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Wes Whistles While We Work

2nd grade fiction passage about a friend who whistles all the time: 150 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

2nd grade fiction a friend who whistles all the time 150 words

Wes Whistles While We Work

Wes liked to whistle. He whistled in line. He whistled at lunch. He whistled when he drew, and he whistled when he did his math.

Pia was his friend, and she liked him. But today she had a big spelling test. Wes whistled right next to her desk. Pia lost her place in the word list three times.

She wanted to snap at him. Instead, she took a breath.

"Wes," she said softly. "I like your whistling. But when I have to think, I need it quiet."

Wes blinked. "Oh," he said. "I did not know." He put his hand over his mouth.

"Can we make a deal?" said Pia. "You can whistle at recess and on the bus. At quiet time, you hum in your head."

"That is a deal," said Wes.

Later, Pia finished her test. At recess, Wes whistled a bright new song, and Pia clapped along.

Questions

  1. Where did Wes whistle? in the text

  2. What was Pia doing when Wes whistled next to her desk? in the text

  3. What did Pia do instead of snapping at Wes? in the text

  4. When was Wes allowed to whistle in the deal? in the text

  5. Why did Wes put his hand over his mouth? think about it

Words to know

whistled
made a high sound by blowing air through lips
snap
to speak in a sharp, cross voice
deal
an agreement between two people
recess
a break when children go outside to play
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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 · 109 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.6

Wes liked to whistle. He whistled in line. He whistled at lunch. He whistled when he drew.

Pia was his friend. But today she had a big spelling test. Wes whistled by her desk. Pia lost her place three times.

She wanted to snap. Instead, she took a breath.

"Wes," she said. "I like your whistling. But when I think, I need quiet."

Wes blinked. "Oh. I did not know." He covered his mouth.

"Let's make a deal," said Pia. "You can whistle at recess and on the bus. At quiet time, hum in your head."

"Deal," said Wes.

At recess, Wes whistled a new song, and Pia clapped.

▲ This passage · 150 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0

Wes liked to whistle. He whistled in line. He whistled at lunch. He whistled when he drew, and he whistled when he did his math.

Pia was his friend, and she liked him. But today she had a big spelling test. Wes whistled right next to her desk. Pia lost her place in the word list three times.

She wanted to snap at him. Instead, she took a breath.

"Wes," she said softly. "I like your whistling. But when I have to think, I need it quiet."

Wes blinked. "Oh," he said. "I did not know." He put his hand over his mouth.

"Can we make a deal?" said Pia. "You can whistle at recess and on the bus. At quiet time, you hum in your head."

"That is a deal," said Wes.

Later, Pia finished her test. At recess, Wes whistled a bright new song, and Pia clapped along.

■ Harder · 166 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.4

Wes absolutely loved to whistle. He whistled while standing in line, he whistled during lunch, and he whistled whenever he drew pictures or worked on his math.

Pia was his friend, and she enjoyed his company. But today she had an important spelling test, and Wes was whistling right beside her desk. Three separate times, Pia lost her place in the list of words.

She was tempted to snap at him. Instead, she took a deep breath.

"Wes," she said gently. "I really like your whistling. But when I need to think, I need it to be quiet."

Wes blinked in surprise. "Oh," he said. "I did not realize that." He clamped his hand over his mouth.

"Can we make a deal?" suggested Pia. "You can whistle at recess and on the bus. During quiet time, you can hum the tune inside your head."

"That sounds fair," said Wes.

Later, Pia finished her test. At recess, Wes whistled a bright new song, and Pia clapped along.

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 whistled, snap, deal and recess 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 2 minutes 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 "Wes Whistles While We Work"?

It was written for 2nd grade. It has 150 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 0.0. 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 2 minutes 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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