2nd grade nonfiction passage about squirrels saving food: 132 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionsquirrels saving food132 words
Why Squirrels Bury Nuts
In the fall, a squirrel is very busy. It runs across the grass with a nut in its mouth. Then it stops, digs a small hole, and drops the nut inside. It covers the hole with dirt and dashes off to find more.
Why does the squirrel do this? Winter is coming. In the cold months, it is hard to find food. The ground may be covered with snow, and the trees have no nuts.
A squirrel does not sleep all winter. It still needs to eat. So it saves food in many different spots. When it is hungry, it uses its nose to sniff out a buried nut.
A squirrel forgets some of its nuts. That helps the forest. A forgotten acorn can sprout and grow into a new oak tree.
Questions
What does a squirrel do with a nut in the fall? in the text
Why is it hard to find food in winter? in the text
How does a squirrel find a buried nut? in the text
What can happen to a nut that a squirrel forgets? in the text
Why does a squirrel hide nuts in many different spots? think about it
Words to know
buried
put in the ground and covered up
acorn
the nut that grows on an oak tree
sprout
to start to grow
dashes
runs very fast for a short time
sniff
to smell something by breathing in short breaths
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Why Squirrels Bury Nuts
2nd grade reading passage
In the fall, a squirrel is very busy. It runs across the grass with a nut in its mouth. Then it stops, digs a small hole, and drops the nut inside. It covers the hole with dirt and dashes off to find more.
Why does the squirrel do this? Winter is coming. In the cold months, it is hard to find food. The ground may be covered with snow, and the trees have no nuts.
A squirrel does not sleep all winter. It still needs to eat. So it saves food in many different spots. When it is hungry, it uses its nose to sniff out a buried nut.
A squirrel forgets some of its nuts. That helps the forest. A forgotten acorn can sprout and grow into a new oak tree.
Questions
What does a squirrel do with a nut in the fall?
Why is it hard to find food in winter?
How does a squirrel find a buried nut?
What can happen to a nut that a squirrel forgets?
Why does a squirrel hide nuts in many different spots?
Words to know
buried: put in the ground and covered up
acorn: the nut that grows on an oak tree
sprout: to start to grow
dashes: runs very fast for a short time
sniff: to smell something by breathing in short breaths
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/why-squirrels-bury-nuts
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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 · 117 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.6
In the fall, a squirrel is busy. It runs with a nut in its mouth. It stops and digs a small hole. It drops the nut in and covers it with dirt. Then it runs off to find more.
Why does the squirrel do this? Winter is coming. In the cold, food is hard to find. Snow may cover the ground. The trees have no nuts.
A squirrel does not sleep all winter. It still needs to eat. So it hides food in many spots. When it is hungry, it sniffs with its nose and finds a nut.
A squirrel forgets some nuts. That helps the forest. A lost acorn can grow into a new oak tree.
▲ This passage · 132 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2
In the fall, a squirrel is very busy. It runs across the grass with a nut in its mouth. Then it stops, digs a small hole, and drops the nut inside. It covers the hole with dirt and dashes off to find more.
Why does the squirrel do this? Winter is coming. In the cold months, it is hard to find food. The ground may be covered with snow, and the trees have no nuts.
A squirrel does not sleep all winter. It still needs to eat. So it saves food in many different spots. When it is hungry, it uses its nose to sniff out a buried nut.
A squirrel forgets some of its nuts. That helps the forest. A forgotten acorn can sprout and grow into a new oak tree.
■ Harder · 150 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.4
During the fall, a squirrel is extremely busy. It scampers across the grass with a nut clamped in its mouth. Suddenly it stops, digs a small hole, and drops the nut inside. After covering the hole with dirt, it dashes off to look for another one.
Why does the squirrel work so hard? The answer is that winter is coming. During the cold months, food is difficult to find because snow may blanket the ground and the trees have no nuts left.
A squirrel does not sleep through the whole winter, so it still has to eat. For that reason, it saves food in many different places. When it gets hungry, it uses its keen nose to sniff out a buried nut.
Every squirrel forgets a few of its nuts, and that actually helps the forest. A forgotten acorn can sprout and eventually grow into a brand new oak tree.
In the fall, a squirrel is busy. It runs with a nut in its mouth. It stops and digs a small hole. It drops the nut in and covers it with dirt. Then it runs off to find more.
Why does the squirrel do this? Winter is coming. In the cold, food is hard to find. Snow may cover the ground. The trees have no nuts.
A squirrel does not sleep all winter. It still needs to eat. So it hides food in many spots. When it is hungry, it sniffs with its nose and finds a nut.
A squirrel forgets some nuts. That helps the forest. A lost acorn can grow into a new oak tree.
Questions
What does a squirrel do with a nut in the fall?
Why is food hard to find in winter?
How does a squirrel find a hidden nut?
What can happen to a nut that a squirrel forgets?
Why does a squirrel hide nuts in many spots?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Why Squirrels Bury Nuts
In the fall, a squirrel is very busy. It runs across the grass with a nut in its mouth. Then it stops, digs a small hole, and drops the nut inside. It covers the hole with dirt and dashes off to find more.
Why does the squirrel do this? Winter is coming. In the cold months, it is hard to find food. The ground may be covered with snow, and the trees have no nuts.
A squirrel does not sleep all winter. It still needs to eat. So it saves food in many different spots. When it is hungry, it uses its nose to sniff out a buried nut.
A squirrel forgets some of its nuts. That helps the forest. A forgotten acorn can sprout and grow into a new oak tree.
Questions
What does a squirrel do with a nut in the fall?
Why is it hard to find food in winter?
How does a squirrel find a buried nut?
What can happen to a nut that a squirrel forgets?
Why does a squirrel hide nuts in many different spots?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Why Squirrels Bury Nuts
During the fall, a squirrel is extremely busy. It scampers across the grass with a nut clamped in its mouth. Suddenly it stops, digs a small hole, and drops the nut inside. After covering the hole with dirt, it dashes off to look for another one.
Why does the squirrel work so hard? The answer is that winter is coming. During the cold months, food is difficult to find because snow may blanket the ground and the trees have no nuts left.
A squirrel does not sleep through the whole winter, so it still has to eat. For that reason, it saves food in many different places. When it gets hungry, it uses its keen nose to sniff out a buried nut.
Every squirrel forgets a few of its nuts, and that actually helps the forest. A forgotten acorn can sprout and eventually grow into a brand new oak tree.
Questions
What does a squirrel do with a nut during the fall?
Why is food difficult to find during winter?
How does a squirrel locate a buried nut?
What may happen to an acorn that a squirrel forgets?
Why is it smart for a squirrel to store nuts in many different places?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Why Squirrels Bury Nuts
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.6)
It digs a hole, drops the nut in, and covers it with dirt.
Snow may cover the ground, and the trees have no nuts.
It sniffs with its nose.
It can grow into a new tree.
It will have food in many places for winter.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2)
It digs a small hole, drops the nut in, and covers it with dirt.
The ground may be covered with snow, and the trees have no nuts.
It uses its nose to sniff it out.
It can sprout and grow into a new tree.
It will have food in many places for the winter, so it is less likely to run out.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.4)
It digs a small hole, drops the nut inside, and covers it with dirt.
Snow may blanket the ground, and the trees have no nuts left.
It uses its nose to sniff the nut out.
It can sprout and grow into a new oak tree.
It will have food in many spots, so it is less likely to run out during winter.
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 buried, acorn, sprout, dashes and sniff 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 132 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.1. 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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