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Biscuit the Parrot at the Spelling Bee

3rd grade fiction passage about a parrot on pet day: 135 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade fiction a parrot on pet day 135 words

Biscuit the Parrot at the Spelling Bee

Maya had a parrot named Biscuit. Biscuit copied every word he heard. On Pet Day, Maya brought him to the class spelling bee.

When her turn came, the teacher said, "Spell banana." Maya froze. Her mind went as blank as a clean page.

Then Biscuit, who sat on her shoulder, squawked, "B-A-N-A-N-A!" He sounded just like Maya.

"He heard me practice all week," Maya explained. The whole class giggled.

"I think Biscuit should wait for his own turn," said the teacher with a smile.

Maya laughed, and her nervous feeling melted away. She spelled the word herself, one letter at a time. "B-A-N-A-N-A."

"Correct!" said the teacher. Biscuit flapped his wings and squawked, "Hooray!" Maya gave him a slice of real banana as a treat.

Questions

  1. What did Biscuit do with every word he heard? in the text

  2. What happened when the teacher asked Maya to spell banana? in the text

  3. Where did Biscuit sit? in the text

  4. How did Biscuit know the letters? in the text

  5. Why did the teacher say Biscuit should wait for his own turn? think about it

  6. How did Maya feel after the class laughed with her? think about it

Words to know

parrot
a bright bird that can copy the sounds of words
squawked
made a loud, harsh bird sound
practice
to do something again and again to get better
nervous
a little scared or worried
froze
stopped moving, as if stuck in place
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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 · 113 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.3

Maya had a parrot named Biscuit. Biscuit copied each word he heard. On Pet Day, Maya took him to the class spelling bee.

When it was her turn, the teacher said, "Spell banana." Maya froze. Her mind went blank.

Then Biscuit, on her shoulder, squawked, "B-A-N-A-N-A!" He sounded just like Maya.

"He heard me practice," said Maya. The class giggled.

"Biscuit can wait for his turn," said the teacher with a smile.

Maya laughed, and she felt less nervous. She spelled the word herself. "B-A-N-A-N-A."

"Right!" said the teacher. Biscuit flapped his wings and squawked, "Hooray!" Maya gave him a slice of banana.

▲ This passage · 135 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2

Maya had a parrot named Biscuit. Biscuit copied every word he heard. On Pet Day, Maya brought him to the class spelling bee.

When her turn came, the teacher said, "Spell banana." Maya froze. Her mind went as blank as a clean page.

Then Biscuit, who sat on her shoulder, squawked, "B-A-N-A-N-A!" He sounded just like Maya.

"He heard me practice all week," Maya explained. The whole class giggled.

"I think Biscuit should wait for his own turn," said the teacher with a smile.

Maya laughed, and her nervous feeling melted away. She spelled the word herself, one letter at a time. "B-A-N-A-N-A."

"Correct!" said the teacher. Biscuit flapped his wings and squawked, "Hooray!" Maya gave him a slice of real banana as a treat.

■ Harder · 143 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.2

Maya owned a clever parrot named Biscuit, who copied every word he heard. On Pet Day, Maya brought him along to the class spelling bee.

When her turn arrived, the teacher announced, "Spell banana." Maya froze. Her mind went as blank as a clean sheet of paper.

Then Biscuit, who was perched on her shoulder, squawked, "B-A-N-A-N-A!" He sounded exactly like Maya.

"He heard me practice all week long," Maya explained. The whole class burst into giggles.

"I believe Biscuit should wait for his own turn," said the teacher with a smile.

Maya laughed, and her nervous feeling melted away. She spelled the word herself, one letter at a time. "B-A-N-A-N-A."

"Correct!" said the teacher. Biscuit flapped his wings and squawked, "Hooray!" As a treat, Maya gave him a slice of real banana.

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 parrot, squawked, practice, nervous and froze 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 "Biscuit the Parrot at the Spelling Bee"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 135 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.2. 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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