2nd grade fiction passage about fixing a kite that spins: 135 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradefictionfixing a kite that spins135 words
Kofi's Kite Needs a Longer Tail
Kofi made a kite from a paper bag and two sticks. He took it to the big field on a windy day. He held the string and ran.
The kite jumped into the air. Then it spun round and round and crashed in the grass. Kofi ran to get it. He tried again. It spun and crashed once more.
His sister Ama looked at the kite. "It needs a tail," she said. "A tail helps a kite stay straight."
Kofi found a long strip of cloth in his bag. He tied bows along it and fixed it to the bottom. Then he ran across the field again.
This time the kite climbed. It swayed, but it did not spin. It rose up, up, over the trees. Kofi held on tight and smiled at the sky.
Questions
What did Kofi use to make his kite? in the text
What did the kite do the first two times? in the text
Who said that the kite needed a tail? in the text
What did Kofi tie along the cloth strip? in the text
Why did the kite stop spinning after Kofi added the tail? think about it
Words to know
kite
a light toy that flies in the wind on a string
strip
a long, thin piece of something
swayed
moved gently from side to side
field
a wide open piece of land with grass
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Kofi's Kite Needs a Longer Tail
2nd grade reading passage
Kofi made a kite from a paper bag and two sticks. He took it to the big field on a windy day. He held the string and ran.
The kite jumped into the air. Then it spun round and round and crashed in the grass. Kofi ran to get it. He tried again. It spun and crashed once more.
His sister Ama looked at the kite. "It needs a tail," she said. "A tail helps a kite stay straight."
Kofi found a long strip of cloth in his bag. He tied bows along it and fixed it to the bottom. Then he ran across the field again.
This time the kite climbed. It swayed, but it did not spin. It rose up, up, over the trees. Kofi held on tight and smiled at the sky.
Questions
What did Kofi use to make his kite?
What did the kite do the first two times?
Who said that the kite needed a tail?
What did Kofi tie along the cloth strip?
Why did the kite stop spinning after Kofi added the tail?
Words to know
kite: a light toy that flies in the wind on a string
strip: a long, thin piece of something
swayed: moved gently from side to side
field: a wide open piece of land with grass
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/kofis-kite-needs-a-longer-tail
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 · 102 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.1
Kofi made a kite from a paper bag and two sticks. He took it to a big field on a windy day. He held the string and ran.
The kite jumped up. Then it spun round and fell in the grass. Kofi tried again. It spun and fell again.
His sister Ama said, "It needs a tail. A tail keeps a kite straight."
Kofi found a long strip of cloth. He tied bows on it. He fixed it to the bottom. Then he ran again.
This time the kite went up. It did not spin. It rose over the trees. Kofi smiled.
▲ This passage · 135 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.4
Kofi made a kite from a paper bag and two sticks. He took it to the big field on a windy day. He held the string and ran.
The kite jumped into the air. Then it spun round and round and crashed in the grass. Kofi ran to get it. He tried again. It spun and crashed once more.
His sister Ama looked at the kite. "It needs a tail," she said. "A tail helps a kite stay straight."
Kofi found a long strip of cloth in his bag. He tied bows along it and fixed it to the bottom. Then he ran across the field again.
This time the kite climbed. It swayed, but it did not spin. It rose up, up, over the trees. Kofi held on tight and smiled at the sky.
■ Harder · 160 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.4
Kofi built a kite out of a paper bag and two thin sticks. On a breezy afternoon, he carried it to the big field at the edge of town. He gripped the string tightly and began to run.
The kite leaped into the air. Then it spun round and round and crashed into the grass. Kofi hurried over to pick it up and tried again. Once more it spun and crashed.
His sister Ama studied the kite carefully. "It needs a tail," she said. "A long tail helps a kite stay straight in the wind."
Kofi found a long strip of cloth in his bag. He tied bows along its length and fastened it to the bottom of the kite. Then he sprinted across the field again.
This time the kite climbed steadily. It swayed a little, but it did not spin. It rose up, up, high over the trees, and Kofi held on tight and smiled at the sky.
Kofi made a kite from a paper bag and two sticks. He took it to a big field on a windy day. He held the string and ran.
The kite jumped up. Then it spun round and fell in the grass. Kofi tried again. It spun and fell again.
His sister Ama said, "It needs a tail. A tail keeps a kite straight."
Kofi found a long strip of cloth. He tied bows on it. He fixed it to the bottom. Then he ran again.
This time the kite went up. It did not spin. It rose over the trees. Kofi smiled.
Questions
What did Kofi use to make his kite?
What did the kite do the first two times?
Who said the kite needed a tail?
What did Kofi tie on the cloth?
Why did the kite stop spinning?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Kofi's Kite Needs a Longer Tail
Kofi made a kite from a paper bag and two sticks. He took it to the big field on a windy day. He held the string and ran.
The kite jumped into the air. Then it spun round and round and crashed in the grass. Kofi ran to get it. He tried again. It spun and crashed once more.
His sister Ama looked at the kite. "It needs a tail," she said. "A tail helps a kite stay straight."
Kofi found a long strip of cloth in his bag. He tied bows along it and fixed it to the bottom. Then he ran across the field again.
This time the kite climbed. It swayed, but it did not spin. It rose up, up, over the trees. Kofi held on tight and smiled at the sky.
Questions
What did Kofi use to make his kite?
What did the kite do the first two times?
Who said that the kite needed a tail?
What did Kofi tie along the cloth strip?
Why did the kite stop spinning after Kofi added the tail?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Kofi's Kite Needs a Longer Tail
Kofi built a kite out of a paper bag and two thin sticks. On a breezy afternoon, he carried it to the big field at the edge of town. He gripped the string tightly and began to run.
The kite leaped into the air. Then it spun round and round and crashed into the grass. Kofi hurried over to pick it up and tried again. Once more it spun and crashed.
His sister Ama studied the kite carefully. "It needs a tail," she said. "A long tail helps a kite stay straight in the wind."
Kofi found a long strip of cloth in his bag. He tied bows along its length and fastened it to the bottom of the kite. Then he sprinted across the field again.
This time the kite climbed steadily. It swayed a little, but it did not spin. It rose up, up, high over the trees, and Kofi held on tight and smiled at the sky.
Questions
What did Kofi build his kite out of?
What did the kite do the first two times Kofi tried?
Who said that the kite needed a tail?
What did Kofi tie along the strip of cloth?
Why did the kite stop spinning after Kofi added the tail?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Kofi's Kite Needs a Longer Tail
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.1)
A paper bag and two sticks.
It spun and fell in the grass.
His sister Ama.
Bows.
The tail kept it straight.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.4)
A paper bag and two sticks.
It spun round and round and crashed in the grass.
His sister Ama.
Bows.
The tail helped keep the kite straight.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.4)
A paper bag and two thin sticks.
It spun round and round and crashed into the grass.
His sister Ama.
Bows.
The long tail helped the kite stay straight in the wind.
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 kite, strip, swayed and field 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 "Kofi's Kite Needs a Longer Tail"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 135 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 0.4. 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.
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