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The Kite That Would Not Fly

3rd grade fiction passage about fixing a problem: 155 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade fiction fixing a problem 155 words

The Kite That Would Not Fly

Maya had waited all week to fly her brand new kite. On Saturday morning, she ran across the park with the string tight in her hand, but the kite only lifted a little before it spun around and tumbled onto the grass.

She tried again, and it crashed again. Maya sat down and frowned. "This kite must be broken," she said.

Her grandpa came over to look at it. "It is not broken," he said. "It just needs a tail." He tore a long strip of cloth from an old shirt and tied it to the bottom of the kite.

Maya ran across the park once more. This time the wind caught the kite, and it climbed higher and higher. The tail swayed back and forth and kept the kite steady.

"Why did the tail help?" Maya asked.

"It keeps the kite from spinning," Grandpa explained. Maya laughed as the kite soared above the trees.

Questions

  1. What did Maya do on Saturday? in the text

  2. What did Grandpa tie to the kite? in the text

  3. What did the tail do? in the text

  4. How did Maya feel after the kite crashed twice? think about it

  5. Why did Grandpa say the kite was not broken? think about it

  6. How did Maya feel at the end? think about it

Words to know

kite
a light toy that flies on a string in the wind
frowned
made an unhappy face
steady
not moving or shaking much
swayed
moved slowly from side to side
soared
flew high in the air
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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 · 130 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.4

Maya waited all week to fly her new kite. On Saturday, she ran in the park with the string in her hand. The kite went up a bit. Then it spun and fell on the grass.

She tried again. It fell again. Maya sat down. She frowned. "This kite is broken," she said.

Her grandpa came to look. "It is not broken," he said. "It needs a tail." He tore a long strip from an old shirt. He tied it to the bottom of the kite.

Maya ran again. This time the wind caught the kite. It went up and up. The tail swayed. It kept the kite steady.

"Why did the tail help?" Maya asked.

"It stops the kite from spinning," Grandpa said. Maya laughed as the kite soared.

▲ This passage · 155 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2

Maya had waited all week to fly her brand new kite. On Saturday morning, she ran across the park with the string tight in her hand, but the kite only lifted a little before it spun around and tumbled onto the grass.

She tried again, and it crashed again. Maya sat down and frowned. "This kite must be broken," she said.

Her grandpa came over to look at it. "It is not broken," he said. "It just needs a tail." He tore a long strip of cloth from an old shirt and tied it to the bottom of the kite.

Maya ran across the park once more. This time the wind caught the kite, and it climbed higher and higher. The tail swayed back and forth and kept the kite steady.

"Why did the tail help?" Maya asked.

"It keeps the kite from spinning," Grandpa explained. Maya laughed as the kite soared above the trees.

■ Harder · 167 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.5

Maya had been looking forward to flying her brand new kite all week long. On Saturday morning, she dashed across the park with the string clutched tightly in her hand, but the kite rose only a short distance before it spun around and tumbled onto the grass.

She tried a second time, and once again it crashed. Maya sat down on the grass and frowned. "This kite must be broken," she said glumly.

Her grandpa strolled over to examine it. "It is not broken," he said. "It simply needs a tail." He tore a long strip of cloth from an old shirt and tied it to the bottom of the kite.

Maya raced across the park once more. This time the wind caught the kite, and it climbed higher and higher. The tail swayed from side to side and kept the kite steady.

"Why did the tail help?" Maya asked.

"It prevents the kite from spinning," Grandpa explained. Maya laughed as the kite soared above the trees.

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 kite, frowned, steady, swayed and soared 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 4 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 Kite That Would Not Fly"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 155 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. 3 ask for something the text says directly and 3 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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