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Paddle Number Seven Hides a Secret

4th grade fiction passage about a camp canoe treasure hunt: 179 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade fiction a camp canoe treasure hunt 179 words

Paddle Number Seven Hides a Secret

At Lake Alder Camp, every canoe paddle had a number burned into the handle. Dev always got paddle number seven, and he never gave it a second thought until the morning he noticed something new. Under the number, someone had carved tiny letters: "N 20, W 10."

"Maybe it is a map," whispered his cabin mate, Owen.

After lunch, the boys stood at the dock's north end. Dev took twenty big steps straight along the shore, and then ten steps toward the setting sun. They stopped beside a flat gray boulder with moss on one side.

Owen pushed against the rock, and it rocked a little. Underneath was a dented tin box. Inside lay a stack of old photographs, a bent compass, and a note that said, "To the next campers: leave something for those who come after you."

Dev and Owen read the photographs together. The pictures showed campers from long ago, smiling in wooden canoes.

That evening, the boys added their own note and a drawing of paddle number seven. Then they set the box back under the boulder.

Questions

  1. What was burned into the handle of every paddle? in the text

  2. What did the carved letters under the number say? in the text

  3. What did the boys find under the boulder? in the text

  4. What was inside the tin box? in the text

  5. What did the carved letters most likely mean? think about it

  6. Why did the boys put the box back? think about it

Words to know

carved
cut into a hard surface such as wood
boulder
a very large rock
dented
pushed in, with a dip or bump from being hit
compass
a tool with a needle that points north
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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 · 156 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.1

At Lake Alder Camp, each canoe paddle had a number on the handle. Dev always got paddle seven. One morning he saw something new. Under the number, someone had carved tiny letters: "N 20, W 10."

"Maybe it is a map," whispered his friend Owen.

After lunch, the boys went to the north end of the dock. Dev took twenty big steps along the shore. Then he took ten steps toward the setting sun. They stopped by a flat gray rock with moss on one side.

Owen pushed the rock. It moved a little. Under it was a dented tin box. Inside were old photos, a bent compass, and a note. It said, "To the next campers: leave something for those who come after you."

The photos showed campers from long ago in wooden canoes.

That night, the boys added their own note and a drawing of paddle seven. Then they put the box back under the rock.

▲ This passage · 179 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.7

At Lake Alder Camp, every canoe paddle had a number burned into the handle. Dev always got paddle number seven, and he never gave it a second thought until the morning he noticed something new. Under the number, someone had carved tiny letters: "N 20, W 10."

"Maybe it is a map," whispered his cabin mate, Owen.

After lunch, the boys stood at the dock's north end. Dev took twenty big steps straight along the shore, and then ten steps toward the setting sun. They stopped beside a flat gray boulder with moss on one side.

Owen pushed against the rock, and it rocked a little. Underneath was a dented tin box. Inside lay a stack of old photographs, a bent compass, and a note that said, "To the next campers: leave something for those who come after you."

Dev and Owen read the photographs together. The pictures showed campers from long ago, smiling in wooden canoes.

That evening, the boys added their own note and a drawing of paddle number seven. Then they set the box back under the boulder.

■ Harder · 193 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.9

At Lake Alder Camp, every canoe paddle had a number burned into its handle. Dev always received paddle number seven, and he never gave it a second thought until the morning he noticed something new. Beneath the number, someone had carved tiny letters: "N 20, W 10."

"Perhaps it is a map," whispered his cabin mate, Owen, with growing excitement.

After lunch, the two boys stood at the northern end of the dock. Dev took twenty long strides straight along the shore, and then ten more toward the setting sun. They halted beside a flat gray boulder with moss creeping up one side.

Owen leaned his shoulder against the rock, and it tilted slightly. Underneath sat a dented tin box. Inside lay a stack of old photographs, a bent compass, and a handwritten note that said, "To the next campers: leave something for those who come after you."

Dev and Owen examined the photographs together. The pictures showed campers from long ago, grinning in wooden canoes.

That evening, the boys wrote their own note and added a sketch of paddle number seven. Then they carefully returned the box to its hiding place beneath the boulder.

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 carved, boulder, dented and compass 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 "Paddle Number Seven Hides a Secret"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 179 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.7. 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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