2nd grade nonfiction passage about heat moving through spoons: 132 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionheat moving through spoons132 words
Why Cooks Stir With Wooden Spoons
A cook stirs a pot of hot soup. If the spoon is metal and stays in the pot, something happens. After a while, the handle feels warm. Soon it may be too hot to hold.
Heat always moves from hot things to cooler things. The hot soup warms the metal at the bottom of the spoon. Then the heat travels up the spoon, little by little, until it reaches the handle.
Metal lets heat move through it very fast. Wood lets heat move through slowly. A wooden spoon in the same soup stays cool in the handle for much longer.
That is why many cooks like wooden spoons. It is also why pots often have handles made of wood or plastic. Always ask a grown-up to help when things are hot.
Questions
What happens to a metal spoon left in hot soup? in the text
Which way does heat move? in the text
Which lets heat move faster, metal or wood? in the text
Why do many pots have handles made of wood or plastic? in the text
Why is a wooden spoon a good choice for stirring hot soup? think about it
Words to know
stir
to mix food by moving a spoon around
heat
energy that makes things warm
handle
the part you hold
travels
moves from one place to another
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Why Cooks Stir With Wooden Spoons
2nd grade reading passage
A cook stirs a pot of hot soup. If the spoon is metal and stays in the pot, something happens. After a while, the handle feels warm. Soon it may be too hot to hold.
Heat always moves from hot things to cooler things. The hot soup warms the metal at the bottom of the spoon. Then the heat travels up the spoon, little by little, until it reaches the handle.
Metal lets heat move through it very fast. Wood lets heat move through slowly. A wooden spoon in the same soup stays cool in the handle for much longer.
That is why many cooks like wooden spoons. It is also why pots often have handles made of wood or plastic. Always ask a grown-up to help when things are hot.
Questions
What happens to a metal spoon left in hot soup?
Which way does heat move?
Which lets heat move faster, metal or wood?
Why do many pots have handles made of wood or plastic?
Why is a wooden spoon a good choice for stirring hot soup?
Words to know
stir: to mix food by moving a spoon around
heat: energy that makes things warm
handle: the part you hold
travels: moves from one place to another
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/why-cooks-stir-with-wooden-spoons
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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 · 89 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.3
A cook stirs hot soup. The spoon is metal. It stays in the pot. After a while, the handle gets warm. It may get too hot to hold.
Heat moves from hot things to cool things. The soup heats the spoon. The heat goes up the spoon to the handle.
Metal lets heat move fast. Wood lets heat move slowly. A wooden spoon stays cool in the handle.
So cooks like wooden spoons. Pots have wood or plastic handles too. Ask a grown-up for help with hot things.
▲ This passage · 132 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.9
A cook stirs a pot of hot soup. If the spoon is metal and stays in the pot, something happens. After a while, the handle feels warm. Soon it may be too hot to hold.
Heat always moves from hot things to cooler things. The hot soup warms the metal at the bottom of the spoon. Then the heat travels up the spoon, little by little, until it reaches the handle.
Metal lets heat move through it very fast. Wood lets heat move through slowly. A wooden spoon in the same soup stays cool in the handle for much longer.
That is why many cooks like wooden spoons. It is also why pots often have handles made of wood or plastic. Always ask a grown-up to help when things are hot.
■ Harder · 142 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.1
A cook stirs a large pot of hot soup. If the spoon is made of metal and stays in the pot, something curious happens. After a while, the handle begins to feel warm, and soon it may be too hot to hold.
Heat always flows from hot things toward cooler things. The hot soup warms the metal at the bottom of the spoon. Then the heat travels up through the spoon, little by little, until it reaches the handle.
Metal allows heat to move through it very quickly. Wood allows heat to move through it slowly. A wooden spoon in the same soup keeps a cool handle for much longer.
That is why many cooks prefer wooden spoons. It is also why pots often have handles made of wood or plastic. Always ask a grown-up for help whenever things are hot.
A cook stirs hot soup. The spoon is metal. It stays in the pot. After a while, the handle gets warm. It may get too hot to hold.
Heat moves from hot things to cool things. The soup heats the spoon. The heat goes up the spoon to the handle.
Metal lets heat move fast. Wood lets heat move slowly. A wooden spoon stays cool in the handle.
So cooks like wooden spoons. Pots have wood or plastic handles too. Ask a grown-up for help with hot things.
Questions
What happens to a metal spoon in hot soup?
Which way does heat move?
Which lets heat move fast, metal or wood?
Why do pots have wood or plastic handles?
Why is a wooden spoon good for hot soup?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Why Cooks Stir With Wooden Spoons
A cook stirs a pot of hot soup. If the spoon is metal and stays in the pot, something happens. After a while, the handle feels warm. Soon it may be too hot to hold.
Heat always moves from hot things to cooler things. The hot soup warms the metal at the bottom of the spoon. Then the heat travels up the spoon, little by little, until it reaches the handle.
Metal lets heat move through it very fast. Wood lets heat move through slowly. A wooden spoon in the same soup stays cool in the handle for much longer.
That is why many cooks like wooden spoons. It is also why pots often have handles made of wood or plastic. Always ask a grown-up to help when things are hot.
Questions
What happens to a metal spoon left in hot soup?
Which way does heat move?
Which lets heat move faster, metal or wood?
Why do many pots have handles made of wood or plastic?
Why is a wooden spoon a good choice for stirring hot soup?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Why Cooks Stir With Wooden Spoons
A cook stirs a large pot of hot soup. If the spoon is made of metal and stays in the pot, something curious happens. After a while, the handle begins to feel warm, and soon it may be too hot to hold.
Heat always flows from hot things toward cooler things. The hot soup warms the metal at the bottom of the spoon. Then the heat travels up through the spoon, little by little, until it reaches the handle.
Metal allows heat to move through it very quickly. Wood allows heat to move through it slowly. A wooden spoon in the same soup keeps a cool handle for much longer.
That is why many cooks prefer wooden spoons. It is also why pots often have handles made of wood or plastic. Always ask a grown-up for help whenever things are hot.
Questions
What happens to a metal spoon that is left in hot soup?
In which direction does heat always flow?
Which allows heat to move faster, metal or wood?
Why do pots often have handles made of wood or plastic?
Why is a wooden spoon a sensible choice for stirring hot soup?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Why Cooks Stir With Wooden Spoons
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.3)
The handle gets warm, maybe too hot to hold.
From hot things to cool things.
Metal.
Heat moves through them slowly, so they stay cool.
Its handle stays cool.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.9)
The handle gets warm, then maybe too hot to hold.
From hot things to cooler things.
Metal.
Those handles stay cooler because heat moves through them slowly.
Its handle stays cool because wood does not pass heat quickly.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.1)
Its handle gets warm and may become too hot to hold.
From hot things toward cooler things.
Metal.
Heat moves through those handles slowly, so they stay cooler.
Its handle stays cool because wood passes heat on slowly.
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 stir, heat, handle and travels 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 "Why Cooks Stir With Wooden Spoons"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 132 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.9. 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?
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