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Ollie and the Raining Cats and Dogs

3rd grade fiction passage about sayings taken word for word: 158 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade fiction sayings taken word for word 158 words

Ollie and the Raining Cats and Dogs

Ollie took every word exactly as it was said. His grandpa did not know this yet.

One rainy day, Grandpa said, "It is raining cats and dogs." Ollie ran to the window. He looked for a puppy to catch. All he saw was rain.

At lunch, Grandpa said, "Hold your horses." Ollie looked at his hands. "I am holding a sandwich," he said. "I do not have any horses."

Before the piano show, Grandpa said, "Break a leg!" Ollie sat down very fast. "I do not want to break anything," he said. Grandpa laughed until he had to sit down too.

Then Grandpa explained. Some sayings do not mean what the words say. "Raining cats and dogs" means a big rain. "Break a leg" means good luck.

After the show, Ollie ran up to Grandpa. "That was a piece of cake," he said. Grandpa looked all around. "Where?" he asked. Ollie grinned and held out a real slice.

Questions

  1. How did Ollie take the words he heard? in the text

  2. What did Ollie look for at the window? in the text

  3. What did Ollie say he was holding instead of horses? in the text

  4. What does the saying break a leg mean? in the text

  5. Why did Ollie sit down so fast when Grandpa said break a leg? think about it

  6. Why did Grandpa look around for cake? think about it

Words to know

exactly
just the same, with nothing changed
sayings
short phrases that mean something different from their words
explained
told in a way that helps someone understand
grinned
smiled a big, wide smile
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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 · 150 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.2

Ollie took every word just as it was said. His grandpa did not know this yet.

One wet day, Grandpa said, "It is raining cats and dogs." Ollie ran to the window. He looked for a puppy. He saw only rain.

At lunch, Grandpa said, "Hold your horses." Ollie looked at his hands. "I have a sandwich," he said. "I have no horses."

Before the piano show, Grandpa said, "Break a leg!" Ollie sat down fast. "I do not want to break a leg," he said. Grandpa laughed so hard he had to sit down.

Then Grandpa told him the truth. Some sayings mean something else. "Raining cats and dogs" means a lot of rain. "Break a leg" means good luck.

After the show, Ollie ran to Grandpa. "That was a piece of cake," he said. Grandpa looked around. "Where?" he asked. Ollie smiled and held out a real slice.

▲ This passage · 158 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.7

Ollie took every word exactly as it was said. His grandpa did not know this yet.

One rainy day, Grandpa said, "It is raining cats and dogs." Ollie ran to the window. He looked for a puppy to catch. All he saw was rain.

At lunch, Grandpa said, "Hold your horses." Ollie looked at his hands. "I am holding a sandwich," he said. "I do not have any horses."

Before the piano show, Grandpa said, "Break a leg!" Ollie sat down very fast. "I do not want to break anything," he said. Grandpa laughed until he had to sit down too.

Then Grandpa explained. Some sayings do not mean what the words say. "Raining cats and dogs" means a big rain. "Break a leg" means good luck.

After the show, Ollie ran up to Grandpa. "That was a piece of cake," he said. Grandpa looked all around. "Where?" he asked. Ollie grinned and held out a real slice.

■ Harder · 170 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.6

Ollie understood every word in the most literal way possible. His grandpa had not figured this out yet.

One rainy afternoon, Grandpa remarked, "It is raining cats and dogs." Ollie dashed to the window and searched for a puppy to rescue. All he could see was rain.

At lunch, Grandpa said, "Hold your horses." Ollie examined his hands carefully. "I am only holding a sandwich," he replied. "I do not have any horses."

Just before the piano show, Grandpa called out, "Break a leg!" Ollie sat down very quickly. "I do not want to break anything," he protested. Grandpa laughed until he was forced to sit down as well.

Then Grandpa explained that some sayings do not mean what their words say. "Raining cats and dogs" means a heavy rain, and "break a leg" means good luck.

After the show, Ollie hurried up to Grandpa. "That was a piece of cake," he announced. Grandpa glanced all around the room. "Where?" he asked. Ollie grinned and held out a real slice.

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 exactly, sayings, explained and grinned 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 "Ollie and the Raining Cats and Dogs"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 158 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.6. 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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