2nd grade nonfiction passage about arctic fox and desert fox: 141 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionarctic fox and desert fox141 words
Two Foxes, Two Homes
Some foxes live in very cold places. Some live in very hot places. Their bodies are made for where they live.
The arctic fox lives in the far north, where there is snow and ice. It has thick fur that keeps it warm. In winter, its fur is white, so it is hard to see in the snow. Its ears are small and round. Small ears lose less heat.
The fennec fox lives in the hot desert. Its fur is the color of sand, so it blends in. Its ears are very big. The big ears help the fox get rid of extra heat. They also help it hear small bugs moving underground.
Both foxes dig dens. A den is a safe home. The arctic fox digs in snow or soil. The fennec fox digs in the sand to stay cool.
Questions
Where does the arctic fox live? in the text
What color is the arctic fox in winter? in the text
How are the ears of the two foxes different? in the text
What do both foxes dig? in the text
Why would thick fur not help a fennec fox in the desert? think about it
Words to know
arctic
the very cold land and sea near the North Pole
desert
a dry place with very little rain
den
a safe home that an animal digs
blends in
looks so much like what is around it that it is hard to see
heat
the warmth that comes from a body
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Two Foxes, Two Homes
2nd grade reading passage
Some foxes live in very cold places. Some live in very hot places. Their bodies are made for where they live.
The arctic fox lives in the far north, where there is snow and ice. It has thick fur that keeps it warm. In winter, its fur is white, so it is hard to see in the snow. Its ears are small and round. Small ears lose less heat.
The fennec fox lives in the hot desert. Its fur is the color of sand, so it blends in. Its ears are very big. The big ears help the fox get rid of extra heat. They also help it hear small bugs moving underground.
Both foxes dig dens. A den is a safe home. The arctic fox digs in snow or soil. The fennec fox digs in the sand to stay cool.
Questions
Where does the arctic fox live?
What color is the arctic fox in winter?
How are the ears of the two foxes different?
What do both foxes dig?
Why would thick fur not help a fennec fox in the desert?
Words to know
arctic: the very cold land and sea near the North Pole
desert: a dry place with very little rain
den: a safe home that an animal digs
blends in: looks so much like what is around it that it is hard to see
heat: the warmth that comes from a body
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/two-foxes-two-homes
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 · 124 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.3
Some foxes live in cold places. Some live in hot places. Their bodies fit where they live.
The arctic fox lives in the far north. There is snow and ice. It has thick fur to stay warm. In winter, its fur is white. It is hard to see in the snow. Its ears are small and round. Small ears lose less heat.
The fennec fox lives in the hot desert. Its fur is the color of sand. Its ears are very big. Big ears let out extra heat. They also hear small bugs under the ground.
Both foxes dig dens. A den is a safe home. The arctic fox digs in snow or soil. The fennec fox digs in the sand to stay cool.
▲ This passage · 141 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.1
Some foxes live in very cold places. Some live in very hot places. Their bodies are made for where they live.
The arctic fox lives in the far north, where there is snow and ice. It has thick fur that keeps it warm. In winter, its fur is white, so it is hard to see in the snow. Its ears are small and round. Small ears lose less heat.
The fennec fox lives in the hot desert. Its fur is the color of sand, so it blends in. Its ears are very big. The big ears help the fox get rid of extra heat. They also help it hear small bugs moving underground.
Both foxes dig dens. A den is a safe home. The arctic fox digs in snow or soil. The fennec fox digs in the sand to stay cool.
■ Harder · 161 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3
Some foxes make their homes in freezing places, while others live where it is scorching hot. The body of each kind of fox is perfectly suited to the place where it lives.
The arctic fox lives in the far north, where snow and ice cover the land. Its thick fur keeps it warm, and in winter that fur turns white, so the fox is difficult to spot against the snow. Its ears are small and round, and small ears lose less heat.
The fennec fox, on the other hand, lives in the hot desert. Its fur is the color of sand, which helps it blend into its surroundings. Its ears are enormous, and they help the fox get rid of extra heat. They also allow it to hear small bugs moving underground.
Both kinds of fox dig dens, which are safe homes. The arctic fox digs in snow or soil, but the fennec fox digs in the sand to stay cool.
Some foxes live in cold places. Some live in hot places. Their bodies fit where they live.
The arctic fox lives in the far north. There is snow and ice. It has thick fur to stay warm. In winter, its fur is white. It is hard to see in the snow. Its ears are small and round. Small ears lose less heat.
The fennec fox lives in the hot desert. Its fur is the color of sand. Its ears are very big. Big ears let out extra heat. They also hear small bugs under the ground.
Both foxes dig dens. A den is a safe home. The arctic fox digs in snow or soil. The fennec fox digs in the sand to stay cool.
Questions
Where does the arctic fox live?
What color is the arctic fox in winter?
How are the ears of the two foxes not the same?
What do both foxes dig?
Why would thick fur not help a fennec fox?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Two Foxes, Two Homes
Some foxes live in very cold places. Some live in very hot places. Their bodies are made for where they live.
The arctic fox lives in the far north, where there is snow and ice. It has thick fur that keeps it warm. In winter, its fur is white, so it is hard to see in the snow. Its ears are small and round. Small ears lose less heat.
The fennec fox lives in the hot desert. Its fur is the color of sand, so it blends in. Its ears are very big. The big ears help the fox get rid of extra heat. They also help it hear small bugs moving underground.
Both foxes dig dens. A den is a safe home. The arctic fox digs in snow or soil. The fennec fox digs in the sand to stay cool.
Questions
Where does the arctic fox live?
What color is the arctic fox in winter?
How are the ears of the two foxes different?
What do both foxes dig?
Why would thick fur not help a fennec fox in the desert?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Two Foxes, Two Homes
Some foxes make their homes in freezing places, while others live where it is scorching hot. The body of each kind of fox is perfectly suited to the place where it lives.
The arctic fox lives in the far north, where snow and ice cover the land. Its thick fur keeps it warm, and in winter that fur turns white, so the fox is difficult to spot against the snow. Its ears are small and round, and small ears lose less heat.
The fennec fox, on the other hand, lives in the hot desert. Its fur is the color of sand, which helps it blend into its surroundings. Its ears are enormous, and they help the fox get rid of extra heat. They also allow it to hear small bugs moving underground.
Both kinds of fox dig dens, which are safe homes. The arctic fox digs in snow or soil, but the fennec fox digs in the sand to stay cool.
Questions
In what kind of place does the arctic fox live?
What color does the arctic fox's fur turn in winter?
How do the ears of the two foxes differ?
What do both kinds of fox dig for a safe home?
Why would thick winter fur be a poor choice for a fennec fox?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Two Foxes, Two Homes
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.3)
In the far north, where there is snow and ice.
White.
The arctic fox has small ears. The fennec fox has big ears.
Dens.
The desert is hot, so thick fur would be too warm.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.1)
In the far north, where there is snow and ice.
White.
The arctic fox has small, round ears. The fennec fox has very big ears.
Dens.
The desert is hot, so thick fur would make it too warm.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3)
In the far north, where snow and ice cover the land.
White.
The arctic fox has small, round ears, and the fennec fox has enormous ears.
Dens.
The desert is scorching hot, so thick fur would make the fox far too warm.
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 arctic, desert, den, blends in and heat 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 141 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.1. 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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