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The Word Theo Said at the Window

6th grade fiction passage about a baby brother's first word: 254 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade fiction a baby brother's first word 254 words

The Word Theo Said at the Window

Everyone in Beatrice's house was impatiently waiting for the baby to speak. Her mother kept a notebook labeled FIRST WORDS on the kitchen counter, her father filmed Theo at dinner every night, and Beatrice, who was twelve and the oldest, secretly hoped that his first word would be her name.

On a rainy Wednesday, Theo pointed at the window, bounced in his high chair, and produced a clear, round sound: "Buh!" Dad immediately announced that it meant bus, Mom wrote down ball, and Grandpa, who had come over for lunch, suggested that it might be boat. Beatrice said nothing. She felt foolish for being disappointed, because nobody could possibly know what the sound meant.

For the next few days she paid close attention anyway. Theo said "Buh" when the mail truck rumbled past, when the cat leaped onto the sofa, and when Dad lifted him out of the bath. It seemed to be an all-purpose word that he used for almost everything.

On Saturday, Beatrice came home from soccer practice with her cleats dangling from one hand. Theo was sitting in the playpen by the window. The instant he spotted her, he kicked his feet, lifted both arms, and shouted, "Buh! Buh! Buh!" He had never said it that way for the truck or the cat or the bath. He said it with his whole body, and only to her.

"Bea," her mother said softly. "He means Bea."

Beatrice scooped him up and laughed so hard that her cleats clattered to the floor.

Questions

  1. What did Beatrice's mother keep on the kitchen counter? in the text

  2. What sound did Theo make at the window? in the text

  3. What were two things the family thought Theo's sound meant? in the text

  4. How old was Beatrice? in the text

  5. Why did Beatrice feel foolish about being disappointed? think about it

  6. How did Beatrice and her mother know Theo meant Bea? think about it

Words to know

labeled
marked with a name or short title
secretly
in a way that you do not tell other people
disappointed
sad because something did not happen as you hoped
playpen
a small safe space where a baby can play
scooped
picked up in a quick, smooth motion
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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 · 224 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.2

Everyone in Beatrice's house was waiting for the baby to speak. Her mother kept a notebook called FIRST WORDS on the kitchen counter. Her dad filmed Theo at dinner each night. Beatrice was twelve, the oldest. She secretly hoped his first word would be her name.

On a rainy Wednesday, Theo pointed at the window, bounced in his high chair, and said a clear, round sound: "Buh!"

"Bus!" said Dad.

"Ball!" said Mom, writing it down.

"Boat?" said Grandpa, who had come for lunch.

Beatrice said nothing. She felt silly for being sad. Nobody knew what the sound meant. For the next few days she listened anyway. Theo said "Buh" when the mail truck came. He said it when the cat jumped on the sofa. He said it when Dad lifted him out of the bath.

On Saturday, Beatrice came home from soccer with her cleats in her hand. Theo was in the playpen by the window. When he saw her, he kicked his feet, held up his arms, and shouted, "Buh! Buh! Buh!"

He had not said it like that for the truck or the cat or the bath. He said it with his whole body, and only to her.

"Bea," her mother said softly. "He means Bea."

Beatrice picked him up and laughed so hard that her cleats fell on the floor.

▲ This passage · 254 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.5

Everyone in Beatrice's house was impatiently waiting for the baby to speak. Her mother kept a notebook labeled FIRST WORDS on the kitchen counter, her father filmed Theo at dinner every night, and Beatrice, who was twelve and the oldest, secretly hoped that his first word would be her name.

On a rainy Wednesday, Theo pointed at the window, bounced in his high chair, and produced a clear, round sound: "Buh!" Dad immediately announced that it meant bus, Mom wrote down ball, and Grandpa, who had come over for lunch, suggested that it might be boat. Beatrice said nothing. She felt foolish for being disappointed, because nobody could possibly know what the sound meant.

For the next few days she paid close attention anyway. Theo said "Buh" when the mail truck rumbled past, when the cat leaped onto the sofa, and when Dad lifted him out of the bath. It seemed to be an all-purpose word that he used for almost everything.

On Saturday, Beatrice came home from soccer practice with her cleats dangling from one hand. Theo was sitting in the playpen by the window. The instant he spotted her, he kicked his feet, lifted both arms, and shouted, "Buh! Buh! Buh!" He had never said it that way for the truck or the cat or the bath. He said it with his whole body, and only to her.

"Bea," her mother said softly. "He means Bea."

Beatrice scooped him up and laughed so hard that her cleats clattered to the floor.

■ Harder · 275 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.5

Everyone in Beatrice's house was impatiently waiting for the baby to speak. Her mother kept a notebook labeled FIRST WORDS on the kitchen counter, her father filmed Theo at dinner every single night, and Beatrice, who was twelve and the oldest of the children, secretly hoped that his first word would turn out to be her own name.

On a rainy Wednesday afternoon, Theo pointed at the window, bounced enthusiastically in his high chair, and produced a clear, round sound: "Buh!" Dad immediately announced that it meant bus, Mom wrote down ball in the notebook, and Grandpa, who had come over for lunch, suggested that it might possibly be boat. Beatrice said nothing. She felt foolish for being disappointed, because nobody could possibly know what the sound was supposed to mean.

For the next few days she paid close attention anyway. Theo said "Buh" when the mail truck rumbled past, when the cat leaped onto the sofa, and when Dad lifted him dripping out of the bath. It seemed to be an all-purpose word that he applied to almost everything in the universe.

On Saturday, Beatrice came home from soccer practice with her cleats dangling from one hand. Theo was sitting in the playpen beside the window. The instant he spotted her, he kicked his feet, lifted both arms, and shouted, "Buh! Buh! Buh!" He had never said it that way for the truck or the cat or the bath. He said it with his whole body, and only to her.

"Bea," her mother said softly. "He means Bea."

Beatrice scooped him up and laughed so hard that her cleats clattered to the floor.

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 labeled, secretly, disappointed, playpen and scooped 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 3 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 Word Theo Said at the Window"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 254 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.5. 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 3 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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