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The Substitute Bus Driver

5th grade fiction passage about a new driver and a missed stop: 255 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade fiction a new driver and a missed stop 255 words

The Substitute Bus Driver

On Monday morning, the school bus pulled up with a new driver, because Ms. Alvarez, the regular driver, was sick. A man named Mr. Bell sat behind the wheel, wearing a tidy blue cap, and he said hello to each student with a friendly nod.

Jamal took his usual seat by the window. He knew the route very well, and he knew that after the bakery came the library, then the park, and then his own street, Maple Lane. Today, though, Mr. Bell was unfamiliar with the route. When the bus rolled past the park, Jamal glanced at the street sign and noticed that the bus did not turn onto Maple Lane but kept going straight.

Jamal's heart thumped. He wanted to speak up, but he felt shy, and he wondered whether the driver might know a faster way. Then he remembered what his teacher always said, which was that if something seems wrong, you should tell a grown-up politely.

Jamal stood up carefully, walked to the front of the bus, and held onto the rail. "Excuse me, Mr. Bell," he said. "Maple Lane was the last turn we passed, and five kids get off there."

Mr. Bell looked at his paper. "Maple Lane. You are right! Thank you for telling me." He found a safe place to turn the bus around and then drove to the correct street.

When the bus reached Maple Lane, the other kids cheered for Jamal. Mr. Bell tipped his cap and said, "Tomorrow, I will know the way."

Questions

  1. Why did the bus have a new driver? in the text

  2. What was the order of the stops on the route before Jamal's street? in the text

  3. What did Jamal notice when the bus went past the park? in the text

  4. Why did Jamal feel nervous about speaking up? think about it

  5. What did Jamal's teacher's advice help him do? think about it

Words to know

regular
the usual one, not someone new
route
the path that is followed from place to place
politely
in a kind way that shows good manners
glanced
looked quickly
tidy
neat and clean
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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 · 229 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.4

On Monday morning, the school bus came with a new driver. Ms. Alvarez, the regular driver, was sick. A man named Mr. Bell sat behind the wheel. He wore a neat blue cap. He said hello to each student with a nod.

Jamal took his usual seat by the window. He knew the route well. After the bakery came the library. Then came the park. Then came his own street, Maple Lane. But today Mr. Bell was new to the route. The bus rolled past the park. Jamal looked at the street sign. The bus did not turn onto Maple Lane. It kept going straight.

Jamal's heart thumped. He wanted to say something, but he felt shy. Maybe the driver knew a faster way. Then he thought of what his teacher always said. "If something seems wrong, tell a grown-up politely."

Jamal stood up with care. He walked to the front and held the rail. "Excuse me, Mr. Bell," he said. "Maple Lane was the last turn we passed. Five kids get off there."

Mr. Bell looked at his paper. "Maple Lane. You are right! Thank you for telling me." He found a safe place to turn the bus around. Then he took the right street.

At Maple Lane, the other kids cheered for Jamal. Mr. Bell tipped his cap. "Tomorrow, I will know the way," he said.

▲ This passage · 255 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.5

On Monday morning, the school bus pulled up with a new driver, because Ms. Alvarez, the regular driver, was sick. A man named Mr. Bell sat behind the wheel, wearing a tidy blue cap, and he said hello to each student with a friendly nod.

Jamal took his usual seat by the window. He knew the route very well, and he knew that after the bakery came the library, then the park, and then his own street, Maple Lane. Today, though, Mr. Bell was unfamiliar with the route. When the bus rolled past the park, Jamal glanced at the street sign and noticed that the bus did not turn onto Maple Lane but kept going straight.

Jamal's heart thumped. He wanted to speak up, but he felt shy, and he wondered whether the driver might know a faster way. Then he remembered what his teacher always said, which was that if something seems wrong, you should tell a grown-up politely.

Jamal stood up carefully, walked to the front of the bus, and held onto the rail. "Excuse me, Mr. Bell," he said. "Maple Lane was the last turn we passed, and five kids get off there."

Mr. Bell looked at his paper. "Maple Lane. You are right! Thank you for telling me." He found a safe place to turn the bus around and then drove to the correct street.

When the bus reached Maple Lane, the other kids cheered for Jamal. Mr. Bell tipped his cap and said, "Tomorrow, I will know the way."

■ Harder · 251 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.5

On Monday morning, the school bus arrived with an unfamiliar driver. Ms. Alvarez, the regular driver, was ill, so a man named Mr. Bell sat behind the wheel. He wore a tidy blue cap and greeted each student with a friendly nod.

Jamal settled into his usual seat by the window, because he knew the route thoroughly. After the bakery came the library, then the park, and finally his own street, Maple Lane. Today, however, Mr. Bell was completely unfamiliar with the route, and when the bus rolled past the park, Jamal glanced at the street sign and realized that the bus had not turned onto Maple Lane but was continuing straight ahead.

Jamal's heart thumped. He wanted to speak up, but he felt shy, and he wondered whether the driver might know a quicker way. Then he recalled what his teacher always told the class, which was that if something seems wrong, a person should politely inform a grown-up.

Jamal stood up carefully, made his way to the front, and gripped the rail. "Excuse me, Mr. Bell," he said. "Maple Lane was the last turn we passed. Five kids get off there."

Mr. Bell consulted his paper. "Maple Lane. You are absolutely right! Thank you for telling me." He located a safe place to turn the bus around and headed down the correct street.

When the bus reached Maple Lane, the other children cheered for Jamal. Mr. Bell tipped his cap and promised, "Tomorrow, I will know the way."

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 regular, route, politely, glanced and tidy 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 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 Substitute Bus Driver"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 255 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.5. 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 five. 3 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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