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The Crab Who Taught Walking Straight

2nd grade fiction passage about a crab and her child: 127 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

2nd grade fiction a crab and her child 127 words

The Crab Who Taught Walking Straight

Mama Crab was tired of her son walking sideways. "Walk straight, Clip," she said. "Walk forward like the gulls."

Clip tried. He bumped into a rock. He tripped over a shell. "It is too hard," he said.

"Then watch me first," said Clip's little sister, who was just as sideways as he was. But Mama Crab said, "I will show you how it is done."

She puffed out her chest and tried to step forward. She wobbled left. She wobbled right. Then she fell flat on her shell, and everyone laughed, even Mama.

"Hmm," she said. "Sideways is how crabs are built. I should not ask you to walk like a gull."

Clip scuttled off sideways, quick as a flash, and Mama followed him with a grin.

Questions

  1. What did Mama Crab want Clip to do? in the text

  2. What happened when Clip tried to walk straight? in the text

  3. What happened when Mama Crab tried? in the text

  4. Who did Mama say walked straight? in the text

  5. Why did Mama change her mind? think about it

  6. What lesson does the story teach? think about it

Words to know

sideways
toward the side instead of forward
tripped
caught your foot and almost fell
wobbled
moved in a shaky, uneven way
scuttled
ran with quick little steps
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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 · 106 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.2

Mama Crab was tired of Clip's sideways walk. "Walk straight, Clip," she said. "Walk like the gulls."

Clip tried. He bumped a rock. He tripped on a shell. "It is too hard," he said.

"Watch me," said Mama Crab. "I will show you."

She puffed out her chest. She tried to step ahead. She wobbled left. She wobbled right. Then she fell flat on her shell. Everyone laughed, and Mama laughed, too.

"Hmm," she said. "Crabs are built to go sideways. I should not ask you to walk like a gull."

Clip ran off sideways, fast as a flash. Mama ran after him with a grin.

▲ This passage · 127 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.3

Mama Crab was tired of her son walking sideways. "Walk straight, Clip," she said. "Walk forward like the gulls."

Clip tried. He bumped into a rock. He tripped over a shell. "It is too hard," he said.

"Then watch me first," said Clip's little sister, who was just as sideways as he was. But Mama Crab said, "I will show you how it is done."

She puffed out her chest and tried to step forward. She wobbled left. She wobbled right. Then she fell flat on her shell, and everyone laughed, even Mama.

"Hmm," she said. "Sideways is how crabs are built. I should not ask you to walk like a gull."

Clip scuttled off sideways, quick as a flash, and Mama followed him with a grin.

■ Harder · 131 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.6

Mama Crab had grown weary of watching her son scuttle sideways. "Walk straight, Clip," she insisted. "Move forward the way the gulls do."

Clip tried his very best. He bumped into a boulder and tripped over a shell. "It is far too difficult," he complained.

"Then I will demonstrate how it is done," said Mama Crab.

She puffed out her chest and attempted to march forward. She wobbled to the left, then to the right. Finally she toppled flat onto her shell, and everyone on the beach burst out laughing, even Mama herself.

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully. "Sideways is simply how crabs are built. I should not expect you to walk like a gull."

Clip scuttled off sideways, quick as a flash, and Mama hurried after him with a big grin.

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 sideways, tripped, wobbled and scuttled 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 Crab Who Taught Walking Straight"?

It was written for 2nd grade. It has 127 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.3. 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 six. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 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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