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The Pangolin Who Curled Up Too Soon

4th grade fiction passage about courage, shy animals: 197 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade fiction courage, shy animals 197 words

The Pangolin Who Curled Up Too Soon

A pangolin is covered in tough, overlapping scales, and when it is frightened it rolls into a tight ball. A young pangolin named Zuri was very good at it. At the first snap of a twig, at a falling leaf, even at her own shadow, she curled up and stayed that way until her heart stopped pounding.

Because she was always curled, Zuri missed a great many things. She missed the termite mound that her mother showed her how to open. She missed the evening when the fireflies rose from the grass. Her friends stopped asking her to come along.

One night the moon was bright, and Zuri heard a rustle in the leaves. She started to curl up, and then she stopped. She peeked out. A small hedgehog stood there, shaking, holding a lantern berry.

"I am lost," he whispered, "and I am scared of the dark."

Zuri felt her fear shrink, because someone needed her. "Follow me," she said. She walked him all the way to his burrow.

On the way back, she saw the fireflies for the first time. Being careful is wise, she thought, but it is not wise to hide from everything.

Questions

  1. What does a pangolin do when it is frightened? in the text

  2. What kinds of things made Zuri curl up? in the text

  3. What did Zuri miss because she was always curled up? in the text

  4. Who did Zuri meet on the bright moon night? in the text

  5. Why did Zuri's fear shrink when she met the hedgehog? think about it

  6. What does Zuri learn at the end of the story? think about it

Words to know

pangolin
an animal covered in hard scales that eats ants and termites
overlapping
lying partly on top of one another
termite
a small insect that lives in large groups and eats wood
rustle
a soft sound like leaves moving
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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 · 188 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2

A pangolin has tough scales all over its body. When it is scared, it rolls into a tight ball. A young pangolin named Zuri was very good at this. When a twig snapped, she curled up. When a leaf fell, she curled up. She even curled up at her own shadow. She stayed curled until her heart stopped pounding.

Because she was always curled up, Zuri missed a lot. She missed the termite mound her mother showed her how to open. She missed the night the fireflies rose from the grass. Her friends stopped asking her to come along.

One bright night Zuri heard a rustle in the leaves. She began to curl up. Then she stopped and peeked out. A small hedgehog stood there, shaking. He held a lantern berry.

"I am lost," he whispered. "I am scared of the dark."

Zuri's fear got smaller, because he needed her. "Follow me," she said. She walked him to his burrow.

On the way back, she saw the fireflies for the first time. It is wise to be careful, she thought. It is not wise to hide from everything.

▲ This passage · 197 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4

A pangolin is covered in tough, overlapping scales, and when it is frightened it rolls into a tight ball. A young pangolin named Zuri was very good at it. At the first snap of a twig, at a falling leaf, even at her own shadow, she curled up and stayed that way until her heart stopped pounding.

Because she was always curled, Zuri missed a great many things. She missed the termite mound that her mother showed her how to open. She missed the evening when the fireflies rose from the grass. Her friends stopped asking her to come along.

One night the moon was bright, and Zuri heard a rustle in the leaves. She started to curl up, and then she stopped. She peeked out. A small hedgehog stood there, shaking, holding a lantern berry.

"I am lost," he whispered, "and I am scared of the dark."

Zuri felt her fear shrink, because someone needed her. "Follow me," she said. She walked him all the way to his burrow.

On the way back, she saw the fireflies for the first time. Being careful is wise, she thought, but it is not wise to hide from everything.

■ Harder · 215 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.9

A pangolin is covered in tough, overlapping scales, and whenever it feels threatened it rolls itself into a tight ball. A young pangolin named Zuri was extraordinarily good at this. At the first snap of a twig, at a drifting leaf, even at her own shadow, she curled up and stayed that way until her heart stopped pounding.

Because she spent so much of her time curled up, Zuri missed a great many wonderful things. She missed the termite mound that her mother had shown her how to open. She missed the evening when the fireflies rose from the long grass. Eventually her friends stopped inviting her to come along.

One night, when the moon was bright, Zuri heard a rustle in the leaves. She began to curl up, and then she hesitated and peeked out. A small hedgehog stood there, trembling, with a lantern berry clutched in his paws.

"I am lost," he whispered, "and I am frightened of the dark."

Zuri felt her own fear shrink, because someone truly needed her. "Follow me," she said, and she led him all the way to his burrow.

On the walk home, she saw the fireflies for the very first time. Being careful is wise, she thought, but it is not wise to hide from everything.

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 pangolin, overlapping, termite and rustle 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 "The Pangolin Who Curled Up Too Soon"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 197 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.0. 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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