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The Talent Show Hiccups

4th grade fiction passage about stage fright and humor: 171 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade fiction stage fright and humor 171 words

The Talent Show Hiccups

Eli was going to tell jokes at the school talent show. He had practiced for two weeks, and he knew every single joke by heart. But when he stepped behind the curtain, his stomach fluttered nervously, and a loud hiccup suddenly popped out of his mouth.

Hic! Then another. Hic! Eli's face turned bright red, because he could not possibly tell jokes with the hiccups. His friend Mina handed him a cup of water. "Take small sips," she whispered. Eli sipped and held his breath, but the hiccups kept coming.

Then the curtain opened, and the audience clapped. Eli walked to the microphone. "Hic! Hello, everyone," he said. A few kids giggled. Eli had an idea. "Why did the chicken, hic, cross the road?" he asked. The audience leaned in. "To get to the other, hic, side!" Everybody burst out laughing.

By the end of the show, the hiccups had faded away, and the whole room cheered. "That was my best act," Eli told Mina afterward, "and it was an accident."

Questions

  1. What was Eli going to do at the talent show? in the text

  2. What went wrong when Eli stepped behind the curtain? in the text

  3. How did Mina try to help? in the text

  4. Why do you think Eli's stomach fluttered? think about it

  5. How did Eli turn his problem into part of the act? in the text

  6. What does Eli mean when he says it was his best act, and an accident? think about it

Words to know

talent show
an event where people show their special skills
fluttered
made quick, light movements, like wings
audience
the people who watch a show
microphone
a tool that makes a voice louder
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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 · 158 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5

Eli was going to tell jokes at the school talent show. He had practiced for two weeks. He knew every joke by heart. But when he stepped behind the curtain, his stomach fluttered, and a loud hiccup popped out of his mouth.

Hic! Then another. Hic! Eli's face turned red. He could not tell jokes with the hiccups. His friend Mina gave him a cup of water. "Take small sips," she whispered. Eli sipped and held his breath. The hiccups kept coming.

Then the curtain opened, and the audience clapped. Eli walked to the microphone. "Hic! Hello, everyone," he said. A few kids giggled. Eli had an idea. "Why did the chicken, hic, cross the road?" he asked. The audience leaned in. "To get to the other, hic, side!" Everybody laughed.

By the end of the show, the hiccups were gone, and the room cheered. "That was my best act," Eli told Mina, "and it was an accident."

▲ This passage · 171 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.9

Eli was going to tell jokes at the school talent show. He had practiced for two weeks, and he knew every single joke by heart. But when he stepped behind the curtain, his stomach fluttered nervously, and a loud hiccup suddenly popped out of his mouth.

Hic! Then another. Hic! Eli's face turned bright red, because he could not possibly tell jokes with the hiccups. His friend Mina handed him a cup of water. "Take small sips," she whispered. Eli sipped and held his breath, but the hiccups kept coming.

Then the curtain opened, and the audience clapped. Eli walked to the microphone. "Hic! Hello, everyone," he said. A few kids giggled. Eli had an idea. "Why did the chicken, hic, cross the road?" he asked. The audience leaned in. "To get to the other, hic, side!" Everybody burst out laughing.

By the end of the show, the hiccups had faded away, and the whole room cheered. "That was my best act," Eli told Mina afterward, "and it was an accident."

■ Harder · 173 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.3

Eli was scheduled to tell jokes at the school talent show. He had rehearsed for two entire weeks, and he knew every single joke by heart. But when he stepped behind the curtain, his stomach fluttered nervously, and a loud hiccup suddenly popped out of his mouth.

Hic! Then another. Hic! Eli's face turned bright red. He could not possibly tell jokes with the hiccups. His friend Mina handed him a cup of water. "Take small sips," she whispered. Eli sipped and held his breath, but the hiccups kept coming.

Then the curtain opened, and the audience applauded. Eli walked to the microphone. "Hic! Hello, everyone," he said. A few kids giggled. Eli had a sudden idea. "Why did the chicken, hic, cross the road?" he asked. The audience leaned forward. "To get to the other, hic, side!" Everybody burst out laughing.

By the end of the show, the hiccups had faded away, and the whole room cheered. "That was my best act," Eli told Mina afterward, "and it was completely an accident."

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 talent show, fluttered, audience and microphone 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 4 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 Talent Show Hiccups"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 171 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 2.9. 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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