2nd grade nonfiction passage about fair lines and waiting turns: 125 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionfair lines and waiting turns125 words
Take a Number at the Bakery
A bakery can get very busy on a Saturday morning. Many people want bread and buns at once. How can the baker be fair?
Some bakeries have a small machine by the door. You pull a paper ticket from it. The ticket has a number on it. A sign on the wall shows which number is being served now.
When the sign shows your number, it is your turn. You do not have to push or shout. You can sit down or look at the cakes while you wait.
This is a fair rule because the first person to come gets the first turn. It works for tall people and short people. It works for loud people and quiet people. Everybody follows the same rule.
Questions
What do you pull from the machine by the door? in the text
What does the sign on the wall show? in the text
When is it your turn? in the text
What can you do while you wait? in the text
Why is the ticket rule fair to everyone? think about it
Words to know
bakery
a shop that makes and sells bread and cakes
ticket
a small piece of paper that gives you a place or a turn
fair
the same and right for everyone
served
helped at a shop or counter
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Take a Number at the Bakery
2nd grade reading passage
A bakery can get very busy on a Saturday morning. Many people want bread and buns at once. How can the baker be fair?
Some bakeries have a small machine by the door. You pull a paper ticket from it. The ticket has a number on it. A sign on the wall shows which number is being served now.
When the sign shows your number, it is your turn. You do not have to push or shout. You can sit down or look at the cakes while you wait.
This is a fair rule because the first person to come gets the first turn. It works for tall people and short people. It works for loud people and quiet people. Everybody follows the same rule.
Questions
What do you pull from the machine by the door?
What does the sign on the wall show?
When is it your turn?
What can you do while you wait?
Why is the ticket rule fair to everyone?
Words to know
bakery: a shop that makes and sells bread and cakes
ticket: a small piece of paper that gives you a place or a turn
fair: the same and right for everyone
served: helped at a shop or counter
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/take-a-number-at-the-bakery
Share
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 · 91 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5
A bakery gets busy on a Saturday. Many people want bread and buns. How can the baker be fair?
A small machine sits by the door. You pull out a paper ticket. It has a number. A sign on the wall shows which number is being served.
When the sign shows your number, it is your turn. You do not push. You do not shout. You can sit or look at the cakes.
This rule is fair. The first person to come gets the first turn. Everyone follows the same rule.
▲ This passage · 125 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.4
A bakery can get very busy on a Saturday morning. Many people want bread and buns at once. How can the baker be fair?
Some bakeries have a small machine by the door. You pull a paper ticket from it. The ticket has a number on it. A sign on the wall shows which number is being served now.
When the sign shows your number, it is your turn. You do not have to push or shout. You can sit down or look at the cakes while you wait.
This is a fair rule because the first person to come gets the first turn. It works for tall people and short people. It works for loud people and quiet people. Everybody follows the same rule.
■ Harder · 140 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.5
On a Saturday morning, a bakery can become extremely busy, because so many people want bread and buns all at the same moment. How can the baker make sure that every customer is treated fairly?
Some bakeries keep a small machine near the door. From it, you pull a paper ticket printed with a number. A sign on the wall shows which number is being served at that moment.
When the sign displays your number, it is your turn. There is no need to push ahead or to shout. Instead, you can sit down or admire the cakes while you wait.
This is a fair rule, since the first person to arrive gets the first turn. It works just as well for tall people and short people, and for loud people and quiet people, because everybody follows the same rule.
A bakery gets busy on a Saturday. Many people want bread and buns. How can the baker be fair?
A small machine sits by the door. You pull out a paper ticket. It has a number. A sign on the wall shows which number is being served.
When the sign shows your number, it is your turn. You do not push. You do not shout. You can sit or look at the cakes.
This rule is fair. The first person to come gets the first turn. Everyone follows the same rule.
Questions
What do you pull from the machine?
What does the sign on the wall show?
When is it your turn?
What can you do while you wait?
Why is the ticket rule fair?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Take a Number at the Bakery
A bakery can get very busy on a Saturday morning. Many people want bread and buns at once. How can the baker be fair?
Some bakeries have a small machine by the door. You pull a paper ticket from it. The ticket has a number on it. A sign on the wall shows which number is being served now.
When the sign shows your number, it is your turn. You do not have to push or shout. You can sit down or look at the cakes while you wait.
This is a fair rule because the first person to come gets the first turn. It works for tall people and short people. It works for loud people and quiet people. Everybody follows the same rule.
Questions
What do you pull from the machine by the door?
What does the sign on the wall show?
When is it your turn?
What can you do while you wait?
Why is the ticket rule fair to everyone?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Take a Number at the Bakery
On a Saturday morning, a bakery can become extremely busy, because so many people want bread and buns all at the same moment. How can the baker make sure that every customer is treated fairly?
Some bakeries keep a small machine near the door. From it, you pull a paper ticket printed with a number. A sign on the wall shows which number is being served at that moment.
When the sign displays your number, it is your turn. There is no need to push ahead or to shout. Instead, you can sit down or admire the cakes while you wait.
This is a fair rule, since the first person to arrive gets the first turn. It works just as well for tall people and short people, and for loud people and quiet people, because everybody follows the same rule.
Questions
What do you pull from the machine near the door?
What does the sign on the wall show?
When does it become your turn?
What can you do instead of pushing ahead while you wait?
Why is the ticket rule fair to every customer?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Take a Number at the Bakery
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5)
A paper ticket with a number.
Which number is being served.
When the sign shows your number.
Sit or look at the cakes.
The first person to come gets the first turn, and everyone follows the same rule.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.4)
A paper ticket with a number.
Which number is being served now.
When the sign shows your number.
Sit down or look at the cakes.
The first person to come gets the first turn, and everybody follows the same rule.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.5)
A paper ticket printed with a number.
Which number is being served at that moment.
When the sign displays your number.
Sit down or admire the cakes.
The first person to arrive gets the first turn, and everybody follows the same rule.
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 bakery, ticket, fair and served 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 "Take a Number at the Bakery"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 125 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.4. 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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