Why Does Ice Float?: read-aloud with discussion questions
Read Why Does Ice Float? aloud on the projector: 10 pages of big type with each word lit as it is said, 177 words (about a minute), level 7, grade 2, and 5 questions to talk about.
Page 1 of 10
Tim drops an ice cube into his glass. It does not sink. It floats on top of the water.
Keys: ← → or Page Up and Page Down turn the page, Space starts and pauses the voice, Home and End jump, F fills the screen. Tapping the right side of a page goes on; the left side goes back.
How to use it
- Press Full screen (F) to put the book on the projector.
- Press Read to me (Space), or read it yourself and turn pages with the arrow keys or a tap. Pick the Pace that suits the class.
- After the last page the questions come up on the screen. The same questions are below, with what to listen for.
About this book
- Level 7, Grade 2
- 10 pages, 177 words, about a minute aloud
- A true book, gentle
Related
About Why Does Ice Float?
A 177-word explanation that starts with an ice cube in a glass and ends with fish under a frozen pond. Each paragraph answers a question the one before raised, so it models how an explanation is built, and the last sentence hands the class a question to answer themselves.
Tim drops an ice cube in his glass and it floats. Why? And what does floating ice do for the fish in a winter pond?
Before you read
Put an ice cube in a clear cup of water, or ask the class to picture one. Ask whether it sinks or floats and why, and write the guesses to check at the end.
Words to preview
- float (FLOHT)
- stay on top
- pattern (PAT-urn)
- a repeating shape
- gaps
- empty spaces
- lid
- top cover
- pond
- small lake
Questions to talk about
- What does Tim notice about the ice cube, and why is it strange?Listen for: It floats, with about a tenth sticking out. Most things that freeze get heavier and sink, and water is different.
- Why does ice float, according to the book?Listen for: When water freezes the tiny bits line up in a pattern that leaves little gaps, which spread the bits apart, so ice is a little lighter than water.
- What does the ice on a winter pond do for the fish?Listen for: It floats like a lid and stops the pond from freezing from the bottom up, so the water under it stays liquid and the fish live there all winter.
- The book ends by asking what would happen to a pond if ice sank. How would you answer?Listen for: Listen for the lid paragraph used backward: with no lid, the pond could freeze from the bottom up.
- How could you check at home or in class that ice floats?Listen for: Put cubes in a glass of water and watch where they sit, and notice how much of each is above the water.
Questions
How long does Why Does Ice Float? take to read aloud?
It has 10 pages and 177 words, so about a minute at the Steady pace and a little less at Quick. If you stop to talk on the way, plan for more.
What reading level is Why Does Ice Float??
Level 7, Grade 2. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 7 sits at grade 2. A level is a guide for choosing, so look at the pages yourself.
Whose voice is it?
Your browser's own. Read to me uses a speaking voice already on the computer, so it sounds like that computer and works without a sign-in. Voices differ: some light each word as it is spoken, and some do not, in which case the highlight follows a steady pace instead. Some browsers use an online voice; if yours does, the browser, not us, sends the words of the page to its speech service. If no voice is installed, turn the pages and read it aloud yourself.
Do students need an account?
No. Nothing is asked of anyone and nothing is sent to us. Project the page, or share the link and let students open it on their own screens.
Where does this book come from?
It was written for Peabody's library as a true book. It is not copied from a textbook or another site.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. The voice is your browser's own. No sign-in, no ads.