2nd grade nonfiction passage about the planet venus: 120 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionthe planet venus120 words
Venus Is Hotter Than Mercury
Venus is the second planet from the sun. Mercury is closer to the sun than Venus is. But Venus is the hotter planet. Why is that?
Venus has a thick blanket of clouds. The clouds let sunlight come in. Then they hold the heat in, like a warm quilt on a bed. The heat cannot get out. So Venus stays very hot, day and night.
Mercury has almost no air to hold heat. Its sunny side gets hot, but its dark side gets very cold.
Venus is bright in the sky, too. Its clouds bounce a lot of sunlight back into space. Some of that light reaches us, so Venus can shine like a bright star near sunrise or sunset.
Questions
Which planet is closer to the sun, Venus or Mercury? in the text
What do the thick clouds on Venus do with the heat? in the text
What is the dark side of Mercury like? in the text
Why can Venus shine like a bright star? in the text
Why is Mercury not as hot as Venus, even though it is closer to the sun? think about it
Words to know
planet
a big round world that travels around a star
blanket
a covering that keeps heat in
quilt
a thick, warm cover for a bed
bounce
to hit something and spring back
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Venus Is Hotter Than Mercury
2nd grade reading passage
Venus is the second planet from the sun. Mercury is closer to the sun than Venus is. But Venus is the hotter planet. Why is that?
Venus has a thick blanket of clouds. The clouds let sunlight come in. Then they hold the heat in, like a warm quilt on a bed. The heat cannot get out. So Venus stays very hot, day and night.
Mercury has almost no air to hold heat. Its sunny side gets hot, but its dark side gets very cold.
Venus is bright in the sky, too. Its clouds bounce a lot of sunlight back into space. Some of that light reaches us, so Venus can shine like a bright star near sunrise or sunset.
Questions
Which planet is closer to the sun, Venus or Mercury?
What do the thick clouds on Venus do with the heat?
What is the dark side of Mercury like?
Why can Venus shine like a bright star?
Why is Mercury not as hot as Venus, even though it is closer to the sun?
Words to know
planet: a big round world that travels around a star
blanket: a covering that keeps heat in
quilt: a thick, warm cover for a bed
bounce: to hit something and spring back
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/venus-is-hotter-than-mercury
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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 · 93 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1
Venus is the second planet from the sun. Mercury is closer to the sun. But Venus is hotter. Why?
Venus has thick clouds. The clouds let sunlight in. Then they keep the heat in, like a warm quilt. The heat cannot get out. So Venus is hot all day and all night.
Mercury has almost no air to keep heat. Its sunny side is hot. Its dark side is very cold.
Venus looks bright in the sky. Its clouds bounce sunlight back. We see that light. Venus can look like a bright star.
▲ This passage · 120 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.3
Venus is the second planet from the sun. Mercury is closer to the sun than Venus is. But Venus is the hotter planet. Why is that?
Venus has a thick blanket of clouds. The clouds let sunlight come in. Then they hold the heat in, like a warm quilt on a bed. The heat cannot get out. So Venus stays very hot, day and night.
Mercury has almost no air to hold heat. Its sunny side gets hot, but its dark side gets very cold.
Venus is bright in the sky, too. Its clouds bounce a lot of sunlight back into space. Some of that light reaches us, so Venus can shine like a bright star near sunrise or sunset.
■ Harder · 130 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.8
Venus is the second planet from the sun, and Mercury orbits even closer to it. Surprisingly, though, Venus is the hotter of the two planets. Why would that be?
Venus is wrapped in a thick blanket of clouds. The clouds allow sunlight to pass through, but then they hold the heat in, much like a warm quilt on a bed. The heat cannot escape, so Venus stays extremely hot, both day and night.
Mercury has almost no air to hold heat. Its sunny side becomes scorching, while its dark side turns bitterly cold.
Venus is also remarkably bright in our sky. Its clouds bounce a great deal of sunlight back into space, and some of that light reaches us. Near sunrise or sunset, Venus can shine like a bright star.
Venus is the second planet from the sun. Mercury is closer to the sun. But Venus is hotter. Why?
Venus has thick clouds. The clouds let sunlight in. Then they keep the heat in, like a warm quilt. The heat cannot get out. So Venus is hot all day and all night.
Mercury has almost no air to keep heat. Its sunny side is hot. Its dark side is very cold.
Venus looks bright in the sky. Its clouds bounce sunlight back. We see that light. Venus can look like a bright star.
Questions
Which planet is closer to the sun, Venus or Mercury?
What do the thick clouds on Venus do with the heat?
What is the dark side of Mercury like?
Why does Venus look like a bright star?
Why is Mercury not as hot as Venus?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Venus Is Hotter Than Mercury
Venus is the second planet from the sun. Mercury is closer to the sun than Venus is. But Venus is the hotter planet. Why is that?
Venus has a thick blanket of clouds. The clouds let sunlight come in. Then they hold the heat in, like a warm quilt on a bed. The heat cannot get out. So Venus stays very hot, day and night.
Mercury has almost no air to hold heat. Its sunny side gets hot, but its dark side gets very cold.
Venus is bright in the sky, too. Its clouds bounce a lot of sunlight back into space. Some of that light reaches us, so Venus can shine like a bright star near sunrise or sunset.
Questions
Which planet is closer to the sun, Venus or Mercury?
What do the thick clouds on Venus do with the heat?
What is the dark side of Mercury like?
Why can Venus shine like a bright star?
Why is Mercury not as hot as Venus, even though it is closer to the sun?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Venus Is Hotter Than Mercury
Venus is the second planet from the sun, and Mercury orbits even closer to it. Surprisingly, though, Venus is the hotter of the two planets. Why would that be?
Venus is wrapped in a thick blanket of clouds. The clouds allow sunlight to pass through, but then they hold the heat in, much like a warm quilt on a bed. The heat cannot escape, so Venus stays extremely hot, both day and night.
Mercury has almost no air to hold heat. Its sunny side becomes scorching, while its dark side turns bitterly cold.
Venus is also remarkably bright in our sky. Its clouds bounce a great deal of sunlight back into space, and some of that light reaches us. Near sunrise or sunset, Venus can shine like a bright star.
Questions
Which planet is closer to the sun, Venus or Mercury?
What happens to the heat once it passes through the thick clouds on Venus?
What happens on the dark side of Mercury?
Why can Venus shine like a bright star near sunrise or sunset?
Why is Mercury cooler than Venus even though it is nearer to the sun?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Venus Is Hotter Than Mercury
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1)
Mercury is closer to the sun.
They keep the heat in.
It is very cold.
Its clouds bounce sunlight back to us.
Mercury has almost no air to keep heat, but Venus has clouds that trap it.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.3)
Mercury is closer to the sun.
They hold the heat in.
It gets very cold.
Its clouds bounce sunlight back, and some of it reaches us.
Mercury has almost no air to hold heat, but Venus has clouds that trap it.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.8)
Mercury is closer to the sun than Venus is.
The clouds hold it in so it cannot escape.
It turns bitterly cold.
Its clouds bounce sunlight back into space, and some of it reaches us.
Mercury has almost no air to hold heat, while the clouds of Venus trap 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 planet, blanket, quilt and bounce 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 "Venus Is Hotter Than Mercury"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 120 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.3. 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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