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A Tortoise Named Gravel Moves In

3rd grade fiction passage about a new stepbrother and his pet: 208 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade fiction a new stepbrother and his pet 208 words

A Tortoise Named Gravel Moves In

When Eli and his dad moved into Noah's house, Eli brought two boxes of clothes and one tortoise. The tortoise was named Gravel.

Eli hardly spoke. At dinner he looked at his plate. In the hall he looked at his shoes. Noah tried jokes, but they did not work. He tried showing Eli his video games, but Eli just shrugged.

One afternoon, Noah found Eli sitting on the hallway floor. Gravel was walking from one end to the other. He took one slow step, then another.

"What is he doing?" asked Noah.

"He is going to his warm spot," Eli said quietly. "He does that every day."

Noah sat down too. They watched Gravel stretch out his wrinkly neck. It took a very long time. Noah did not mind. It was the first time Eli had said a whole sentence to him.

"Does he like lettuce?" Noah asked.

"He likes dandelions best," said Eli, and he almost smiled.

The next day, Noah picked a handful from the yard. He and Eli waited together in the hall. When Gravel reached his warm spot, Noah put a desk lamp there so it would be warmer. Eli looked up at him, and this time he did not look at his shoes.

Questions

  1. What did Eli bring when he moved in? in the text

  2. What was the tortoise's name? in the text

  3. Where was Gravel walking in the hallway? in the text

  4. What food does Gravel like best? in the text

  5. Why did Noah sit down on the floor beside Eli? think about it

  6. What shows that Eli felt more at home by the end? think about it

Words to know

tortoise
a slow land animal with a hard shell
shrugged
lifted the shoulders to show not caring or not knowing
wrinkly
full of small folds and lines
dandelions
yellow flowers that grow in grass
stretch
to reach out long and straight
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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 · 175 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.6

Eli and his dad moved into Noah's house. Eli brought two boxes of clothes. He also brought a tortoise named Gravel.

Eli hardly spoke. At dinner he looked at his plate. In the hall he looked at his shoes. Noah told jokes. They did not work. He showed Eli his video games. Eli just shrugged.

One day, Noah saw Eli on the hall floor. Gravel was walking. He took one slow step, then another.

"What is he doing?" asked Noah.

"He is going to his warm spot," Eli said softly. "He does it every day."

Noah sat down too. They watched Gravel. It took a long time. Noah did not mind. Eli had said a whole sentence to him.

"Does he like lettuce?" asked Noah.

"He likes dandelions best," said Eli. He almost smiled.

The next day, Noah picked dandelions. He and Eli waited in the hall. When Gravel got to his warm spot, Noah put a lamp there to make it warmer. Eli looked up at him. He did not look at his shoes.

▲ This passage · 208 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.7

When Eli and his dad moved into Noah's house, Eli brought two boxes of clothes and one tortoise. The tortoise was named Gravel.

Eli hardly spoke. At dinner he looked at his plate. In the hall he looked at his shoes. Noah tried jokes, but they did not work. He tried showing Eli his video games, but Eli just shrugged.

One afternoon, Noah found Eli sitting on the hallway floor. Gravel was walking from one end to the other. He took one slow step, then another.

"What is he doing?" asked Noah.

"He is going to his warm spot," Eli said quietly. "He does that every day."

Noah sat down too. They watched Gravel stretch out his wrinkly neck. It took a very long time. Noah did not mind. It was the first time Eli had said a whole sentence to him.

"Does he like lettuce?" Noah asked.

"He likes dandelions best," said Eli, and he almost smiled.

The next day, Noah picked a handful from the yard. He and Eli waited together in the hall. When Gravel reached his warm spot, Noah put a desk lamp there so it would be warmer. Eli looked up at him, and this time he did not look at his shoes.

■ Harder · 222 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.4

When Eli and his father moved into Noah's house, Eli arrived with two boxes of clothes and one tortoise, whose name was Gravel.

Eli scarcely spoke at all. At dinner he stared at his plate, and in the hallway he stared at his shoes. Noah tried telling jokes, but none of them worked. He tried showing Eli his favorite video games, but Eli merely shrugged.

One afternoon, Noah found Eli sitting on the hallway floor while Gravel plodded from one end to the other, taking one slow step and then another.

"What is he doing?" asked Noah.

"He is heading to his warm spot," Eli said quietly. "He does that every single day."

Noah sat down beside him, and together they watched Gravel stretch out his wrinkly neck. The journey took a very long time, but Noah did not mind. It was the first time Eli had spoken a whole sentence to him.

"Does he like lettuce?" Noah asked.

"He likes dandelions best," said Eli, and he nearly smiled.

The following day, Noah gathered a handful of dandelions from the yard. He and Eli waited patiently in the hall, and when Gravel finally reached his warm spot, Noah set a desk lamp there to make it cozier. Eli looked up at him, and this time he did not look at his shoes.

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 tortoise, shrugged, wrinkly, dandelions and stretch 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 "A Tortoise Named Gravel Moves In"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 208 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.7. 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 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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