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The Copper Rooster Stuck on North

5th grade fiction passage about a stuck weather vane: 216 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade fiction a stuck weather vane 216 words

The Copper Rooster Stuck on North

The copper rooster on top of the Hollis barn had not moved in a month. Every other weather vane in the village of Dunmore swung around when the wind changed. The rooster just pointed north, as if it were pouting.

Priya's grandfather ran the farm, and he said the vane was only rusty. "Leave it," he told her. But Priya liked puzzles, and a stuck rooster was a good one. On Saturday she climbed the ladder to the high window of the hay loft, where she could see the pole up close, and she borrowed her grandfather's binoculars.

Right away she noticed a wisp of straw poking out under the rooster. Then a small brown bird landed there, tucked in a bit of grass, and flew off again. It was a nest! The pole turned on a narrow metal ring, and the nest had jammed itself inside.

Priya did not want to hurt the little family, so she hurried down to explain. Her grandfather laughed. "A wren family has the best house in town," he said. "The vane can wait."

Weeks later, after the last wren had flown away, he cleaned out the ring and oiled it. The rooster spun south, then east, then west. Priya cheered. At long last, the wind had someone to tell.

Questions

  1. What was strange about the copper rooster? in the text

  2. What did Priya's grandfather think was wrong with the vane? in the text

  3. Where did Priya go to see the pole up close? in the text

  4. What did Priya find stuck in the metal ring? in the text

  5. Why did her grandfather decide to let the vane wait? think about it

  6. What does the last line mean when it says the wind had someone to tell? think about it

Words to know

weather vane
a pointer on a roof that turns to show the wind's direction
pouting
looking upset and unhappy on purpose
binoculars
two small telescopes joined to help you see far away
jammed
pushed tightly into a space so it cannot move
puzzles
problems or games that make you think
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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 · 174 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.3

The copper rooster on the Hollis barn would not move. It had pointed north for a month. Every other weather vane in Dunmore spun when the wind changed.

Priya's grandfather ran the farm. He said the vane was just rusty. "Leave it," he said.

But Priya liked puzzles. On Saturday she climbed up to the high window in the hay loft. She took her grandfather's binoculars and looked at the pole.

She saw some straw under the rooster. Then a small brown bird landed there. It had a bit of grass in its beak. It tucked the grass in and flew off. It was a nest! The nest was jammed in the ring that lets the pole turn.

Priya did not want to hurt the birds. She went to tell her grandfather. He laughed. "A wren family has the best house in town," he said. "The vane can wait."

Weeks later, the wrens had all flown away. He cleaned the ring and oiled it. The rooster spun south, then east, then west. Priya cheered.

▲ This passage · 216 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.8

The copper rooster on top of the Hollis barn had not moved in a month. Every other weather vane in the village of Dunmore swung around when the wind changed. The rooster just pointed north, as if it were pouting.

Priya's grandfather ran the farm, and he said the vane was only rusty. "Leave it," he told her. But Priya liked puzzles, and a stuck rooster was a good one. On Saturday she climbed the ladder to the high window of the hay loft, where she could see the pole up close, and she borrowed her grandfather's binoculars.

Right away she noticed a wisp of straw poking out under the rooster. Then a small brown bird landed there, tucked in a bit of grass, and flew off again. It was a nest! The pole turned on a narrow metal ring, and the nest had jammed itself inside.

Priya did not want to hurt the little family, so she hurried down to explain. Her grandfather laughed. "A wren family has the best house in town," he said. "The vane can wait."

Weeks later, after the last wren had flown away, he cleaned out the ring and oiled it. The rooster spun south, then east, then west. Priya cheered. At long last, the wind had someone to tell.

■ Harder · 233 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.7

For nearly a month, the copper rooster perched on top of the Hollis barn had refused to budge. Every other weather vane in the village of Dunmore swung around whenever the wind shifted, but the rooster simply pointed north, as though it were sulking.

Priya's grandfather, who ran the farm, insisted that the vane was merely rusty. "Leave it be," he told her. Priya, however, loved a good puzzle, and a stubborn rooster was an excellent one. On Saturday she scrambled up the ladder to the high window of the hay loft, where she could study the pole from close range, and she borrowed her grandfather's binoculars.

Almost at once she noticed a wisp of straw poking out beneath the rooster. Then a small brown bird fluttered down, tucked a strand of grass into the straw, and flew away again. It was a nest! The pole turned on a narrow metal ring, and the nest had wedged itself firmly inside.

Priya had no wish to harm the little family, so she hurried downstairs to explain. Her grandfather chuckled. "A wren family has the finest house in the whole county," he said. "The vane can wait."

Weeks later, after the last wren had flown off, he cleaned out the ring and oiled it carefully. The rooster whirled south, then east, then west, and Priya cheered. At long last, the wind had someone to tell.

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 weather vane, pouting, binoculars, jammed and puzzles 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 Copper Rooster Stuck on North"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 216 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.8. 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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