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The Tortoise Who Kept the Market Clock

6th grade fiction passage about a slow tortoise with a big job: 228 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade fiction a slow tortoise with a big job 228 words

The Tortoise Who Kept the Market Clock

In the animal market of Brindle Hollow, there was a tall clock with a great brass bell, and every day at noon someone had to wind the clock and ring the bell so that the vendors would know when to open their stalls. For many seasons, a quick hare named Flint had done the job. One year, he announced that he was too busy and would no longer wind the clock, and nobody else wanted the task because it was tedious and took patience.

At last a tortoise named Orrin stepped forward and said that he was slow but steady. Some animals worried that a tortoise would take far too long to climb the clock tower stairs. On his first day, Orrin left his burrow two hours early, crept up every step, wound the clock slowly, and rang the bell exactly at noon. Day after day he did the same, in rain or in heat, and the vendors began to set their own routines by the sound of his bell. The market ran more smoothly than it ever had.

Months later, Flint wandered back. He had often been late, because he had trusted himself to dash in at the last second. He watched Orrin wind the clock and said quietly that Orrin never missed. Orrin answered that he never rushed, and that this was how he never missed.

Questions

  1. What did the person who kept the clock have to do each day? in the text

  2. Who kept the clock before Orrin? in the text

  3. Why did Orrin leave his burrow two hours early on the first day? in the text

  4. What happened to the market after Orrin took the job? in the text

  5. Why had Flint often been late? think about it

  6. What does Orrin mean when he says he never rushes so he never misses? think about it

Words to know

vendors
people who sell things at a market
tedious
boring and slow because it takes so long
steady
regular and not changing
routines
things you do in the same way each day
announced
told everyone something in a clear way
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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 · 196 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.4

In the animal market of Brindle Hollow, there was a tall clock with a big brass bell. Every day at noon, someone had to wind the clock and ring the bell. Then the sellers knew when to open their stalls. For many seasons, a quick hare named Flint did the job.

One year, Flint said he was too busy. Nobody else wanted the task. It was boring and took patience. At last a tortoise named Orrin stepped up. "I will do it," he said. "I am slow, but I am steady."

Some animals worried. A tortoise took a long time to climb the stairs. On his first day, Orrin left his burrow two hours early. He climbed every step, wound the clock, and rang the bell right at noon.

Day after day he did the same. Rain or heat, he was there. The sellers began to plan their day by his bell. The market ran better than ever.

Months later, Flint came back. He had often been late, because he dashed in at the last second. He watched Orrin and said quietly, "You never miss."

"I never rush," said Orrin. "That is how I never miss."

▲ This passage · 228 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.8

In the animal market of Brindle Hollow, there was a tall clock with a great brass bell, and every day at noon someone had to wind the clock and ring the bell so that the vendors would know when to open their stalls. For many seasons, a quick hare named Flint had done the job. One year, he announced that he was too busy and would no longer wind the clock, and nobody else wanted the task because it was tedious and took patience.

At last a tortoise named Orrin stepped forward and said that he was slow but steady. Some animals worried that a tortoise would take far too long to climb the clock tower stairs. On his first day, Orrin left his burrow two hours early, crept up every step, wound the clock slowly, and rang the bell exactly at noon. Day after day he did the same, in rain or in heat, and the vendors began to set their own routines by the sound of his bell. The market ran more smoothly than it ever had.

Months later, Flint wandered back. He had often been late, because he had trusted himself to dash in at the last second. He watched Orrin wind the clock and said quietly that Orrin never missed. Orrin answered that he never rushed, and that this was how he never missed.

■ Harder · 243 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.8

In the bustling animal market of Brindle Hollow stood a tall clock with a great brass bell. And every day at noon someone had to wind the clock and ring the bell so that the vendors would know precisely when to open their stalls. For many seasons, a quick hare named Flint had performed this duty. One year, he announced that he was far too busy to continue winding the clock, and nobody else wanted the responsibility, since it was tedious and demanded considerable patience.

At last a tortoise named Orrin stepped forward and declared that although he was slow, he was steady. Some animals fretted that a tortoise would surely take an enormous amount of time to climb the clock tower stairs. On his first day, Orrin left his burrow two hours early, crept up every step, wound the clock slowly and carefully, and rang the bell at exactly noon. Day after day he repeated the same routine through rain and sweltering heat. And the vendors began to organize their entire day around the sound of his bell. The market ran more smoothly than it ever had before.

Months later, Flint wandered back to the tower. He had frequently been late, because he had trusted himself to dash in at the last possible second. He watched Orrin wind the clock and remarked quietly that Orrin never missed. Orrin replied that he never rushed. And that this was precisely how he never missed.

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 vendors, tedious, steady, routines and announced 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 Tortoise Who Kept the Market Clock"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 228 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.8. 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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