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Ruth and the Icy Front Steps

3rd grade fiction passage about a winter chore: 164 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade fiction a winter chore 164 words

Ruth and the Icy Front Steps

After a freezing night, a thin sheet of ice covered the front steps of Ruth's house. Her mom had left early for work, so Ruth had a job to do. She had to make the steps safe before her little brother came out.

First, she tried the shovel. Scrape, scrape. It only scratched the surface of the ice. Then she tried stomping, and she almost slipped.

"Think, Ruth," she said to herself.

She remembered the bag of sand in the garage. Her mom had said that sand gives feet something to grip. Ruth scooped a cup of it and sprinkled it over each step like she was salting a pizza.

She tested the first step with her boot. It did not slide. She tested the next one. Safe. Soon every step felt rough and sturdy.

When her brother stepped outside, he never noticed the ice at all. Ruth put the sand back in the garage, and she smiled all the way to the bus.

Questions

  1. What covered the front steps? in the text

  2. Why did Ruth have to handle the job herself? in the text

  3. What happened when Ruth tried the shovel? in the text

  4. What did Ruth find in the garage to fix the problem? in the text

  5. Why does sand help on icy steps? think about it

  6. Why did the brother never notice the ice? think about it

Words to know

shovel
a tool with a wide blade for digging or scooping
surface
the outside or top layer of something
sprinkled
scattered in tiny bits
grip
to hold on tightly without slipping
sturdy
strong and not likely to wobble
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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 · 119 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.1

The night was freezing. A thin sheet of ice covered Ruth's front steps. Her mom had left early for work. Ruth had to make the steps safe before her little brother came out.

First, she tried the shovel. Scrape, scrape. It only scratched the ice. Then she stomped. She almost slipped.

"Think, Ruth," she said.

She remembered the bag of sand in the garage. Mom said sand helps feet grip. Ruth scooped a cup and sprinkled it on each step.

She tested a step with her boot. It did not slide. She tested the next. Safe!

Her brother came out. He did not see any ice. Ruth put the sand away and smiled all the way to the bus.

▲ This passage · 164 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2

After a freezing night, a thin sheet of ice covered the front steps of Ruth's house. Her mom had left early for work, so Ruth had a job to do. She had to make the steps safe before her little brother came out.

First, she tried the shovel. Scrape, scrape. It only scratched the surface of the ice. Then she tried stomping, and she almost slipped.

"Think, Ruth," she said to herself.

She remembered the bag of sand in the garage. Her mom had said that sand gives feet something to grip. Ruth scooped a cup of it and sprinkled it over each step like she was salting a pizza.

She tested the first step with her boot. It did not slide. She tested the next one. Safe. Soon every step felt rough and sturdy.

When her brother stepped outside, he never noticed the ice at all. Ruth put the sand back in the garage, and she smiled all the way to the bus.

■ Harder · 173 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.5

After a freezing night, a thin sheet of ice had formed across the front steps of Ruth's house. Her mother had left early for work, so the responsibility fell to Ruth. She needed to make the steps safe before her little brother came outside.

First, she tried the shovel. Scrape, scrape. It merely scratched the surface of the ice. Next she attempted stomping on it, and she nearly slipped.

"Think, Ruth," she told herself.

Then she remembered the bag of sand in the garage. Her mother had explained that sand gives feet something to grip. Ruth scooped up a cup of it and sprinkled it over each step, the way a cook might salt a pizza.

She tested the first step with her boot, and it did not slide. She tested the next one, and that one was safe too. Soon every step felt rough and sturdy.

When her brother stepped outside, he never even noticed the ice. Ruth returned the sand to the garage and smiled all the way to the bus.

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 shovel, surface, sprinkled, grip and sturdy 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 "Ruth and the Icy Front Steps"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 164 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.0. 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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