The Sun Is a Star
Nell sits in the sand. Ouch! It is hot!
What made the sand so hot? Look up!
It is the sun! The sun gives us light and heat.
Here is a big secret. The sun is a star!
It is the star that is the closest to us.
It looks small. That is because it is far, far away.
Drive a car to the sun? You would be old, old, old!
The sun is big, too. A million Earths could fit in it!
Plants need the sun to grow. So do we!
Do not look right at the sun. It can hurt your eyes.
The Earth spins like a top. That makes day and night.
Night comes. Nell looks up at the stars.
Many stars are suns, too. They are just very far away.
Nell waves. "Hello, far-away suns!"
Then she gets into bed. The sun comes back in the morning.
Questions
- The moon
- The sun
- The sea
- star
- cloud
- planet
- It is tiny
- It is a moon
- It is far away
- Wave at stars
- Look right at the sun
- Sit in the sand
- The Earth spins
- The sun goes out
- The moon hides the sun
- very loud
- a long way off
- very hot
Words to know
- sun: our star
- star: faraway sun
- heat: warmth
- far: long way off
- light: helps us see
Answer key: The Sun Is a Star
- B. The sun
- A. star
- C. It is far away
- B. Look right at the sun
- A. The Earth spins
- B. a long way off
The story in pictures
- Part One · Our Star
- Part Two · Far-Away Suns
For the teacher: how this passage is levelled
“The Sun Is a Star” is a reading level 5 story. Every Peabody story at this level is written and checked to keep sentences to 10 words or fewer, to aim at an average of 5 words a sentence, and to show 1 to 12 words on a screen. At most 6% of its words may be off the familiar-word list. Children in 2nd grade start at this level.
| This passage | 151 words, 15 screens, 6 multiple-choice questions with an answer key, and 5 vocabulary words with kid-sized meanings |
|---|---|
| Longest sentence at this level | 10 words |
| Words on a screen | 1 to 12 |
| Skills practised at this level | phonics (sounding words out), first sounds, sight words |
Reading level 5: the limits, a real sample and the free games. Peabody is a learning app, not an assessment: use the questions to talk about the story, not to grade a child.