2nd grade nonfiction passage about spiders: 120 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionspiders120 words
How Spiders Spin Webs
A spider is not an insect. An insect has six legs, but a spider has eight. Many spiders can spin a web.
A spider makes silk inside its own body. The silk comes out of tiny parts at the back of the spider. It starts out as a liquid and quickly turns into a thin, strong thread. Spider silk is stronger than a string that is just as thin.
First, the spider spins a few long threads to make a frame. Then it adds more threads, round and round, to fill in the web.
Some of the threads are sticky. When a fly bumps into the web, it gets stuck. The spider feels the web shake and comes to eat.
Questions
How many legs does a spider have? in the text
Where does a spider make its silk? in the text
What does a spider spin first? in the text
What happens when a fly bumps into a sticky web? in the text
How does the spider know a fly is in the web? in the text
Why is a spider not an insect? think about it
Words to know
insect
a small animal with six legs
silk
a thin, strong thread
web
a net of silk that a spider makes
sticky
able to hold on to things that touch it
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
How Spiders Spin Webs
2nd grade reading passage
A spider is not an insect. An insect has six legs, but a spider has eight. Many spiders can spin a web.
A spider makes silk inside its own body. The silk comes out of tiny parts at the back of the spider. It starts out as a liquid and quickly turns into a thin, strong thread. Spider silk is stronger than a string that is just as thin.
First, the spider spins a few long threads to make a frame. Then it adds more threads, round and round, to fill in the web.
Some of the threads are sticky. When a fly bumps into the web, it gets stuck. The spider feels the web shake and comes to eat.
Questions
How many legs does a spider have?
Where does a spider make its silk?
What does a spider spin first?
What happens when a fly bumps into a sticky web?
How does the spider know a fly is in the web?
Why is a spider not an insect?
Words to know
insect: a small animal with six legs
silk: a thin, strong thread
web: a net of silk that a spider makes
sticky: able to hold on to things that touch it
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/how-spiders-spin-webs
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 · 93 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.5
A spider is not an insect. An insect has six legs. A spider has eight. Many spiders spin webs.
A spider makes silk inside its body. The silk comes out of tiny parts at its back end. It starts as a liquid. Then it turns into a thin, strong thread.
First, the spider spins a few long threads. They make a frame. Then it adds more threads, round and round.
Some threads are sticky. A fly bumps into the web. It gets stuck. The spider feels the web shake. It comes to eat.
▲ This passage · 120 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1
A spider is not an insect. An insect has six legs, but a spider has eight. Many spiders can spin a web.
A spider makes silk inside its own body. The silk comes out of tiny parts at the back of the spider. It starts out as a liquid and quickly turns into a thin, strong thread. Spider silk is stronger than a string that is just as thin.
First, the spider spins a few long threads to make a frame. Then it adds more threads, round and round, to fill in the web.
Some of the threads are sticky. When a fly bumps into the web, it gets stuck. The spider feels the web shake and comes to eat.
■ Harder · 120 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.5
A spider is not an insect, because an insect has six legs while a spider has eight. Many kinds of spiders are able to spin a web.
A spider produces silk inside its own body. The silk emerges from tiny parts at the back of the spider. It begins as a liquid and quickly hardens into a thin but remarkably strong thread.
To build a web, the spider first spins a few long threads to make a frame. Then it adds many more threads, circling round and round, until the web is complete.
Some of the threads are sticky. When a fly bumps into the web, it becomes trapped. The spider feels the web shake and hurries over to eat.
A spider is not an insect. An insect has six legs. A spider has eight. Many spiders spin webs.
A spider makes silk inside its body. The silk comes out of tiny parts at its back end. It starts as a liquid. Then it turns into a thin, strong thread.
First, the spider spins a few long threads. They make a frame. Then it adds more threads, round and round.
Some threads are sticky. A fly bumps into the web. It gets stuck. The spider feels the web shake. It comes to eat.
Questions
How many legs does a spider have?
Where does a spider make silk?
What does a spider spin first?
What happens when a fly bumps into the web?
How does the spider know a fly is there?
Why is a spider not an insect?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
How Spiders Spin Webs
A spider is not an insect. An insect has six legs, but a spider has eight. Many spiders can spin a web.
A spider makes silk inside its own body. The silk comes out of tiny parts at the back of the spider. It starts out as a liquid and quickly turns into a thin, strong thread. Spider silk is stronger than a string that is just as thin.
First, the spider spins a few long threads to make a frame. Then it adds more threads, round and round, to fill in the web.
Some of the threads are sticky. When a fly bumps into the web, it gets stuck. The spider feels the web shake and comes to eat.
Questions
How many legs does a spider have?
Where does a spider make its silk?
What does a spider spin first?
What happens when a fly bumps into a sticky web?
How does the spider know a fly is in the web?
Why is a spider not an insect?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
How Spiders Spin Webs
A spider is not an insect, because an insect has six legs while a spider has eight. Many kinds of spiders are able to spin a web.
A spider produces silk inside its own body. The silk emerges from tiny parts at the back of the spider. It begins as a liquid and quickly hardens into a thin but remarkably strong thread.
To build a web, the spider first spins a few long threads to make a frame. Then it adds many more threads, circling round and round, until the web is complete.
Some of the threads are sticky. When a fly bumps into the web, it becomes trapped. The spider feels the web shake and hurries over to eat.
Questions
How many legs does a spider have?
Where does a spider produce its silk?
What does a spider spin first when it builds a web?
What happens to a fly that bumps into a sticky web?
How does the spider know that a fly is trapped?
Why is a spider not classed as an insect?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: How Spiders Spin Webs
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.5)
Eight.
Inside its body.
A few long threads for a frame.
It gets stuck.
It feels the web shake.
An insect has six legs and a spider has eight.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1)
Eight.
Inside its own body.
A few long threads to make a frame.
It gets stuck.
It feels the web shake.
An insect has six legs and a spider has eight.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.5)
Eight.
Inside its own body.
A few long threads to make a frame.
It becomes trapped.
It feels the web shake.
An insect has six legs, but a spider has eight.
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 insect, silk, web and sticky 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.
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 120 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.1. 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.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. No sign-in, no ads.