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What a Magnet Will Not Pick Up

2nd grade nonfiction passage about what magnets attract: 122 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

2nd grade nonfiction what magnets attract 122 words

What a Magnet Will Not Pick Up

A magnet pulls on some things. It does not pull on others. You can test a magnet on things around your home to find out.

A magnet sticks to a paper clip, because a paper clip is made of steel. It sticks to a nail and a steel screw too. A magnet pulls on iron and on steel.

Now try a wooden spoon. Nothing happens. A plastic cup, a sheet of paper, and a glass marble do nothing as well. A piece of kitchen foil is not pulled either, even though it is shiny metal.

So a magnet does not pick up every metal. It picks up things with iron or steel in them. Many other things feel no pull at all.

Questions

  1. Why does a magnet stick to a paper clip? in the text

  2. Which two kinds of material does a magnet pull on? in the text

  3. Which two things does a magnet not pull on? in the text

  4. Is kitchen foil pulled by a magnet? in the text

  5. Will a magnet stick to every metal thing? How do you know? think about it

Words to know

magnet
a piece of metal that pulls on iron and steel
steel
a strong metal made mostly of iron
test
to try something to find out what happens
foil
a very thin sheet of shiny metal
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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 · 90 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.8

A magnet pulls on some things. It does not pull on others. Test a magnet at home.

A magnet sticks to a paper clip. A paper clip is made of steel. It sticks to a nail too. A magnet pulls on iron and steel.

Try a wooden spoon. Nothing happens. A plastic cup does nothing. Paper does nothing. A glass marble does nothing. Foil is shiny metal, but a magnet does not pull it.

A magnet does not pick up every metal. It picks up things with iron or steel.

▲ This passage · 122 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.7

A magnet pulls on some things. It does not pull on others. You can test a magnet on things around your home to find out.

A magnet sticks to a paper clip, because a paper clip is made of steel. It sticks to a nail and a steel screw too. A magnet pulls on iron and on steel.

Now try a wooden spoon. Nothing happens. A plastic cup, a sheet of paper, and a glass marble do nothing as well. A piece of kitchen foil is not pulled either, even though it is shiny metal.

So a magnet does not pick up every metal. It picks up things with iron or steel in them. Many other things feel no pull at all.

■ Harder · 127 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.6

A magnet pulls on certain objects, but it ignores many others. You can test a magnet on things around your home to discover which are which.

A magnet clings to a paper clip, because a paper clip is made of steel. It also sticks to a nail and to a steel screw. In fact, a magnet pulls on anything made of iron or steel.

Now try a wooden spoon. Nothing happens. A plastic cup, a sheet of paper, and a glass marble do nothing as well. Even a piece of kitchen foil is not pulled, although it is shiny metal.

So a magnet does not pick up every metal. It picks up things that contain iron or steel, and many other materials feel no pull at all.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put magnet, steel, test and foil 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.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "What a Magnet Will Not Pick Up"?

It was written for 2nd grade. It has 122 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.7. 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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