3rd grade fiction passage about a very slow mail carrier: 151 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradefictiona very slow mail carrier151 words
Dot the Snail Delivers a Birthday Card
Dot was a snail who carried the mail. She was the slowest mail carrier in the whole meadow. Folks said grass grew taller while she crossed a lawn.
One Monday, the postmaster handed Dot a birthday card for a mouse named Milo. "His birthday is on Friday," he said.
Dot set off at dawn. By noon she had slid as far as a tulip. By supper she had slid as far as the next tulip. The leaves turned orange. Snow came and went. Birds flew south and came back again.
At last Dot knocked on Milo's door. "Your card," she panted. Milo was holding a cake with a new candle on top. "Right on time for my next birthday!" he said. "It only took you a year."
After that, the postmaster let Dot ride on the back of a beetle. The mail got there much faster, and Dot enjoyed the view.
Questions
Who was the birthday card for? in the text
When was Milo's birthday supposed to be? in the text
How far did Dot get by noon? in the text
How long did the trip really take? in the text
How did the postmaster make the mail faster after that? in the text
Why does the writer say that birds flew south and came back? think about it
Words to know
postmaster
the person in charge of the mail
meadow
a grassy field
dawn
the first light of the morning
panted
breathed hard and fast after working
beetle
an insect with a hard shell on its back
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Dot the Snail Delivers a Birthday Card
3rd grade reading passage
Dot was a snail who carried the mail. She was the slowest mail carrier in the whole meadow. Folks said grass grew taller while she crossed a lawn.
One Monday, the postmaster handed Dot a birthday card for a mouse named Milo. "His birthday is on Friday," he said.
Dot set off at dawn. By noon she had slid as far as a tulip. By supper she had slid as far as the next tulip. The leaves turned orange. Snow came and went. Birds flew south and came back again.
At last Dot knocked on Milo's door. "Your card," she panted. Milo was holding a cake with a new candle on top. "Right on time for my next birthday!" he said. "It only took you a year."
After that, the postmaster let Dot ride on the back of a beetle. The mail got there much faster, and Dot enjoyed the view.
Questions
Who was the birthday card for?
When was Milo's birthday supposed to be?
How far did Dot get by noon?
How long did the trip really take?
How did the postmaster make the mail faster after that?
Why does the writer say that birds flew south and came back?
Words to know
postmaster: the person in charge of the mail
meadow: a grassy field
dawn: the first light of the morning
panted: breathed hard and fast after working
beetle: an insect with a hard shell on its back
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/dot-the-snail-delivers-a-birthday-card
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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 · 140 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5
Dot was a snail who took the mail to homes. She was the slowest mail carrier in the meadow. People said grass grew taller while she crossed a lawn.
One Monday, the postmaster gave Dot a birthday card for a mouse named Milo. "His birthday is on Friday," he said.
Dot left at dawn. By noon she had slid as far as a tulip. By supper she had slid to the next tulip. The leaves turned orange. Snow came and went. Birds flew south and came back.
At last Dot knocked on Milo's door. "Your card," she panted. Milo held a cake with a new candle. "Right on time for my next birthday!" he said. "It took you a year."
After that, the postmaster let Dot ride on a beetle. The mail got there fast, and Dot liked the view.
▲ This passage · 151 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1
Dot was a snail who carried the mail. She was the slowest mail carrier in the whole meadow. Folks said grass grew taller while she crossed a lawn.
One Monday, the postmaster handed Dot a birthday card for a mouse named Milo. "His birthday is on Friday," he said.
Dot set off at dawn. By noon she had slid as far as a tulip. By supper she had slid as far as the next tulip. The leaves turned orange. Snow came and went. Birds flew south and came back again.
At last Dot knocked on Milo's door. "Your card," she panted. Milo was holding a cake with a new candle on top. "Right on time for my next birthday!" he said. "It only took you a year."
After that, the postmaster let Dot ride on the back of a beetle. The mail got there much faster, and Dot enjoyed the view.
■ Harder · 160 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.8
Dot was a snail who delivered the mail, and she was easily the slowest mail carrier in the whole meadow. Folks joked that the grass grew taller while she crossed a single lawn.
One Monday, the postmaster handed Dot a birthday card addressed to a mouse named Milo. "His birthday is on Friday," he reminded her.
