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The Pelican and the Borrowed Net

3rd grade fiction passage about a pelican fixes what she borrowed: 186 words, seven questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade fiction a pelican fixes what she borrowed 186 words

The Pelican and the Borrowed Net

Penny the pelican lived on a wooden pier. Every morning she scooped up fish in her big bill. One day she saw a fisherman's net hanging on a post. It was woven from thick green string.

"That would help me catch more fish," Penny thought. She took it when no one was looking.

Out on the water, the net tangled in her wings. A string snapped. Then another string snapped. By the time she got back to the pier, the net had a big hole.

Penny did not eat any fish that day. She felt a heavy knot in her stomach. She had taken something that was not hers, and now it was broken.

She waited by the post until the fisherman came. Her voice shook as she told him what happened.

The fisherman looked at the hole and then at her. "Thank you for telling me," he said. "Next time, just ask."

Penny held the net while he mended it. The next morning, he gave her a small silver fish. She had learned that telling the truth is the first step to making things right.

Questions

  1. Where did Penny live? in the text

  2. What did Penny take from the post? in the text

  3. What happened to the net out on the water? in the text

  4. What did Penny do when the fisherman came? in the text

  5. What did the fisherman say Penny should do next time? in the text

  6. Why did Penny feel a heavy knot in her stomach? think about it

  7. What lesson does the story teach? think about it

Words to know

pier
a long platform that reaches out over the water
woven
made by crossing strings or threads over and under
tangled
twisted together in a messy knot
mended
fixed something that was torn or broken
bill
the beak of a bird
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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 · 173 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.8

Penny the pelican lived on a wood pier. Each morning she scooped fish in her big bill. One day she saw a fisherman's net on a post. It was made of thick green string.

"That would help me catch more fish," Penny thought. She took it. No one saw her.

Out on the water, the net tangled in her wings. A string snapped. Then another snapped. Back at the pier, the net had a big hole.

Penny ate no fish that day. Her stomach felt like a heavy knot. She had taken a thing that was not hers. Now it was broken.

She waited by the post. When the fisherman came, her voice shook. She told him what she did.

The fisherman looked at the hole. He looked at her. "Thank you for telling me," he said. "Next time, just ask."

Penny held the net while he mended it. The next day, he gave her a small silver fish. She had learned that the truth is the first step to making things right.

▲ This passage · 186 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2

Penny the pelican lived on a wooden pier. Every morning she scooped up fish in her big bill. One day she saw a fisherman's net hanging on a post. It was woven from thick green string.

"That would help me catch more fish," Penny thought. She took it when no one was looking.

Out on the water, the net tangled in her wings. A string snapped. Then another string snapped. By the time she got back to the pier, the net had a big hole.

Penny did not eat any fish that day. She felt a heavy knot in her stomach. She had taken something that was not hers, and now it was broken.

She waited by the post until the fisherman came. Her voice shook as she told him what happened.

The fisherman looked at the hole and then at her. "Thank you for telling me," he said. "Next time, just ask."

Penny held the net while he mended it. The next morning, he gave her a small silver fish. She had learned that telling the truth is the first step to making things right.

■ Harder · 204 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.3

Penny the pelican lived on a weathered wooden pier, and every morning she scooped fish out of the water with her enormous bill. One day she noticed a fisherman's net draped over a post. It was woven from thick green string.

"That would help me catch far more fish," Penny thought. Without asking, she snatched it while no one was looking.

Out on the water, however, the net became hopelessly tangled in her wings. One string snapped, and then another string snapped. By the time she returned to the pier, the net had a large hole in it.

Penny did not eat a single fish that day. A heavy knot twisted in her stomach. She had taken something that did not belong to her, and now it was ruined.

She waited beside the post until the fisherman arrived. Her voice trembled as she explained what had happened.

The fisherman examined the hole and then looked at her. "Thank you for being honest with me," he said. "Next time, simply ask."

Penny held the net steady while he mended it. The following morning, he gave her a small silver fish. She had learned that telling the truth is the first step toward making things right.

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 pier, woven, tangled, mended and bill 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 6 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 Pelican and the Borrowed Net"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 186 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.2. 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 seven. 5 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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