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Birds Have Feathers

Kindergarten nonfiction passage about birds: 42 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

Kindergarten nonfiction birds 42 words

Birds Have Feathers

A bird has feathers. Feathers keep a bird warm. Feathers help a bird fly.

A bird has a beak. It has two legs and two wings. Some birds sing.

I see a bird in the tree. It can fly up, up, up!

Questions

  1. What does a bird have on its body? in the text

  2. How many legs does a bird have? in the text

  3. What do feathers help a bird do? in the text

  4. What do some birds do? in the text

  5. Why can a bird fly up to the tree? think about it

Words to know

feather
one of the light, soft parts that cover a bird
beak
the hard mouth of a bird
wing
the part a bird uses to fly
fly
to move through the air
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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 · 35 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -1.1

A bird has feathers. Feathers keep it warm. Feathers help it fly.

A bird has a beak. It has two legs and two wings. Some birds sing.

I see a bird. It can fly up!

▲ This passage · 42 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.9

A bird has feathers. Feathers keep a bird warm. Feathers help a bird fly.

A bird has a beak. It has two legs and two wings. Some birds sing.

I see a bird in the tree. It can fly up, up, up!

■ Harder · 55 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.3

Every bird has feathers, and the feathers keep the bird warm. They also help the bird fly through the air.

A bird has a hard beak, two legs, and two strong wings. Some birds can even sing a song.

Look, there is a bird in the tree! It can fly high up into the sky.

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 feather, beak, wing and fly 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 "Birds Have Feathers"?

It was written for Kindergarten. It has 42 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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