2nd grade nonfiction passage about how icicles form: 124 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionhow icicles form124 words
Sunny Roofs Grow Spiky Winter Icicles
Look up at a roof after a snowfall. You might spot a pointy spike of ice hanging down. People call it an icicle. It shows up when winter days are cold but the sun is out.
Snow lies on the roof. The sun warms it, and a bit of snow turns into water. The water trickles toward the edge of the roof.
The air at the edge is freezing. A drop gathers there and turns to ice. The next drop slides over the first one and turns to ice too.
Drop after drop, the spike gets longer. It points to the ground, since water is always pulled down.
An icicle can be heavy and sharp. Keep away from it, and never stand beneath one.
Questions
Where do icicles hang? in the text
What melts the snow on the roof? in the text
What happens to a drop of water at the cold edge? in the text
Why does the icicle point down? in the text
Why should you not stand under an icicle? think about it
Words to know
icicle
a long spike of ice that hangs down
melts
turns from ice or snow into water
edge
the outside line where something ends
spike
a long, thin, pointed shape
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Sunny Roofs Grow Spiky Winter Icicles
2nd grade reading passage
Look up at a roof after a snowfall. You might spot a pointy spike of ice hanging down. People call it an icicle. It shows up when winter days are cold but the sun is out.
Snow lies on the roof. The sun warms it, and a bit of snow turns into water. The water trickles toward the edge of the roof.
The air at the edge is freezing. A drop gathers there and turns to ice. The next drop slides over the first one and turns to ice too.
Drop after drop, the spike gets longer. It points to the ground, since water is always pulled down.
An icicle can be heavy and sharp. Keep away from it, and never stand beneath one.
Questions
Where do icicles hang?
What melts the snow on the roof?
What happens to a drop of water at the cold edge?
Why does the icicle point down?
Why should you not stand under an icicle?
Words to know
icicle: a long spike of ice that hangs down
melts: turns from ice or snow into water
edge: the outside line where something ends
spike: a long, thin, pointed shape
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/sunny-roofs-grow-spiky-winter-icicles
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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 · 92 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.3
An icicle is a long spike of ice. It hangs from a roof. You see icicles on cold, sunny winter days.
Snow sits on a roof. The sun shines. Some snow melts into water. The water runs to the edge.
At the edge, the air is cold. A drop hangs there and starts to freeze. Another drop slides down over it. It freezes too.
Each day more drops freeze. The icicle gets longer. It points down because water is pulled down.
Icicles can be heavy and sharp. Do not stand under one.
▲ This passage · 124 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2
Look up at a roof after a snowfall. You might spot a pointy spike of ice hanging down. People call it an icicle. It shows up when winter days are cold but the sun is out.
Snow lies on the roof. The sun warms it, and a bit of snow turns into water. The water trickles toward the edge of the roof.
The air at the edge is freezing. A drop gathers there and turns to ice. The next drop slides over the first one and turns to ice too.
Drop after drop, the spike gets longer. It points to the ground, since water is always pulled down.
An icicle can be heavy and sharp. Keep away from it, and never stand beneath one.
■ Harder · 140 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.7
An icicle is a long spike of ice that dangles from the edge of a roof. You often see icicles on cold, sunny days in the middle of winter.
Here is how one begins. Snow rests on a roof, and when the sun shines, some of the snow melts into water. The water trickles down the roof until it reaches the edge.
At the edge, the air is bitterly cold, so a drop of water hanging there starts to freeze. Another drop slides down and drips over the first one, and it freezes as well.
Every day, more drops run down, freeze, and add a little more length. Slowly, the icicle grows longer. It always points downward because water is pulled toward the ground.
Icicles can be heavy and sharp, so stay clear of them and never stand underneath one.
An icicle is a long spike of ice. It hangs from a roof. You see icicles on cold, sunny winter days.
Snow sits on a roof. The sun shines. Some snow melts into water. The water runs to the edge.
At the edge, the air is cold. A drop hangs there and starts to freeze. Another drop slides down over it. It freezes too.
Each day more drops freeze. The icicle gets longer. It points down because water is pulled down.
Icicles can be heavy and sharp. Do not stand under one.
Questions
Where do icicles hang?
What melts the snow on the roof?
What happens to a drop at the cold edge?
Why does the icicle point down?
Why should you not stand under an icicle?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Sunny Roofs Grow Spiky Winter Icicles
Look up at a roof after a snowfall. You might spot a pointy spike of ice hanging down. People call it an icicle. It shows up when winter days are cold but the sun is out.
Snow lies on the roof. The sun warms it, and a bit of snow turns into water. The water trickles toward the edge of the roof.
The air at the edge is freezing. A drop gathers there and turns to ice. The next drop slides over the first one and turns to ice too.
Drop after drop, the spike gets longer. It points to the ground, since water is always pulled down.
An icicle can be heavy and sharp. Keep away from it, and never stand beneath one.
Questions
Where do icicles hang?
What melts the snow on the roof?
What happens to a drop of water at the cold edge?
Why does the icicle point down?
Why should you not stand under an icicle?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Sunny Roofs Grow Spiky Winter Icicles
An icicle is a long spike of ice that dangles from the edge of a roof. You often see icicles on cold, sunny days in the middle of winter.
Here is how one begins. Snow rests on a roof, and when the sun shines, some of the snow melts into water. The water trickles down the roof until it reaches the edge.
At the edge, the air is bitterly cold, so a drop of water hanging there starts to freeze. Another drop slides down and drips over the first one, and it freezes as well.
Every day, more drops run down, freeze, and add a little more length. Slowly, the icicle grows longer. It always points downward because water is pulled toward the ground.
Icicles can be heavy and sharp, so stay clear of them and never stand underneath one.
Questions
Where does an icicle dangle from?
What causes the snow on the roof to melt?
What happens to a drop of water hanging at the cold edge?
Why does an icicle always point downward?
Why should you never stand underneath an icicle?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Sunny Roofs Grow Spiky Winter Icicles
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.3)
From the edge of a roof.
The sun.
It starts to freeze.
Water is pulled down.
It can be heavy and sharp, and it could fall.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2)
From the edge of a roof.
The sun.
It starts to freeze.
The water is pulled down.
It can be heavy and sharp, and it could fall.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.7)
The edge of a roof.
The sun shining on it.
It starts to freeze.
Water is pulled toward the ground.
It can be heavy and sharp, and it could fall on you.
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 icicle, melts, edge and spike 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 "Sunny Roofs Grow Spiky Winter Icicles"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 124 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.2. 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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