1st grade fiction passage about an otter tells the truth: 102 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
1st gradefictionan otter tells the truth102 words
The Otter Who Kept the Wrong Rock
Olive the otter had a flat rock. She used it to crack shells. It was her best tool.
One day Olive found a rock by the river. It looked just like hers. She took it home. But when she tried it, the rock had a mark on it. It was not her rock. It was Otto's rock.
Olive felt a pinch in her tummy. She did not want to give it up. But she knew it was not hers.
She took it back to Otto. "I got your rock by mistake," she said. Otto grinned. "Thank you for telling me," he said.
Questions
What did Olive use her flat rock for? in the text
Where did Olive find the other rock? in the text
Whose rock was it? in the text
What did Olive do with the rock? in the text
Why did Olive feel a pinch in her tummy? think about it
Words to know
otter
a furry animal that swims and plays in rivers
crack
to break open
mistake
something you do by accident that is not right
grin
to smile in a big way
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
The Otter Who Kept the Wrong Rock
1st grade reading passage
Olive the otter had a flat rock. She used it to crack shells. It was her best tool.
One day Olive found a rock by the river. It looked just like hers. She took it home. But when she tried it, the rock had a mark on it. It was not her rock. It was Otto's rock.
Olive felt a pinch in her tummy. She did not want to give it up. But she knew it was not hers.
She took it back to Otto. "I got your rock by mistake," she said. Otto grinned. "Thank you for telling me," he said.
Questions
What did Olive use her flat rock for?
Where did Olive find the other rock?
Whose rock was it?
What did Olive do with the rock?
Why did Olive feel a pinch in her tummy?
Words to know
otter: a furry animal that swims and plays in rivers
crack: to break open
mistake: something you do by accident that is not right
grin: to smile in a big way
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/1/the-otter-who-kept-the-wrong-rock
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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 · 84 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.5
Olive the otter had a flat rock. She used it to crack shells. It was her best tool.
One day she found a rock by the river. It looked like hers. She took it home. It had a mark on it. It was not her rock. It was Otto's rock.
Olive felt a pinch in her tummy. She did not want to give it up. But it was not hers.
She took it back. "I got your rock by mistake," she said. Otto grinned.
▲ This passage · 102 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0
Olive the otter had a flat rock. She used it to crack shells. It was her best tool.
One day Olive found a rock by the river. It looked just like hers. She took it home. But when she tried it, the rock had a mark on it. It was not her rock. It was Otto's rock.
Olive felt a pinch in her tummy. She did not want to give it up. But she knew it was not hers.
She took it back to Otto. "I got your rock by mistake," she said. Otto grinned. "Thank you for telling me," he said.
■ Harder · 113 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3
Olive the otter owned a flat rock that she used to crack open shells. It was her very best tool.
One afternoon Olive spotted a rock beside the river that looked exactly like hers. She carried it home, but when she tried it, she noticed a small mark on its side. It was not her rock after all. It belonged to Otto.
Olive felt a pinch in her tummy. She did not want to give it up, but she knew that it was not hers to keep.
She returned it to Otto right away. "I took your rock by mistake," she admitted. Otto grinned and said, "Thank you for telling me the truth."
Olive the otter had a flat rock. She used it to crack shells. It was her best tool.
One day she found a rock by the river. It looked like hers. She took it home. It had a mark on it. It was not her rock. It was Otto's rock.
Olive felt a pinch in her tummy. She did not want to give it up. But it was not hers.
She took it back. "I got your rock by mistake," she said. Otto grinned.
Questions
What did Olive use her rock for?
Where did Olive find the other rock?
Whose rock was it?
What did Olive do with the rock?
Why did Olive feel a pinch in her tummy?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
The Otter Who Kept the Wrong Rock
Olive the otter had a flat rock. She used it to crack shells. It was her best tool.
One day Olive found a rock by the river. It looked just like hers. She took it home. But when she tried it, the rock had a mark on it. It was not her rock. It was Otto's rock.
Olive felt a pinch in her tummy. She did not want to give it up. But she knew it was not hers.
She took it back to Otto. "I got your rock by mistake," she said. Otto grinned. "Thank you for telling me," he said.
Questions
What did Olive use her flat rock for?
Where did Olive find the other rock?
Whose rock was it?
What did Olive do with the rock?
Why did Olive feel a pinch in her tummy?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
The Otter Who Kept the Wrong Rock
Olive the otter owned a flat rock that she used to crack open shells. It was her very best tool.
One afternoon Olive spotted a rock beside the river that looked exactly like hers. She carried it home, but when she tried it, she noticed a small mark on its side. It was not her rock after all. It belonged to Otto.
Olive felt a pinch in her tummy. She did not want to give it up, but she knew that it was not hers to keep.
She returned it to Otto right away. "I took your rock by mistake," she admitted. Otto grinned and said, "Thank you for telling me the truth."
Questions
What did Olive use her flat rock to do?
Where did Olive spot the other rock?
Who did the rock belong to?
What did Olive do with the rock?
Why did Olive feel a pinch in her tummy?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: The Otter Who Kept the Wrong Rock
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.5)
To crack shells.
By the river.
Otto's rock.
She took it back to Otto.
She did not want to give it up, but it was not hers.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0)
To crack shells.
By the river.
Otto's rock.
She took it back to Otto.
She did not want to give the rock up, but she knew it was not hers.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3)
To crack open shells.
Beside the river.
Otto.
She returned it to Otto right away.
She did not want to give the rock up, but she knew it was not hers to keep.
Free at teach.peabody.kids
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 otter, crack, mistake and grin on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the story 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 about 1 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 retell the story in three sentences: how it began, what the problem was, and how it ended.
Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.
What reading level is "The Otter Who Kept the Wrong Rock"?
It was written for 1st grade. It has 102 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?
About 1 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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