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The Wind-Up Heron Who Carried Whispers

4th grade fiction passage about a mechanical bird that delivers secrets: 176 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

4th grade fiction a mechanical bird that delivers secrets 176 words

The Wind-Up Heron Who Carried Whispers

A wind-up heron stood on one leg beside Marsh Pond. Its metal feathers were the color of old spoons. Anyone who whispered into its beak could send a message to a friend across the water, and the heron would walk to the far bank and whisper it back out.

A boy named Dev used it every day. He sent notes to his cousin, who lived in the cottage on the other side. "Do you want to catch frogs?" he whispered one morning.

But the heron had slowed down. Its key had turned only half as far as usual, and its legs creaked. It reached the middle of the pond and stopped, with the message still inside.

Dev waded out through the cattails. He found the large brass key on the heron's back and gave it ten careful turns. Gears clicked, and the heron stepped forward again.

When it reached the cottage, his cousin heard the whisper and waved. Dev had learned something. A messenger, even a magical one, needs a little care to keep working.

Questions

  1. What did the heron do with the messages it was given? in the text

  2. Who did Dev send his notes to? in the text

  3. Why did the heron stop in the middle of the pond? in the text

  4. What did Dev do to get the heron moving again? in the text

  5. What did Dev learn at the end of the story? think about it

  6. What was Dev's message that morning? in the text

Words to know

heron
a tall bird with long legs that wades in water
creaked
made a squeaky sound, like an old door
cattails
tall pond plants with brown fuzzy tops
messenger
someone or something that carries news
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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 · 143 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.4

A wind-up heron stood by Marsh Pond. Its metal feathers were the color of old spoons. If you whispered into its beak, it carried your message across the water. It walked to the far bank and whispered it out.

A boy named Dev used it every day. He sent notes to his cousin on the other side. "Do you want to catch frogs?" he whispered one morning.

But the heron was slow. Its key had not been turned far enough. It stopped in the middle of the pond with the message still inside.

Dev waded out through the cattails. He found the big brass key on the heron's back. He turned it ten times. The gears clicked, and the heron walked on.

At the cottage, his cousin heard the whisper and waved. Dev learned that even a magic messenger needs some care.

▲ This passage · 176 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.9

A wind-up heron stood on one leg beside Marsh Pond. Its metal feathers were the color of old spoons. Anyone who whispered into its beak could send a message to a friend across the water, and the heron would walk to the far bank and whisper it back out.

A boy named Dev used it every day. He sent notes to his cousin, who lived in the cottage on the other side. "Do you want to catch frogs?" he whispered one morning.

But the heron had slowed down. Its key had turned only half as far as usual, and its legs creaked. It reached the middle of the pond and stopped, with the message still inside.

Dev waded out through the cattails. He found the large brass key on the heron's back and gave it ten careful turns. Gears clicked, and the heron stepped forward again.

When it reached the cottage, his cousin heard the whisper and waved. Dev had learned something. A messenger, even a magical one, needs a little care to keep working.

■ Harder · 188 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.7

A wind-up heron stood balanced on one leg beside Marsh Pond, its metal feathers the color of old spoons. Anyone who whispered into its beak could send a message to a friend across the water, for the heron would stride to the far bank and whisper the words back out.

A boy named Dev relied on it every day, sending notes to his cousin, who lived in the cottage on the opposite shore. "Do you want to catch frogs?" he whispered one bright morning.

But the heron had grown sluggish. Its key had been turned only half as far as usual, and its legs creaked with every step. It reached the middle of the pond and halted, the message still locked inside.

Dev waded out through the cattails. He located the large brass key on the heron's back and gave it ten careful turns. Gears clicked into motion, and the heron strode forward once again.

When it arrived at the cottage, his cousin heard the whisper and waved enthusiastically. Dev had learned something valuable: a messenger, even a magical one, needs a little care to keep working.

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 heron, creaked, cattails and messenger 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 Wind-Up Heron Who Carried Whispers"?

It was written for 4th grade. It has 176 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. 5 ask for something the text says directly and 1 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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