2nd grade nonfiction passage about how peanuts grow underground: 103 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionhow peanuts grow underground103 words
The Peanut Plant Digs In
Here is a surprise. Peanuts do not grow on trees. They do not even grow in the air. Peanuts grow under the ground!
A peanut plant is small and bushy. It has yellow flowers. After a flower fades, a thin stem grows from it. The stem bends down and pushes into the soil.
Underneath the dirt, the tip of the stem swells up. It grows into a shell, and inside the shell are the peanuts. Peanuts are seeds, like peas and beans.
When the peanuts are ready, farmers pull up the whole plant. The shells hang from the roots like little tan lanterns.
Questions
Where do peanuts grow? in the text
What color are the flowers on a peanut plant? in the text
What does the thin stem do after the flower fades? in the text
What do farmers do when the peanuts are ready? in the text
Why would it be hard to see a peanut growing? think about it
Words to know
bushy
full of many leaves and short stems
soil
the dirt that plants grow in
swells
gets bigger and rounder
lanterns
lamps with a handle that you can hang up
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
The Peanut Plant Digs In
2nd grade reading passage
Here is a surprise. Peanuts do not grow on trees. They do not even grow in the air. Peanuts grow under the ground!
A peanut plant is small and bushy. It has yellow flowers. After a flower fades, a thin stem grows from it. The stem bends down and pushes into the soil.
Underneath the dirt, the tip of the stem swells up. It grows into a shell, and inside the shell are the peanuts. Peanuts are seeds, like peas and beans.
When the peanuts are ready, farmers pull up the whole plant. The shells hang from the roots like little tan lanterns.
Questions
Where do peanuts grow?
What color are the flowers on a peanut plant?
What does the thin stem do after the flower fades?
What do farmers do when the peanuts are ready?
Why would it be hard to see a peanut growing?
Words to know
bushy: full of many leaves and short stems
soil: the dirt that plants grow in
swells: gets bigger and rounder
lanterns: lamps with a handle that you can hang up
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/the-peanut-plant-digs-in
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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 · 83 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1
Here is a surprise. Peanuts do not grow on trees. Peanuts grow under the ground!
A peanut plant is small. It has yellow flowers. When a flower fades, a thin stem grows out. The stem bends down. It goes into the soil.
Under the dirt, the tip of the stem gets big. It makes a shell. The peanuts are inside the shell. A peanut is a seed, like a pea or a bean.
When the peanuts are ready, farmers pull up the plant.
▲ This passage · 103 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2
Here is a surprise. Peanuts do not grow on trees. They do not even grow in the air. Peanuts grow under the ground!
A peanut plant is small and bushy. It has yellow flowers. After a flower fades, a thin stem grows from it. The stem bends down and pushes into the soil.
Underneath the dirt, the tip of the stem swells up. It grows into a shell, and inside the shell are the peanuts. Peanuts are seeds, like peas and beans.
When the peanuts are ready, farmers pull up the whole plant. The shells hang from the roots like little tan lanterns.
■ Harder · 109 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.5
Here is a surprising fact. Peanuts do not grow on trees, and they do not even grow up in the air. Peanuts develop underneath the ground!
A peanut plant is small and bushy, with yellow flowers. After each flower fades, a thin stem grows out of it. The stem curves downward and pushes its way into the soil.
Beneath the dirt, the tip of the stem swells and forms a shell, and the peanuts grow inside it. Peanuts are seeds, just like peas and beans.
When the peanuts are ready, farmers pull the whole plant out of the ground. The shells hang from the roots like little tan lanterns.
Here is a surprise. Peanuts do not grow on trees. Peanuts grow under the ground!
A peanut plant is small. It has yellow flowers. When a flower fades, a thin stem grows out. The stem bends down. It goes into the soil.
Under the dirt, the tip of the stem gets big. It makes a shell. The peanuts are inside the shell. A peanut is a seed, like a pea or a bean.
When the peanuts are ready, farmers pull up the plant.
Questions
Where do peanuts grow?
What color are the flowers on a peanut plant?
What does the thin stem do after the flower fades?
What do farmers pull up when the peanuts are ready?
Why is it hard to see a peanut grow?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
The Peanut Plant Digs In
Here is a surprise. Peanuts do not grow on trees. They do not even grow in the air. Peanuts grow under the ground!
A peanut plant is small and bushy. It has yellow flowers. After a flower fades, a thin stem grows from it. The stem bends down and pushes into the soil.
Underneath the dirt, the tip of the stem swells up. It grows into a shell, and inside the shell are the peanuts. Peanuts are seeds, like peas and beans.
When the peanuts are ready, farmers pull up the whole plant. The shells hang from the roots like little tan lanterns.
Questions
Where do peanuts grow?
What color are the flowers on a peanut plant?
What does the thin stem do after the flower fades?
What do farmers do when the peanuts are ready?
Why would it be hard to see a peanut growing?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
The Peanut Plant Digs In
Here is a surprising fact. Peanuts do not grow on trees, and they do not even grow up in the air. Peanuts develop underneath the ground!
A peanut plant is small and bushy, with yellow flowers. After each flower fades, a thin stem grows out of it. The stem curves downward and pushes its way into the soil.
Beneath the dirt, the tip of the stem swells and forms a shell, and the peanuts grow inside it. Peanuts are seeds, just like peas and beans.
When the peanuts are ready, farmers pull the whole plant out of the ground. The shells hang from the roots like little tan lanterns.
Questions
Where do peanuts develop?
What color are the flowers on a peanut plant?
What does the thin stem do after the flower fades?
What do farmers do when the peanuts are ready?
Why would it be difficult to watch a peanut growing?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: The Peanut Plant Digs In
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1)
Under the ground.
Yellow.
It bends down and goes into the soil.
The whole plant.
It grows under the dirt.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2)
Under the ground.
Yellow.
It bends down and pushes into the soil.
They pull up the whole plant.
The peanuts grow under the dirt, where we cannot see them.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.5)
Underneath the ground.
Yellow.
It curves downward and pushes into the soil.
They pull the whole plant out of the ground.
The peanuts grow beneath the dirt, where nobody can see them.
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 bushy, soil, swells and lanterns 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.
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 103 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?
No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.
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