2nd grade nonfiction passage about desert temperature: 131 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictiondesert temperature131 words
Why Deserts Get Cold at Night
A desert can feel very hot in the daytime. The sun shines down on the sand and the rocks, and they get warm. But when night comes, the desert can turn chilly. Why?
The reason is the air. A desert is very dry. That means there is not much water vapor in the air. There are not many clouds, either.
Clouds and damp air work like a blanket. They help hold in the warmth near the ground. A desert has no such blanket. When the sun goes down, the heat rises up and floats off into the sky. Nothing stops it.
So a traveler in the desert needs two kinds of clothes. A hat and a cool shirt help during the day. A warm jacket is a good idea after dark.
Questions
Why does a desert get warm in the daytime? in the text
What is missing from the air in a desert? in the text
What do clouds do, like a blanket? in the text
Where does the heat go after the sun sets? in the text
Why should a traveler pack a warm jacket for the desert? think about it
Words to know
desert
a dry place that gets very little rain
chilly
cold enough to feel uncomfortable
traveler
a person who goes on a trip to far places
blanket
a thick cover that keeps you warm
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Why Deserts Get Cold at Night
2nd grade reading passage
A desert can feel very hot in the daytime. The sun shines down on the sand and the rocks, and they get warm. But when night comes, the desert can turn chilly. Why?
The reason is the air. A desert is very dry. That means there is not much water vapor in the air. There are not many clouds, either.
Clouds and damp air work like a blanket. They help hold in the warmth near the ground. A desert has no such blanket. When the sun goes down, the heat rises up and floats off into the sky. Nothing stops it.
So a traveler in the desert needs two kinds of clothes. A hat and a cool shirt help during the day. A warm jacket is a good idea after dark.
Questions
Why does a desert get warm in the daytime?
What is missing from the air in a desert?
What do clouds do, like a blanket?
Where does the heat go after the sun sets?
Why should a traveler pack a warm jacket for the desert?
Words to know
desert: a dry place that gets very little rain
chilly: cold enough to feel uncomfortable
traveler: a person who goes on a trip to far places
blanket: a thick cover that keeps you warm
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/why-deserts-get-cold-at-night
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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 0.5
A desert is hot in the day. The sun shines on the sand and rocks. They get warm. But at night, the desert gets chilly. Why?
It is the air. A desert is dry. There is not much water vapor in the air. There are not many clouds.
Clouds work like a blanket. They hold warmth near the ground. A desert has no blanket. When the sun goes down, the heat floats up to the sky.
So a traveler needs a hat in the day. A traveler needs a warm jacket at night.
▲ This passage · 131 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.7
A desert can feel very hot in the daytime. The sun shines down on the sand and the rocks, and they get warm. But when night comes, the desert can turn chilly. Why?
The reason is the air. A desert is very dry. That means there is not much water vapor in the air. There are not many clouds, either.
Clouds and damp air work like a blanket. They help hold in the warmth near the ground. A desert has no such blanket. When the sun goes down, the heat rises up and floats off into the sky. Nothing stops it.
So a traveler in the desert needs two kinds of clothes. A hat and a cool shirt help during the day. A warm jacket is a good idea after dark.
■ Harder · 143 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.2
During the daytime, a desert can feel scorching hot. The sun beats down on the sand and the rocks, and they soak up the warmth. However, once night arrives, the desert can become surprisingly chilly. What causes this change?
The answer lies in the air. A desert is extremely dry, which means there is very little water vapor in the air, and there are hardly any clouds in the sky either.
Clouds and damp air act like a blanket, helping to hold warmth in near the ground. Without that blanket, the desert cannot keep its heat. When the sun sets, the warmth rises into the sky, and nothing is there to stop it.
For that reason, a traveler in the desert should pack two kinds of clothing: a hat and a cool shirt for the day, and a warm jacket for after dark.
A desert is hot in the day. The sun shines on the sand and rocks. They get warm. But at night, the desert gets chilly. Why?
It is the air. A desert is dry. There is not much water vapor in the air. There are not many clouds.
Clouds work like a blanket. They hold warmth near the ground. A desert has no blanket. When the sun goes down, the heat floats up to the sky.
So a traveler needs a hat in the day. A traveler needs a warm jacket at night.
Questions
Why is a desert warm in the day?
What is missing from the desert air?
What do clouds do like a blanket?
Where does the heat go at night?
Why does a traveler need a warm jacket?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Why Deserts Get Cold at Night
A desert can feel very hot in the daytime. The sun shines down on the sand and the rocks, and they get warm. But when night comes, the desert can turn chilly. Why?
The reason is the air. A desert is very dry. That means there is not much water vapor in the air. There are not many clouds, either.
Clouds and damp air work like a blanket. They help hold in the warmth near the ground. A desert has no such blanket. When the sun goes down, the heat rises up and floats off into the sky. Nothing stops it.
So a traveler in the desert needs two kinds of clothes. A hat and a cool shirt help during the day. A warm jacket is a good idea after dark.
Questions
Why does a desert get warm in the daytime?
What is missing from the air in a desert?
What do clouds do, like a blanket?
Where does the heat go after the sun sets?
Why should a traveler pack a warm jacket for the desert?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Why Deserts Get Cold at Night
During the daytime, a desert can feel scorching hot. The sun beats down on the sand and the rocks, and they soak up the warmth. However, once night arrives, the desert can become surprisingly chilly. What causes this change?
The answer lies in the air. A desert is extremely dry, which means there is very little water vapor in the air, and there are hardly any clouds in the sky either.
Clouds and damp air act like a blanket, helping to hold warmth in near the ground. Without that blanket, the desert cannot keep its heat. When the sun sets, the warmth rises into the sky, and nothing is there to stop it.
For that reason, a traveler in the desert should pack two kinds of clothing: a hat and a cool shirt for the day, and a warm jacket for after dark.
Questions
Why does the desert become hot during the daytime?
What does the desert air lack?
How do clouds act like a blanket?
What happens to the warmth after the sun sets?
Why would a traveler be wise to bring a warm jacket to the desert?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Why Deserts Get Cold at Night
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.5)
The sun shines on the sand and rocks.
Water vapor and clouds.
They hold warmth near the ground.
Up into the sky.
The desert is chilly at night.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.7)
The sun shines down on the sand and rocks.
Water vapor and clouds.
They help hold in warmth near the ground.
It rises up into the sky.
The desert gets chilly at night.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.2)
The sun beats down on the sand and rocks and warms them.
Water vapor and clouds.
They help hold warmth in near the ground.
It rises up into the sky.
The desert turns chilly at night.
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 desert, chilly, traveler and blanket 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 Deserts Get Cold at Night"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 131 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.7. 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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