2nd grade nonfiction passage about octopus camouflage: 148 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionoctopus camouflage148 words
The Octopus Hides in Plain Sight
An octopus is soft. It has no shell and no bones. It has eight arms. So how does it stay safe in the sea?
One way is to hide. An octopus can change the color of its skin. It can turn brown, gray, or red. It can look like a rock, or it can look like the sand. When an octopus matches its place, a hungry fish may swim right past it.
An octopus can also change the feel of its skin. It can make bumps, so it looks like a rough rock.
Its body is also very bendy. With no bones, it can squeeze through a tiny gap. Some octopuses hide in a small cave or under a rock.
If danger comes close, an octopus can squirt out a cloud of dark ink. The ink makes the water hard to see through, and the octopus swims away.
Questions
How many arms does an octopus have? in the text
What can an octopus do with the color of its skin? in the text
Why can an octopus squeeze through a tiny gap? in the text
What does an octopus squirt when danger comes close? in the text
Why might a hungry fish swim right past an octopus? think about it
Words to know
octopus
a soft sea animal with eight arms
match
to look the same as something else
bendy
able to bend easily
gap
a small opening between two things
ink
dark liquid that some sea animals squirt
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
The Octopus Hides in Plain Sight
2nd grade reading passage
An octopus is soft. It has no shell and no bones. It has eight arms. So how does it stay safe in the sea?
One way is to hide. An octopus can change the color of its skin. It can turn brown, gray, or red. It can look like a rock, or it can look like the sand. When an octopus matches its place, a hungry fish may swim right past it.
An octopus can also change the feel of its skin. It can make bumps, so it looks like a rough rock.
Its body is also very bendy. With no bones, it can squeeze through a tiny gap. Some octopuses hide in a small cave or under a rock.
If danger comes close, an octopus can squirt out a cloud of dark ink. The ink makes the water hard to see through, and the octopus swims away.
Questions
How many arms does an octopus have?
What can an octopus do with the color of its skin?
Why can an octopus squeeze through a tiny gap?
What does an octopus squirt when danger comes close?
Why might a hungry fish swim right past an octopus?
Words to know
octopus: a soft sea animal with eight arms
match: to look the same as something else
bendy: able to bend easily
gap: a small opening between two things
ink: dark liquid that some sea animals squirt
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/the-octopus-hides-in-plain-sight
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 · 127 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1
An octopus is soft. It has no shell. It has no bones. It has eight arms. How does it stay safe in the sea?
One way is to hide. An octopus can change the color of its skin. It can turn brown, gray, or red. It can look like a rock or like sand. A hungry fish may swim right past it.
An octopus can change the feel of its skin too. It can make bumps to look like a rough rock.
Its body is very bendy. With no bones, it can squeeze through a tiny gap. Some octopuses hide in a small cave.
If danger is close, an octopus can squirt dark ink. The ink makes the water hard to see through. The octopus swims away.
▲ This passage · 148 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1
An octopus is soft. It has no shell and no bones. It has eight arms. So how does it stay safe in the sea?
One way is to hide. An octopus can change the color of its skin. It can turn brown, gray, or red. It can look like a rock, or it can look like the sand. When an octopus matches its place, a hungry fish may swim right past it.
An octopus can also change the feel of its skin. It can make bumps, so it looks like a rough rock.
Its body is also very bendy. With no bones, it can squeeze through a tiny gap. Some octopuses hide in a small cave or under a rock.
If danger comes close, an octopus can squirt out a cloud of dark ink. The ink makes the water hard to see through, and the octopus swims away.
■ Harder · 167 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.5
An octopus has a soft body with no shell and no bones, and it has eight long arms. With so little protection, how does it stay safe in the sea?
One clever way is to hide. An octopus can change the color of its skin to brown, gray, or red. It can make itself look like a rock or like the sand on the sea floor. When an octopus matches its surroundings so well, a hungry fish may swim right past without noticing it.
An octopus can even change the feel of its skin by making small bumps, so that it looks like a rough, rocky stone.
Its body is also incredibly bendy. Since it has no bones, it can squeeze through a very tiny gap, and some octopuses tuck themselves into a small cave or under a rock.
When danger comes close, an octopus can squirt out a cloud of dark ink. The ink makes the water difficult to see through, and the octopus swims away.
An octopus is soft. It has no shell. It has no bones. It has eight arms. How does it stay safe in the sea?
One way is to hide. An octopus can change the color of its skin. It can turn brown, gray, or red. It can look like a rock or like sand. A hungry fish may swim right past it.
An octopus can change the feel of its skin too. It can make bumps to look like a rough rock.
Its body is very bendy. With no bones, it can squeeze through a tiny gap. Some octopuses hide in a small cave.
If danger is close, an octopus can squirt dark ink. The ink makes the water hard to see through. The octopus swims away.
Questions
How many arms does an octopus have?
What can an octopus do with the color of its skin?
Why can an octopus squeeze through a tiny gap?
What does an octopus squirt when danger is close?
Why might a fish swim right past an octopus?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
The Octopus Hides in Plain Sight
An octopus is soft. It has no shell and no bones. It has eight arms. So how does it stay safe in the sea?
One way is to hide. An octopus can change the color of its skin. It can turn brown, gray, or red. It can look like a rock, or it can look like the sand. When an octopus matches its place, a hungry fish may swim right past it.
An octopus can also change the feel of its skin. It can make bumps, so it looks like a rough rock.
Its body is also very bendy. With no bones, it can squeeze through a tiny gap. Some octopuses hide in a small cave or under a rock.
If danger comes close, an octopus can squirt out a cloud of dark ink. The ink makes the water hard to see through, and the octopus swims away.
Questions
How many arms does an octopus have?
What can an octopus do with the color of its skin?
Why can an octopus squeeze through a tiny gap?
What does an octopus squirt when danger comes close?
Why might a hungry fish swim right past an octopus?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
The Octopus Hides in Plain Sight
An octopus has a soft body with no shell and no bones, and it has eight long arms. With so little protection, how does it stay safe in the sea?
One clever way is to hide. An octopus can change the color of its skin to brown, gray, or red. It can make itself look like a rock or like the sand on the sea floor. When an octopus matches its surroundings so well, a hungry fish may swim right past without noticing it.
An octopus can even change the feel of its skin by making small bumps, so that it looks like a rough, rocky stone.
Its body is also incredibly bendy. Since it has no bones, it can squeeze through a very tiny gap, and some octopuses tuck themselves into a small cave or under a rock.
When danger comes close, an octopus can squirt out a cloud of dark ink. The ink makes the water difficult to see through, and the octopus swims away.
Questions
How many long arms does an octopus have?
What can an octopus do to the color of its skin?
Why is an octopus able to squeeze through a very tiny gap?
What does an octopus squirt out when danger comes close?
Why might a hungry fish swim past an octopus without noticing it?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: The Octopus Hides in Plain Sight
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1)
Eight.
It can change it to look like a rock or sand.
It has no bones, so it is very bendy.
Dark ink.
The octopus looks like its place, so the fish cannot see it.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1)
Eight.
It can change it to look like a rock or the sand.
It has no bones, so its body is very bendy.
A cloud of dark ink.
The octopus matches its place, so the fish cannot see it.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.5)
Eight.
It can change it to look like a rock or the sand.
It has no bones, so its body is incredibly bendy.
A cloud of dark ink.
The octopus matches its surroundings, so the fish cannot see it.
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 octopus, match, bendy, gap and ink 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 "The Octopus Hides in Plain Sight"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 148 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.0. 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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