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How Many Legs?

Kindergarten nonfiction passage about counting animals: 43 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

Kindergarten nonfiction counting animals 43 words

How Many Legs?

Let us count legs. A dog has four legs. A cat has four legs. A bird has two legs.

A spider has eight legs. Count with me. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!

Which animal has the most legs? The spider.

Questions

  1. How many legs does a dog have? in the text

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

  3. How many legs does a spider have? in the text

  4. Which animal has the most legs? in the text

  5. Which has more legs, a cat or a bird? think about it

Words to know

count
to say numbers in order to find how many
legs
body parts that an animal stands and walks on
spider
a small animal with eight legs
animal
a living thing that is not a plant
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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 · 37 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -1

Let us count legs. A dog has four. A cat has four. A bird has two.

A spider has eight. Count with me. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!

The spider has the most legs.

▲ This passage · 43 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.5

Let us count legs. A dog has four legs. A cat has four legs. A bird has two legs.

A spider has eight legs. Count with me. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!

Which animal has the most legs? The spider.

■ Harder · 52 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1

Let us count the legs on some animals. A dog has four legs, a cat has four legs, and a bird has only two legs.

A spider has eight legs! Count them with me, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

Of all these animals, the spider has the most legs.

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 count, legs, spider and animal 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 "How Many Legs?"?

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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