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The Library Inside a Walnut

2nd grade fiction passage about a tiny library in a walnut shell: 137 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

2nd grade fiction a tiny library in a walnut shell 137 words

The Library Inside a Walnut

Tomas found a walnut under the big tree. When he shook it, something inside went tick, tick, tick.

He cracked it open very slowly. Inside was a tiny library! It had shelves as thin as pins. The books were the size of rice grains.

A mouse-sized librarian looked up. "Shh," she whispered. "Please use a small voice."

"I will," Tomas whispered back. "But how can I read these books? They are so little."

The librarian handed him a drop of dew. "Look through this," she said.

Tomas peered through the dew. The tiny words grew big and clear. He read about a snail who loved to race and a beetle who sang in the rain.

When he was done, he put the walnut back together. Then he tucked it under the tree for the next reader.

Questions

  1. Where did Tomas find the walnut? in the text

  2. What was inside the walnut? in the text

  3. How big were the books? in the text

  4. What did the librarian give Tomas to help him read? in the text

  5. Why did Tomas put the walnut back under the tree? think about it

Words to know

walnut
a nut with a hard, wrinkled shell
librarian
a person who takes care of books
dew
tiny drops of water found on grass in the morning
peered
looked closely at something
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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 · 118 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1

Tomas found a walnut under a big tree. He shook it. Tick, tick, tick, it went.

He cracked it open. Inside was a tiny library! It had thin shelves. The books were as small as rice.

A tiny librarian looked up. "Shh," she said. "Use a small voice."

"I will," Tomas whispered. "But the books are so little. How can I read them?"

The librarian gave him a drop of dew. "Look through this," she said.

Tomas looked. The tiny words grew big. He read about a snail who loved to race. He read about a beetle who sang in the rain.

Then he put the walnut back. He left it under the tree for the next reader.

▲ This passage · 137 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.9

Tomas found a walnut under the big tree. When he shook it, something inside went tick, tick, tick.

He cracked it open very slowly. Inside was a tiny library! It had shelves as thin as pins. The books were the size of rice grains.

A mouse-sized librarian looked up. "Shh," she whispered. "Please use a small voice."

"I will," Tomas whispered back. "But how can I read these books? They are so little."

The librarian handed him a drop of dew. "Look through this," she said.

Tomas peered through the dew. The tiny words grew big and clear. He read about a snail who loved to race and a beetle who sang in the rain.

When he was done, he put the walnut back together. Then he tucked it under the tree for the next reader.

■ Harder · 145 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.6

Tomas found a walnut lying beneath the big tree. When he shook it, something inside went tick, tick, tick.

He carefully cracked it open. Inside was a miniature library! The shelves were as thin as pins, and the books were no bigger than grains of rice.

A librarian the size of a mouse glanced up. "Shh," she whispered. "Please use a very small voice."

"I will," Tomas whispered back. "But how can I possibly read such tiny books?"

The librarian handed him a single drop of dew. "Look through this," she said.

Tomas peered through the shimmering drop, and the tiny words grew large and clear. He read about a snail who loved to race and a beetle who sang in the rain.

When he finished, he fit the walnut back together and tucked it beneath the tree, so the next reader could find it.

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 walnut, librarian, dew and peered 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 Library Inside a Walnut"?

It was written for 2nd grade. It has 137 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.9. 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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