3rd grade nonfiction passage about how fast light travels: 194 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionhow fast light travels194 words
Sunlight Takes an Eight Minute Trip
When you feel the warm sunlight on your face, you are feeling light that left the Sun a little while ago. Light is not instant. It has to travel. The trip from the Sun to Earth takes about eight minutes.
Light moves faster than anything else we know about. In just one second, a beam of light could circle our planet many times. Yet the Sun is so far away that even light needs several minutes to cross the gap.
This means we always see the Sun as it was a few minutes ago. If the Sun suddenly went dark, we would not know right away. We would keep seeing its light for about eight more minutes.
The Moon is much closer. Moonlight is really sunlight that bounced off the Moon. It reaches us in just over a second. So the Moon we see is only a moment old.
Stars are far, far away. Their light takes years to reach us. When you look up at a star on a clear night, you see light that started its trip long, long ago. Looking at the sky is a little like looking back in time.
Questions
About how long does sunlight take to reach Earth? in the text
What can light do in one second? in the text
How long does moonlight take to reach us? in the text
What is moonlight really? in the text
How long does starlight take to reach us? in the text
Why does the passage say looking at the sky is like looking back in time? think about it
Words to know
instant
happening right away, with no waiting
beam
a line or stream of light
gap
an empty space between two things
bounced
hit something and jumped back
planet
a large world that travels around a star
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Sunlight Takes an Eight Minute Trip
3rd grade reading passage
When you feel the warm sunlight on your face, you are feeling light that left the Sun a little while ago. Light is not instant. It has to travel. The trip from the Sun to Earth takes about eight minutes.
Light moves faster than anything else we know about. In just one second, a beam of light could circle our planet many times. Yet the Sun is so far away that even light needs several minutes to cross the gap.
This means we always see the Sun as it was a few minutes ago. If the Sun suddenly went dark, we would not know right away. We would keep seeing its light for about eight more minutes.
The Moon is much closer. Moonlight is really sunlight that bounced off the Moon. It reaches us in just over a second. So the Moon we see is only a moment old.
Stars are far, far away. Their light takes years to reach us. When you look up at a star on a clear night, you see light that started its trip long, long ago. Looking at the sky is a little like looking back in time.
Questions
About how long does sunlight take to reach Earth?
What can light do in one second?
How long does moonlight take to reach us?
What is moonlight really?
How long does starlight take to reach us?
Why does the passage say looking at the sky is like looking back in time?
Words to know
instant: happening right away, with no waiting
beam: a line or stream of light
gap: an empty space between two things
bounced: hit something and jumped back
planet: a large world that travels around a star
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/sunlight-takes-an-eight-minute-trip
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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 · 164 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.7
You feel warm sunlight on your face. That light left the Sun a little while ago. Light is not instant. It has to travel. The trip from the Sun to Earth takes about eight minutes.
Light moves faster than anything else we know. In one second, a beam of light could circle our planet many times. But the Sun is so far away. Even light needs some minutes to cross the gap.
So we see the Sun as it was a few minutes ago. If the Sun went dark, we would not know at once. We would see its light for about eight more minutes.
The Moon is much closer. Moonlight is sunlight that bounced off the Moon. It reaches us in just over a second.
Stars are very far away. Their light takes years to reach us. When you see a star at night, you see light that left long ago. Looking at the sky is a bit like looking back in time.
▲ This passage · 194 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3
When you feel the warm sunlight on your face, you are feeling light that left the Sun a little while ago. Light is not instant. It has to travel. The trip from the Sun to Earth takes about eight minutes.
Light moves faster than anything else we know about. In just one second, a beam of light could circle our planet many times. Yet the Sun is so far away that even light needs several minutes to cross the gap.
This means we always see the Sun as it was a few minutes ago. If the Sun suddenly went dark, we would not know right away. We would keep seeing its light for about eight more minutes.
The Moon is much closer. Moonlight is really sunlight that bounced off the Moon. It reaches us in just over a second. So the Moon we see is only a moment old.
Stars are far, far away. Their light takes years to reach us. When you look up at a star on a clear night, you see light that started its trip long, long ago. Looking at the sky is a little like looking back in time.
■ Harder · 200 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.3
When you feel the warmth of sunlight on your face, you are feeling light that left the Sun some time earlier. Light is not instantaneous; it has to travel, and the journey from the Sun to Earth takes about eight minutes.
Light moves faster than anything else we know about. In a single second, a beam of light could circle our planet many times. Yet the Sun is so extraordinarily distant that even light requires several minutes to cross the gap.
