2nd grade nonfiction passage about tweezers and levers: 147 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictiontweezers and levers147 words
Tweezers Pinch with Two Springy Arms
Tweezers are a small tool made of two thin arms. The arms are joined at one end. At the other end, the tips come together to make a tiny pinch.
You hold tweezers near the joined end. When you squeeze the arms, the tips close. When you let go, the metal springs back and the tips open again. You do not need a spring in the middle, because the bent metal does that job.
Tweezers are a kind of lever. The place where the arms join is the pivot. Your fingers push in the middle, and the tips move a small, careful amount. That is why tweezers are good at picking up tiny things.
People use tweezers to pull out a splinter. A person who builds model planes may use them to place small parts. A stamp collector uses them to lift a stamp without smudging it.
Questions
How many arms do tweezers have? in the text
Where do you hold tweezers? in the text
What happens when you squeeze the arms? in the text
What do we call the place where the arms join? in the text
What is one thing people use tweezers for? in the text
Why are tweezers better than fingers for tiny things? think about it
Words to know
tweezers
a small tool for picking up tiny things
lever
a bar that turns on one point to help move things
pivot
the point where a lever turns
splinter
a tiny sliver of wood stuck in the skin
smudging
rubbing something so it gets messy
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Tweezers Pinch with Two Springy Arms
2nd grade reading passage
Tweezers are a small tool made of two thin arms. The arms are joined at one end. At the other end, the tips come together to make a tiny pinch.
You hold tweezers near the joined end. When you squeeze the arms, the tips close. When you let go, the metal springs back and the tips open again. You do not need a spring in the middle, because the bent metal does that job.
Tweezers are a kind of lever. The place where the arms join is the pivot. Your fingers push in the middle, and the tips move a small, careful amount. That is why tweezers are good at picking up tiny things.
People use tweezers to pull out a splinter. A person who builds model planes may use them to place small parts. A stamp collector uses them to lift a stamp without smudging it.
Questions
How many arms do tweezers have?
Where do you hold tweezers?
What happens when you squeeze the arms?
What do we call the place where the arms join?
What is one thing people use tweezers for?
Why are tweezers better than fingers for tiny things?
Words to know
tweezers: a small tool for picking up tiny things
lever: a bar that turns on one point to help move things
pivot: the point where a lever turns
splinter: a tiny sliver of wood stuck in the skin
smudging: rubbing something so it gets messy
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/tweezers-pinch-with-two-springy-arms
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 · 129 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.6
Tweezers are a small tool. They have two thin arms. The arms are joined at one end. At the other end, the tips meet and make a tiny pinch.
You hold tweezers near the joined end. When you squeeze the arms, the tips close. When you let go, the metal springs back. The tips open. The bent metal does the job of a spring.
Tweezers are a kind of lever. The place where the arms join is the pivot. Your fingers push in the middle. The tips move a small, careful amount. That is why tweezers pick up tiny things.
People use tweezers to pull out a splinter. Someone who builds model planes may use them to place small parts. A stamp collector uses them to lift a stamp.
▲ This passage · 147 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3
Tweezers are a small tool made of two thin arms. The arms are joined at one end. At the other end, the tips come together to make a tiny pinch.
You hold tweezers near the joined end. When you squeeze the arms, the tips close. When you let go, the metal springs back and the tips open again. You do not need a spring in the middle, because the bent metal does that job.
Tweezers are a kind of lever. The place where the arms join is the pivot. Your fingers push in the middle, and the tips move a small, careful amount. That is why tweezers are good at picking up tiny things.
People use tweezers to pull out a splinter. A person who builds model planes may use them to place small parts. A stamp collector uses them to lift a stamp without smudging it.
■ Harder · 155 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.3
Tweezers are a small tool made of two thin arms. The arms are joined together at one end, and at the other end, the tips come together to form a tiny pinch.
