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The Gull Who Copied the Foghorn

6th grade fiction passage about a gull and a foghorn: 234 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade fiction a gull and a foghorn 234 words

The Gull Who Copied the Foghorn

On a rocky point where the sea met the sky, a young gull named Skerry lived near an old lighthouse. Every foggy morning, the lighthouse horn gave a deep, slow groan to warn the fishing boats. Skerry thought it was the grandest sound in the world, and she practiced it until she could copy it perfectly.

Soon she could not resist showing off. Whenever the fog rolled in, Skerry sat on the roof and groaned along with the horn. The other gulls laughed and clapped their wings. The keeper only shook his head and smiled.

One afternoon, the horn stopped working. A gray wall of fog slid across the water, and the boats were still far out. The keeper climbed the stairs and tried every switch, but the machine stayed silent.

Skerry saw the worried look on his face. She flew to the railing, took a deep breath, and sounded her best foghorn call. It was thinner than the real one, yet it carried over the waves. She called all evening until her throat was sore, and one by one the boats crept home along the sound.

The next day, the keeper fixed the horn and left a pile of fresh sardines on the roof. Skerry ate them proudly. She had learned that a talent for fun can also become a gift, if you are willing to use it when someone truly needs it.

Questions

  1. What did the lighthouse horn do on foggy mornings? in the text

  2. How did the other gulls react when Skerry copied the horn? in the text

  3. What went wrong one afternoon? in the text

  4. How did Skerry help the boats? in the text

  5. Why was Skerry's call thinner than the real horn yet still useful? think about it

  6. What lesson does the story teach? think about it

Words to know

lighthouse
a tall tower with a bright light that guides ships
resist
to hold yourself back from doing something
keeper
a person who looks after a place
railing
a bar along the edge of a high place
talent
a natural skill that you do well
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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 · 158 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.8

A young gull named Skerry lived near an old lighthouse. On foggy mornings, the lighthouse horn gave a deep groan. It warned the fishing boats. Skerry loved the sound. She practiced until she could copy it.

She liked to show off. When fog came, she sat on the roof and groaned with the horn. The other gulls laughed and clapped. The keeper just smiled.

One afternoon, the horn stopped. Fog covered the water. The boats were still far out. The keeper tried every switch, but the horn stayed silent.

Skerry saw how worried he was. She flew to the railing and sounded her foghorn call. It was thinner than the horn, but it carried over the waves. She called all evening. One by one, the boats came home.

The next day, the keeper fixed the horn. He left fresh sardines on the roof. Skerry learned that a talent for fun can be a gift when someone needs it.

▲ This passage · 234 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.6

On a rocky point where the sea met the sky, a young gull named Skerry lived near an old lighthouse. Every foggy morning, the lighthouse horn gave a deep, slow groan to warn the fishing boats. Skerry thought it was the grandest sound in the world, and she practiced it until she could copy it perfectly.

Soon she could not resist showing off. Whenever the fog rolled in, Skerry sat on the roof and groaned along with the horn. The other gulls laughed and clapped their wings. The keeper only shook his head and smiled.

One afternoon, the horn stopped working. A gray wall of fog slid across the water, and the boats were still far out. The keeper climbed the stairs and tried every switch, but the machine stayed silent.

Skerry saw the worried look on his face. She flew to the railing, took a deep breath, and sounded her best foghorn call. It was thinner than the real one, yet it carried over the waves. She called all evening until her throat was sore, and one by one the boats crept home along the sound.

The next day, the keeper fixed the horn and left a pile of fresh sardines on the roof. Skerry ate them proudly. She had learned that a talent for fun can also become a gift, if you are willing to use it when someone truly needs it.

■ Harder · 255 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.1

On a windswept rocky point where the sea met the sky, a young gull named Skerry made her home near an ancient lighthouse. Every foggy morning, the lighthouse horn released a deep, slow groan intended to warn the fishing boats. Skerry considered it the grandest sound in the world, and she practiced relentlessly until she could reproduce it perfectly.

Before long, she could not resist showing off her talent. Whenever the fog rolled in, Skerry perched on the roof and groaned in unison with the horn. The other gulls laughed and applauded with their wings, while the keeper merely shook his head and smiled.

One afternoon, however, the horn fell silent. A gray wall of fog slid across the water, and the boats were still far from shore. The keeper hurried up the winding stairs and tried every switch, but the machine refused to respond.

Skerry noticed the worried look on his face. She flew to the railing, drew a deep breath, and sounded her best foghorn call. It was thinner than the real one, yet it carried remarkably well across the waves. She kept calling throughout the evening until her throat ached, and one by one the boats crept home, guided by her voice.

The following day, the keeper repaired the horn and left a generous pile of fresh sardines on the roof. Skerry ate them proudly. She had discovered that a talent meant for amusement can also become a precious gift, provided you are willing to use it when someone truly needs it.

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 lighthouse, resist, keeper, railing and talent 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 Gull Who Copied the Foghorn"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 234 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 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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