Skip to the content
Peabody TeachFor teachers and grown-ups

The Recorder That Squeaked Like a Mouse

3rd grade fiction passage about learning the recorder: 149 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade fiction learning the recorder 149 words

The Recorder That Squeaked Like a Mouse

On the first day of music class, Priya blew into her new recorder. Eeeek! It sounded just like a mouse caught in a door. The boy next to her giggled, and her cheeks turned hot.

"Everyone squeaks at first," said Mr. Okafor. "Try again, but blow softly, like you are fogging up a window."

Priya tried. Eeeek! She tried again. Eeeek! Her fingers did not want to stay on the holes. Some holes were left open, and that made the squeaks.

That night she sat on her bed with the recorder and a mirror. She watched her fingers and pressed each hole until it felt like a tiny kiss. She blew softly. A round, clear note floated out.

Priya grinned at the mirror. The next day, she played that one note for the whole class. Nobody giggled. Mr. Okafor gave her a thumbs up, and the mouse was gone.

Questions

  1. What did Priya's first sound remind everyone of? in the text

  2. What did Mr. Okafor tell her to do? in the text

  3. What made the squeaks happen? in the text

  4. What did Priya use at home to help her practice? in the text

  5. Why did Priya's cheeks turn hot at the start? think about it

  6. Why was the mouse gone by the next day? think about it

Words to know

recorder
a small wooden or plastic pipe that you blow to play music
giggled
laughed in a quiet, silly way
squeak
a short, high sound
clear
easy to hear and not mixed up or fuzzy
softly
in a gentle, quiet way
Share

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 · 105 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1

On the first day of music class, Priya blew into her new recorder. Eeeek! It sounded like a mouse. A boy next to her giggled. Her cheeks got hot.

"Everyone squeaks at first," said Mr. Okafor. "Blow softly, like you are fogging a window."

Priya tried. Eeeek! She tried again. Eeeek! Her fingers did not stay on the holes. Open holes make squeaks.

That night, she sat with her recorder and a mirror. She watched her fingers. She pressed each hole. She blew softly. A clear note came out.

The next day, Priya played the note for the class. Nobody giggled. The mouse was gone.

▲ This passage · 149 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.7

On the first day of music class, Priya blew into her new recorder. Eeeek! It sounded just like a mouse caught in a door. The boy next to her giggled, and her cheeks turned hot.

"Everyone squeaks at first," said Mr. Okafor. "Try again, but blow softly, like you are fogging up a window."

Priya tried. Eeeek! She tried again. Eeeek! Her fingers did not want to stay on the holes. Some holes were left open, and that made the squeaks.

That night she sat on her bed with the recorder and a mirror. She watched her fingers and pressed each hole until it felt like a tiny kiss. She blew softly. A round, clear note floated out.

Priya grinned at the mirror. The next day, she played that one note for the whole class. Nobody giggled. Mr. Okafor gave her a thumbs up, and the mouse was gone.

■ Harder · 170 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.2

On the very first day of music class, Priya blew into her brand new recorder, and a thin, shrieking squeal came out. It sounded exactly like a mouse that had been caught in a door. The boy sitting next to her giggled, and she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment.

"Everyone squeaks at the beginning," said Mr. Okafor kindly. "Try again, but blow very softly, as though you were fogging up a window."

Priya tried. Eeeek! She tried again. Eeeek! Her fingers kept slipping off the holes, and the holes that stayed open were the ones that made the squeaks.

That evening she sat on her bed with the recorder and a mirror, watching her fingers carefully. She pressed each hole until it felt like a tiny kiss, then blew gently. A round, clear note floated into the room.

Priya grinned at her reflection. The following day, she played that single note for the entire class. Nobody giggled. Mr. Okafor gave her a thumbs up, and the mouse had disappeared.

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 recorder, giggled, squeak, clear and softly 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 1 minute 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 Recorder That Squeaked Like a Mouse"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 149 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 1.7. 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 1 minute 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.

Nothing you do here is sent to us. No sign-in, no ads.