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Double Dutch Needs a Third Turner

3rd grade fiction passage about double dutch jump rope: 163 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade fiction double dutch jump rope 163 words

Double Dutch Needs a Third Turner

At recess, Nia and Keisha wanted to jump double dutch. That means two long ropes turn in opposite directions while a jumper hops in the middle. But two turners and a jumper make three people, and they were only two.

"We could ask Wen," said Keisha. Wen was new and usually sat by the fence.

Nia was nervous. What if Wen did not know how to turn a rope? But Wen said yes right away. "My cousin showed me once," he said.

The first try was a mess. The ropes tangled, and Nia landed in a heap. The second try was no better. Wen turned too slowly, and Keisha turned too fast.

"Let's count out loud," said Wen. "One, two, three, jump!"

They counted together, and the ropes started to move in a steady beat, slap, slap, slap. Nia waited, then stepped in. She hopped ten times before she tripped. Everyone cheered anyway.

After that, Wen was never alone by the fence again.

Questions

  1. How many people does double dutch need? in the text

  2. Who did the girls ask to be the third person? in the text

  3. What went wrong on the first two tries? in the text

  4. What idea from Wen helped the ropes move together? in the text

  5. Why do you think Wen usually sat by the fence? think about it

  6. How did the game change things for Wen? think about it

Words to know

recess
a break from class when children can play
tangled
twisted together in a knot
steady
even and not changing
turners
the people who swing the ropes around
cheered
shouted happily to show support
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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 · 114 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.2

At recess, Nia and Keisha wanted to jump double dutch. Two ropes turn in opposite ways. One person jumps in the middle. That takes three people, and they had two.

"Let's ask Wen," said Keisha. Wen was new. He sat by the fence.

Wen said yes. "My cousin showed me once," he said.

The first try was a mess. The ropes got tangled. Nia fell down. Wen turned too slow, and Keisha turned too fast.

"Let's count out loud," said Wen. "One, two, three, jump!"

They counted. The ropes moved in a steady beat. Nia stepped in. She hopped ten times. Then she tripped. Everyone cheered.

Wen was not alone by the fence again.

▲ This passage · 163 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.5

At recess, Nia and Keisha wanted to jump double dutch. That means two long ropes turn in opposite directions while a jumper hops in the middle. But two turners and a jumper make three people, and they were only two.

"We could ask Wen," said Keisha. Wen was new and usually sat by the fence.

Nia was nervous. What if Wen did not know how to turn a rope? But Wen said yes right away. "My cousin showed me once," he said.

The first try was a mess. The ropes tangled, and Nia landed in a heap. The second try was no better. Wen turned too slowly, and Keisha turned too fast.

"Let's count out loud," said Wen. "One, two, three, jump!"

They counted together, and the ropes started to move in a steady beat, slap, slap, slap. Nia waited, then stepped in. She hopped ten times before she tripped. Everyone cheered anyway.

After that, Wen was never alone by the fence again.

■ Harder · 186 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.7

At recess, Nia and Keisha were determined to jump double dutch, a game in which two long ropes swing in opposite directions while a jumper hops in the gap between them. Two turners and one jumper add up to three people, and the girls were only two.

"We could invite Wen," suggested Keisha. Wen was new at school, and he usually sat alone by the fence.

Nia felt nervous. What if Wen had no idea how to turn a rope? But Wen agreed immediately. "My cousin showed me once," he explained.

The first attempt was a disaster. The ropes tangled, and Nia landed in a heap on the blacktop. The second attempt was no better, because Wen turned too slowly while Keisha turned far too fast.

"Let's count out loud together," Wen proposed. "One, two, three, jump!"

They counted in unison, and the ropes settled into a steady rhythm, slap, slap, slap. Nia waited for the right moment, then stepped in and hopped ten times before she finally tripped. Everyone cheered anyway.

From that day on, Wen never had to sit alone by the fence again.

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 recess, tangled, steady, turners and cheered 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 "Double Dutch Needs a Third Turner"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 163 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.5. 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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