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Grandpa's Thumbs Are Too Big

2nd grade fiction passage about teaching grandpa to use a phone: 142 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

2nd grade fiction teaching grandpa to use a phone 142 words

Grandpa's Thumbs Are Too Big

Grandpa got a new phone. He wanted to send a message to Ben. But his thumbs were big, and the letters were small.

"Hello Ben," Grandpa tried to type. The phone said, "Hippo bun."

Ben read it and laughed. Then he stopped laughing. Grandpa looked sad. His big thumbs hung in the air.

"I am no good at this," said Grandpa.

Ben sat down beside him. "You are good at lots of things," he said. "You can fix a bike and bake a pie. This is just new."

He showed Grandpa a tiny picture of a microphone. "Tap here and talk. The phone will type for you."

Grandpa tapped. "Hello, Ben," he said, loud and clear. The words showed up just right.

"Hippo bun," said Ben, grinning, "is my new favorite name for you."

Grandpa chuckled all the way to the kitchen.

Questions

  1. Why was it hard for Grandpa to type? in the text

  2. What did the phone type instead of Hello Ben? in the text

  3. What two things could Grandpa already do well? in the text

  4. How did Ben help Grandpa send a message? in the text

  5. Why did Ben stop laughing? think about it

Words to know

thumbs
the short, thick fingers on each hand
microphone
a tool that picks up your voice
grinning
smiling with a wide, happy face
chuckled
laughed in a soft, quiet way
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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 · 99 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.2

Grandpa got a new phone. He wanted to send a message to Ben. But his thumbs were big. The letters were small.

"Hello Ben," Grandpa typed. The phone said, "Hippo bun."

Ben laughed. Then he stopped. Grandpa looked sad.

"I am no good at this," said Grandpa.

Ben sat beside him. "You can fix a bike. You can bake a pie. This is just new."

He showed Grandpa a picture of a microphone. "Tap here and talk."

Grandpa tapped. "Hello, Ben," he said. The words were right.

"Hippo bun," said Ben, "is my new name for you."

Grandpa chuckled.

▲ This passage · 142 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.7

Grandpa got a new phone. He wanted to send a message to Ben. But his thumbs were big, and the letters were small.

"Hello Ben," Grandpa tried to type. The phone said, "Hippo bun."

Ben read it and laughed. Then he stopped laughing. Grandpa looked sad. His big thumbs hung in the air.

"I am no good at this," said Grandpa.

Ben sat down beside him. "You are good at lots of things," he said. "You can fix a bike and bake a pie. This is just new."

He showed Grandpa a tiny picture of a microphone. "Tap here and talk. The phone will type for you."

Grandpa tapped. "Hello, Ben," he said, loud and clear. The words showed up just right.

"Hippo bun," said Ben, grinning, "is my new favorite name for you."

Grandpa chuckled all the way to the kitchen.

■ Harder · 162 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.3

Grandpa received a brand new phone, and he was eager to send a message to Ben. Unfortunately, his thumbs were large and the letters on the screen were tiny.

"Hello Ben," Grandpa tried to type. The phone announced, "Hippo bun."

Ben read it and burst out laughing. Then he suddenly stopped, because Grandpa looked quite sad. His big thumbs hovered helplessly above the screen.

"I am simply no good at this," said Grandpa.

Ben sat down beside him. "You are good at plenty of things," he said. "You can fix a bicycle and you can bake a perfect pie. This is just something new."

He showed Grandpa a tiny picture of a microphone. "Tap here and start talking, and the phone will type the words for you."

Grandpa tapped it. "Hello, Ben," he said, loud and clear. The words appeared exactly right.

"Hippo bun," said Ben, grinning, "is my new favorite name for you."

Grandpa chuckled all the way into the kitchen.

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 thumbs, microphone, grinning and chuckled 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 "Grandpa's Thumbs Are Too Big"?

It was written for 2nd grade. It has 142 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 0.7. 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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