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The Heron Who Never Asked

6th grade fiction passage about a heron too shy to ask: 242 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade fiction a heron too shy to ask 242 words

The Heron Who Never Asked

At the edge of a marsh, a tall gray heron named Alder stood very still in the shallows. He was an excellent fisher. But he had one problem: he never asked anyone for anything, because he believed that asking made a bird look weak.

One spring, a thick mat of floating weeds spread across his favorite fishing spot, and Alder could not see the water beneath it. The fish stayed hidden, and he stood there for three days without a single catch while his stomach growled and his feathers grew dull. A beaver named Maple swam past and asked whether something was wrong. But Alder said stiffly that he was simply resting. Maple raised an eyebrow, since he had watched the heron standing in the same place for three days, yet he said nothing and swam on.

By the fourth day, Alder was so weak that he wobbled. A small frog on a lily pad finally spoke up and told him that if he wanted help he should say so, because nobody in the marsh could read his mind. The words stung. But Alder knew they were true, and he called across the water that he needed help clearing the weeds. Within an hour, Maple and three muskrats were towing the weeds to the shore. Alder caught a fat perch before sunset and shared it with all of them. He still found asking hard, but he never again confused it with weakness.

Questions

  1. Why did Alder never ask anyone for anything? in the text

  2. What covered Alder's favorite fishing spot? in the text

  3. What did Alder tell Maple when Maple asked if something was wrong? in the text

  4. Who finally told Alder to say what he needed? in the text

  5. Why did Maple say nothing more even though he doubted Alder? think about it

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

Words to know

marsh
a soft, wet area of land with grasses and shallow water
shallows
the shallow parts of a body of water
stiffly
in a cold, formal way
wobbled
moved unsteadily from side to side
towing
pulling something along behind you
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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 · 212 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.1

At the edge of a marsh, a tall gray heron named Alder stood still in the shallows. He was a very good fisher, but he had one problem. He never asked anyone for anything. He thought that asking made a bird look weak.

One spring, a thick mat of floating weeds covered his favorite fishing spot. Alder could not see the water, and the fish stayed hidden. He stood there for three days and caught nothing. His stomach growled, and his feathers grew dull.

A beaver named Maple swam by. "You look hungry, Alder. Is something wrong?"

"Not at all," Alder said. "I am just resting."

Maple raised an eyebrow. He had seen the heron in the same place for three days. But he said nothing and swam on.

By the fourth day, Alder was so weak that he wobbled. A small frog on a lily pad spoke up. "If you want help, say so. Nobody here can read your mind."

The words stung, but they were true. Alder called, "I need help with these weeds!"

Soon Maple and three muskrats were pulling the weeds to shore. Alder caught a fat perch before sunset and shared it with them.

He still found asking hard. But he never again thought it was weakness.

▲ This passage · 242 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.8

At the edge of a marsh, a tall gray heron named Alder stood very still in the shallows. He was an excellent fisher. But he had one problem: he never asked anyone for anything, because he believed that asking made a bird look weak.

One spring, a thick mat of floating weeds spread across his favorite fishing spot, and Alder could not see the water beneath it. The fish stayed hidden, and he stood there for three days without a single catch while his stomach growled and his feathers grew dull. A beaver named Maple swam past and asked whether something was wrong. But Alder said stiffly that he was simply resting. Maple raised an eyebrow, since he had watched the heron standing in the same place for three days, yet he said nothing and swam on.

By the fourth day, Alder was so weak that he wobbled. A small frog on a lily pad finally spoke up and told him that if he wanted help he should say so, because nobody in the marsh could read his mind. The words stung. But Alder knew they were true, and he called across the water that he needed help clearing the weeds. Within an hour, Maple and three muskrats were towing the weeds to the shore. Alder caught a fat perch before sunset and shared it with all of them. He still found asking hard, but he never again confused it with weakness.

■ Harder · 259 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.2

At the edge of a sprawling marsh, a tall gray heron named Alder stood motionless in the shallows. He was an exceptional fisher. But he suffered from one persistent flaw: he never asked anyone for anything, because he was convinced that asking made a bird appear weak.

One spring, a dense mat of floating weeds drifted across his favorite fishing spot, and Alder could no longer see the water beneath it. The fish remained out of sight, and he stood there for three whole days without a single catch while his stomach growled and his feathers grew dull and ragged. A beaver named Maple swam past and inquired whether something was the matter. But Alder replied stiffly that he was merely resting. Maple raised an eyebrow, since he had watched the heron standing in exactly the same place for three days, yet he said nothing more and paddled on.

By the fourth day, Alder was so feeble that he wobbled. A small frog perched on a lily pad finally spoke up and told him that if he wanted help he ought to say so, because nobody in the marsh could possibly read his mind. The words stung. But Alder recognized the truth in them, and he called across the water that he needed help clearing the weeds. Within an hour, Maple and three muskrats were towing the weeds toward the shore. Alder caught a plump perch before sunset and shared it with every one of them. He still found asking difficult, but he never again mistook it for weakness.

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 marsh, shallows, stiffly, wobbled and towing 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 Heron Who Never Asked"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 242 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.8. 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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