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The Snail Who Raced the Rain

2nd grade fiction passage about a snail and a promise: 134 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

2nd grade fiction a snail and a promise 134 words

The Snail Who Raced the Rain

Pip the snail wanted to visit his aunt on the other side of the garden. Gray clouds were rolling in. "I will get there before the rain," he said.

A beetle called out, "You are too slow, Pip. Wait for a sunny day."

But Pip would not wait. He slid across the path, past the tall beans and under the fence. Drip. Drip. The rain began, and Pip smiled. Snails love wet leaves.

His aunt was waiting at her door. "You came in the rain!" she said. "That was brave."

"It was not brave," said Pip. "It was just my kind of weather."

The beetle was stuck under a leaf, dry but lonely. Pip learned that the best time for a trip is when it suits you, not when others say you should go.

Questions

  1. Where did Pip want to go? in the text

  2. What did the beetle tell Pip to do? in the text

  3. Why did Pip smile when the rain began? in the text

  4. Where did the beetle end up? in the text

  5. Why was the rain not a problem for Pip? think about it

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

Words to know

garden
a place where people grow plants
path
a narrow way to walk along
brave
not afraid to do something hard
lonely
sad because you are all alone
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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 · 110 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.5

Pip the snail wanted to see his aunt. She lived on the far side of the garden. Gray clouds came in. "I will get there before the rain," he said.

A beetle said, "You are too slow. Wait for a sunny day."

But Pip did not wait. He slid on the path and past the beans. Drip. Drip. The rain came, and Pip smiled. Snails like wet leaves.

His aunt stood at her door. "You came in the rain!" she said. "That was brave."

"It was not brave," said Pip. "It is just the weather I like."

The beetle sat under a leaf. He was dry, but he was lonely.

▲ This passage · 134 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.7

Pip the snail wanted to visit his aunt on the other side of the garden. Gray clouds were rolling in. "I will get there before the rain," he said.

A beetle called out, "You are too slow, Pip. Wait for a sunny day."

But Pip would not wait. He slid across the path, past the tall beans and under the fence. Drip. Drip. The rain began, and Pip smiled. Snails love wet leaves.

His aunt was waiting at her door. "You came in the rain!" she said. "That was brave."

"It was not brave," said Pip. "It was just my kind of weather."

The beetle was stuck under a leaf, dry but lonely. Pip learned that the best time for a trip is when it suits you, not when others say you should go.

■ Harder · 137 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.5

Pip the snail was determined to visit his aunt, who lived on the opposite side of the enormous garden. Heavy gray clouds were gathering overhead. "I shall arrive before the rain begins," he announced.

A beetle scoffed from a nearby stem. "You are far too slow, Pip. You ought to wait for a sunny day."

Pip refused to listen. He glided across the winding path, past the towering bean plants, and beneath the wooden fence. Soon the first drops began to fall, and Pip smiled, because snails adore wet leaves.

His aunt was waiting beside her door. "You traveled in the rain!" she exclaimed. "How courageous of you."

"It was not courage at all," said Pip. "It was simply my favorite sort of weather."

Meanwhile the beetle was stranded beneath a leaf, perfectly dry but terribly lonely.

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 garden, path, brave and lonely 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 Snail Who Raced the Rain"?

It was written for 2nd grade. It has 134 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 0.7. 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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