6th grade fiction passage about a ferret and a busy burrow: 242 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
6th gradefictiona ferret and a busy burrow242 words
The Ferret Who Counted Every Tunnel
Under the old hay barn lived a ferret named Quill, who loved numbers more than anything else. She counted her steps, the stones in the walls. And the tunnels in the maze beneath the barn, and by her count there were forty-one. Her family was proud of her but also a little tired of the counting. And her father asked her to help gather food before the cold arrived. Quill replied that she needed one more moment to count the new tunnel near the well.
Day after day, she scribbled marks on the dirt walls while the rest of the family filled the pantry. When the first frost came, their store of seeds and dried berries was barely half full, and Quill's pile was completely empty.
Her sister Fern did not scold her. Instead, she pushed over a heap of seeds and asked whether Quill would do something with her the next day. In the morning, Fern showed her that a tunnel had collapsed near the pantry. And Quill's careful map turned out to be the only record of every passage. Using it, the family dug a new route in a single afternoon and carried the remaining food to safety. Quill felt something warm in her chest, and she said that her counting had helped only because she had finally used it for all of them. After that, she kept her marks. And she also kept her turn at the pantry.
Questions
What did Quill love to do more than anything? in the text
How many tunnels did Quill count under the barn? in the text
What was in Quill's pile when the first frost came? in the text
How did Fern respond when Quill had no food? in the text
How did Quill's map help the family? think about it
What lesson does the story teach? think about it
Words to know
maze
a confusing set of paths with many turns
scribbled
wrote or drew quickly and messily
pantry
a place where food is stored
frost
a thin layer of ice that forms when it is very cold
collapsed
fell down or caved in
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
The Ferret Who Counted Every Tunnel
6th grade reading passage
Under the old hay barn lived a ferret named Quill, who loved numbers more than anything else. She counted her steps, the stones in the walls. And the tunnels in the maze beneath the barn, and by her count there were forty-one. Her family was proud of her but also a little tired of the counting. And her father asked her to help gather food before the cold arrived. Quill replied that she needed one more moment to count the new tunnel near the well.
Day after day, she scribbled marks on the dirt walls while the rest of the family filled the pantry. When the first frost came, their store of seeds and dried berries was barely half full, and Quill's pile was completely empty.
Her sister Fern did not scold her. Instead, she pushed over a heap of seeds and asked whether Quill would do something with her the next day. In the morning, Fern showed her that a tunnel had collapsed near the pantry. And Quill's careful map turned out to be the only record of every passage. Using it, the family dug a new route in a single afternoon and carried the remaining food to safety. Quill felt something warm in her chest, and she said that her counting had helped only because she had finally used it for all of them. After that, she kept her marks. And she also kept her turn at the pantry.
Questions
What did Quill love to do more than anything?
How many tunnels did Quill count under the barn?
What was in Quill's pile when the first frost came?
How did Fern respond when Quill had no food?
How did Quill's map help the family?
What lesson does the story teach?
Words to know
maze: a confusing set of paths with many turns
scribbled: wrote or drew quickly and messily
pantry: a place where food is stored
frost: a thin layer of ice that forms when it is very cold
collapsed: fell down or caved in
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/6/ferret-who-counted-every-tunnel
Share
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 · 200 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.9
Under the old hay barn lived a ferret named Quill. She loved numbers. She counted her steps, the stones in the walls, and the tunnels in the maze under the barn. She counted forty-one.
Her family was proud, but a little tired of the counting. "Quill," said her father, "please help us gather food before the cold comes."
"One moment," said Quill. "I have not counted the new tunnel by the well."
Day after day, she made marks on the walls while the others filled the pantry. When the first frost came, the family's store was only half full. Quill's pile was empty.
Her sister Fern did not scold. She pushed over a heap of seeds. "Take some. But tomorrow, will you do something with me?"
The next morning, Fern showed her a tunnel that had caved in near the pantry. Quill's map was the only record of every passage. Using it, the family dug a new way in one afternoon and saved the food.
Quill felt warm inside. "My counting helped," she said, "but only when I used it for all of us."
After that, she kept her marks, and she kept her turn at the pantry too.
▲ This passage · 242 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.7
Under the old hay barn lived a ferret named Quill, who loved numbers more than anything else. She counted her steps, the stones in the walls. And the tunnels in the maze beneath the barn, and by her count there were forty-one. Her family was proud of her but also a little tired of the counting. And her father asked her to help gather food before the cold arrived. Quill replied that she needed one more moment to count the new tunnel near the well.
Day after day, she scribbled marks on the dirt walls while the rest of the family filled the pantry. When the first frost came, their store of seeds and dried berries was barely half full, and Quill's pile was completely empty.
Her sister Fern did not scold her. Instead, she pushed over a heap of seeds and asked whether Quill would do something with her the next day. In the morning, Fern showed her that a tunnel had collapsed near the pantry. And Quill's careful map turned out to be the only record of every passage. Using it, the family dug a new route in a single afternoon and carried the remaining food to safety. Quill felt something warm in her chest, and she said that her counting had helped only because she had finally used it for all of them. After that, she kept her marks. And she also kept her turn at the pantry.
■ Harder · 264 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.5
Beneath the crumbling old hay barn lived a ferret named Quill, who adored numbers above everything else in the world. She counted her footsteps, the stones set into the walls, and the tunnels that wound through the maze beneath the barn. And by her careful reckoning there were forty-one. Her family was proud of her but had grown somewhat weary of all the counting, and her father urged her to help gather food before the cold arrived. Quill responded that she could not possibly begin until she had counted the new tunnel near the well.