Dot set off at dawn. By noon she had slid as far as a tulip, and by supper she had reached the next tulip. The leaves turned orange, snow came and went, and the birds flew south and came back again.
At long last, Dot knocked on Milo's door. "Your card," she panted. Milo was holding a cake with a brand new candle on top. "Right on time for my next birthday!" he said. "It only took you a year."
After that, the postmaster allowed Dot to ride on the back of a beetle. The mail arrived much faster, and Dot enjoyed the view.
Dot was a snail who took the mail to homes. She was the slowest mail carrier in the meadow. People said grass grew taller while she crossed a lawn.
One Monday, the postmaster gave Dot a birthday card for a mouse named Milo. "His birthday is on Friday," he said.
Dot left at dawn. By noon she had slid as far as a tulip. By supper she had slid to the next tulip. The leaves turned orange. Snow came and went. Birds flew south and came back.
At last Dot knocked on Milo's door. "Your card," she panted. Milo held a cake with a new candle. "Right on time for my next birthday!" he said. "It took you a year."
After that, the postmaster let Dot ride on a beetle. The mail got there fast, and Dot liked the view.
Questions
Who was the card for?
When was Milo's birthday to be?
How far had Dot gone by noon?
How long did the trip take?
How did the mail get faster after that?
Why does the story say birds flew south and came back?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Dot the Snail Delivers a Birthday Card
Dot was a snail who carried the mail. She was the slowest mail carrier in the whole meadow. Folks said grass grew taller while she crossed a lawn.
One Monday, the postmaster handed Dot a birthday card for a mouse named Milo. "His birthday is on Friday," he said.
Dot set off at dawn. By noon she had slid as far as a tulip. By supper she had slid as far as the next tulip. The leaves turned orange. Snow came and went. Birds flew south and came back again.
At last Dot knocked on Milo's door. "Your card," she panted. Milo was holding a cake with a new candle on top. "Right on time for my next birthday!" he said. "It only took you a year."
After that, the postmaster let Dot ride on the back of a beetle. The mail got there much faster, and Dot enjoyed the view.
Questions
Who was the birthday card for?
When was Milo's birthday supposed to be?
How far did Dot get by noon?
How long did the trip really take?
How did the postmaster make the mail faster after that?
Why does the writer say that birds flew south and came back?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Dot the Snail Delivers a Birthday Card
Dot was a snail who delivered the mail, and she was easily the slowest mail carrier in the whole meadow. Folks joked that the grass grew taller while she crossed a single lawn.
One Monday, the postmaster handed Dot a birthday card addressed to a mouse named Milo. "His birthday is on Friday," he reminded her.
Dot set off at dawn. By noon she had slid as far as a tulip, and by supper she had reached the next tulip. The leaves turned orange, snow came and went, and the birds flew south and came back again.
At long last, Dot knocked on Milo's door. "Your card," she panted. Milo was holding a cake with a brand new candle on top. "Right on time for my next birthday!" he said. "It only took you a year."
After that, the postmaster allowed Dot to ride on the back of a beetle. The mail arrived much faster, and Dot enjoyed the view.
Questions
Who was the birthday card addressed to?
When was Milo's birthday supposed to be?
How far had Dot slid by noon?
How long did Dot's trip really take?
How did the postmaster make the mail arrive faster afterward?
Why does the writer mention that the birds flew south and came back again?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Dot the Snail Delivers a Birthday Card
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5)
A mouse named Milo.
On Friday.
As far as a tulip.
About a year.
Dot rode on the back of a beetle.
To show how slow Dot was, because a whole year went by.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1)
A mouse named Milo.
On Friday.
As far as a tulip.
About a year.
He let Dot ride on the back of a beetle.
To show how very slow Dot was, since a whole year went by.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.8)
A mouse named Milo.
On Friday.
As far as a tulip.
About a year.
He allowed Dot to ride on the back of a beetle.
To show how very slow Dot was, since a whole year passed.
Free at teach.peabody.kids
How to use it
Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.
Ideas for class
Before reading, put postmaster, meadow, dawn, panted and beetle 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 6 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.
What reading level is "Dot the Snail Delivers a Birthday Card"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 151 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.1. 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. 5 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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