2nd grade fiction passage about a mole who shares: 130 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradefictiona mole who shares130 words
The Mole and the Lantern Moths
Mina the mole lived deep underground, where it was very dark. One evening she found a glowing jar in her tunnel. Inside were three pale moths that shone like tiny lamps.
"These are mine," said Mina. She hid the jar in her pantry and used the light to read her books.
Soon the moths grew dim and sleepy. "We need fresh air and a flower," they whispered.
Mina felt sorry. She carried the jar up through the soil and set it in the grass. The moths fluttered out and sipped from a night flower. They glowed brighter than ever.
"Come back any time," Mina said.
Each night the moths visited her tunnel and lit it for free. Mina found that a shared light shines longer than a locked-up one.
Questions
Where did Mina live? in the text
What did Mina find in her tunnel? in the text
Why did the moths grow dim and sleepy? in the text
What did the moths do after Mina set them free? in the text
Why did the moths come back to her tunnel each night? think about it
What is the lesson of this story? think about it
Words to know
tunnel
a long hole that goes under the ground
pantry
a small room where food is kept
dim
not bright
fluttered
flew with quick, light wing beats
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
The Mole and the Lantern Moths
2nd grade reading passage
Mina the mole lived deep underground, where it was very dark. One evening she found a glowing jar in her tunnel. Inside were three pale moths that shone like tiny lamps.
"These are mine," said Mina. She hid the jar in her pantry and used the light to read her books.
Soon the moths grew dim and sleepy. "We need fresh air and a flower," they whispered.
Mina felt sorry. She carried the jar up through the soil and set it in the grass. The moths fluttered out and sipped from a night flower. They glowed brighter than ever.
"Come back any time," Mina said.
Each night the moths visited her tunnel and lit it for free. Mina found that a shared light shines longer than a locked-up one.
Questions
Where did Mina live?
What did Mina find in her tunnel?
Why did the moths grow dim and sleepy?
What did the moths do after Mina set them free?
Why did the moths come back to her tunnel each night?
What is the lesson of this story?
Words to know
tunnel: a long hole that goes under the ground
pantry: a small room where food is kept
dim: not bright
fluttered: flew with quick, light wing beats
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/the-mole-and-the-lantern-moths
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 · 113 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.6
Mina the mole lived under the ground, where it was dark. One night she found a glowing jar in her tunnel. Three pale moths were in it. They shone like tiny lamps.
"These are mine," said Mina. She hid the jar in her pantry. She used the light to read.
The moths grew dim and sleepy. "We need air and a flower," they said.
Mina felt sorry. She took the jar up to the grass. The moths flew out and sipped from a flower. They glowed bright.
"Come back any time," Mina said.
Each night the moths came and lit her tunnel. It was free. Mina saw that a shared light is best.
▲ This passage · 130 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.6
Mina the mole lived deep underground, where it was very dark. One evening she found a glowing jar in her tunnel. Inside were three pale moths that shone like tiny lamps.
"These are mine," said Mina. She hid the jar in her pantry and used the light to read her books.
Soon the moths grew dim and sleepy. "We need fresh air and a flower," they whispered.
Mina felt sorry. She carried the jar up through the soil and set it in the grass. The moths fluttered out and sipped from a night flower. They glowed brighter than ever.
"Come back any time," Mina said.
Each night the moths visited her tunnel and lit it for free. Mina found that a shared light shines longer than a locked-up one.
■ Harder · 153 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.8
Mina the mole lived far beneath the ground, where the tunnels were always dark. One evening she discovered a glowing jar sitting in her passageway. Inside were three pale moths that shimmered like tiny lamps.
"These belong to me," declared Mina. She tucked the jar away in her pantry and used the gentle light to read her favorite books.
Before long the moths turned dim and drowsy. "We need fresh air and a flower," they whispered weakly.
Mina felt a pang of guilt. She carried the jar up through the soil and placed it on the grass. The moths fluttered out and sipped from a night flower, and they glowed brighter than ever.
"Please visit whenever you like," Mina said.
Every night after that, the moths drifted into her tunnel and lit it for free. Mina discovered that a light which is shared will shine far longer than one that is locked away.
Mina the mole lived under the ground, where it was dark. One night she found a glowing jar in her tunnel. Three pale moths were in it. They shone like tiny lamps.
"These are mine," said Mina. She hid the jar in her pantry. She used the light to read.
The moths grew dim and sleepy. "We need air and a flower," they said.
Mina felt sorry. She took the jar up to the grass. The moths flew out and sipped from a flower. They glowed bright.
"Come back any time," Mina said.
Each night the moths came and lit her tunnel. It was free. Mina saw that a shared light is best.
Questions
Where did Mina live?
What did Mina find in her tunnel?
Why did the moths grow dim and sleepy?
What did the moths do when they were free?
Why did the moths come back each night?
What is the lesson of the story?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
The Mole and the Lantern Moths
Mina the mole lived deep underground, where it was very dark. One evening she found a glowing jar in her tunnel. Inside were three pale moths that shone like tiny lamps.
"These are mine," said Mina. She hid the jar in her pantry and used the light to read her books.
Soon the moths grew dim and sleepy. "We need fresh air and a flower," they whispered.
Mina felt sorry. She carried the jar up through the soil and set it in the grass. The moths fluttered out and sipped from a night flower. They glowed brighter than ever.
"Come back any time," Mina said.
Each night the moths visited her tunnel and lit it for free. Mina found that a shared light shines longer than a locked-up one.
Questions
Where did Mina live?
What did Mina find in her tunnel?
Why did the moths grow dim and sleepy?
What did the moths do after Mina set them free?
Why did the moths come back to her tunnel each night?
What is the lesson of this story?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
The Mole and the Lantern Moths
Mina the mole lived far beneath the ground, where the tunnels were always dark. One evening she discovered a glowing jar sitting in her passageway. Inside were three pale moths that shimmered like tiny lamps.
"These belong to me," declared Mina. She tucked the jar away in her pantry and used the gentle light to read her favorite books.
Before long the moths turned dim and drowsy. "We need fresh air and a flower," they whispered weakly.
Mina felt a pang of guilt. She carried the jar up through the soil and placed it on the grass. The moths fluttered out and sipped from a night flower, and they glowed brighter than ever.
"Please visit whenever you like," Mina said.
Every night after that, the moths drifted into her tunnel and lit it for free. Mina discovered that a light which is shared will shine far longer than one that is locked away.
Questions
Where did Mina live?
What did Mina discover in her passageway?
Why did the moths turn dim and drowsy?
What did the moths do after Mina placed the jar on the grass?
Why did the moths return to her tunnel every night?
What lesson does the story teach?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: The Mole and the Lantern Moths
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.6)
Under the ground.
A glowing jar with three moths.
They needed air and a flower.
They sipped from a flower and glowed bright.
Mina was kind to them, so they wanted to help.
Being kind and sharing is better than keeping things.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.6)
Deep underground.
A glowing jar with three moths.
They needed fresh air and a flower.
They sipped from a night flower and glowed brighter.
Mina had been kind to them, so they wanted to help her.
Sharing and being kind brings better things than keeping everything for yourself.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.8)
Far beneath the ground, in dark tunnels.
A glowing jar with three pale moths inside.
They needed fresh air and a flower.
They sipped from a night flower and glowed brighter.
Mina had treated them kindly, so they gladly helped her.
Sharing and kindness bring better rewards than keeping everything for yourself.
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 tunnel, pantry, dim and fluttered on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the story 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 retell the story in three sentences: how it began, what the problem was, and how it ended.
Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.
What reading level is "The Mole and the Lantern Moths"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 130 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.5. 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. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 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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