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Why Does Ice Float?: reading passage and questions

A free printable nonfiction reading passage, written at a grade 2 reading level (Peabody level 7, where 3rd grade readers start; 177 words) with 5 comprehension questions and an answer key. No sign-up.

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Why Does Ice Float?

Tim drops an ice cube into his glass. It does not sink. It floats on top of the water.

That seems strange. Most things that freeze get heavier and sink. Water is different.

Water is made of tiny, tiny bits. When water freezes, the bits line up in a pattern. The pattern leaves little gaps.

The gaps spread the bits apart. So ice is a little lighter than water. And lighter things float.

Tim looks closely. About a tenth of the cube sticks out. The rest hides below.

Now think of a pond in winter. The weather turns very cold. Ice begins to form on top of the water.

The ice floats there like a lid. It stops the pond from freezing from the bottom up.

Under the lid, fish live all winter. They swim slowly, and they do not eat much. The water under the lid stays liquid.

Tim taps his glass and grins. "My ice cube is a little lid!"

Here is a question for dinner. What would happen to a pond if ice sank?

Questions

1. What does an ice cube do in a glass of water?
  1. It turns red
  2. It floats
  3. It sinks
2. Why is ice lighter than the same chunk of water?
  1. Its pattern leaves gaps
  2. It is warmer
  3. It is clear
3. How much of the cube sticks up?
  1. About half
  2. All of it
  3. About a tenth
4. In this book, the ice on a pond is like a ...
  1. rug
  2. lid
  3. bridge
5. Why do fish stay alive in a frozen pond?
  1. The ice lid stops the pond freezing from the bottom
  2. They sleep on land
  3. The ice is warm

Words to know

  • float: stay on top
  • pattern: a repeating shape
  • gaps: empty spaces
  • lid: top cover
  • pond: small lake

Answer key: Why Does Ice Float?

  1. B. It floats
  2. A. Its pattern leaves gaps
  3. C. About a tenth
  4. B. lid
  5. A. The ice lid stops the pond freezing from the bottom
For teachers: standards and questions with an answer key

Common Core standards

  • RI.2.1 · Grade 2 · Key details and evidence in an information text. Asks and answers who, what, why and how questions about key details in an information text, such as why ice floats.
  • RI.2.3 · Grade 2 · Connections between people, events, ideas or steps. Asks the child to explain how ideas connect: how the gaps in ice make it lighter and why that helps a pond.

All the Common Core reading standards, and the pages that work toward each

Right there (The answer is stated in the book.)

  1. What happens when Tim drops an ice cube into his glass?
    Show answerIt does not sink. It floats on top of the water. The book says: “It does not sink. It floats on top of the water.”
  2. Why does ice float on water?
    Show answerIce is a little lighter than water, and lighter things float. The book says: “So ice is a little lighter than water. And lighter things float.”

Think and search (Put clues from the book together.)

  1. How does ice on top of a pond help the fish in winter?
    Show answerThe ice is a lid that stops the pond from freezing from the bottom up, so the water under it stays liquid and the fish can live there. The book says: “It stops the pond from freezing from the bottom up.”
  2. What makes ice lighter than water?
    Show answerWhen water freezes, its tiny bits line up in a pattern with gaps, and the gaps spread the bits apart. The book says: “The pattern leaves little gaps.”

On my own (Use the book to think further.)

  1. The book asks what would happen to a pond if ice sank. What do you think, using what you read?
    Show answerAnswers will vary. A good answer: the pond could freeze from the bottom up, which would be bad for the fish. The book says: “What would happen to a pond if ice sank?”

Written and checked by hand against the book. Standards codes are the Common Core’s own; the lines are ours.

For the teacher: how this passage is levelled

“Why Does Ice Float?” is a reading level 7 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 6 words a sentence, and to show 12 to 30 words on a screen. At most 8% of its words may be off the familiar-word list. Children in 3rd grade start at this level.

This passage177 words, 10 screens, 5 multiple-choice questions with an answer key, and 5 vocabulary words with kid-sized meanings
Longest sentence at this level10 words
Words on a screen12 to 30
Skills practised at this levelphonics (sounding words out), sight words, spelling

Reading level 7: 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.

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