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Magnets Push and Pull

2nd grade nonfiction passage about forces and magnets: 105 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

2nd grade nonfiction forces and magnets 105 words

Magnets Push and Pull

A magnet is an object that can pull some things toward it. It can pull a paper clip or a nail. This pull is called magnetism.

A magnet pulls things that are made of iron or steel. It does not pull paper, wood, or plastic.

Every magnet has two ends called poles. One end is the north pole. The other end is the south pole.

Two magnets can push or pull each other. If you hold the north pole of one magnet close to the south pole of another, they pull together. If you hold two north poles close to each other, they push apart.

Questions

  1. What is magnetism? in the text

  2. What kinds of things does a magnet pull? in the text

  3. What is something a magnet does not pull? in the text

  4. What are the two ends of a magnet called? in the text

  5. What happens when you hold two north poles close to each other? in the text

  6. A magnet pulls a nail but not a pencil. What does that tell you about the nail? think about it

Words to know

magnet
an object that pulls things made of iron or steel
magnetism
the pull that a magnet has
pole
one of the two ends of a magnet, where the pull is strongest
iron
a hard, gray metal that magnets pull
steel
a strong metal made mostly of iron

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put magnet, magnetism, pole, iron and steel 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.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "Magnets Push and Pull"?

It was written for 2nd grade. It has 105 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.3. 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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