1st grade fiction passage about a ticking toolbox: 98 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
1st gradefictiona ticking toolbox98 words
The Tick in Dad's Toolbox
Jo sat in the garage. She heard a sound. Tick, tick, tick.
It came from Dad's toolbox. Jo did not know what it was. She tapped the lid. Tick, tick, tick.
Jo lifted the lid. She moved a hammer. She moved a roll of tape. Under the tape was a round white timer. It was still ticking!
Then it went ring! Jo jumped, and then she laughed.
Dad came in. "Oh, I used that timer for the glue," he said. "I forgot to turn it off." Jo turned the dial back to zero. Now the garage was quiet.
Questions
Where was Jo sitting? in the text
What sound did Jo hear? in the text
What did Jo find under the tape? in the text
What did Dad use the timer for? in the text
Why did the timer go ring? think about it
Words to know
garage
a building or room for a car and tools
toolbox
a box that holds tools
timer
a clock that rings after some time
dial
a round knob you turn
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
The Tick in Dad's Toolbox
1st grade reading passage
Jo sat in the garage. She heard a sound. Tick, tick, tick.
It came from Dad's toolbox. Jo did not know what it was. She tapped the lid. Tick, tick, tick.
Jo lifted the lid. She moved a hammer. She moved a roll of tape. Under the tape was a round white timer. It was still ticking!
Then it went ring! Jo jumped, and then she laughed.
Dad came in. "Oh, I used that timer for the glue," he said. "I forgot to turn it off." Jo turned the dial back to zero. Now the garage was quiet.
Questions
Where was Jo sitting?
What sound did Jo hear?
What did Jo find under the tape?
What did Dad use the timer for?
Why did the timer go ring?
Words to know
garage: a building or room for a car and tools
toolbox: a box that holds tools
timer: a clock that rings after some time
dial: a round knob you turn
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/1/tick-in-dads-toolbox
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 · 83 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.4
Jo sat in the garage. She heard a sound. Tick, tick, tick.
It came from Dad's toolbox. Jo tapped the lid. Tick, tick, tick.
Jo lifted the lid. She moved a hammer. She moved the tape. Under it was a round white timer. It was still ticking!
Then it went ring! Jo jumped. Then she laughed.
Dad came in. "I used it for the glue," he said. "I forgot to turn it off." Jo turned the dial to zero. The garage was quiet.
▲ This passage · 98 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.2
Jo sat in the garage. She heard a sound. Tick, tick, tick.
It came from Dad's toolbox. Jo did not know what it was. She tapped the lid. Tick, tick, tick.
Jo lifted the lid. She moved a hammer. She moved a roll of tape. Under the tape was a round white timer. It was still ticking!
Then it went ring! Jo jumped, and then she laughed.
Dad came in. "Oh, I used that timer for the glue," he said. "I forgot to turn it off." Jo turned the dial back to zero. Now the garage was quiet.
■ Harder · 112 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.9
Jo was sitting quietly in the garage when she heard a mysterious sound. Tick, tick, tick.
It was coming from inside Dad's toolbox. Jo was not sure what it could be, so she tapped on the lid. Tick, tick, tick.
Carefully, Jo lifted the lid and moved aside a hammer and a roll of tape. Underneath was a round white timer, and it was still ticking!
Suddenly it went ring! Jo jumped in surprise, and then she burst out laughing.
Dad walked in. "I used that timer while the glue dried," he said. "I forgot to switch it off." Jo turned the dial back to zero, and the garage was peaceful again.
Jo sat in the garage. She heard a sound. Tick, tick, tick.
It came from Dad's toolbox. Jo tapped the lid. Tick, tick, tick.
Jo lifted the lid. She moved a hammer. She moved the tape. Under it was a round white timer. It was still ticking!
Then it went ring! Jo jumped. Then she laughed.
Dad came in. "I used it for the glue," he said. "I forgot to turn it off." Jo turned the dial to zero. The garage was quiet.
Questions
Where was Jo sitting?
What sound did Jo hear?
What was under the tape?
What did Dad use the timer for?
Why did the timer go ring?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
The Tick in Dad's Toolbox
Jo sat in the garage. She heard a sound. Tick, tick, tick.
It came from Dad's toolbox. Jo did not know what it was. She tapped the lid. Tick, tick, tick.
Jo lifted the lid. She moved a hammer. She moved a roll of tape. Under the tape was a round white timer. It was still ticking!
Then it went ring! Jo jumped, and then she laughed.
Dad came in. "Oh, I used that timer for the glue," he said. "I forgot to turn it off." Jo turned the dial back to zero. Now the garage was quiet.
Questions
Where was Jo sitting?
What sound did Jo hear?
What did Jo find under the tape?
What did Dad use the timer for?
Why did the timer go ring?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
The Tick in Dad's Toolbox
Jo was sitting quietly in the garage when she heard a mysterious sound. Tick, tick, tick.
It was coming from inside Dad's toolbox. Jo was not sure what it could be, so she tapped on the lid. Tick, tick, tick.
Carefully, Jo lifted the lid and moved aside a hammer and a roll of tape. Underneath was a round white timer, and it was still ticking!
Suddenly it went ring! Jo jumped in surprise, and then she burst out laughing.
Dad walked in. "I used that timer while the glue dried," he said. "I forgot to switch it off." Jo turned the dial back to zero, and the garage was peaceful again.
Questions
Where was Jo sitting when she heard the sound?
What sound did Jo hear?
What was hidden under the tape?
What had Dad used the timer for?
Why did the timer suddenly ring?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: The Tick in Dad's Toolbox
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.4)
In the garage.
Tick, tick, tick.
A round white timer.
To time the glue.
Its time was up.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.2)
In the garage.
Tick, tick, tick.
A round white timer.
To time the glue.
The time ran out, and it was done counting.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.9)
In the garage.
Tick, tick, tick.
A round white timer.
To time how long the glue took to dry.
The time it was set for had run out.
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 garage, toolbox, timer and dial 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 Tick in Dad's Toolbox"?
It was written for 1st grade. It has 98 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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