2nd grade fiction passage about a moth who wants to look different: 125 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradefictiona moth who wants to look different125 words
The Moth Who Wanted Stripes
Millie was a small gray moth. She watched the bees zoom past in their bright yellow stripes. "I wish I had stripes," she sighed.
So Millie rolled in pollen and rubbed some on her wings. She flew out to the clover patch. But the pollen made her heavy, and she wobbled in the air. The bees giggled. "You look like a messy bee," they said.
Millie flew home sadly. That night the moon came up, and Millie's soft gray wings blended in with the bark of the old oak tree. A hungry bat flew by and did not see her at all.
"Gray keeps me safe," Millie said, feeling proud. She shook off the pollen. After that she liked her wings just as they were.
Questions
What color was Millie? in the text
What did Millie put on her wings? in the text
Why did Millie wobble in the air? in the text
What did the bat fail to see? in the text
Why did gray wings help Millie at night? think about it
What lesson does the story teach? think about it
Words to know
stripes
long lines of color
pollen
yellow dust made by flowers
wobbled
moved in a shaky way from side to side
bark
the rough outside layer of a tree
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
The Moth Who Wanted Stripes
2nd grade reading passage
Millie was a small gray moth. She watched the bees zoom past in their bright yellow stripes. "I wish I had stripes," she sighed.
So Millie rolled in pollen and rubbed some on her wings. She flew out to the clover patch. But the pollen made her heavy, and she wobbled in the air. The bees giggled. "You look like a messy bee," they said.
Millie flew home sadly. That night the moon came up, and Millie's soft gray wings blended in with the bark of the old oak tree. A hungry bat flew by and did not see her at all.
"Gray keeps me safe," Millie said, feeling proud. She shook off the pollen. After that she liked her wings just as they were.
Questions
What color was Millie?
What did Millie put on her wings?
Why did Millie wobble in the air?
What did the bat fail to see?
Why did gray wings help Millie at night?
What lesson does the story teach?
Words to know
stripes: long lines of color
pollen: yellow dust made by flowers
wobbled: moved in a shaky way from side to side
bark: the rough outside layer of a tree
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/the-moth-who-wanted-stripes
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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 · 107 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.3
Millie was a small gray moth. She saw bees zoom by in bright yellow stripes. "I wish I had stripes," she said.
So Millie rolled in pollen. She rubbed it on her wings. She flew to the clover. But the pollen made her heavy. She wobbled in the air. The bees giggled. "You look like a messy bee," they said.
Millie flew home. That night the moon came up. Her gray wings looked like the bark of the old oak. A bat flew by and did not see her.
"Gray keeps me safe," said Millie. She was proud. She shook off the pollen. She liked her wings.
▲ This passage · 125 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.3
Millie was a small gray moth. She watched the bees zoom past in their bright yellow stripes. "I wish I had stripes," she sighed.
So Millie rolled in pollen and rubbed some on her wings. She flew out to the clover patch. But the pollen made her heavy, and she wobbled in the air. The bees giggled. "You look like a messy bee," they said.
Millie flew home sadly. That night the moon came up, and Millie's soft gray wings blended in with the bark of the old oak tree. A hungry bat flew by and did not see her at all.
"Gray keeps me safe," Millie said, feeling proud. She shook off the pollen. After that she liked her wings just as they were.
■ Harder · 142 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.7
Millie was a small, plain gray moth. She often watched the bees zoom past in their dazzling yellow stripes. "I wish I could have stripes of my own," she sighed.
So Millie rolled around in pollen and rubbed handfuls of it onto her delicate wings. She flew out to the clover patch, but the pollen weighed her down, and she wobbled unsteadily through the air. The bees began to giggle. "You look like a very messy bee," they teased.
Millie flew home feeling sad. That night the moon rose, and her soft gray wings blended in perfectly with the bark of the old oak tree. A hungry bat swooped past and never noticed her.
"My gray wings keep me safe," Millie realized proudly. She shook off the pollen, and from then on she was content with her wings exactly as they were.
Millie was a small gray moth. She saw bees zoom by in bright yellow stripes. "I wish I had stripes," she said.
So Millie rolled in pollen. She rubbed it on her wings. She flew to the clover. But the pollen made her heavy. She wobbled in the air. The bees giggled. "You look like a messy bee," they said.
Millie flew home. That night the moon came up. Her gray wings looked like the bark of the old oak. A bat flew by and did not see her.
"Gray keeps me safe," said Millie. She was proud. She shook off the pollen. She liked her wings.
Questions
What color was Millie?
What did Millie put on her wings?
Why did Millie wobble in the air?
Who did not see Millie at night?
Why did gray wings help Millie?
What is the lesson of the story?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
The Moth Who Wanted Stripes
Millie was a small gray moth. She watched the bees zoom past in their bright yellow stripes. "I wish I had stripes," she sighed.
So Millie rolled in pollen and rubbed some on her wings. She flew out to the clover patch. But the pollen made her heavy, and she wobbled in the air. The bees giggled. "You look like a messy bee," they said.
Millie flew home sadly. That night the moon came up, and Millie's soft gray wings blended in with the bark of the old oak tree. A hungry bat flew by and did not see her at all.
"Gray keeps me safe," Millie said, feeling proud. She shook off the pollen. After that she liked her wings just as they were.
Questions
What color was Millie?
What did Millie put on her wings?
Why did Millie wobble in the air?
What did the bat fail to see?
Why did gray wings help Millie at night?
What lesson does the story teach?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
The Moth Who Wanted Stripes
Millie was a small, plain gray moth. She often watched the bees zoom past in their dazzling yellow stripes. "I wish I could have stripes of my own," she sighed.
So Millie rolled around in pollen and rubbed handfuls of it onto her delicate wings. She flew out to the clover patch, but the pollen weighed her down, and she wobbled unsteadily through the air. The bees began to giggle. "You look like a very messy bee," they teased.
Millie flew home feeling sad. That night the moon rose, and her soft gray wings blended in perfectly with the bark of the old oak tree. A hungry bat swooped past and never noticed her.
"My gray wings keep me safe," Millie realized proudly. She shook off the pollen, and from then on she was content with her wings exactly as they were.
Questions
What color was Millie?
What did Millie rub onto her wings?
Why did Millie wobble unsteadily through the air?
What did the hungry bat fail to notice?
Why were gray wings helpful to Millie at night?
What lesson does the story teach?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: The Moth Who Wanted Stripes
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.3)
Gray.
Pollen.
The pollen made her heavy.
A bat.
They looked like bark, so she was hard to see.
Be glad you are who you are.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.3)
Gray.
Pollen.
The pollen made her heavy.
Millie, resting on the old oak tree.
They blended in with the bark, so she was hard to see.
Be happy with the way you are, because it may be just what you need.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.7)
Plain gray.
Pollen.
The pollen weighed her down.
Millie, resting on the bark of the old oak tree.
They blended in with the bark, which made her hard to spot.
Be content with yourself, because your own features may be exactly what you need.
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 stripes, pollen, wobbled and bark 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 "The Moth Who Wanted Stripes"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 125 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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