Why Bats Hang Upside Down
A bat rests in the day. It hangs upside down. It holds on with its feet.
Why does a bat hang this way? When it lets go, it can drop and fly right away.
At night, the bat wakes up. It flies out to find food.
Why Bats Hang Upside Down
Kindergarten nonfiction passage about bats resting: 46 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
Questions
When does a bat rest? in the text
What does a bat hold on with? in the text
How does a bat hang? in the text
What does the bat do at night? in the text
Why can a bat fly right away from this spot? think about it
Words to know
- bat
- a small animal that flies at night
- upside
- with the top part at the bottom
- rest
- to stop and take it easy
- drop
- to fall down
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 · 37 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -1.7
A bat rests in the day. It hangs upside down. It holds on with its feet.
Why? The bat can let go. It drops and flies.
At night, the bat wakes up. It flies to find food.
▲ This passage · 46 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.7
A bat rests in the day. It hangs upside down. It holds on with its feet.
Why does a bat hang this way? When it lets go, it can drop and fly right away.
At night, the bat wakes up. It flies out to find food.
■ Harder · 66 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.2
During the day, a bat rests by hanging upside down and gripping its perch tightly with its feet.
Why does a bat hang this way? When it is time to go, the bat only has to let go. It drops into the air and begins to fly right away.
Once night comes, the bat wakes up and flies out into the dark to look for food.
How to use it
- Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
- Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
- Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.
Ideas for class
- Before reading, put bat, upside, rest and drop 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.
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Questions
What reading level is "Why Bats Hang Upside Down"?
It was written for Kindergarten. It has 46 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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