2nd grade nonfiction passage about bicycle reflectors: 144 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionbicycle reflectors144 words
Why a Bike Reflector Glows at Night
Look at the back of a bicycle. You will see a small red piece of plastic. It is called a reflector. It has no battery and no bulb, but it can glow in the dark.
How does that happen? A reflector does not make light. It sends light back. The plastic is covered with many tiny bumps shaped like little corners. When light shines on them, the bumps bounce it back in the same direction it came from.
Picture a car coming up behind a bike at night. The car's headlights shine on the reflector. The reflector sends that light right back toward the car. The driver sees a bright red spot and knows a bike is ahead.
Many bikes also have reflectors on the wheels and pedals. They help riders be seen. A rider should still use a light and wear bright clothes.
Questions
What color is the reflector at the back of a bicycle? in the text
Does a reflector have a battery? in the text
What do the tiny bumps do with light? in the text
Where else might a bike have reflectors? in the text
What does the driver see when headlights hit the reflector? in the text
Why does a reflector not glow in a dark room with no lights? think about it
Words to know
reflector
a piece that sends light back to where it came from
bulb
the glass part of a lamp that makes light
bounce
to spring back after hitting something
headlights
the bright lights on the front of a car
pedals
the parts of a bike you push with your feet
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Why a Bike Reflector Glows at Night
2nd grade reading passage
Look at the back of a bicycle. You will see a small red piece of plastic. It is called a reflector. It has no battery and no bulb, but it can glow in the dark.
How does that happen? A reflector does not make light. It sends light back. The plastic is covered with many tiny bumps shaped like little corners. When light shines on them, the bumps bounce it back in the same direction it came from.
Picture a car coming up behind a bike at night. The car's headlights shine on the reflector. The reflector sends that light right back toward the car. The driver sees a bright red spot and knows a bike is ahead.
Many bikes also have reflectors on the wheels and pedals. They help riders be seen. A rider should still use a light and wear bright clothes.
Questions
What color is the reflector at the back of a bicycle?
Does a reflector have a battery?
What do the tiny bumps do with light?
Where else might a bike have reflectors?
What does the driver see when headlights hit the reflector?
Why does a reflector not glow in a dark room with no lights?
Words to know
reflector: a piece that sends light back to where it came from
bulb: the glass part of a lamp that makes light
bounce: to spring back after hitting something
headlights: the bright lights on the front of a car
pedals: the parts of a bike you push with your feet
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/why-a-bike-reflector-glows-at-night
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 · 117 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2
Look at the back of a bike. You will see a small red piece of plastic. It is a reflector. It has no battery. It has no bulb. But it glows in the dark.
How? A reflector does not make light. It sends light back. The plastic has many tiny bumps. They bounce light back the way it came.
A car comes up behind a bike at night. The headlights shine on the reflector. The reflector sends the light back to the car. The driver sees a bright red spot. The driver knows a bike is ahead.
Many bikes have reflectors on the wheels and pedals. A rider should still use a light and wear bright clothes.
▲ This passage · 144 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.7
Look at the back of a bicycle. You will see a small red piece of plastic. It is called a reflector. It has no battery and no bulb, but it can glow in the dark.
How does that happen? A reflector does not make light. It sends light back. The plastic is covered with many tiny bumps shaped like little corners. When light shines on them, the bumps bounce it back in the same direction it came from.
Picture a car coming up behind a bike at night. The car's headlights shine on the reflector. The reflector sends that light right back toward the car. The driver sees a bright red spot and knows a bike is ahead.
Many bikes also have reflectors on the wheels and pedals. They help riders be seen. A rider should still use a light and wear bright clothes.
■ Harder · 159 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3
Take a look at the back of a bicycle, and you will notice a small piece of red plastic. It is called a reflector. It has no battery and no bulb, yet it is able to glow in the dark.
How can that happen? A reflector does not produce light of its own. Instead, it sends light back. The plastic is covered with many tiny bumps that are shaped like little corners. When light shines on them, the bumps bounce it straight back in the same direction it came from.
Imagine a car coming up behind a bike at night. The car's headlights shine on the reflector, and the reflector sends that light right back toward the car. The driver sees a bright red spot and understands that a bike is ahead.
Many bicycles also have reflectors on the wheels and pedals, which help riders to be seen. A rider should still use a light and wear bright clothes.
Look at the back of a bike. You will see a small red piece of plastic. It is a reflector. It has no battery. It has no bulb. But it glows in the dark.
How? A reflector does not make light. It sends light back. The plastic has many tiny bumps. They bounce light back the way it came.
A car comes up behind a bike at night. The headlights shine on the reflector. The reflector sends the light back to the car. The driver sees a bright red spot. The driver knows a bike is ahead.
Many bikes have reflectors on the wheels and pedals. A rider should still use a light and wear bright clothes.
Questions
What color is the reflector at the back of a bike?
Does a reflector have a battery?
What do the tiny bumps do with light?
Where else might a bike have reflectors?
What does the driver see when headlights hit the reflector?
Why does a reflector not glow in a dark room?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Why a Bike Reflector Glows at Night
Look at the back of a bicycle. You will see a small red piece of plastic. It is called a reflector. It has no battery and no bulb, but it can glow in the dark.
How does that happen? A reflector does not make light. It sends light back. The plastic is covered with many tiny bumps shaped like little corners. When light shines on them, the bumps bounce it back in the same direction it came from.
Picture a car coming up behind a bike at night. The car's headlights shine on the reflector. The reflector sends that light right back toward the car. The driver sees a bright red spot and knows a bike is ahead.
Many bikes also have reflectors on the wheels and pedals. They help riders be seen. A rider should still use a light and wear bright clothes.
Questions
What color is the reflector at the back of a bicycle?
Does a reflector have a battery?
What do the tiny bumps do with light?
Where else might a bike have reflectors?
What does the driver see when headlights hit the reflector?
Why does a reflector not glow in a dark room with no lights?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Why a Bike Reflector Glows at Night
Take a look at the back of a bicycle, and you will notice a small piece of red plastic. It is called a reflector. It has no battery and no bulb, yet it is able to glow in the dark.
How can that happen? A reflector does not produce light of its own. Instead, it sends light back. The plastic is covered with many tiny bumps that are shaped like little corners. When light shines on them, the bumps bounce it straight back in the same direction it came from.
Imagine a car coming up behind a bike at night. The car's headlights shine on the reflector, and the reflector sends that light right back toward the car. The driver sees a bright red spot and understands that a bike is ahead.
Many bicycles also have reflectors on the wheels and pedals, which help riders to be seen. A rider should still use a light and wear bright clothes.
Questions
What color is the reflector at the back of a bicycle?
Does a reflector have a battery or a bulb?
What do the tiny bumps do with the light that shines on them?
Where else might a bicycle have reflectors?
What does the driver see when headlights hit the reflector?
Why would a reflector not glow in a dark room with no lights?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Why a Bike Reflector Glows at Night
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2)
Red.
No, it has no battery and no bulb.
They bounce it back the way it came.
On the wheels and pedals.
A bright red spot.
It only sends back light. It makes none.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.7)
Red.
No, it has no battery and no bulb.
They bounce it back the way it came.
On the wheels and pedals.
A bright red spot.
It only sends back light, and it makes none of its own.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3)
Red.
No, it has neither one.
They bounce it straight back in the same direction it came from.
On the wheels and pedals.
A bright red spot.
It only sends back light, and it makes none of its own.
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 reflector, bulb, bounce, headlights and pedals 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 "Why a Bike Reflector Glows at Night"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 144 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 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.