2nd grade fluency passages with word counts

Grade 2 · printable

Four original passages for one-minute oral reading checks in 2nd grade: two stories and two informational texts. Each one shows its word count and Flesch-Kincaid grade, and every passage is longer than the 2nd grade spring 90th-percentile score (148 WCPM, Hasbrouck & Tindal 2017), so even a strong reader is still reading when the minute ends.

These are original practice passages, not passages from a published screener, so treat a score as a check-in rather than a diagnosis.

• 4 passages
• 163–169 words each
• Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.0–2.4

The student copy is the passage alone, in large type with no numbers. The examiner copy adds a running word count at the end of each line, the 2nd grade Hasbrouck & Tindal (2017) benchmarks, and a words-read-minus-errors scoring box.

Print one passage or all four, and pick Save as PDF in your browser's print dialog to keep a copy.

• Narrative
• 169 words
• Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.3

Focus: Descriptive details and character actions

A jar of spare buttons rattled when Ella tipped it onto the table. Her aunt was fixing a coat and needed one large brown button. While her aunt searched, Ella sorted the rest into small cups. Shiny ones went in one cup. Striped ones went in the next. Soon she had a button shop, with a paper sign and a row of shelves. Her aunt was the first to shop. She chose the brown button and paid with a paper coin. Then her little brother brought over his toy rabbit. It had lost a button eye. They searched the cups for one just like the eye that was left. There were green ones, square ones, and one shaped like a fish. None was a match. Her brother picked the fish anyway. Their aunt sewed it on while they watched. Now the rabbit seemed to be winking. Before closing her shop, Ella made one more sign. This one had a picture of a rabbit with a fish for an eye.

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• Narrative
• 167 words
• Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1

Focus: Sequence words and clear phrasing

The picnic basket was packed, but Grandpa had not arrived. While his mother waited at the park gate, Max drew a map to their blanket. He drew the pond, the swings, and the path between them. He marked a tall tree with a star. Then he gave the map to his mother and ran back to help spread the blanket. A little later, Grandpa came down the path, studying the paper. He passed the pond and waved at the swings. Then he stopped under a tall tree. It was the wrong tree! From the blanket, Max could spot three trees that looked almost the same. He hurried over and led Grandpa to the picnic. After lunch, they walked the route together. This time, Max added the things he had missed. A low branch bent over the path. A stone bench stood near their tree. He drew both on the map. Grandpa folded it and tucked it into his pocket. Next time, he wanted to lead the way.

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• Informational
• 163 words
• Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.0

Focus: Comparisons and plant vocabulary

A plant stays in one place, but its seeds can travel far. Moving away gives a seed a chance to grow where there is more room. Some seeds ride on the wind. A dandelion seed hangs below a tuft of soft hairs. When a breeze lifts the tuft, the seed drifts along under it. A maple seed has a thin wing. It spins as it falls, which helps keep it in the air. Other seeds get a ride from animals. A burr has small hooks that catch on fur. It may stay there for a long walk before it drops off. Burrs can cling to socks, too. Birds carry seeds in a different way. A bird eats a juicy berry and flies off. Some of the seeds pass through its body and land in a new spot in its droppings. A seed still needs the right place and enough water to grow. Getting a ride is only the first part of its trip.

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• Informational
• 167 words
• Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.4

Focus: Sound vocabulary and cause and effect

Tap a drum, and a sound fills the room. What makes that sound? The top of many drums is a thin sheet pulled tight across a hollow shell. This part is called the drumhead. When a hand or a stick hits it, the sheet bends and springs back. It keeps moving back and forth very fast. This is called a vibration. The moving drumhead pushes on the air beside it. Those pushes pass through the air until they reach your ears. You hear them as sound. It can be hard to spot the drumhead moving because it moves so fast. But you can often feel it. Rest a fingertip on a drumhead just after someone taps it. It may feel as if it is buzzing. Press a hand flat against it, and the sound becomes shorter. Your hand stops much of the movement. The drum is quiet again until the next tap. A small change that you can barely see can make a sound you cannot miss.

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Words correct per minute (WCPM) is the number of words a student reads in 60 seconds, minus errors. A typical 2nd grade reader, the 50th percentile in Hasbrouck & Tindal (2017), scores about 50 WCPM in fall, 84 in winter, and 100 in spring.

• See the full 2nd grade benchmark table
• How WCPM is scored

Students read a passage aloud on any device, the WCPM is scored for you, and every error is reviewable. Free for your whole class: up to 25 students and unlimited assessments, no credit card.

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• 1st grade fluency passages
• 3rd grade fluency passages
• 4th grade fluency passages
• 5th grade fluency passages
• All grades on one page

Hasbrouck & Tindal (2017) WCPM norms start in 1st grade, so kindergarten has no timed passages. Kindergarten reading level