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Mix-Up at the Pickle Parade

4th grade fiction passage about a parade float mix-up: 212 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade fiction a parade float mix-up 212 words

Mix-Up at the Pickle Parade

Every June, the town of Brinewick held a parade to honor its famous pickles. The best part was the Giant Pickle float, a green truck covered in bumpy paper and topped with a smiling cucumber named Mr. Crunch.

This year, the float builders worked in a shed beside the bakery. The bakery was building a float too, a huge birthday cake for the mayor's party. The two floats looked a lot alike under their cloths. Early on parade morning, a sleepy driver named Gus drove off with the wrong one.

The crowd cheered as a pink cake rolled down Main Street. On top of it sat a tiny drummer who was supposed to wave from the Giant Pickle. "Where are the pickles?" a girl called out.

Behind Gus came the pickle float, driven by a baker who did not know the way. Frosting was supposed to be on the cake. Instead, a green pickle was frosted with sprinkles and a candle.

Everyone laughed at the sight. Then Gus had an idea. He parked the two floats side by side in the square.

"Cake and pickles!" shouted the mayor. "Why not?"

Brinewick has served a pickle slice on every birthday cake since then. Some people say it tastes odd. Most ask for seconds.

Questions

  1. What was the Giant Pickle float topped with? in the text

  2. Why did the two floats look alike? in the text

  3. Who drove off with the wrong float? in the text

  4. What did Gus do when he saw the mix-up? in the text

  5. Why did the girl in the crowd ask where the pickles were? think about it

  6. How did the mix-up change the town's birthday parties? think about it

Words to know

parade
a line of people and floats that march through town
float
a decorated truck or cart in a parade
frosting
the sweet, creamy topping on a cake
honor
to show respect or give praise
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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 · 181 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.6

Every June, the town of Brinewick held a parade for its famous pickles. The best part was the Giant Pickle float. It was a green truck covered in bumpy paper. On top sat a smiling cucumber named Mr. Crunch.

This year the float builders worked in a shed by the bakery. The bakery was making a float too. It was a huge birthday cake for the mayor. Under their cloths, the two floats looked alike. On parade morning, a sleepy driver named Gus drove off with the wrong one.

The crowd cheered as a pink cake rolled down Main Street. "Where are the pickles?" a girl called out.

Behind Gus came the pickle float. A baker drove it, and he did not know the way. A green pickle had sprinkles and a candle on it.

Everyone laughed. Then Gus had an idea. He parked both floats side by side in the square.

"Cake and pickles!" said the mayor. "Why not?"

Since then, Brinewick puts a pickle slice on every birthday cake. Some people say it tastes odd. Most ask for more.

▲ This passage · 212 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.9

Every June, the town of Brinewick held a parade to honor its famous pickles. The best part was the Giant Pickle float, a green truck covered in bumpy paper and topped with a smiling cucumber named Mr. Crunch.

This year, the float builders worked in a shed beside the bakery. The bakery was building a float too, a huge birthday cake for the mayor's party. The two floats looked a lot alike under their cloths. Early on parade morning, a sleepy driver named Gus drove off with the wrong one.

The crowd cheered as a pink cake rolled down Main Street. On top of it sat a tiny drummer who was supposed to wave from the Giant Pickle. "Where are the pickles?" a girl called out.

Behind Gus came the pickle float, driven by a baker who did not know the way. Frosting was supposed to be on the cake. Instead, a green pickle was frosted with sprinkles and a candle.

Everyone laughed at the sight. Then Gus had an idea. He parked the two floats side by side in the square.

"Cake and pickles!" shouted the mayor. "Why not?"

Brinewick has served a pickle slice on every birthday cake since then. Some people say it tastes odd. Most ask for seconds.

■ Harder · 222 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.3

Every June, the town of Brinewick staged an enormous parade to celebrate its famous pickles. The highlight was always the Giant Pickle float, a green truck draped in bumpy paper and crowned with a smiling cucumber named Mr. Crunch.

This year, the float builders worked in a shed beside the bakery. The bakery, meanwhile, was constructing a float of its own, a gigantic birthday cake for the mayor's party. Beneath their cloths, the two floats looked remarkably similar. Early on parade morning, a sleepy driver named Gus rumbled away with the wrong one.

The crowd cheered as a pink cake rolled down Main Street. Perched on top was a tiny drummer who had been meant to wave from the Giant Pickle. "Where are the pickles?" a girl called out.

Trailing behind Gus came the pickle float, steered by a baker who had no idea where he was going. The cake that should have been covered in frosting was instead a green pickle decorated with sprinkles and a candle.

Everyone burst into laughter. Then Gus had an inspired idea. He parked the two floats side by side in the town square.

"Cake and pickles!" the mayor shouted. "Why not?"

Brinewick has served a pickle slice on every birthday cake ever since. Some people insist it tastes strange. Most of them ask for seconds.

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 parade, float, frosting and honor 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 "Mix-Up at the Pickle Parade"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 212 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.9. 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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