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The Overdue Book in the Return Slot

5th grade fiction passage about a very late library book: 235 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade fiction a very late library book 235 words

The Overdue Book in the Return Slot

Ms. Kwan found the book in the return slot on a Tuesday morning, and it was a worn blue copy of Birds of the Marsh. The date stamp inside the cover was sixty years old, and a note was folded inside that said, Sorry I am late. I meant to bring it back.

"I hope whoever it was still likes birds," Ms. Kwan said. She showed the note to Deepa and Luis, two students who helped shelve books after school, and asked them to find the borrower.

The card in the back pocket held a name, Walter Pruitt, and an address on Mill Street. Luis searched the town directory, but there was no Mill Street anywhere in it.

"Maybe the street was renamed," said Deepa. In the local history room, she unrolled an old map from the same year as the date stamp. Mill Street was there, running right beside the park, and on a new map the same road was called Orchard Avenue.

They walked to the house on Orchard Avenue and knocked, and a gentle old man opened the door. "Walter Pruitt?" asked Luis. The man nodded.

"I moved away when I was twelve, and the book went along in my suitcase," Mr. Pruitt said. "I found it again last week, so I came home to return it."

Ms. Kwan did not charge a fine. She gave him a new library card instead.

Questions

  1. Where did Ms. Kwan find the old book? in the text

  2. What name and address were on the card in the back pocket? in the text

  3. Why could Luis not find Mill Street in the town directory? in the text

  4. How did Deepa learn the new name of Mill Street? think about it

  5. Why did Mr. Pruitt have the book for so long? in the text

  6. What does it show about Ms. Kwan that she gave him a library card instead of a fine? think about it

Words to know

borrower
a person who takes something and will give it back
stamp
a mark pressed onto paper with ink
directory
a book that lists names and addresses
marsh
soft, wet land where grasses and birds live
fine
money you pay when something is returned late
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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 · 224 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.8

Ms. Kwan found the book in the return slot on a Tuesday morning. It was a worn blue copy of Birds of the Marsh. The date stamp inside was sixty years old. A note was folded inside. It said, Sorry I am late. I meant to bring it back.

"I hope whoever it was still likes birds," Ms. Kwan said. She showed the note to Deepa and Luis, two students who put books on shelves after school. She asked them to find the borrower.

The card in the back pocket had a name, Walter Pruitt, and an address on Mill Street. Luis looked in the town directory. There was no Mill Street.

"Maybe the street got a new name," said Deepa. In the local history room, she unrolled an old map from the year of the date stamp. Mill Street was there, next to the park. On a new map, the same road was called Orchard Avenue.

They walked to the house on Orchard Avenue and knocked. A kind old man opened the door. "Walter Pruitt?" asked Luis. The man nodded.

"I moved away when I was twelve, and the book went in my suitcase," Mr. Pruitt said. "I found it last week. I came home to give it back."

Ms. Kwan did not charge a fine. She gave him a new library card.

▲ This passage · 235 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.1

Ms. Kwan found the book in the return slot on a Tuesday morning, and it was a worn blue copy of Birds of the Marsh. The date stamp inside the cover was sixty years old, and a note was folded inside that said, Sorry I am late. I meant to bring it back.

"I hope whoever it was still likes birds," Ms. Kwan said. She showed the note to Deepa and Luis, two students who helped shelve books after school, and asked them to find the borrower.

The card in the back pocket held a name, Walter Pruitt, and an address on Mill Street. Luis searched the town directory, but there was no Mill Street anywhere in it.

"Maybe the street was renamed," said Deepa. In the local history room, she unrolled an old map from the same year as the date stamp. Mill Street was there, running right beside the park, and on a new map the same road was called Orchard Avenue.

They walked to the house on Orchard Avenue and knocked, and a gentle old man opened the door. "Walter Pruitt?" asked Luis. The man nodded.

"I moved away when I was twelve, and the book went along in my suitcase," Mr. Pruitt said. "I found it again last week, so I came home to return it."

Ms. Kwan did not charge a fine. She gave him a new library card instead.

■ Harder · 249 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.2

Ms. Kwan discovered the book in the return slot on a Tuesday morning, and it turned out to be a worn blue copy of Birds of the Marsh. The date stamp inside the cover was sixty years old, and a note had been folded inside that read, Sorry I am late. I meant to bring it back.

"I hope whoever it was still enjoys birds," Ms. Kwan remarked. She showed the note to Deepa and Luis, two students who helped shelve books after school, and asked whether they could track down the borrower.

The card in the back pocket held a name, Walter Pruitt, and an address on Mill Street. Luis searched the town directory thoroughly, but there was no Mill Street anywhere in it.

"Perhaps the street was renamed," suggested Deepa. In the local history room, she unrolled an old map from the same year as the date stamp, and Mill Street was there, running right beside the park. On a modern map, that very same road was called Orchard Avenue.

They walked to the house on Orchard Avenue and knocked, and a gentle old man opened the door. "Walter Pruitt?" asked Luis. The man nodded slowly.

"I moved away when I was twelve, and the book traveled along in my suitcase," Mr. Pruitt explained. "I came across it again last week, so I decided to come home and return it myself."

Ms. Kwan did not charge a fine. Instead, she handed him a brand new library card.

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 borrower, stamp, directory, marsh and fine 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 Overdue Book in the Return Slot"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 235 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.1. 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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