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Two Otters and the Frozen Ladder

5th grade fiction passage about two otters climb an icy bank: 231 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade fiction two otters climb an icy bank 231 words

Two Otters and the Frozen Ladder

When the first hard freeze arrived, the pond near Willow Bend turned completely to ice. The otters Kip and Nell were delighted. They glided across the glassy surface on their bellies, spinning and whooping happily for the entire afternoon.

But when it came time to go home, they faced a serious problem. Their den sat at the top of the muddy bank, and overnight the bank had frozen into a steep, slick wall. Kip attempted to climb it alone. He scrabbled frantically for a moment, then slid right back down to the bottom.

"Let me try," said Nell, and she tumbled back down as well.

They sat at the base of the bank and grew steadily colder. The sky began to darken to a dull gray.

"Wait," said Kip thoughtfully. "What if one of us holds on while the other climbs?"

Kip dug his claws into a frozen root and braced his back firmly against the bank. Nell climbed right over him as though he were a ladder, stepped onto the top, and seized a branch with both paws. Then she reached down and hauled Kip up by the scruff of his neck.

Before long they were curled together in the den, warm and drowsy. "A wall is only a ladder," observed Nell, "if you know who will hold the bottom."

Kip yawned. "And who will reach down from the top."

Questions

  1. What did Kip and Nell do on the frozen pond? in the text

  2. Why were the otters unable to get home at first? in the text

  3. How did Kip help Nell climb the bank? in the text

  4. How did Nell help Kip once she reached the top? in the text

  5. Why did climbing alone fail for each otter? think about it

  6. What does Nell mean when she says that a wall is only a ladder? think about it

Words to know

slick
smooth and slippery
scrabbled
scratched and clawed to try to get a grip
braced
pressed firmly against something to stay steady
scruff
the loose skin at the back of an animal's neck
den
an animal's home
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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 · 205 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.3

When the first hard freeze came, the pond near Willow Bend turned to ice. The otters Kip and Nell loved it. They slid across the surface on their bellies, spinning and whooping all afternoon.

But when it was time to go home, there was a problem. Their den was on top of the muddy bank, and the bank had frozen into a steep, slick wall. Kip tried to climb it alone. He scrabbled for a moment, then slid right back to the bottom.

"Let me try," said Nell, and she slid back too.

They sat at the bottom and grew cold. The sky began to turn gray.

"Wait," said Kip. "What if one of us holds on while the other climbs?"

Kip dug his claws into a frozen root and braced his back against the bank. Nell climbed over him like a ladder, stepped onto the top, and grabbed a branch with both paws. Then she reached down and pulled Kip up by the scruff of his neck.

Soon they were curled together in the den, warm and sleepy. "A wall is only a ladder," said Nell, "if you know who will hold the bottom."

Kip yawned. "And who will reach down from the top."

▲ This passage · 231 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4

When the first hard freeze arrived, the pond near Willow Bend turned completely to ice. The otters Kip and Nell were delighted. They glided across the glassy surface on their bellies, spinning and whooping happily for the entire afternoon.

But when it came time to go home, they faced a serious problem. Their den sat at the top of the muddy bank, and overnight the bank had frozen into a steep, slick wall. Kip attempted to climb it alone. He scrabbled frantically for a moment, then slid right back down to the bottom.

"Let me try," said Nell, and she tumbled back down as well.

They sat at the base of the bank and grew steadily colder. The sky began to darken to a dull gray.

"Wait," said Kip thoughtfully. "What if one of us holds on while the other climbs?"

Kip dug his claws into a frozen root and braced his back firmly against the bank. Nell climbed right over him as though he were a ladder, stepped onto the top, and seized a branch with both paws. Then she reached down and hauled Kip up by the scruff of his neck.

Before long they were curled together in the den, warm and drowsy. "A wall is only a ladder," observed Nell, "if you know who will hold the bottom."

Kip yawned. "And who will reach down from the top."

■ Harder · 233 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5

When the first hard freeze arrived, the pond near Willow Bend turned completely to ice, and the otters Kip and Nell were delighted. They glided across the glassy surface on their bellies, spinning and whooping happily for the entire afternoon.

But when it came time to go home, they faced a serious problem. Their den sat at the top of the muddy bank, and overnight the bank had frozen into a steep, slick wall. Kip attempted to climb it alone, scrabbling frantically for a moment before he slid right back down to the bottom.

"Let me try," said Nell, and she tumbled back down as well.

They sat at the base of the bank and grew steadily colder as the sky began to darken to a dull gray.

"Wait," said Kip thoughtfully. "What if one of us holds on while the other climbs?"

Kip dug his claws into a frozen root and braced his back firmly against the bank. Nell climbed right over him as though he were a ladder, stepped onto the top, and seized a branch with both paws. Then she reached down and hauled Kip up by the scruff of his neck.

Before long they were curled together in the den, warm and drowsy. "A wall is only a ladder," observed Nell, "if you know who will hold the bottom."

Kip yawned. "And who will reach down from the top."

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 slick, scrabbled, braced, scruff and den 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 "Two Otters and the Frozen Ladder"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 231 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.0. 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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