2nd grade nonfiction passage about pumice from volcanoes: 133 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionpumice from volcanoes133 words
Pumice, the Rock That Floats
Most rocks sink in water. A stone dropped in a pond goes right to the bottom. But there is one rock that can float. It is called pumice.
Pumice is born inside a volcano. Hot melted rock, called lava, comes out of the volcano. Sometimes the lava is full of gas. The gas makes thousands of tiny bubbles, like the bubbles in a fizzy drink. Then the lava cools and turns hard, and the bubbles are still inside.
Because of all those little holes, pumice is very light. It has more air in it than a regular rock. That is why it can sit on top of the water like a small boat.
Pumice feels rough and bumpy. Some people use a piece of it to rub rough, dry skin on their feet.
Questions
Where is pumice born? in the text
What makes the tiny bubbles in the lava? in the text
Why is pumice so light? in the text
How does pumice feel when you touch it? in the text
What do you think would happen if you put a piece of pumice in a bathtub? think about it
Words to know
pumice
a light rock full of tiny holes that can float
volcano
a mountain with an opening where hot melted rock comes out
lava
hot melted rock that flows out of a volcano
bubbles
round pockets of gas or air
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Pumice, the Rock That Floats
2nd grade reading passage
Most rocks sink in water. A stone dropped in a pond goes right to the bottom. But there is one rock that can float. It is called pumice.
Pumice is born inside a volcano. Hot melted rock, called lava, comes out of the volcano. Sometimes the lava is full of gas. The gas makes thousands of tiny bubbles, like the bubbles in a fizzy drink. Then the lava cools and turns hard, and the bubbles are still inside.
Because of all those little holes, pumice is very light. It has more air in it than a regular rock. That is why it can sit on top of the water like a small boat.
Pumice feels rough and bumpy. Some people use a piece of it to rub rough, dry skin on their feet.
Questions
Where is pumice born?
What makes the tiny bubbles in the lava?
Why is pumice so light?
How does pumice feel when you touch it?
What do you think would happen if you put a piece of pumice in a bathtub?
Words to know
pumice: a light rock full of tiny holes that can float
volcano: a mountain with an opening where hot melted rock comes out
lava: hot melted rock that flows out of a volcano
bubbles: round pockets of gas or air
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/pumice-the-rock-that-floats
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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 · 94 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1
Most rocks sink in water. Drop a stone in a pond. It goes to the bottom. But one rock floats. It is called pumice.
Pumice comes from a volcano. Hot melted rock comes out. It is called lava. The lava has gas in it. The gas makes tiny bubbles. Then the lava gets cool and hard. The bubbles stay inside.
Pumice has lots of tiny holes. It is very light. It has air in it. So it can sit on water like a boat.
Pumice feels rough. Some people rub it on dry skin.
▲ This passage · 133 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.9
Most rocks sink in water. A stone dropped in a pond goes right to the bottom. But there is one rock that can float. It is called pumice.
Pumice is born inside a volcano. Hot melted rock, called lava, comes out of the volcano. Sometimes the lava is full of gas. The gas makes thousands of tiny bubbles, like the bubbles in a fizzy drink. Then the lava cools and turns hard, and the bubbles are still inside.
Because of all those little holes, pumice is very light. It has more air in it than a regular rock. That is why it can sit on top of the water like a small boat.
Pumice feels rough and bumpy. Some people use a piece of it to rub rough, dry skin on their feet.
■ Harder · 152 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.1
Nearly every rock sinks when it is dropped into water. A stone tossed into a pond travels straight to the bottom. However, there is one unusual kind of rock that is able to float, and it is called pumice.
Pumice is formed inside a volcano. Hot melted rock, known as lava, pours out of the volcano, and sometimes that lava is packed with gas. The gas creates thousands of tiny bubbles, much like the bubbles in a fizzy drink. Then the lava cools and turns hard, but the bubbles remain trapped inside.
Because it is full of little holes, pumice is extremely light. It contains much more air than a regular rock does, which is why it can rest on top of the water like a small boat.
Pumice feels rough and bumpy to the touch, and some people use a piece of it to rub rough, dry skin on their feet.
Most rocks sink in water. Drop a stone in a pond. It goes to the bottom. But one rock floats. It is called pumice.
Pumice comes from a volcano. Hot melted rock comes out. It is called lava. The lava has gas in it. The gas makes tiny bubbles. Then the lava gets cool and hard. The bubbles stay inside.
Pumice has lots of tiny holes. It is very light. It has air in it. So it can sit on water like a boat.
Pumice feels rough. Some people rub it on dry skin.
Questions
Where does pumice come from?
What makes the bubbles in the lava?
Why is pumice light?
How does pumice feel?
What would pumice do in a bathtub?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Pumice, the Rock That Floats
Most rocks sink in water. A stone dropped in a pond goes right to the bottom. But there is one rock that can float. It is called pumice.
Pumice is born inside a volcano. Hot melted rock, called lava, comes out of the volcano. Sometimes the lava is full of gas. The gas makes thousands of tiny bubbles, like the bubbles in a fizzy drink. Then the lava cools and turns hard, and the bubbles are still inside.
Because of all those little holes, pumice is very light. It has more air in it than a regular rock. That is why it can sit on top of the water like a small boat.
Pumice feels rough and bumpy. Some people use a piece of it to rub rough, dry skin on their feet.
Questions
Where is pumice born?
What makes the tiny bubbles in the lava?
Why is pumice so light?
How does pumice feel when you touch it?
What do you think would happen if you put a piece of pumice in a bathtub?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Pumice, the Rock That Floats
Nearly every rock sinks when it is dropped into water. A stone tossed into a pond travels straight to the bottom. However, there is one unusual kind of rock that is able to float, and it is called pumice.
Pumice is formed inside a volcano. Hot melted rock, known as lava, pours out of the volcano, and sometimes that lava is packed with gas. The gas creates thousands of tiny bubbles, much like the bubbles in a fizzy drink. Then the lava cools and turns hard, but the bubbles remain trapped inside.
Because it is full of little holes, pumice is extremely light. It contains much more air than a regular rock does, which is why it can rest on top of the water like a small boat.
Pumice feels rough and bumpy to the touch, and some people use a piece of it to rub rough, dry skin on their feet.
Questions
Where is pumice formed?
What creates the thousands of tiny bubbles in the lava?
Why is pumice so much lighter than a regular rock?
What does pumice feel like to the touch?
What would probably happen if you placed a piece of pumice in a bathtub?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Pumice, the Rock That Floats
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1)
From a volcano.
Gas.
It has many tiny holes with air.
Rough.
It would float.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.9)
Inside a volcano.
Gas.
It has many tiny holes full of air.
Rough and bumpy.
It would float on top of the water.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.1)
Inside a volcano.
Gas.
It is full of tiny holes that hold air.
Rough and bumpy.
It would float on top of the water.
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 pumice, volcano, lava and bubbles 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 "Pumice, the Rock That Floats"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 133 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.9. 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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