Day after day, she scribbled tidy marks on the dirt walls while the rest of the family filled the pantry. When the first frost arrived, their store of seeds and dried berries was barely half full. And Quill's own pile was completely empty.
Her sister Fern did not scold her. She simply pushed over a generous heap of seeds and asked whether Quill would join her on an errand the following day. The next morning, Fern led her to a tunnel that had collapsed beside the pantry, and Quill's meticulous map proved to be the only record of every passage in the burrow. Using it, the family dug a new route in a single afternoon and carried the remaining food to safety. Quill felt a warm glow in her chest. And she acknowledged that her counting had been valuable only once she had put it to use for the benefit of everyone. From then on, she kept her marks, and she also kept her turn at the pantry.
Under the old hay barn lived a ferret named Quill. She loved numbers. She counted her steps, the stones in the walls, and the tunnels in the maze under the barn. She counted forty-one.
Her family was proud, but a little tired of the counting. "Quill," said her father, "please help us gather food before the cold comes."
"One moment," said Quill. "I have not counted the new tunnel by the well."
Day after day, she made marks on the walls while the others filled the pantry. When the first frost came, the family's store was only half full. Quill's pile was empty.
Her sister Fern did not scold. She pushed over a heap of seeds. "Take some. But tomorrow, will you do something with me?"
The next morning, Fern showed her a tunnel that had caved in near the pantry. Quill's map was the only record of every passage. Using it, the family dug a new way in one afternoon and saved the food.
Quill felt warm inside. "My counting helped," she said, "but only when I used it for all of us."
After that, she kept her marks, and she kept her turn at the pantry too.
Questions
What did Quill love more than anything?
How many tunnels did Quill count under the barn?
What was in Quill's pile when the first frost came?
How did Fern respond when Quill had no food?
How did Quill's map help the family?
What lesson does the story teach?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
The Ferret Who Counted Every Tunnel
Under the old hay barn lived a ferret named Quill, who loved numbers more than anything else. She counted her steps, the stones in the walls. And the tunnels in the maze beneath the barn, and by her count there were forty-one. Her family was proud of her but also a little tired of the counting. And her father asked her to help gather food before the cold arrived. Quill replied that she needed one more moment to count the new tunnel near the well.
Day after day, she scribbled marks on the dirt walls while the rest of the family filled the pantry. When the first frost came, their store of seeds and dried berries was barely half full, and Quill's pile was completely empty.
Her sister Fern did not scold her. Instead, she pushed over a heap of seeds and asked whether Quill would do something with her the next day. In the morning, Fern showed her that a tunnel had collapsed near the pantry. And Quill's careful map turned out to be the only record of every passage. Using it, the family dug a new route in a single afternoon and carried the remaining food to safety. Quill felt something warm in her chest, and she said that her counting had helped only because she had finally used it for all of them. After that, she kept her marks. And she also kept her turn at the pantry.
Questions
What did Quill love to do more than anything?
How many tunnels did Quill count under the barn?
What was in Quill's pile when the first frost came?
How did Fern respond when Quill had no food?
How did Quill's map help the family?
What lesson does the story teach?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
The Ferret Who Counted Every Tunnel
Beneath the crumbling old hay barn lived a ferret named Quill, who adored numbers above everything else in the world. She counted her footsteps, the stones set into the walls, and the tunnels that wound through the maze beneath the barn. And by her careful reckoning there were forty-one. Her family was proud of her but had grown somewhat weary of all the counting, and her father urged her to help gather food before the cold arrived. Quill responded that she could not possibly begin until she had counted the new tunnel near the well.
Day after day, she scribbled tidy marks on the dirt walls while the rest of the family filled the pantry. When the first frost arrived, their store of seeds and dried berries was barely half full. And Quill's own pile was completely empty.
Her sister Fern did not scold her. She simply pushed over a generous heap of seeds and asked whether Quill would join her on an errand the following day. The next morning, Fern led her to a tunnel that had collapsed beside the pantry, and Quill's meticulous map proved to be the only record of every passage in the burrow. Using it, the family dug a new route in a single afternoon and carried the remaining food to safety. Quill felt a warm glow in her chest. And she acknowledged that her counting had been valuable only once she had put it to use for the benefit of everyone. From then on, she kept her marks, and she also kept her turn at the pantry.
Questions
What did Quill adore more than anything else?
How many tunnels did Quill count beneath the barn?
What was in Quill's pile when the first frost arrived?
How did Fern respond when she saw that Quill had no food?
How did Quill's meticulous map help the family?
What lesson does the story teach about skills?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: The Ferret Who Counted Every Tunnel
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.9)
Numbers and counting things, such as steps, stones, and tunnels.
Forty-one.
It was empty.
She did not scold and pushed over a heap of seeds.
It showed every passage, so they could dig a new way around the tunnel that had caved in.
A skill is most useful when you use it to help others and do your share.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.7)
Count numbers, such as her steps, the stones, and the tunnels.
Forty-one.
It was empty.
She did not scold and pushed over a heap of seeds to share.
It showed every passage, so they could dig a new route around the collapsed tunnel quickly.
A skill is most valuable when it is also used to help others and do your share.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.5)
Numbers and counting, including her footsteps, the stones, and the tunnels.
Forty-one.
It was completely empty.
She did not scold her and pushed over a generous heap of seeds.
It recorded every passage, so they could quickly dig a new route around the collapsed tunnel.
A skill is most valuable when it is used to benefit others and you still do your share.
Free at teach.peabody.kids
How to use it
Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.
Ideas for class
Before reading, put maze, scribbled, pantry, frost and collapsed 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.
What reading level is "The Ferret Who Counted Every Tunnel"?
It was written for 6th grade. It has 242 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.7. 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.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. No sign-in, no ads.