2nd grade nonfiction passage about bird migration: 133 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionbird migration133 words
Why Some Birds Fly South
When the days get cold, many birds leave. They fly to a warmer place. This long trip is called migration.
Why do the birds go? The cold is not the only reason. In winter, bugs hide and seeds are hard to find. Plants do not grow, and a lake may freeze. A bird that eats bugs or fish would have little to eat.
So the birds fly south, where it is warmer. There they can find food all winter.
Many birds travel in a group. Some fly in a V shape. Some fly at night and rest in the day. They use the sun and the stars to help them find their way.
When spring comes, the days grow warm again. The birds fly back north. They build nests and raise their chicks.
Questions
What is migration? in the text
Why is food hard to find for birds in winter? in the text
What helps birds find their way? in the text
What do the birds do when spring comes? in the text
Why would a bird that eats fish leave a lake that freezes? think about it
Words to know
migration
a long trip that animals make each year
freeze
to turn into ice because it is very cold
chicks
baby birds
warmer
less cold
travel
to go from one place to another
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Why Some Birds Fly South
2nd grade reading passage
When the days get cold, many birds leave. They fly to a warmer place. This long trip is called migration.
Why do the birds go? The cold is not the only reason. In winter, bugs hide and seeds are hard to find. Plants do not grow, and a lake may freeze. A bird that eats bugs or fish would have little to eat.
So the birds fly south, where it is warmer. There they can find food all winter.
Many birds travel in a group. Some fly in a V shape. Some fly at night and rest in the day. They use the sun and the stars to help them find their way.
When spring comes, the days grow warm again. The birds fly back north. They build nests and raise their chicks.
Questions
What is migration?
Why is food hard to find for birds in winter?
What helps birds find their way?
What do the birds do when spring comes?
Why would a bird that eats fish leave a lake that freezes?
Words to know
migration: a long trip that animals make each year
freeze: to turn into ice because it is very cold
chicks: baby birds
warmer: less cold
travel: to go from one place to another
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/why-some-birds-fly-south
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 · 115 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.5
When days get cold, many birds leave. They fly to a warm place. This long trip is called migration.
Why do the birds go? It is not just the cold. In winter, bugs hide. Seeds are hard to find. A lake may freeze. A bird that eats bugs or fish would have little food.
So the birds fly south, where it is warm. They find food all winter.
Many birds go in a group. Some fly in a V. Some fly at night and rest by day. The sun and the stars help them find the way.
In spring, the days get warm again. The birds fly back north. They build nests and raise chicks.
▲ This passage · 133 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.4
When the days get cold, many birds leave. They fly to a warmer place. This long trip is called migration.
Why do the birds go? The cold is not the only reason. In winter, bugs hide and seeds are hard to find. Plants do not grow, and a lake may freeze. A bird that eats bugs or fish would have little to eat.
So the birds fly south, where it is warmer. There they can find food all winter.
Many birds travel in a group. Some fly in a V shape. Some fly at night and rest in the day. They use the sun and the stars to help them find their way.
When spring comes, the days grow warm again. The birds fly back north. They build nests and raise their chicks.
■ Harder · 147 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.8
As the days turn cold, many kinds of birds leave their homes and travel to a warmer place. This long yearly journey is known as migration.
Why do these birds go? The cold is not the only reason. During winter, bugs hide, seeds become difficult to find, and a lake may freeze solid. A bird that depends on bugs or fish would have very little to eat.
For that reason, the birds head south, where the weather is milder and they can find food throughout the winter.
Many birds travel together in a group, and some fly in a V shape. Others fly at night and rest during the day. They use the sun and the stars to help them find their way across great distances.
When spring arrives and the days grow warm again, the birds return north. There they build nests and raise their chicks.
When days get cold, many birds leave. They fly to a warm place. This long trip is called migration.
Why do the birds go? It is not just the cold. In winter, bugs hide. Seeds are hard to find. A lake may freeze. A bird that eats bugs or fish would have little food.
So the birds fly south, where it is warm. They find food all winter.
Many birds go in a group. Some fly in a V. Some fly at night and rest by day. The sun and the stars help them find the way.
In spring, the days get warm again. The birds fly back north. They build nests and raise chicks.
Questions
What is migration?
Why is food hard to find for birds in winter?
What helps birds find their way?
What do the birds do in spring?
Why would a fish-eating bird leave a frozen lake?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Why Some Birds Fly South
When the days get cold, many birds leave. They fly to a warmer place. This long trip is called migration.
Why do the birds go? The cold is not the only reason. In winter, bugs hide and seeds are hard to find. Plants do not grow, and a lake may freeze. A bird that eats bugs or fish would have little to eat.
So the birds fly south, where it is warmer. There they can find food all winter.
Many birds travel in a group. Some fly in a V shape. Some fly at night and rest in the day. They use the sun and the stars to help them find their way.
When spring comes, the days grow warm again. The birds fly back north. They build nests and raise their chicks.
Questions
What is migration?
Why is food hard to find for birds in winter?
What helps birds find their way?
What do the birds do when spring comes?
Why would a bird that eats fish leave a lake that freezes?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Why Some Birds Fly South
As the days turn cold, many kinds of birds leave their homes and travel to a warmer place. This long yearly journey is known as migration.
Why do these birds go? The cold is not the only reason. During winter, bugs hide, seeds become difficult to find, and a lake may freeze solid. A bird that depends on bugs or fish would have very little to eat.
For that reason, the birds head south, where the weather is milder and they can find food throughout the winter.
Many birds travel together in a group, and some fly in a V shape. Others fly at night and rest during the day. They use the sun and the stars to help them find their way across great distances.
When spring arrives and the days grow warm again, the birds return north. There they build nests and raise their chicks.
Questions
What is the long yearly journey of birds called?
Why is food difficult for birds to find during winter?
What do birds use to help them find their way?
What do the birds do after they return north in spring?
Why would a bird that eats fish leave a lake that freezes solid?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Why Some Birds Fly South
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.5)
A long trip that birds take to a warm place.
Bugs hide, seeds are hard to find, and a lake may freeze.
The sun and the stars.
They fly back north, build nests, and raise chicks.
It could not catch fish under the ice, so it would go where there is food.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.4)
A long trip that birds take to a warmer place.
Bugs hide, seeds are hard to find, and a lake may freeze.
The sun and the stars.
They fly back north, build nests, and raise their chicks.
It could not catch fish through the ice, so it would go to a place with food.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.8)
Migration.
Bugs hide, seeds become hard to find, and a lake may freeze solid.
The sun and the stars.
They build nests and raise their chicks.
It could not reach the fish through the ice, so it would travel to a place with food.
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 migration, freeze, chicks, warmer and travel 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.
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 133 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 0.4. 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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