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The Spelling Bee That Really Buzzed

2nd grade fiction passage about real bees at a spelling contest: 127 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

2nd grade fiction real bees at a spelling contest 127 words

The Spelling Bee That Really Buzzed

Pia was ready for the school spelling bee. She had practiced for a week. She knew every word on her list.

But when she walked into the gym, she heard a loud buzz. Real bees were flying around the room! They had come in through an open window.

A teacher said, "I think they heard the word bee."

Pia stood at the microphone. "Your word is honey," said the judge.

"H-O-N-E-Y," said Pia. A bee landed on her sleeve.

"Correct," said the judge.

The next word was buzz. Pia spelled it, and the bees buzzed louder, as if they cheered for her.

Soon the janitor opened more windows. The bees drifted out, and Pia won. Her prize was a small jar of honey.

Questions

  1. How long had Pia practiced? in the text

  2. How did the bees get into the gym? in the text

  3. What was the first word the judge gave Pia? in the text

  4. What was Pia's prize? in the text

  5. Why did the teacher say the bees heard the word bee? think about it

Words to know

practiced
did something again and again to get better
microphone
a tool that makes your voice louder
judge
a person who decides if an answer is right
janitor
a person who takes care of a school building
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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 0.6

Pia was ready for the spelling bee. She had practiced for a week. She knew every word on her list.

But in the gym, she heard a loud buzz. Real bees flew in the room! They came in through an open window.

A teacher said, "I think they heard the word bee."

Pia stood at the microphone. "Your word is honey," said the judge.

"H-O-N-E-Y," said Pia. A bee landed on her sleeve.

"Correct," said the judge.

The next word was buzz. Pia spelled it. The bees buzzed louder, as if they cheered.

The janitor opened more windows. The bees flew out. Pia won a small jar of honey.

▲ This passage · 127 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2

Pia was ready for the school spelling bee. She had practiced for a week. She knew every word on her list.

But when she walked into the gym, she heard a loud buzz. Real bees were flying around the room! They had come in through an open window.

A teacher said, "I think they heard the word bee."

Pia stood at the microphone. "Your word is honey," said the judge.

"H-O-N-E-Y," said Pia. A bee landed on her sleeve.

"Correct," said the judge.

The next word was buzz. Pia spelled it, and the bees buzzed louder, as if they cheered for her.

Soon the janitor opened more windows. The bees drifted out, and Pia won. Her prize was a small jar of honey.

■ Harder · 148 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.9

Pia was completely ready for the school spelling bee. She had practiced every evening for a whole week, and she knew each word on her list by heart.

But as soon as she stepped into the gym, she heard a loud, steady buzz. Real bees were zooming around the room! They had slipped in through an open window.

One teacher joked, "I think they heard someone say the word bee."

Pia stood at the microphone. "Your word is honey," announced the judge.

"H-O-N-E-Y," said Pia, while a bee landed gently on her sleeve.

"Correct," said the judge.

The next word was buzz. Pia spelled it perfectly, and the bees buzzed even louder, as if they were cheering for her.

Eventually, the janitor propped open more windows, and the bees drifted outside. Pia won the contest, and her prize was a small jar of honey.

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 practiced, microphone, judge and janitor 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 "The Spelling Bee That Really Buzzed"?

It was written for 2nd grade. It has 127 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.2. 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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