Skip to the content
Peabody TeachFor teachers and grown-ups

The Parrot Who Could Not Keep a Secret

1st grade fiction passage about a parrot repeats a secret: 101 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

1st grade fiction a parrot repeats a secret 101 words

The Parrot Who Could Not Keep a Secret

Polly the parrot could copy any word she heard. She thought it was fun.

One day Mimi the mouse said, "I am planning a party for Ben. Please keep it a secret." "I will!" said Polly.

But Polly was in the tree when Ben walked by. She said, in Mimi's voice, "A party for Ben!" Ben stopped. "What party?" he asked.

Mimi was upset. Polly felt bad. "I am sorry," she said. "I will think before I talk."

Mimi forgave her. Polly helped hang the paper stars. Ben was still glad for his party, and he gave Polly a big hug.

Questions

  1. What could Polly the parrot do? in the text

  2. Who was the party for? in the text

  3. What did Mimi ask Polly to do? in the text

  4. How did Polly help at the end? in the text

  5. Why was Mimi upset? think about it

Words to know

parrot
a bright bird that can copy words
secret
something you do not tell other people
upset
unhappy about something
forgave
to stop being mad at someone
Share

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 · 65 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.3

Polly the parrot could copy words. It was fun.

Mimi the mouse said, "I have a party for Ben. Keep it a secret." "I will!" said Polly.

But Ben came by the tree. Polly said, "A party for Ben!" Ben stopped. "What party?" he said.

Mimi was upset. Polly felt bad. "I am sorry," she said. Mimi forgave her. Polly hung up the paper stars.

▲ This passage · 101 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.4

Polly the parrot could copy any word she heard. She thought it was fun.

One day Mimi the mouse said, "I am planning a party for Ben. Please keep it a secret." "I will!" said Polly.

But Polly was in the tree when Ben walked by. She said, in Mimi's voice, "A party for Ben!" Ben stopped. "What party?" he asked.

Mimi was upset. Polly felt bad. "I am sorry," she said. "I will think before I talk."

Mimi forgave her. Polly helped hang the paper stars. Ben was still glad for his party, and he gave Polly a big hug.

■ Harder · 105 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4

Polly the parrot could copy any word that she heard, and she thought it was great fun.

One day Mimi the mouse confided, "I am planning a surprise party for Ben. Please keep it a secret." "I promise!" said Polly.

Unfortunately, Polly was sitting in the tree when Ben strolled past. She repeated, in Mimi's voice, "A party for Ben!" Ben stopped and asked, "What party?"

Mimi was upset, and Polly felt terrible. "I am truly sorry," she said. "From now on, I will think before I talk."

Mimi forgave her, and Polly helped hang the paper stars. Ben was still glad about his party.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put parrot, secret, upset and forgave 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.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "The Parrot Who Could Not Keep a Secret"?

It was written for 1st grade. It has 101 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.4. 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.

Nothing you do here is sent to us. No sign-in, no ads.