2nd grade nonfiction passage about lentils and their pods: 101 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionlentils and their pods101 words
Lentils Cook Fast
A lentil is a tiny seed that looks like a little button. Lentils grow in flat pods on a small plant. Each pod holds one or two seeds.
When the pods are dry, farmers harvest the plants. The seeds are taken out of the pods and dried. Lentils can be brown, green, or red.
Lentils are good to cook because they are small. Many beans take a long time to cook. Lentils soften faster, and cooks do not have to soak them first.
People cook lentils in soup and stew. They are full of protein, which helps the body grow strong.
Questions
What does a lentil look like? in the text
How many seeds does each pod hold? in the text
What colors can lentils be? in the text
Why do lentils cook faster than many beans? in the text
Why might a cook choose lentils when in a hurry? think about it
Words to know
pods
long cases that hold seeds on a plant
harvest
to pick a crop when it is ready
soften
to become soft
protein
a part of food that helps the body grow strong
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Lentils Cook Fast
2nd grade reading passage
A lentil is a tiny seed that looks like a little button. Lentils grow in flat pods on a small plant. Each pod holds one or two seeds.
When the pods are dry, farmers harvest the plants. The seeds are taken out of the pods and dried. Lentils can be brown, green, or red.
Lentils are good to cook because they are small. Many beans take a long time to cook. Lentils soften faster, and cooks do not have to soak them first.
People cook lentils in soup and stew. They are full of protein, which helps the body grow strong.
Questions
What does a lentil look like?
How many seeds does each pod hold?
What colors can lentils be?
Why do lentils cook faster than many beans?
Why might a cook choose lentils when in a hurry?
Words to know
pods: long cases that hold seeds on a plant
harvest: to pick a crop when it is ready
soften: to become soft
protein: a part of food that helps the body grow strong
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/lentils-are-tiny-seeds-that-cook-fast
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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 · 84 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2
A lentil is a tiny seed. It looks like a little button. Lentils grow in flat pods on a small plant. Each pod holds one or two seeds.
When the pods are dry, farmers harvest the plants. The seeds come out of the pods. Lentils can be brown, green, or red.
Lentils are small, so they cook fast. Many beans take a long time. Lentils do not need to soak first.
People cook lentils in soup. They have protein, which helps the body grow.
▲ This passage · 101 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1
A lentil is a tiny seed that looks like a little button. Lentils grow in flat pods on a small plant. Each pod holds one or two seeds.
When the pods are dry, farmers harvest the plants. The seeds are taken out of the pods and dried. Lentils can be brown, green, or red.
Lentils are good to cook because they are small. Many beans take a long time to cook. Lentils soften faster, and cooks do not have to soak them first.
People cook lentils in soup and stew. They are full of protein, which helps the body grow strong.
■ Harder · 106 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.7
A lentil is a tiny seed that resembles a little button. Lentils grow inside flat pods on a small plant, and each pod holds one or two seeds.
Once the pods have dried, farmers harvest the plants. The seeds are removed from the pods and dried. Lentils may be brown, green, or red.
Lentils are convenient to cook because they are so small. Many kinds of beans take a long time to cook, but lentils soften much faster, and cooks do not have to soak them first.
People often cook lentils in soups and stews. They are full of protein, which helps the body grow strong.
A lentil is a tiny seed. It looks like a little button. Lentils grow in flat pods on a small plant. Each pod holds one or two seeds.
When the pods are dry, farmers harvest the plants. The seeds come out of the pods. Lentils can be brown, green, or red.
Lentils are small, so they cook fast. Many beans take a long time. Lentils do not need to soak first.
People cook lentils in soup. They have protein, which helps the body grow.
Questions
What does a lentil look like?
How many seeds are in each pod?
What colors can lentils be?
Why do lentils cook fast?
Why might a cook pick lentils when in a hurry?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Lentils Cook Fast
A lentil is a tiny seed that looks like a little button. Lentils grow in flat pods on a small plant. Each pod holds one or two seeds.
When the pods are dry, farmers harvest the plants. The seeds are taken out of the pods and dried. Lentils can be brown, green, or red.
Lentils are good to cook because they are small. Many beans take a long time to cook. Lentils soften faster, and cooks do not have to soak them first.
People cook lentils in soup and stew. They are full of protein, which helps the body grow strong.
Questions
What does a lentil look like?
How many seeds does each pod hold?
What colors can lentils be?
Why do lentils cook faster than many beans?
Why might a cook choose lentils when in a hurry?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Lentils Cook Fast
A lentil is a tiny seed that resembles a little button. Lentils grow inside flat pods on a small plant, and each pod holds one or two seeds.
Once the pods have dried, farmers harvest the plants. The seeds are removed from the pods and dried. Lentils may be brown, green, or red.
Lentils are convenient to cook because they are so small. Many kinds of beans take a long time to cook, but lentils soften much faster, and cooks do not have to soak them first.
People often cook lentils in soups and stews. They are full of protein, which helps the body grow strong.
Questions
What does a lentil look like?
How many seeds does each pod hold?
What colors can lentils be?
Why do lentils cook faster than many kinds of beans?
Why might a cook choose lentils when dinner is needed quickly?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Lentils Cook Fast
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2)
A little button.
One or two.
Brown, green, or red.
They are small.
They cook fast and do not need to soak.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1)
A little button.
One or two.
Brown, green, or red.
They are small, so they soften faster.
They cook faster than many beans and do not need to be soaked first.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.7)
A little button.
One or two.
Brown, green, or red.
They are so small that they soften much faster.
They soften faster than many beans, and they do not have to be soaked first.
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 pods, harvest, soften and protein 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 101 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 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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