spread across the soil last?
What do the thick layers hold inside the house?
Why was a thick roof a sensible choice on windy, rainy islands?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Grass Roofs in the Faroe Islands
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.1)
In the cold North Atlantic Ocean.
Bark.
Grass.
The warmth.
It kept out the wind and rain and kept the house warm.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5)
In the cold North Atlantic Ocean.
Layers of bark.
Grass.
The warmth.
It kept the wind and rain out and helped the house stay warm.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.6)
In the chilly North Atlantic Ocean.
Layers of bark.
Grass.
The warmth.
It kept out the wind and rain and helped the house stay warm.
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 islands, bark, soil and layers 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 "Grass Roofs in the Faroe Islands"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 123 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.5. 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?
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