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Tobias and the Giant Tuba Case

3rd grade fiction passage about carrying a big instrument: 165 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

3rd grade fiction carrying a big instrument 165 words

Tobias and the Giant Tuba Case

Tobias was the smallest kid in the school band, and he had the biggest instrument. His tuba case was almost as tall as he was. Every morning he had to get it from the bus to the band room.

On Monday, he dragged it down the hall. Thump, thump, thump. The wheels were missing, and the corner scraped the floor. By the time he got there, he was out of breath, and the bell had rung.

"You are late again," said Ms. Dunn, but she said it kindly. "Let's find a way to fix this."

Tobias thought hard. He looked at the cart that the lunch helpers used for milk crates. Ms. Dunn asked the lunch helpers, and they said yes.

The next morning, Tobias lifted the case onto the cart and rolled it all the way down the hall. He was early for the first time. He sat down, took a deep breath, and played a big, round note that shook the music stands.

Questions

  1. Why was the tuba case hard for Tobias to carry? in the text

  2. Why did the case scrape the floor? in the text

  3. What did the lunch helpers let Tobias borrow? in the text

  4. What happened the next morning? in the text

  5. How did Ms. Dunn feel about Tobias being late? think about it

  6. What does the story show about asking for help? think about it

Words to know

tuba
a very large brass instrument that plays deep notes
band
a group of people who play music together
scraped
rubbed against something in a rough way
cart
a small thing on wheels used to carry loads
helpers
people who do jobs to make things easier
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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 1

Tobias was the smallest kid in the school band. He had the biggest instrument. His tuba case was almost as tall as he was. Every morning, he had to move it from the bus to the band room.

On Monday, he dragged it down the hall. Thump, thump. The case had no wheels. It scraped the floor. He was out of breath, and the bell had rung.

"You are late," said Ms. Dunn, but she was kind. "Let's fix this."

Tobias saw the cart that the lunch helpers used for milk crates. Ms. Dunn asked them, and they said yes.

The next morning, Tobias rolled the case down the hall. He was early! He played a big, round note.

▲ This passage · 165 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.4

Tobias was the smallest kid in the school band, and he had the biggest instrument. His tuba case was almost as tall as he was. Every morning he had to get it from the bus to the band room.

On Monday, he dragged it down the hall. Thump, thump, thump. The wheels were missing, and the corner scraped the floor. By the time he got there, he was out of breath, and the bell had rung.

"You are late again," said Ms. Dunn, but she said it kindly. "Let's find a way to fix this."

Tobias thought hard. He looked at the cart that the lunch helpers used for milk crates. Ms. Dunn asked the lunch helpers, and they said yes.

The next morning, Tobias lifted the case onto the cart and rolled it all the way down the hall. He was early for the first time. He sat down, took a deep breath, and played a big, round note that shook the music stands.

■ Harder · 180 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.6

Tobias was the smallest child in the school band, yet he played the largest instrument of all. His tuba case was nearly as tall as he was, and every morning he had to haul it from the bus all the way to the band room.

On Monday, he dragged it down the long hallway. Thump, thump, thump. The wheels had fallen off long ago, and one corner scraped along the floor. By the time he arrived, he was completely out of breath, and the bell had already rung.

"You are late again," said Ms. Dunn, though she said it gently. "Let's work together to find a solution."

Tobias thought carefully. He remembered the cart that the lunch helpers used for hauling heavy milk crates. Ms. Dunn spoke to the lunch helpers, and they agreed to share it.

The following morning, Tobias lifted the case onto the cart and rolled it smoothly down the hallway. For the first time, he was early. He sat down, took a deep breath, and played a big, round note that made the music stands shake.

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 tuba, band, scraped, cart and helpers 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 "Tobias and the Giant Tuba Case"?

It was written for 3rd grade. It has 165 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.4. 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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