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Six Sides in a Honeycomb

2nd grade nonfiction passage about shapes in a beehive: 114 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

2nd grade nonfiction shapes in a beehive 114 words

Six Sides in a Honeycomb

Look closely at a honeycomb. It is full of tiny little rooms. Each room is called a cell. Bees make the cells out of wax.

Every cell has the same shape. It is a hexagon. A hexagon has six sides and six corners.

The cells fit together with no gaps. Bees do not need to fill in holes. The sides of one cell are the sides of the cells next to it.

This is a smart way to build. The bees can fit many cells into a small space. The cells are used to hold honey. Some hold baby bees.

If you draw hexagons on paper, you can see how they fit together too.

Questions

  1. What are the little rooms in a honeycomb called? in the text

  2. What do bees make the cells out of? in the text

  3. How many sides does a hexagon have? in the text

  4. What are some of the cells used for? in the text

  5. Why is it good that the cells fit together with no gaps? think about it

Words to know

honeycomb
a block of wax cells that bees make to store honey
cell
one small room in a honeycomb
hexagon
a shape with six sides and six corners
wax
a soft, oily material that bees make
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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 · 82 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.2

Look at a honeycomb. It has tiny rooms. Each room is a cell. Bees make cells from wax.

Each cell has the same shape. It is a hexagon. A hexagon has six sides.

The cells fit together. There are no gaps. The side of one cell is the side of the next cell.

This is a smart way to build. Many cells fit in a small space. Cells hold honey. Some hold baby bees.

You can draw hexagons. See how they fit.

▲ This passage · 114 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.8

Look closely at a honeycomb. It is full of tiny little rooms. Each room is called a cell. Bees make the cells out of wax.

Every cell has the same shape. It is a hexagon. A hexagon has six sides and six corners.

The cells fit together with no gaps. Bees do not need to fill in holes. The sides of one cell are the sides of the cells next to it.

This is a smart way to build. The bees can fit many cells into a small space. The cells are used to hold honey. Some hold baby bees.

If you draw hexagons on paper, you can see how they fit together too.

■ Harder · 128 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.3

Examine a honeycomb carefully, and you will find that it is filled with tiny rooms. Each room is called a cell, and bees build the cells out of wax.

Every cell has precisely the same shape. It is a hexagon, which has six straight sides and six corners.

The cells fit snugly together without any gaps. The bees never have to fill in empty holes, because the sides of one cell are also the sides of the cells beside it.

This is a clever way to build, since the bees can squeeze a great many cells into a small space. Some cells are used to store honey, and others hold baby bees.

If you draw hexagons on paper, you can see for yourself how well they fit together.

Download as one PDF

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 honeycomb, cell, hexagon and wax 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.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "Six Sides in a Honeycomb"?

It was written for 2nd grade. It has 114 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.8. 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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