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The Pickle That Got the Hiccups

3rd grade fiction passage about a hiccuping pickle: 137 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade fiction a hiccuping pickle 137 words

The Pickle That Got the Hiccups

Mr. Dill kept one fat pickle in a jar on his kitchen shelf. One morning the jar went "hic," and then it went "hic" again. Mr. Dill looked closer and saw that the pickle had the hiccups!

Each hic made the lid hop up and down, and the jar bounced toward the edge of the shelf. Mr. Dill caught it just in time.

"Hold your breath," he told the pickle. But a pickle has no nose, so that did not work. "Drink some water," he said. But the pickle already sat in a jar of juice, so that did not work either.

Then Mr. Dill tiptoed behind the jar and shouted, "BOO!"

The jar gave one last hic and went quiet. Mr. Dill sighed with relief. Then, from the next shelf, a jar of olives said, "Hic."

Questions

  1. Where did Mr. Dill keep the pickle? in the text

  2. What did the lid do each time the pickle hiccuped? in the text

  3. What was the first cure Mr. Dill tried? in the text

  4. Why did the water idea not work? in the text

  5. How did Mr. Dill finally stop the hiccups? in the text

  6. What do you think Mr. Dill will have to do next? think about it

Words to know

hiccups
sudden little jumps in your chest that make a hic sound
bounced
jumped up and down again and again
tiptoed
walked quietly on the tips of your toes
relief
the good feeling when a worry goes away
pickle
a cucumber soaked in salty or sour juice
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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 · 101 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.2

Mr. Dill had a pickle in a jar. The jar sat on a shelf. One day the jar went "hic." Then it went "hic" again. The pickle had the hiccups!

Each hic made the lid hop. The jar jumped close to the edge. Mr. Dill caught it.

"Hold your breath," he said to the pickle. But a pickle has no nose. "Drink some water," he said. But the pickle was in juice.

Then Mr. Dill went behind the jar. "BOO!" he yelled.

The jar went quiet. Mr. Dill was glad. Then a jar of olives on the next shelf said, "Hic."

▲ This passage · 137 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1

Mr. Dill kept one fat pickle in a jar on his kitchen shelf. One morning the jar went "hic," and then it went "hic" again. Mr. Dill looked closer and saw that the pickle had the hiccups!

Each hic made the lid hop up and down, and the jar bounced toward the edge of the shelf. Mr. Dill caught it just in time.

"Hold your breath," he told the pickle. But a pickle has no nose, so that did not work. "Drink some water," he said. But the pickle already sat in a jar of juice, so that did not work either.

Then Mr. Dill tiptoed behind the jar and shouted, "BOO!"

The jar gave one last hic and went quiet. Mr. Dill sighed with relief. Then, from the next shelf, a jar of olives said, "Hic."

■ Harder · 145 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.6

Mr. Dill kept one plump pickle in a glass jar on his kitchen shelf. One morning, the jar suddenly went "hic." A moment later, it went "hic" again. Mr. Dill leaned in and stared. The pickle had the hiccups!

Every hic made the lid hop up and down, and the jar bounced steadily toward the edge of the shelf. Mr. Dill caught it just before it fell.

"Hold your breath," he advised the pickle. Unfortunately, a pickle has no nose, so that plan failed. "Try drinking some water," he suggested. However, the pickle already floated in a jar full of juice, so that plan failed as well.

At last, Mr. Dill tiptoed quietly behind the jar and shouted, "BOO!"

The jar gave one final hic and fell silent. Mr. Dill sighed with relief. Then, from the next shelf over, a jar of olives said, "Hic."

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 hiccups, bounced, tiptoed, relief and pickle 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 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 Pickle That Got the Hiccups"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 137 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.1. 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. 5 ask for something the text says directly and 1 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.

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