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A Kite on the Wrong Roof

4th grade fiction passage about a lost kite rescue: 206 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade fiction a lost kite rescue 206 words

A Kite on the Wrong Roof

On a breezy afternoon, Samir's red dragon kite snapped its string and sailed over the fence. He chased it down Willow Street and watched it settle on the roof of a yellow house at the corner. He did not know the family who lived there, and he had no idea how to climb up for it.

Samir sat on the curb, feeling sad. Then he noticed a ladder lying in the neighbor's yard, but he knew that asking was better than borrowing without permission.

He walked up the path and knocked. A tall woman answered. "I am Mrs. Delgado," she said. "Are you looking for something?"

Samir explained about the kite. Mrs. Delgado said she would not let a child climb on a roof, but she had a better idea. She fetched a long, light pole with a hook, usually used for hanging flower baskets.

Standing on the grass, she reached carefully and lifted the string. The kite slid off and floated down into Samir's hands.

"Thank you!" he said. Mrs. Delgado smiled. "Next time, tie a longer tail on it. A heavier tail keeps a kite steady."

The next weekend, Samir returned with a new tail and a thank-you drawing of the yellow house.

Questions

  1. What did Samir's kite look like? in the text

  2. Where did the kite land? in the text

  3. What tool did Mrs. Delgado use to get the kite? in the text

  4. What advice did Mrs. Delgado give about the kite? in the text

  5. Why did Samir knock instead of using the ladder? think about it

  6. Why did Mrs. Delgado not let Samir climb? think about it

Words to know

breezy
having a light, steady wind
curb
the stone edge along the side of a street
permission
a yes from someone who is allowed to give it
fetched
went and brought back
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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 · 187 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.6

On a windy day, Samir's red dragon kite broke its string. It flew over the fence. He ran down Willow Street. The kite landed on the roof of a yellow house on the corner. He did not know the family there. He could not climb up to get it.

Samir sat on the curb. He felt sad. Then he saw a ladder in the yard. But he knew asking was better than taking without permission.

He walked up the path and knocked. A tall woman came to the door. "I am Mrs. Delgado," she said. "Are you looking for something?"

Samir told her about the kite. She said a child must not climb on a roof. But she had a better idea. She brought a long, light pole with a hook. It was for hanging flower baskets.

She stood on the grass and lifted the string. The kite slid down into Samir's hands.

"Thank you!" he said. She smiled. "Next time, add a longer tail. A heavy tail keeps a kite steady."

The next weekend, Samir came back with a new tail and a thank-you drawing.

▲ This passage · 206 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.1

On a breezy afternoon, Samir's red dragon kite snapped its string and sailed over the fence. He chased it down Willow Street and watched it settle on the roof of a yellow house at the corner. He did not know the family who lived there, and he had no idea how to climb up for it.

Samir sat on the curb, feeling sad. Then he noticed a ladder lying in the neighbor's yard, but he knew that asking was better than borrowing without permission.

He walked up the path and knocked. A tall woman answered. "I am Mrs. Delgado," she said. "Are you looking for something?"

Samir explained about the kite. Mrs. Delgado said she would not let a child climb on a roof, but she had a better idea. She fetched a long, light pole with a hook, usually used for hanging flower baskets.

Standing on the grass, she reached carefully and lifted the string. The kite slid off and floated down into Samir's hands.

"Thank you!" he said. Mrs. Delgado smiled. "Next time, tie a longer tail on it. A heavier tail keeps a kite steady."

The next weekend, Samir returned with a new tail and a thank-you drawing of the yellow house.

■ Harder · 227 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.9

On a breezy afternoon, Samir's red dragon kite snapped its string and sailed straight over the fence. He chased it down Willow Street and watched it settle on the roof of a yellow house on the corner. He did not know the family who lived there, and he had no idea how he could climb up to retrieve it.

Samir sat on the curb, feeling dejected. Then he noticed a ladder lying in the neighbor's yard, yet he understood that asking was far better than borrowing without permission.

He walked up the path and knocked on the door. A tall woman answered. "I am Mrs. Delgado," she said. "Are you looking for something?"

Samir explained about the kite. Mrs. Delgado said that she would never allow a child to climb onto a roof, but she had a better idea. She fetched a long, lightweight pole with a hook on the end, which she normally used for hanging flower baskets.

Standing safely on the grass, she reached up carefully and lifted the string. The kite slid off the roof and floated gently down into Samir's hands.

"Thank you so much!" he said. Mrs. Delgado smiled. "Next time, tie on a longer tail. A heavier tail helps a kite stay steady."

The following weekend, Samir returned with a new tail and a thank-you drawing of the yellow house.

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 breezy, curb, permission and fetched 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 "A Kite on the Wrong Roof"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 206 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.1. 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. 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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