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The Yak and the Fog Bell

5th grade fiction passage about a yak's bell guides lost goats: 248 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade fiction a yak's bell guides lost goats 248 words

The Yak and the Fog Bell

A yak named Tashi wore a massive brass bell suspended from his neck, and he absolutely detested it. Every step he took produced a deafening clang, and the other animals never missed a chance to tease him. "You will never sneak up on anyone," said the foxes. "You sound like a rattling kettle."

One evening Tashi finally resolved to remove the bell. He slipped it carefully from his neck and hung it on a fence post near the high meadow. "Peace at last," he sighed, and he wandered away to graze.

During the night a thick fog tumbled down from the mountain peaks. By morning it was so dense that Tashi could not even see his own horns. Somewhere inside the swirling whiteness, he heard thin, frightened voices calling out. A group of young goats had strayed from the path and could no longer find their way home.

Tashi thought immediately of his bell. He pushed back through the fog until he located the fence post. Then he lifted the bell in his mouth and shook it as vigorously as he could. Clang! Clang! Clang!

One by one, the goats trotted out of the mist, following the sound. Before long all twelve of them stood shivering beside the fence.

That very day, Tashi hung the bell around his neck again. It still rang with every step, but he no longer minded. A sound that irritates you in one place may be exactly what someone else needs in another.

Questions

  1. Why did the other animals tease Tashi about his bell? in the text

  2. Where did Tashi hang the bell after taking it off? in the text

  3. What had happened to the young goats in the fog? in the text

  4. How did the goats find their way to the fence post? in the text

  5. Why did Tashi stop minding the bell after that day? think about it

  6. What is the central lesson of the story? think about it

Words to know

brass
a shiny yellow metal
graze
to eat grass in a field
dense
thick and hard to see through
meadow
a grassy field
mist
a cloud of tiny drops of water near the ground
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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 · 219 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.8

A yak named Tashi wore a heavy brass bell around his neck. He hated it. Every step went clang, and the other animals teased him. "You cannot sneak anywhere," said the foxes. "You sound like a rattling kettle."

One evening Tashi decided to take the bell off. He slipped it from his neck and hung it on a fence post near the high meadow. "Peace at last," he said, and he wandered off to graze.

That night a thick fog rolled down from the peaks. By morning, it was so dense that Tashi could not see his own horns. Somewhere in the white, he heard thin voices crying out. A group of young goats had wandered from the path and could not find the way home.

Tashi thought of his bell. He pushed back through the fog until he found the fence post. Then he lifted the bell in his mouth and shook it as hard as he could. Clang! Clang! Clang!

One goat after another trotted out of the mist, following the sound. Soon all twelve stood shivering beside the fence.

Tashi put the bell back around his neck that day. It still rang with every step, but he no longer minded. A sound that annoys you in one place may be exactly what someone needs in another.

▲ This passage · 248 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.8

A yak named Tashi wore a massive brass bell suspended from his neck, and he absolutely detested it. Every step he took produced a deafening clang, and the other animals never missed a chance to tease him. "You will never sneak up on anyone," said the foxes. "You sound like a rattling kettle."

One evening Tashi finally resolved to remove the bell. He slipped it carefully from his neck and hung it on a fence post near the high meadow. "Peace at last," he sighed, and he wandered away to graze.

During the night a thick fog tumbled down from the mountain peaks. By morning it was so dense that Tashi could not even see his own horns. Somewhere inside the swirling whiteness, he heard thin, frightened voices calling out. A group of young goats had strayed from the path and could no longer find their way home.

Tashi thought immediately of his bell. He pushed back through the fog until he located the fence post. Then he lifted the bell in his mouth and shook it as vigorously as he could. Clang! Clang! Clang!

One by one, the goats trotted out of the mist, following the sound. Before long all twelve of them stood shivering beside the fence.

That very day, Tashi hung the bell around his neck again. It still rang with every step, but he no longer minded. A sound that irritates you in one place may be exactly what someone else needs in another.

■ Harder · 249 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.8

A yak named Tashi wore a massive brass bell suspended from his neck, and he absolutely detested it. Every step he took produced a deafening clang, and the other animals never missed a chance to tease him. "You will never sneak up on anyone," said the foxes. "You sound like a rattling kettle."

One evening Tashi finally resolved to remove the bell, so he slipped it carefully from his neck and hung it on a fence post near the high meadow. "Peace at last," he sighed, and he wandered away to graze.

During the night a thick fog tumbled down from the mountain peaks. By morning it was so dense that Tashi could not even see his own horns. Somewhere inside the swirling whiteness, he heard thin, frightened voices calling out, for a group of young goats had strayed from the path and could no longer find their way home.

Tashi thought immediately of his bell. He pushed back through the fog until he located the fence post, lifted the bell in his mouth, and shook it as vigorously as he could. Clang! Clang! Clang!

One by one, the goats trotted out of the mist, following the sound, and before long all twelve of them stood shivering beside the fence.

That very day, Tashi hung the bell around his neck again. It still rang with every step, but he no longer minded. A sound that irritates you in one place may be exactly what someone else needs in another.

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 brass, graze, dense, meadow and mist 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 Yak and the Fog Bell"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 248 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.8. 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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