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Letters Between a Mole and a Swallow

5th grade fiction passage about letters between two unlike friends: 261 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade fiction letters between two unlike friends 261 words

Letters Between a Mole and a Swallow

Dear Pim,

I am writing to you from my tunnel beneath the apple orchard, where it is very dark and where, I must admit, I prefer it that way. Today I discovered a perfectly smooth white stone and a worm that was nearly as long as my paw. What did you discover?

Your friend, Mabel the Mole

Dear Mabel,

Thank you for your letter! It reached me carried on the wind, still smelling faintly of damp soil. I am writing from a telephone wire far above the fields. Today I discovered a river that shone like silver ribbon, and I flew directly over a whole town on my way. I truly wish you could see it.

Your friend, Pim the Swallow

Dear Pim,

I cannot see your river, but I believe every word you say. Last week you told me that the sky is bigger than any tunnel, and I tried my hardest to imagine it, though I failed. Then, after the rain, I pressed my nose to the ground and smelled a thousand things all at once. Perhaps the ground is enormous in a way that you cannot see. I wish you could smell it.

Your friend, Mabel

Dear Mabel,

I have been thinking about your letter all week long. Today I landed on the orchard grass and breathed in as deeply as I possibly could. You were right. I smelled apples, rain, and old leaves. Perhaps each of us knows a different half of the world, and our letters join the halves together into a whole.

Your friend, Pim

Questions

  1. Where is Mabel when she writes her letters? in the text

  2. What did Pim discover that shone like a silver ribbon? in the text

  3. What did Mabel smell after the rain? in the text

  4. What did Pim smell when he breathed in on the orchard grass? in the text

  5. Why does Mabel say she believes Pim even though she cannot see his river? think about it

  6. What does Pim mean when he says their letters join the halves into a whole? think about it

Words to know

orchard
a field where fruit trees are grown
tunnel
a long underground passage
swallow
a small bird that flies fast and catches insects
imagine
to make a picture of something in your mind
perhaps
maybe, possibly
Share

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 · 225 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.8

Dear Pim,

I am writing from my tunnel beneath the apple orchard. It is very dark here, and I like it that way. Today I found a smooth white stone and a worm as long as my paw. What did you find?

Your friend, Mabel the Mole

Dear Mabel,

Thank you for your letter! It reached me on the wind, still smelling of soil. I am writing from a telephone wire far above the fields. Today I found a river that shone like silver, and I flew right over a whole town. I wish you could see it.

Your friend, Pim the Swallow

Dear Pim,

I cannot see your river, but I believe you. Last week you told me the sky is bigger than any tunnel. I tried to imagine it and failed. Then I put my nose to the ground after rain and smelled a thousand things at once. Maybe the ground is big in a way you cannot see. I wish you could smell it.

Your friend, Mabel

Dear Mabel,

I have been thinking about your letter all week. I landed on the orchard grass today and breathed in as deeply as I could. You were right. I smelled apples, rain, and old leaves. Perhaps we each know a different half of the world, and our letters make a whole.

Your friend, Pim

▲ This passage · 261 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.5

Dear Pim,

I am writing to you from my tunnel beneath the apple orchard, where it is very dark and where, I must admit, I prefer it that way. Today I discovered a perfectly smooth white stone and a worm that was nearly as long as my paw. What did you discover?

Your friend, Mabel the Mole

Dear Mabel,

Thank you for your letter! It reached me carried on the wind, still smelling faintly of damp soil. I am writing from a telephone wire far above the fields. Today I discovered a river that shone like silver ribbon, and I flew directly over a whole town on my way. I truly wish you could see it.

Your friend, Pim the Swallow

Dear Pim,

I cannot see your river, but I believe every word you say. Last week you told me that the sky is bigger than any tunnel, and I tried my hardest to imagine it, though I failed. Then, after the rain, I pressed my nose to the ground and smelled a thousand things all at once. Perhaps the ground is enormous in a way that you cannot see. I wish you could smell it.

Your friend, Mabel

Dear Mabel,

I have been thinking about your letter all week long. Today I landed on the orchard grass and breathed in as deeply as I possibly could. You were right. I smelled apples, rain, and old leaves. Perhaps each of us knows a different half of the world, and our letters join the halves together into a whole.

Your friend, Pim

■ Harder · 272 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.9

Dear Pim,

I am writing to you from my tunnel beneath the apple orchard, where it is exceedingly dark and where, I must confess, I prefer it that way. Today I discovered a perfectly smooth white stone and a worm that was nearly as long as my paw. What did you discover?

Your friend, Mabel the Mole

Dear Mabel,

Thank you for your wonderful letter! It reached me carried on the wind, still smelling faintly of damp soil. I am writing from a telephone wire far above the fields, and today I discovered a river that shone like a silver ribbon, then flew directly over an entire town on my way home. I truly wish that you could see it.

Your friend, Pim the Swallow

Dear Pim,

I cannot see your river, but I believe every word you say. Last week you told me that the sky is bigger than any tunnel, and although I tried my hardest to imagine it, I completely failed. Then, after the rain, I pressed my nose to the ground and smelled a thousand different things all at once. Perhaps the ground is enormous in a way that you cannot possibly see, and I wish you could smell it.

Your friend, Mabel

Dear Mabel,

I have been thinking about your remarkable letter all week long. Today I landed on the orchard grass and breathed in as deeply as I possibly could, and you were right. I smelled apples, rain, and old leaves. Perhaps each of us understands a different half of the world, and our letters join those halves together into a complete whole.

Your friend, Pim

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 orchard, tunnel, swallow, imagine and perhaps 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 3 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 "Letters Between a Mole and a Swallow"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 261 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.5. 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 3 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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