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A Cactus in the Desert

Kindergarten nonfiction passage about how a cactus lives: 51 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

Kindergarten nonfiction how a cactus lives 51 words

A Cactus in the Desert

A cactus lives in the desert. The desert is hot and dry. Not much rain falls there.

A cactus has a thick stem. The stem holds water like a sponge. The cactus can use the water when it is dry.

A cactus has sharp spines. The spines keep hungry animals away.

Questions

  1. Where does a cactus live? in the text

  2. Is the desert wet or dry? in the text

  3. What does the thick stem hold? in the text

  4. What do the sharp spines do? in the text

  5. How can a cactus live when little rain falls? think about it

Words to know

cactus
a plant with a thick stem and sharp spines
desert
a very dry place with little rain
stem
the main part of a plant that holds it up
spines
sharp points on a plant
sponge
something soft that soaks up water
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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 · 38 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.1

A cactus lives in the desert. It is hot and dry. Not much rain falls.

A cactus has a thick stem. The stem holds water. The cactus uses it when it is dry.

Sharp spines keep animals away.

▲ This passage · 51 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5

A cactus lives in the desert. The desert is hot and dry. Not much rain falls there.

A cactus has a thick stem. The stem holds water like a sponge. The cactus can use the water when it is dry.

A cactus has sharp spines. The spines keep hungry animals away.

■ Harder · 72 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.8

A cactus makes its home in the desert, a place that is hot and very dry. Only a little rain falls there during the year.

To survive, a cactus has a thick stem that soaks up water and holds it inside, much like a sponge. When the land is dry, the cactus can use the water it saved.

A cactus also grows sharp spines, which keep hungry animals from nibbling on it.

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 cactus, desert, stem, spines and sponge 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 under a 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.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "A Cactus in the Desert"?

It was written for Kindergarten. It has 51 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.5. 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?

Under a 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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