This means we always see the Sun as it was a few minutes ago. If the Sun suddenly went dark, we would not realize it immediately, because we would continue to see its light for about eight more minutes.
The Moon is considerably closer. Moonlight is really sunlight that has bounced off the Moon, and it reaches us in just over a second. Therefore the Moon we see is only a moment old.
Stars are immensely farther away, and their light takes years to reach us. When you gaze at a star on a clear night, you are seeing light that began its trip long, long ago. Looking at the sky is a little like looking back in time.
You feel warm sunlight on your face. That light left the Sun a little while ago. Light is not instant. It has to travel. The trip from the Sun to Earth takes about eight minutes.
Light moves faster than anything else we know. In one second, a beam of light could circle our planet many times. But the Sun is so far away. Even light needs some minutes to cross the gap.
So we see the Sun as it was a few minutes ago. If the Sun went dark, we would not know at once. We would see its light for about eight more minutes.
The Moon is much closer. Moonlight is sunlight that bounced off the Moon. It reaches us in just over a second.
Stars are very far away. Their light takes years to reach us. When you see a star at night, you see light that left long ago. Looking at the sky is a bit like looking back in time.
Questions
About how long does sunlight take to reach Earth?
What can light do in one second?
How long does moonlight take to reach us?
What is moonlight?
How long does starlight take to reach us?
Why is looking at the sky like looking back in time?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Sunlight Takes an Eight Minute Trip
When you feel the warm sunlight on your face, you are feeling light that left the Sun a little while ago. Light is not instant. It has to travel. The trip from the Sun to Earth takes about eight minutes.
Light moves faster than anything else we know about. In just one second, a beam of light could circle our planet many times. Yet the Sun is so far away that even light needs several minutes to cross the gap.
This means we always see the Sun as it was a few minutes ago. If the Sun suddenly went dark, we would not know right away. We would keep seeing its light for about eight more minutes.
The Moon is much closer. Moonlight is really sunlight that bounced off the Moon. It reaches us in just over a second. So the Moon we see is only a moment old.
Stars are far, far away. Their light takes years to reach us. When you look up at a star on a clear night, you see light that started its trip long, long ago. Looking at the sky is a little like looking back in time.
Questions
About how long does sunlight take to reach Earth?
What can light do in one second?
How long does moonlight take to reach us?
What is moonlight really?
How long does starlight take to reach us?
Why does the passage say looking at the sky is like looking back in time?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Sunlight Takes an Eight Minute Trip
When you feel the warmth of sunlight on your face, you are feeling light that left the Sun some time earlier. Light is not instantaneous; it has to travel, and the journey from the Sun to Earth takes about eight minutes.
Light moves faster than anything else we know about. In a single second, a beam of light could circle our planet many times. Yet the Sun is so extraordinarily distant that even light requires several minutes to cross the gap.
This means we always see the Sun as it was a few minutes ago. If the Sun suddenly went dark, we would not realize it immediately, because we would continue to see its light for about eight more minutes.
The Moon is considerably closer. Moonlight is really sunlight that has bounced off the Moon, and it reaches us in just over a second. Therefore the Moon we see is only a moment old.
Stars are immensely farther away, and their light takes years to reach us. When you gaze at a star on a clear night, you are seeing light that began its trip long, long ago. Looking at the sky is a little like looking back in time.
Questions
About how long does it take sunlight to reach Earth?
What could a beam of light do in a single second?
How long does it take moonlight to reach us?
What is moonlight really?
How long does it take starlight to reach us?
Why does the passage compare looking at the sky to looking back in time?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Sunlight Takes an Eight Minute Trip
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.7)
About eight minutes.
Circle our planet many times.
Just over a second.
Sunlight that bounced off the Moon.
Years.
The light you see left its star long ago.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3)
About eight minutes.
Circle our planet many times.
Just over a second.
Sunlight that bounced off the Moon.
Years.
The light you see left its star long ago, so you see the star as it was.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.3)
About eight minutes.
Circle our planet many times.
Just over a second.
Sunlight that has bounced off the Moon.
Years.
The light you see began its trip from the star long ago, so you see the star as it was.
Free at teach.peabody.kids
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Ideas for class
Before reading, put instant, beam, gap, bounced and planet 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 2 minutes 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 6 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 "Sunlight Takes an Eight Minute Trip"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 194 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.0. 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 six. 5 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 2 minutes 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.
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