2nd grade nonfiction passage about sound and air in space: 107 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionsound and air in space107 words
Why Space Has No Sounds
Sound needs air to travel. When a drum is hit, it shakes the air. The shaking air moves to your ear, and you hear a boom.
Space has almost no air. Nothing can carry the shaking from place to place. So space is silent. Two astronauts outside a spaceship could shout, but they would not hear each other.
Astronauts fix this with radios. A radio sends messages in a different way, and it does not need air. The astronauts talk through radios in their helmets.
Inside a spaceship, there is air to breathe. There the astronauts can talk, laugh, and sing, just like you do at home.
Questions
What does sound need in order to travel? in the text
Why is space silent? in the text
How do astronauts talk to each other outside? in the text
Why can astronauts talk inside the spaceship? in the text
What would happen if you hit a drum in space? think about it
Words to know
silent
with no sound at all
astronaut
a person who travels in space
radio
a tool that sends and gets messages without wires
helmet
a hard hat that covers the head
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Why Space Has No Sounds
2nd grade reading passage
Sound needs air to travel. When a drum is hit, it shakes the air. The shaking air moves to your ear, and you hear a boom.
Space has almost no air. Nothing can carry the shaking from place to place. So space is silent. Two astronauts outside a spaceship could shout, but they would not hear each other.
Astronauts fix this with radios. A radio sends messages in a different way, and it does not need air. The astronauts talk through radios in their helmets.
Inside a spaceship, there is air to breathe. There the astronauts can talk, laugh, and sing, just like you do at home.
Questions
What does sound need in order to travel?
Why is space silent?
How do astronauts talk to each other outside?
Why can astronauts talk inside the spaceship?
What would happen if you hit a drum in space?
Words to know
silent: with no sound at all
astronaut: a person who travels in space
radio: a tool that sends and gets messages without wires
helmet: a hard hat that covers the head
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/why-space-has-no-sounds
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 · 90 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3
Sound needs air to travel. A drum shakes the air. The shaking air goes to your ear. Then you hear a boom.
Space has almost no air. Nothing can carry the shaking. So space is silent. Two astronauts outside a spaceship could shout, but they could not hear each other.
Astronauts use radios. A radio sends messages in a different way. It does not need air. The astronauts talk through radios in their helmets.
Inside a spaceship, there is air. The astronauts can talk and laugh there, just like you.
▲ This passage · 107 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.3
Sound needs air to travel. When a drum is hit, it shakes the air. The shaking air moves to your ear, and you hear a boom.
Space has almost no air. Nothing can carry the shaking from place to place. So space is silent. Two astronauts outside a spaceship could shout, but they would not hear each other.
Astronauts fix this with radios. A radio sends messages in a different way, and it does not need air. The astronauts talk through radios in their helmets.
Inside a spaceship, there is air to breathe. There the astronauts can talk, laugh, and sing, just like you do at home.
■ Harder · 128 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.1
Sound needs air in order to travel. When someone strikes a drum, the drum shakes the air around it. That shaking air travels to your ear, and you hear a loud boom.
Space has almost no air at all. Nothing is there to carry the shaking from place to place, so space is completely silent. If two astronauts stood outside a spaceship and shouted, neither one would hear the other.
Astronauts solve this problem with radios. A radio sends messages in a different way, one that does not depend on air. The astronauts speak to each other through radios built into their helmets.
Inside a spaceship, there is air for the crew to breathe. There the astronauts can chat, laugh, and sing, just as you do at home.
Sound needs air to travel. A drum shakes the air. The shaking air goes to your ear. Then you hear a boom.
Space has almost no air. Nothing can carry the shaking. So space is silent. Two astronauts outside a spaceship could shout, but they could not hear each other.
Astronauts use radios. A radio sends messages in a different way. It does not need air. The astronauts talk through radios in their helmets.
Inside a spaceship, there is air. The astronauts can talk and laugh there, just like you.
Questions
What does sound need to travel?
Why is space silent?
How do astronauts talk outside?
Why can astronauts talk inside the spaceship?
What would happen if you hit a drum in space?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Why Space Has No Sounds
Sound needs air to travel. When a drum is hit, it shakes the air. The shaking air moves to your ear, and you hear a boom.
Space has almost no air. Nothing can carry the shaking from place to place. So space is silent. Two astronauts outside a spaceship could shout, but they would not hear each other.
Astronauts fix this with radios. A radio sends messages in a different way, and it does not need air. The astronauts talk through radios in their helmets.
Inside a spaceship, there is air to breathe. There the astronauts can talk, laugh, and sing, just like you do at home.
Questions
What does sound need in order to travel?
Why is space silent?
How do astronauts talk to each other outside?
Why can astronauts talk inside the spaceship?
What would happen if you hit a drum in space?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Why Space Has No Sounds
Sound needs air in order to travel. When someone strikes a drum, the drum shakes the air around it. That shaking air travels to your ear, and you hear a loud boom.
Space has almost no air at all. Nothing is there to carry the shaking from place to place, so space is completely silent. If two astronauts stood outside a spaceship and shouted, neither one would hear the other.
Astronauts solve this problem with radios. A radio sends messages in a different way, one that does not depend on air. The astronauts speak to each other through radios built into their helmets.
Inside a spaceship, there is air for the crew to breathe. There the astronauts can chat, laugh, and sing, just as you do at home.
Questions
What does sound need in order to travel?
Why is space completely silent?
How do astronauts speak to each other outside a spaceship?
Why are astronauts able to chat inside the spaceship?
What would happen if someone struck a drum in space?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Why Space Has No Sounds
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3)
Air.
It has almost no air to carry the shaking.
They use radios in their helmets.
There is air inside the spaceship.
No one would hear it, because there is no air.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.3)
Air.
It has almost no air to carry the shaking.
They use radios in their helmets.
There is air inside the spaceship.
No one would hear it, because there is no air to carry the sound.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.1)
Air.
It has almost no air to carry the shaking from place to place.
They use radios built into their helmets.
There is air inside the spaceship.
No one would hear it, because there is no air to carry the sound.
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 silent, astronaut, radio and helmet 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 107 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.3. 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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