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My Brother's First Word Was Gigi

5th grade fiction passage about a baby's first word: 216 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade fiction a baby's first word 216 words

My Brother's First Word Was Gigi

For six months, Imani had waited for the new baby to say something. She hoped, quietly and fiercely, that his first word would be her name.

Everyone in the house had a theory. Dad was sure it would be "Dada," because Dad said it to the baby forty times a day. Mom thought it would be "more," since the baby loved food. Imani just practiced. She sat beside the baby's blanket and said, "Ee-ma-nee. Ee-ma-nee," until her throat felt dry.

One morning, the baby was waving a spoon around when he looked straight at Imani and shouted, "Gigi!"

Imani froze. "That isn't my name," she said.

"It might be," said Mom. "Babies can't say everything yet. Say it again, sweetheart."

"Gigi!" he said, pointing at Imani and bouncing in his chair.

Dad was laughing so hard that he had to put down his coffee. Imani felt her disappointment loosen, like a knot coming undone. The baby did not know the word for sister yet. He had made up his own, and it was meant for her.

By the end of the week, the whole family called her Gigi. The baby learned to say "Dada" at last, and "more" by the next month, but Imani's name stayed Gigi in that house for years.

Questions

  1. What did Imani hope the baby's first word would be? in the text

  2. What did Dad think the first word would be? in the text

  3. What did the baby shout while waving a spoon? in the text

  4. How long did the family keep calling Imani by the new name? in the text

  5. Why did Imani first feel disappointed? think about it

  6. Why did her disappointment loosen? think about it

Words to know

fiercely
very strongly and with great feeling
theory
a guess about why or how something happens
froze
stopped moving suddenly
disappointment
the sad feeling when you do not get what you hoped for
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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 · 201 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.4

For six months, Imani had waited for the new baby to talk. She hoped his first word would be her name.

Everyone in the house had a guess. Dad was sure it would be "Dada." He said it to the baby forty times a day. Mom thought it would be "more," since the baby loved food. Imani just practiced. She sat by the baby's blanket and said, "Ee-ma-nee. Ee-ma-nee," until her throat felt dry.

One morning, the baby was waving a spoon. He looked right at Imani and shouted, "Gigi!"

Imani froze. "That's not my name," she said.

"It might be," said Mom. "Babies can't say everything yet. Say it again, sweetheart."

"Gigi!" he said. He pointed at Imani and bounced in his chair.

Dad laughed so hard that he put down his coffee. Imani's sad feeling came loose, like a knot coming undone. The baby did not know the word for sister yet. He made up his own, and it was for her.

By the end of the week, the whole family called her Gigi. The baby learned "Dada" at last, and "more" the next month. But in that house, Imani's name stayed Gigi for years.

▲ This passage · 216 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.9

For six months, Imani had waited for the new baby to say something. She hoped, quietly and fiercely, that his first word would be her name.

Everyone in the house had a theory. Dad was sure it would be "Dada," because Dad said it to the baby forty times a day. Mom thought it would be "more," since the baby loved food. Imani just practiced. She sat beside the baby's blanket and said, "Ee-ma-nee. Ee-ma-nee," until her throat felt dry.

One morning, the baby was waving a spoon around when he looked straight at Imani and shouted, "Gigi!"

Imani froze. "That isn't my name," she said.

"It might be," said Mom. "Babies can't say everything yet. Say it again, sweetheart."

"Gigi!" he said, pointing at Imani and bouncing in his chair.

Dad was laughing so hard that he had to put down his coffee. Imani felt her disappointment loosen, like a knot coming undone. The baby did not know the word for sister yet. He had made up his own, and it was meant for her.

By the end of the week, the whole family called her Gigi. The baby learned to say "Dada" at last, and "more" by the next month, but Imani's name stayed Gigi in that house for years.

■ Harder · 226 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.5

For six long months, Imani had waited for the new baby to say something, and she hoped, quietly and fiercely, that his first word would be her name.

Everyone in the household had a theory. Dad was convinced it would be "Dada," because he said it to the baby forty times a day. Mom suspected it would be "more," since the baby adored his food. Imani simply practiced. She sat beside the baby's blanket and repeated, "Ee-ma-nee. Ee-ma-nee," until her throat felt dry and scratchy.

One morning, while the baby was waving a spoon around, he looked straight at Imani and shouted, "Gigi!"

Imani froze in place. "That isn't my name," she said.

"It might be," said Mom. "Babies can't pronounce everything yet. Say it again, sweetheart."

"Gigi!" he cried, pointing at Imani and bouncing in his high chair.

Dad was laughing so hard that he had to set his coffee down. Imani felt her disappointment loosen, like a stubborn knot finally coming undone. The baby did not know the word for sister yet. He had invented his own, and it was meant for her alone.

By the end of the week, the entire family called her Gigi. The baby eventually learned to say "Dada," and "more" the following month, but in that house, Imani's name remained Gigi for years and years.

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 fiercely, theory, froze and disappointment 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 "My Brother's First Word Was Gigi"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 216 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. 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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