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Ferdie Fox and the Echo That Talked Back

2nd grade fiction passage about a fox who argues with an echo: 122 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

2nd grade fiction a fox who argues with an echo 122 words

Ferdie Fox and the Echo That Talked Back

Ferdie Fox stood at the edge of a deep canyon. "Hello!" he shouted.

"Hello," said a voice from far away.

"Who are you?" asked Ferdie.

"Who are you?" said the voice.

Ferdie frowned. "I asked first!"

"I asked first," said the voice.

Ferdie grew very cross. "You copycat!" he yelled.

"You copycat!" the voice yelled back.

Ferdie stomped his foot. A big bird watched from a tree. "Dear fox," said the bird, "that is only an echo. Sound bounces off the rocks and comes back to you."

Ferdie blinked. Then he shouted, "You are a nice echo!"

"You are a nice echo!" came the answer. Ferdie laughed. He had made a new friend, even if the friend only said his own words.

Questions

  1. Where did Ferdie Fox stand? in the text

  2. What did the voice say when Ferdie said hello? in the text

  3. Who explained the echo to Ferdie? in the text

  4. According to the bird, what is an echo? in the text

  5. Why did Ferdie think the voice was a copycat? think about it

Words to know

canyon
a deep valley with steep rock sides
echo
a sound that bounces back so you hear it again
cross
a little bit angry
stomped
stepped down hard and loudly
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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 · 113 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.7

Ferdie Fox stood at the edge of a deep canyon. "Hello!" he shouted.

"Hello," said a voice far away.

"Who are you?" asked Ferdie.

"Who are you?" said the voice.

Ferdie frowned. "I asked first!"

"I asked first," said the voice.

Ferdie was cross. "You copycat!" he yelled.

"You copycat!" the voice yelled back.

Ferdie stomped his foot. A big bird sat in a tree. "Dear fox," said the bird, "that is an echo. Sound hits the rocks and comes back to you."

Ferdie blinked. He shouted, "You are a nice echo!"

"You are a nice echo!" came back. Ferdie laughed. He had a new friend, even if it said only his words.

▲ This passage · 122 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.1

Ferdie Fox stood at the edge of a deep canyon. "Hello!" he shouted.

"Hello," said a voice from far away.

"Who are you?" asked Ferdie.

"Who are you?" said the voice.

Ferdie frowned. "I asked first!"

"I asked first," said the voice.

Ferdie grew very cross. "You copycat!" he yelled.

"You copycat!" the voice yelled back.

Ferdie stomped his foot. A big bird watched from a tree. "Dear fox," said the bird, "that is only an echo. Sound bounces off the rocks and comes back to you."

Ferdie blinked. Then he shouted, "You are a nice echo!"

"You are a nice echo!" came the answer. Ferdie laughed. He had made a new friend, even if the friend only said his own words.

■ Harder · 144 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.3

Ferdie Fox stood at the very edge of a deep, wide canyon. "Hello!" he shouted across the empty space.

"Hello," replied a voice from far away.

"Who are you?" asked Ferdie.

"Who are you?" said the voice.

Ferdie frowned. "I asked you first!"

"I asked you first," said the voice.

Ferdie grew extremely cross. "You are a copycat!" he yelled.

"You are a copycat!" the voice yelled right back.

Ferdie stomped his foot in frustration. A large bird watched him from a nearby tree. "My dear fox," said the bird, "that is only an echo. Sound bounces off the rocky walls and returns to your ears."

Ferdie blinked. Then he shouted, "You are a very nice echo!"

"You are a very nice echo!" came the answer. Ferdie laughed. He had made a new friend, even though the friend could only repeat his own words.

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 canyon, echo, cross and stomped 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 "Ferdie Fox and the Echo That Talked Back"?

It was written for 2nd grade. It has 122 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.1. 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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