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Lena's Wobbly Table Tennis Serve

2nd grade fiction passage about learning table tennis: 126 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

2nd grade fiction learning table tennis 126 words

Lena's Wobbly Table Tennis Serve

At the rec center, Lena played table tennis for the first time. The ball was small and light. The paddle felt strange in her hand.

Her coach showed her how to serve. "Toss the ball up," she said. "Then tap it when it comes down."

Lena tossed the ball. She swung. Whiff! She hit only air. She tried again. The ball bonked her on the nose. A boy at the next table giggled.

Lena took a deep breath. She tossed the ball a little higher. She watched it all the way down. Tap! The ball bounced on her side, then flew over the net.

"Good serve!" called the coach. Lena grinned so wide that her cheeks hurt. She went to get the ball and tried again.

Questions

  1. Where did Lena play table tennis? in the text

  2. What did the coach tell Lena to do with the ball? in the text

  3. What happened the second time Lena tried to serve? in the text

  4. What did Lena do differently when she hit the good serve? in the text

  5. How did Lena feel when the coach called out good serve? think about it

Words to know

serve
to hit the ball to start a point in a game
paddle
a flat tool with a handle used to hit a ball
whiff
a swing that misses the ball
giggled
laughed in a soft, silly 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 · 87 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.5

Lena played table tennis at the rec center. The ball was small. The paddle felt strange.

Her coach showed her how to serve. "Toss the ball up," she said. "Tap it when it comes down."

Lena tossed the ball. She swung. Whiff! She hit air. She tried again. The ball hit her nose. A boy giggled.

Lena took a deep breath. She tossed the ball higher. She watched it fall. Tap! The ball flew over the net.

"Good serve!" said the coach. Lena grinned and tried again.

▲ This passage · 126 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0

At the rec center, Lena played table tennis for the first time. The ball was small and light. The paddle felt strange in her hand.

Her coach showed her how to serve. "Toss the ball up," she said. "Then tap it when it comes down."

Lena tossed the ball. She swung. Whiff! She hit only air. She tried again. The ball bonked her on the nose. A boy at the next table giggled.

Lena took a deep breath. She tossed the ball a little higher. She watched it all the way down. Tap! The ball bounced on her side, then flew over the net.

"Good serve!" called the coach. Lena grinned so wide that her cheeks hurt. She went to get the ball and tried again.

■ Harder · 151 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.8

At the neighborhood rec center, Lena played table tennis for the very first time. The ball was tiny and light, and the paddle felt strange in her hand.

Her coach showed her how to serve. "Toss the ball straight up," she explained. "Then tap it gently as it comes back down."

Lena tossed the ball and swung with all her might. Whiff! She hit nothing but air. She tried a second time, and the ball bonked her right on the nose. A boy at the next table giggled.

Lena took a deep breath. This time she tossed the ball a little higher and watched it all the way down. Tap! The ball bounced on her side of the table and then flew over the net.

"Good serve!" called the coach. Lena grinned so widely that her cheeks hurt, and she hurried off to get the ball so she could try again.

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 serve, paddle, whiff and giggled 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 "Lena's Wobbly Table Tennis Serve"?

It was written for 2nd grade. It has 126 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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