1st grade fiction passage about a shoe mix-up: 98 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
1st gradefictiona shoe mix-up98 words
Two Left Shoes for Mr. Gruff
Mr. Gruff got new shoes at the shop. He put them on and went for a walk.
Step, step, trip! He fell on the grass. Step, step, trip! He fell again.
"These shoes are silly," said Mr. Gruff. "They want to go in a circle!"
A girl named Pat looked at his feet. "Mr. Gruff, you have two left shoes," she said.
Mr. Gruff looked down. She was right! He went back to the shop. The man gave him a right shoe. Now Mr. Gruff could walk in a straight line, and he gave Pat a big smile.
Questions
Where did Mr. Gruff get his new shoes? in the text
What happened when Mr. Gruff walked? in the text
Who saw the problem with the shoes? in the text
What did the shop man give Mr. Gruff? in the text
Why did the shoes make Mr. Gruff walk in a circle? think about it
Words to know
shoes
things you wear on your feet
silly
funny in a goofy way
circle
a round shape
straight
going one way, with no bends
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Two Left Shoes for Mr. Gruff
1st grade reading passage
Mr. Gruff got new shoes at the shop. He put them on and went for a walk.
Step, step, trip! He fell on the grass. Step, step, trip! He fell again.
"These shoes are silly," said Mr. Gruff. "They want to go in a circle!"
A girl named Pat looked at his feet. "Mr. Gruff, you have two left shoes," she said.
Mr. Gruff looked down. She was right! He went back to the shop. The man gave him a right shoe. Now Mr. Gruff could walk in a straight line, and he gave Pat a big smile.
Questions
Where did Mr. Gruff get his new shoes?
What happened when Mr. Gruff walked?
Who saw the problem with the shoes?
What did the shop man give Mr. Gruff?
Why did the shoes make Mr. Gruff walk in a circle?
Words to know
shoes: things you wear on your feet
silly: funny in a goofy way
circle: a round shape
straight: going one way, with no bends
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/1/two-left-shoes-for-mr-gruff
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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 · 74 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -1.1
Mr. Gruff got new shoes. He put them on and went for a walk.
Step, step, trip! He fell on the grass. Step, step, trip! He fell again.
"These shoes are silly," he said.
A girl named Pat looked at his feet. "You have two left shoes," she said.
He went back to the shop. The man gave him a right shoe. Now Mr. Gruff could walk well. He gave Pat a big smile.
▲ This passage · 98 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.8
Mr. Gruff got new shoes at the shop. He put them on and went for a walk.
Step, step, trip! He fell on the grass. Step, step, trip! He fell again.
"These shoes are silly," said Mr. Gruff. "They want to go in a circle!"
A girl named Pat looked at his feet. "Mr. Gruff, you have two left shoes," she said.
Mr. Gruff looked down. She was right! He went back to the shop. The man gave him a right shoe. Now Mr. Gruff could walk in a straight line, and he gave Pat a big smile.
■ Harder · 123 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.6
Mr. Gruff bought a brand new pair of shoes at the shoe shop. He put them on right away and set off for a long walk through the park.
Step, step, trip! He tumbled onto the grass. Step, step, trip! He tumbled down once more.
"These shoes are very silly," grumbled Mr. Gruff. "They seem to want to walk in a circle!"
A girl named Pat looked carefully at his feet. "Mr. Gruff, you are wearing two left shoes," she told him.
Mr. Gruff looked down, and she was absolutely right! He marched back to the shop, where the shopkeeper handed him a right shoe. At last Mr. Gruff could walk in a straight line, and he gave Pat a very big smile.
Mr. Gruff got new shoes. He put them on and went for a walk.
Step, step, trip! He fell on the grass. Step, step, trip! He fell again.
"These shoes are silly," he said.
A girl named Pat looked at his feet. "You have two left shoes," she said.
He went back to the shop. The man gave him a right shoe. Now Mr. Gruff could walk well. He gave Pat a big smile.
Questions
Where did Mr. Gruff get his shoes?
What happened when he walked?
Who saw the problem?
What did the shop man give him?
Why did Mr. Gruff keep falling?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Two Left Shoes for Mr. Gruff
Mr. Gruff got new shoes at the shop. He put them on and went for a walk.
Step, step, trip! He fell on the grass. Step, step, trip! He fell again.
"These shoes are silly," said Mr. Gruff. "They want to go in a circle!"
A girl named Pat looked at his feet. "Mr. Gruff, you have two left shoes," she said.
Mr. Gruff looked down. She was right! He went back to the shop. The man gave him a right shoe. Now Mr. Gruff could walk in a straight line, and he gave Pat a big smile.
Questions
Where did Mr. Gruff get his new shoes?
What happened when Mr. Gruff walked?
Who saw the problem with the shoes?
What did the shop man give Mr. Gruff?
Why did the shoes make Mr. Gruff walk in a circle?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Two Left Shoes for Mr. Gruff
Mr. Gruff bought a brand new pair of shoes at the shoe shop. He put them on right away and set off for a long walk through the park.
Step, step, trip! He tumbled onto the grass. Step, step, trip! He tumbled down once more.
"These shoes are very silly," grumbled Mr. Gruff. "They seem to want to walk in a circle!"
A girl named Pat looked carefully at his feet. "Mr. Gruff, you are wearing two left shoes," she told him.
Mr. Gruff looked down, and she was absolutely right! He marched back to the shop, where the shopkeeper handed him a right shoe. At last Mr. Gruff could walk in a straight line, and he gave Pat a very big smile.
Questions
Where did Mr. Gruff buy his new shoes?
What kept happening each time Mr. Gruff took steps?
Who noticed the problem with his shoes?
What did the shopkeeper hand Mr. Gruff?
Why did the shoes make Mr. Gruff stumble and want to walk in a circle?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Two Left Shoes for Mr. Gruff
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade -1.1)
He got them at the shop.
He fell on the grass.
A girl named Pat.
A right shoe.
He had two left shoes, so they did not fit right.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.8)
He got them at the shop.
He kept falling on the grass.
A girl named Pat.
A right shoe.
Both shoes were for the left foot, so they did not fit right.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.6)
He bought them at the shoe shop.
He tumbled onto the grass.
A girl named Pat noticed it.
A right shoe.
Both shoes were made for the left foot, so they did not fit properly.
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 shoes, silly, circle and straight 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 "Two Left Shoes for Mr. Gruff"?
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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