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The Compass That Pointed at the Cooler

3rd grade fiction passage about a compass and a magnet: 169 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade fiction a compass and a magnet 169 words

The Compass That Pointed at the Cooler

On their first camping trip, Dara and her dad pitched the tent beside a quiet lake. Dara had brought a brand new compass. She knew the needle should always point north.

She set the compass on the picnic table. The needle swung around and pointed at the cooler. She moved to the other side of the table. The needle swung again, and it still pointed at the cooler.

"Dad, the north is stuck on our lunch!" she cried.

Her dad laughed and lifted the cooler. He turned it over and showed her the latch. It was shiny metal, and it held a small magnet that kept the lid closed.

"The magnet pulled the needle," he said. "Let's try again somewhere else."

Dara carried the compass far from the cooler, out to a flat rock by the water. This time, the needle held steady. It pointed straight at the hill across the lake. "That must be north," she said. At dusk, the first star came out right above that hill.

Questions

  1. Where did Dara and her dad pitch their tent? in the text

  2. What did the compass needle point at on the picnic table? in the text

  3. What was inside the cooler's latch? in the text

  4. Where did Dara take the compass to try again? in the text

  5. Why did the needle point at the cooler? think about it

  6. Why did the needle work better by the water? think about it

Words to know

compass
a tool with a needle that shows which way is north
magnet
a piece of metal that pulls on some other metals
latch
a small catch that keeps a lid or door shut
pitched
set up a tent in a place
steady
not moving or shaking
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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 · 145 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.8

On their first camping trip, Dara and her dad set up the tent by a quiet lake. Dara had a new compass. She knew the needle should point north.

She put the compass on the picnic table. The needle swung and pointed at the cooler. She moved to the other side. The needle still pointed at the cooler.

"Dad, north is stuck on our lunch!" she said.

Her dad laughed. He lifted the cooler and showed her the latch. It was shiny metal. It had a small magnet to keep the lid shut.

"The magnet pulled the needle," he said. "Let's try somewhere else."

Dara took the compass to a flat rock by the water. This time the needle held still. It pointed to the hill across the lake. "That must be north," she said. At dusk, the first star came out above that hill.

▲ This passage · 169 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.8

On their first camping trip, Dara and her dad pitched the tent beside a quiet lake. Dara had brought a brand new compass. She knew the needle should always point north.

She set the compass on the picnic table. The needle swung around and pointed at the cooler. She moved to the other side of the table. The needle swung again, and it still pointed at the cooler.

"Dad, the north is stuck on our lunch!" she cried.

Her dad laughed and lifted the cooler. He turned it over and showed her the latch. It was shiny metal, and it held a small magnet that kept the lid closed.

"The magnet pulled the needle," he said. "Let's try again somewhere else."

Dara carried the compass far from the cooler, out to a flat rock by the water. This time, the needle held steady. It pointed straight at the hill across the lake. "That must be north," she said. At dusk, the first star came out right above that hill.

■ Harder · 179 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.5

On their very first camping trip, Dara and her father pitched the tent beside a peaceful lake. Dara had brought along a brand new compass, and she knew its needle was supposed to point north at all times.

She placed the compass on the picnic table, and the needle swung around until it pointed directly at the cooler. She walked to the opposite side of the table, and the needle swung again, still aimed at the cooler.

"Dad, north is stuck on our lunch!" she exclaimed.

Her father chuckled, lifted the cooler, and turned it over to show her the latch. It was made of shiny metal and contained a small magnet that kept the lid firmly closed.

"The magnet is pulling on the needle," he explained. "Let's try again somewhere else."

Dara carried the compass far from the cooler, out to a flat rock beside the water. This time, the needle held perfectly steady and pointed toward the hill across the lake. "That must be north," she said. At dusk, the first star appeared right above that hill.

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 compass, magnet, latch, pitched and steady 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 "The Compass That Pointed at the Cooler"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 169 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.8. 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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