You hold tweezers near the joined end. When you squeeze the arms, the tips close, and when you let go, the metal springs back so that the tips open again. No spring is needed in the middle, because the bent metal does that job by itself.
Tweezers are a kind of lever. The place where the arms join is called the pivot. Your fingers push in the middle, and the tips move a small, careful amount, which is exactly why tweezers are so good at picking up tiny things.
People use tweezers to pull out a splinter. A person who builds model planes may use them to place small parts, and a stamp collector uses them to lift a stamp without smudging it.
Tweezers are a small tool. They have two thin arms. The arms are joined at one end. At the other end, the tips meet and make a tiny pinch.
You hold tweezers near the joined end. When you squeeze the arms, the tips close. When you let go, the metal springs back. The tips open. The bent metal does the job of a spring.
Tweezers are a kind of lever. The place where the arms join is the pivot. Your fingers push in the middle. The tips move a small, careful amount. That is why tweezers pick up tiny things.
People use tweezers to pull out a splinter. Someone who builds model planes may use them to place small parts. A stamp collector uses them to lift a stamp.
Questions
How many arms do tweezers have?
Where do you hold tweezers?
What happens when you squeeze the arms?
What is the place where the arms join called?
What is one thing people use tweezers for?
Why are tweezers better than fingers for tiny things?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Tweezers Pinch with Two Springy Arms
Tweezers are a small tool made of two thin arms. The arms are joined at one end. At the other end, the tips come together to make a tiny pinch.
You hold tweezers near the joined end. When you squeeze the arms, the tips close. When you let go, the metal springs back and the tips open again. You do not need a spring in the middle, because the bent metal does that job.
Tweezers are a kind of lever. The place where the arms join is the pivot. Your fingers push in the middle, and the tips move a small, careful amount. That is why tweezers are good at picking up tiny things.
People use tweezers to pull out a splinter. A person who builds model planes may use them to place small parts. A stamp collector uses them to lift a stamp without smudging it.
Questions
How many arms do tweezers have?
Where do you hold tweezers?
What happens when you squeeze the arms?
What do we call the place where the arms join?
What is one thing people use tweezers for?
Why are tweezers better than fingers for tiny things?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Tweezers Pinch with Two Springy Arms
Tweezers are a small tool made of two thin arms. The arms are joined together at one end, and at the other end, the tips come together to form a tiny pinch.
You hold tweezers near the joined end. When you squeeze the arms, the tips close, and when you let go, the metal springs back so that the tips open again. No spring is needed in the middle, because the bent metal does that job by itself.
Tweezers are a kind of lever. The place where the arms join is called the pivot. Your fingers push in the middle, and the tips move a small, careful amount, which is exactly why tweezers are so good at picking up tiny things.
People use tweezers to pull out a splinter. A person who builds model planes may use them to place small parts, and a stamp collector uses them to lift a stamp without smudging it.
Questions
How many thin arms do tweezers have?
Where do you hold tweezers?
What happens when you squeeze the arms?
What do we call the place where the arms join?
What is one thing that people use tweezers for?
Why are tweezers better than fingers for picking up tiny things?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Tweezers Pinch with Two Springy Arms
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.6)
Two.
Near the joined end.
The tips close.
The pivot.
Pulling out a splinter, placing model parts, or lifting a stamp.
The tips move a small, careful amount and pinch tiny things.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3)
Two.
Near the joined end.
The tips close.
The pivot.
Pulling out a splinter, placing model parts, or lifting a stamp.
The tips move a small, careful amount and can pinch very small things.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.3)
Two.
Near the joined end.
The tips close.
The pivot.
Pulling out a splinter, placing model parts, or lifting a stamp.
The tips move a small, careful amount and can pinch very small things.
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 tweezers, lever, pivot, splinter and smudging 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 6 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 "Tweezers Pinch with Two Springy Arms"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 147 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.0. 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 six. 5 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.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. No sign-in, no ads.