2nd grade fiction passage about getting a kite down from a roof: 142 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradefictiongetting a kite down from a roof142 words
Mina's Kite on the Barn Roof
A big gust of wind grabbed Mina's red kite. It flew over the fence and landed on the roof of the old barn. The string hung down the side like a long tail.
"Oh no!" said Mina. The roof was too high to reach. Her ladder was too short.
Her friend Jun looked at the string. "Maybe we can pull it," he said. They tugged very gently. The kite slid a little but stopped at the edge.
"Wait," said Mina. "The string is caught on a nail."
Jun found a long garden rake in the barn. Mina stood on a bucket and held it up. With the end of the rake, she nudged the string free. The kite slid down and floated into her arms.
"We make a good team," said Jun.
Mina nodded. Next time, she would hold the string tighter.
Questions
Where did Mina's kite land? in the text
Why could Mina not reach the kite with her ladder? in the text
Why did the kite stop sliding at the edge? in the text
What did Mina use to free the string? in the text
What does Mina mean when she says they are a good team? think about it
Words to know
gust
a sudden, strong blow of wind
tugged
pulled hard
nudged
gave a small push
barn
a big farm building for animals or hay
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Mina's Kite on the Barn Roof
2nd grade reading passage
A big gust of wind grabbed Mina's red kite. It flew over the fence and landed on the roof of the old barn. The string hung down the side like a long tail.
"Oh no!" said Mina. The roof was too high to reach. Her ladder was too short.
Her friend Jun looked at the string. "Maybe we can pull it," he said. They tugged very gently. The kite slid a little but stopped at the edge.
"Wait," said Mina. "The string is caught on a nail."
Jun found a long garden rake in the barn. Mina stood on a bucket and held it up. With the end of the rake, she nudged the string free. The kite slid down and floated into her arms.
"We make a good team," said Jun.
Mina nodded. Next time, she would hold the string tighter.
Questions
Where did Mina's kite land?
Why could Mina not reach the kite with her ladder?
Why did the kite stop sliding at the edge?
What did Mina use to free the string?
What does Mina mean when she says they are a good team?
Words to know
gust: a sudden, strong blow of wind
tugged: pulled hard
nudged: gave a small push
barn: a big farm building for animals or hay
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/minas-kite-on-the-barn-roof
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 · 126 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0
A big wind grabbed Mina's red kite. It flew over the fence and landed on the old barn roof. The string hung down the side.
"Oh no!" said Mina. The roof was too high. Her ladder was too short.
Her friend Jun looked at the string. "We can pull it," he said. They tugged very gently. The kite slid a bit and then stopped at the edge.
"Wait," said Mina. "The string is stuck on a nail."
Jun found a long rake in the barn. Mina stood on a bucket and held it up. She pushed the string free with the rake. The kite slid down into her arms.
"We make a good team," said Jun.
Mina nodded. Next time, she would hold the string tight.
▲ This passage · 142 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.5
A big gust of wind grabbed Mina's red kite. It flew over the fence and landed on the roof of the old barn. The string hung down the side like a long tail.
"Oh no!" said Mina. The roof was too high to reach. Her ladder was too short.
Her friend Jun looked at the string. "Maybe we can pull it," he said. They tugged very gently. The kite slid a little but stopped at the edge.
"Wait," said Mina. "The string is caught on a nail."
Jun found a long garden rake in the barn. Mina stood on a bucket and held it up. With the end of the rake, she nudged the string free. The kite slid down and floated into her arms.
"We make a good team," said Jun.
Mina nodded. Next time, she would hold the string tighter.
■ Harder · 161 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2
A sudden gust of wind snatched Mina's red kite right out of her hands. It sailed over the fence and landed on the roof of the old barn, with its string dangling down the side like a long tail.
"Oh no!" cried Mina. The roof was far too high to reach, and her ladder was much too short.
Her friend Jun studied the string. "Maybe we can pull it down," he suggested. They tugged very gently. The kite slid a little but stopped at the edge of the roof.
"Wait," said Mina. "The string is caught on a nail."
Jun found a long garden rake inside the barn. Mina climbed onto a bucket and reached up with it. With the tip of the rake, she carefully nudged the string free. The kite slid down and floated into her arms.
"We make a great team," said Jun.
Mina nodded in agreement. Next time, she decided, she would hold the string much tighter.
A big wind grabbed Mina's red kite. It flew over the fence and landed on the old barn roof. The string hung down the side.
"Oh no!" said Mina. The roof was too high. Her ladder was too short.
Her friend Jun looked at the string. "We can pull it," he said. They tugged very gently. The kite slid a bit and then stopped at the edge.
"Wait," said Mina. "The string is stuck on a nail."
Jun found a long rake in the barn. Mina stood on a bucket and held it up. She pushed the string free with the rake. The kite slid down into her arms.
"We make a good team," said Jun.
Mina nodded. Next time, she would hold the string tight.
Questions
Where did Mina's kite land?
Why could Mina not reach the kite with her ladder?
Why did the kite stop at the edge?
What did Mina use to free the string?
What does Jun mean by a good team?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Mina's Kite on the Barn Roof
A big gust of wind grabbed Mina's red kite. It flew over the fence and landed on the roof of the old barn. The string hung down the side like a long tail.
"Oh no!" said Mina. The roof was too high to reach. Her ladder was too short.
Her friend Jun looked at the string. "Maybe we can pull it," he said. They tugged very gently. The kite slid a little but stopped at the edge.
"Wait," said Mina. "The string is caught on a nail."
Jun found a long garden rake in the barn. Mina stood on a bucket and held it up. With the end of the rake, she nudged the string free. The kite slid down and floated into her arms.
"We make a good team," said Jun.
Mina nodded. Next time, she would hold the string tighter.
Questions
Where did Mina's kite land?
Why could Mina not reach the kite with her ladder?
Why did the kite stop sliding at the edge?
What did Mina use to free the string?
What does Mina mean when she says they are a good team?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Mina's Kite on the Barn Roof
A sudden gust of wind snatched Mina's red kite right out of her hands. It sailed over the fence and landed on the roof of the old barn, with its string dangling down the side like a long tail.
"Oh no!" cried Mina. The roof was far too high to reach, and her ladder was much too short.
Her friend Jun studied the string. "Maybe we can pull it down," he suggested. They tugged very gently. The kite slid a little but stopped at the edge of the roof.
"Wait," said Mina. "The string is caught on a nail."
Jun found a long garden rake inside the barn. Mina climbed onto a bucket and reached up with it. With the tip of the rake, she carefully nudged the string free. The kite slid down and floated into her arms.
"We make a great team," said Jun.
Mina nodded in agreement. Next time, she decided, she would hold the string much tighter.
Questions
Where did Mina's kite land?
Why was Mina unable to reach the kite with her ladder?
Why did the kite stop sliding at the edge of the roof?
What did Mina use to free the string?
What does Jun mean when he says they make a great team?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Mina's Kite on the Barn Roof
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0)
On the roof of the old barn.
The ladder was too short.
The string was stuck on a nail.
A long rake.
They worked together and each one helped solve the problem.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.5)
On the roof of the old barn.
The ladder was too short.
The string was caught on a nail.
A long garden rake.
They worked together and each one helped solve the problem.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2)
On the roof of the old barn.
The ladder was too short.
The string was caught on a nail.
A long garden rake.
They worked together and each one helped solve the problem.
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 gust, tugged, nudged and barn 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 "Mina's Kite on the Barn Roof"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 142 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 0.5. 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.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. No sign-in, no ads.