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The Hidden Pocket in the Fiddle Case

3rd grade fiction passage about a secret in a fiddle case: 169 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade fiction a secret in a fiddle case 169 words

The Hidden Pocket in the Fiddle Case

When Grandpa Eli gave Rosa his old fiddle, he gave her the worn black case too. It smelled like pine and lemon oil. Rosa practiced in her room every day after school.

One rainy afternoon, she shut the lid a little too hard. A strip of felt came loose inside. Behind it was a hidden pocket, and in the pocket lay a folded sheet of paper.

Rosa smoothed it open. It was covered in pencil notes and lines. At the top, in careful letters, were two words: "For Lena."

"That is a song," Rosa said to herself. She could read the notes, so she picked up the fiddle and played it slowly. The tune was gentle, with a skipping part in the middle.

She ran downstairs. Grandpa Eli stood still when he heard the music. "I wrote that for your grandmother," he said softly. "I lost the paper years ago."

Rosa handed it to him. "Now you can teach me the rest, and I can play it for her."

Questions

  1. What did Grandpa Eli give to Rosa? in the text

  2. How did Rosa find the hidden pocket? in the text

  3. What was written at the top of the paper? in the text

  4. What did Rosa do after she read the paper? in the text

  5. Who do you think Lena is? think about it

  6. Why did Grandpa Eli stand still when he heard the music? think about it

Words to know

fiddle
another name for a violin
worn
old and a little rubbed from long use
felt
a soft, thick cloth made from pressed wool
tune
a group of musical notes that make a song
folded
bent over so one part lies on another
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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 · 135 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.3

Grandpa Eli gave Rosa his old fiddle. He gave her the worn black case too. It smelled of pine and lemon oil. Rosa practiced every day after school.

One rainy day, she shut the lid too hard. A strip of felt came loose. Behind it was a hidden pocket. In the pocket was a folded paper.

Rosa opened it. It had pencil notes on it. At the top were two words: "For Lena."

"It is a song," Rosa said. She could read the notes. She played it slowly. The tune was gentle, with a skipping part in the middle.

She ran downstairs. Grandpa Eli stood still. "I wrote that for your grandmother," he said. "I lost the paper years ago."

Rosa gave it to him. "Teach me the rest. I will play it for her."

▲ This passage · 169 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.9

When Grandpa Eli gave Rosa his old fiddle, he gave her the worn black case too. It smelled like pine and lemon oil. Rosa practiced in her room every day after school.

One rainy afternoon, she shut the lid a little too hard. A strip of felt came loose inside. Behind it was a hidden pocket, and in the pocket lay a folded sheet of paper.

Rosa smoothed it open. It was covered in pencil notes and lines. At the top, in careful letters, were two words: "For Lena."

"That is a song," Rosa said to herself. She could read the notes, so she picked up the fiddle and played it slowly. The tune was gentle, with a skipping part in the middle.

She ran downstairs. Grandpa Eli stood still when he heard the music. "I wrote that for your grandmother," he said softly. "I lost the paper years ago."

Rosa handed it to him. "Now you can teach me the rest, and I can play it for her."

■ Harder · 173 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.8

When Grandpa Eli presented Rosa with his old fiddle, he included the worn black case as well. It carried the scent of pine and lemon oil. Rosa practiced in her bedroom every day after school.

One rainy afternoon, she closed the lid a little too forcefully, and a strip of felt came loose inside. Behind it was a hidden pocket, and tucked in the pocket lay a folded sheet of paper.

Rosa smoothed it open carefully. It was covered with penciled notes and staff lines, and at the top, in neat letters, were two words: "For Lena."

"It's a song," Rosa murmured. Because she could read music, she lifted the fiddle and played the melody slowly. The tune was gentle, with a skipping section in the middle.

She dashed downstairs, and Grandpa Eli froze when he heard the music. "I wrote that for your grandmother," he said softly. "I lost the paper years ago."

Rosa handed it to him. "Now you can teach me the rest, and I can play it for her."

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 fiddle, worn, felt, tune and folded 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 Hidden Pocket in the Fiddle Case"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 169 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.9. 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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