Skip to the content
Peabody TeachFor teachers and grown-ups

Why Summer Nights Barely Get Dark in Norway

4th grade nonfiction passage about midnight sun in northern norway: 206 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade nonfiction midnight sun in northern norway 206 words

Why Summer Nights Barely Get Dark in Norway

In the far north of Norway, a summer night can look like the middle of the afternoon. At midnight, the sun may still hang in the sky. Families go for walks, kids kick a ball, and some people even mow the lawn. This is called the midnight sun.

The cause is the way Earth is tilted. Our planet does not spin straight up and down. It leans to one side as it circles the sun. In summer, the northern end of Earth leans toward the sun. Places very far north, in a region called the Arctic, are tipped so far toward the sun that it never fully sets. For weeks, the sun just circles low across the sky.

Winter turns the story around. When the northern end leans away, the sun stays below the horizon for weeks. The sky glows a soft blue for a few hours at midday, and the rest of the time is dark. People light candles and string up lamps to make the days cozy.

How do people sleep when it is bright at midnight? Many hang thick curtains over their windows. Some find that the long days give them lots of energy, and they stay up late to enjoy the outdoors.

Questions

  1. What is the midnight sun? in the text

  2. What causes the midnight sun? in the text

  3. What happens in winter when the north leans away from the sun? in the text

  4. How do many people keep their bedrooms dark? in the text

  5. Why do people light candles and lamps in winter there? think about it

  6. Would a place near the equator see the same midnight sun? think about it

Words to know

tilted
leaning to one side instead of standing straight
Arctic
the cold region around the North Pole
horizon
the line where the sky seems to meet the land or sea
midnight
twelve o'clock at night, the middle of the night
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 · 193 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.6

In the far north of Norway, a summer night can look like the middle of the afternoon. At midnight, the sun may still be in the sky. Families go for walks. Kids kick a ball. Some people even mow the lawn. This is called the midnight sun.

The cause is the way Earth is tilted. Our planet does not spin straight up and down. It leans to one side as it goes around the sun. In summer, the north end of Earth leans toward the sun. Places very far north, in a region called the Arctic, are tipped so far that the sun never fully sets. For weeks, the sun goes around low in the sky.

Winter is the opposite. The north end leans away. The sun stays below the horizon for weeks. The sky glows soft blue for a few hours at midday. The rest of the time is dark. People light candles and lamps to make the days cozy.

How do people sleep when it is bright at midnight? Many hang thick curtains on their windows. Some feel full of energy in the long days, and they stay up late outdoors.

▲ This passage · 206 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.9

In the far north of Norway, a summer night can look like the middle of the afternoon. At midnight, the sun may still hang in the sky. Families go for walks, kids kick a ball, and some people even mow the lawn. This is called the midnight sun.

The cause is the way Earth is tilted. Our planet does not spin straight up and down. It leans to one side as it circles the sun. In summer, the northern end of Earth leans toward the sun. Places very far north, in a region called the Arctic, are tipped so far toward the sun that it never fully sets. For weeks, the sun just circles low across the sky.

Winter turns the story around. When the northern end leans away, the sun stays below the horizon for weeks. The sky glows a soft blue for a few hours at midday, and the rest of the time is dark. People light candles and string up lamps to make the days cozy.

How do people sleep when it is bright at midnight? Many hang thick curtains over their windows. Some find that the long days give them lots of energy, and they stay up late to enjoy the outdoors.

■ Harder · 223 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.5

In the far north of Norway, a summer night can resemble the middle of the afternoon. At midnight, the sun may still hang in the sky, so families go out for walks, children kick a ball around, and some people even mow their lawns. This phenomenon is known as the midnight sun.

The cause is the way the Earth is tilted. Our planet does not spin perfectly upright. Instead, it leans to one side as it travels around the sun. During summer, the northern end of the Earth leans toward the sun. Places in the far north, in a region called the Arctic, are tipped so far toward it that the sun never completely sets. For weeks at a time, the sun simply circles low across the sky.

Winter reverses the story. When the northern end leans away from the sun, the sun remains below the horizon for weeks on end. The sky glows a soft blue for a few hours around midday, and the remainder of the time is dark. People light candles and string up lamps to make the short days feel cozy.

How do people manage to sleep when it is bright at midnight? Many hang thick curtains over their windows. Others find that the long days fill them with energy, and they stay up late to enjoy the outdoors.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put tilted, Arctic, horizon and midnight 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 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.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "Why Summer Nights Barely Get Dark in Norway"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 206 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.9. 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. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 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.

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.

Nothing you do here is sent to us. No sign-in, no ads.