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Apples on the Tree

Kindergarten nonfiction passage about how fruit grows: 43 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

Kindergarten nonfiction how fruit grows 43 words

Apples on the Tree

An apple grows on a tree. It is small and green at first. Then it gets big. It turns red.

The apple is ready to pick. I pick it. Crunch! Yum!

Inside the apple are seeds. A seed can grow a new tree.

Questions

  1. Where does an apple grow? in the text

  2. What color is the apple at first? in the text

  3. What sound do I make when I bite the apple? in the text

  4. What is inside the apple? in the text

  5. How can a new apple tree begin? think about it

Words to know

apple
a round fruit that grows on a tree
seed
a small thing that can grow into a new plant
pick
to take a fruit off a tree
crunch
the loud sound of biting something hard
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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 · 34 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -1.1

An apple grows on a tree. It is small and green. Then it is big and red.

I pick the apple. Crunch! Yum!

Seeds are in the apple. A seed can grow a tree.

▲ This passage · 43 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.7

An apple grows on a tree. It is small and green at first. Then it gets big. It turns red.

The apple is ready to pick. I pick it. Crunch! Yum!

Inside the apple are seeds. A seed can grow a new tree.

■ Harder · 56 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.8

An apple grows high on a tree. At first it is small and green, but later it grows big and turns red.

When the apple is ready, I pick it and take a bite. Crunch! It tastes so good.

Hidden inside the apple are little seeds, and each seed can grow into a brand new tree.

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 apple, seed, pick and crunch 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 "Apples on the Tree"?

It was written for Kindergarten. It has 43 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about below 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?

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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