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Pebbles in the Library Book Drop

7th grade fiction passage about numbered stones in a book drop: 261 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

7th grade fiction numbered stones in a book drop 261 words

Pebbles in the Library Book Drop

Every morning for two weeks, Camille found something peculiar when she emptied the library's book drop. Mixed in with the returned novels were small gray pebbles, each one painted with a white number. The first pebble said 1, the second said 2, and by Friday she was holding number nine.

"Somebody is counting," she told the librarian, Mr. Ito. "But I cannot figure out what."

Camille arranged the pebbles in a row on the desk. She examined the date stamps in the returned books, hoping to find a connection, and she noticed that every book in that day's pile had been either a mystery or an adventure. That gave her an idea. If the numbers matched a series of books, then the person might be keeping a tally of everything he or she had finished reading.

On Monday she arrived early and waited behind the shelves. At seven forty, a boy of about eight crept up to the slot, dropped in a thick book, and then reached into his pocket for a stone marked 15.

"Hello," Camille said gently. He jumped, and then he stared down at his shoes. "I don't have a card yet," he admitted. "My mom says I might lose it, so I make my own."

Camille smiled and walked him to the front desk, where Mr. Ito stamped a library card with the boy's name, Wes. Wes held it in both hands as though it were made of glass. Then he added his pebble to the jar beside the window, which the library kept on display from that day forward.

Questions

  1. What did Camille find in the book drop every morning? in the text

  2. What kind of books were returned along with the pebbles? in the text

  3. Where did Camille wait to catch the person leaving the pebbles? in the text

  4. Why did Wes not have a library card? in the text

  5. What did the pebbles really stand for? think about it

  6. Why did Wes hold the new card in both hands like glass? think about it

Words to know

pebble
a small, smooth stone
librarian
a person who works in and cares for a library
tally
a running count of things, often kept with marks
stamp
to press a mark or a date onto paper
display
to put something where people can see it
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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 · 226 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.3

For two weeks, Camille found something odd each morning in the library's book drop. Next to the returned novels were small gray pebbles. Each one had a white number painted on it. The first said 1. The next said 2. By Friday she held number nine.

"Someone is counting," she told the librarian, Mr. Ito. "But what?"

Camille put the pebbles in a row on the desk. She checked the stamped dates in the returned books. Every book that day was a mystery or an adventure. That gave her an idea. Maybe the numbers matched a series of books. Maybe someone was keeping a tally of books he or she had read.

On Monday, she came early and hid behind the shelves. At seven forty, a boy of about eight crept up to the slot. He dropped in a thick book. Then he took a stone marked 15 from his pocket.

"Hello," Camille said gently. He jumped and looked at his shoes. "I don't have a card yet," he said. "My mom says I might lose it. So I make my own."

Camille smiled and walked him to the front desk. Mr. Ito stamped a library card with his name, Wes. Wes held it in both hands like glass. Then he put his pebble in the jar by the window. The library kept the jar there from then on.

▲ This passage · 261 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.9

Every morning for two weeks, Camille found something peculiar when she emptied the library's book drop. Mixed in with the returned novels were small gray pebbles, each one painted with a white number. The first pebble said 1, the second said 2, and by Friday she was holding number nine.

"Somebody is counting," she told the librarian, Mr. Ito. "But I cannot figure out what."

Camille arranged the pebbles in a row on the desk. She examined the date stamps in the returned books, hoping to find a connection, and she noticed that every book in that day's pile had been either a mystery or an adventure. That gave her an idea. If the numbers matched a series of books, then the person might be keeping a tally of everything he or she had finished reading.

On Monday she arrived early and waited behind the shelves. At seven forty, a boy of about eight crept up to the slot, dropped in a thick book, and then reached into his pocket for a stone marked 15.

"Hello," Camille said gently. He jumped, and then he stared down at his shoes. "I don't have a card yet," he admitted. "My mom says I might lose it, so I make my own."

Camille smiled and walked him to the front desk, where Mr. Ito stamped a library card with the boy's name, Wes. Wes held it in both hands as though it were made of glass. Then he added his pebble to the jar beside the window, which the library kept on display from that day forward.

■ Harder · 272 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.1

Every morning for two weeks, Camille discovered something increasingly peculiar when she emptied the library's book drop. Mixed in with the returned novels were small gray pebbles, each one carefully painted with a white number. The first pebble said 1, the second said 2, and by Friday she was holding number nine.

"Somebody is counting," she told the librarian, Mr. Ito. "But I honestly cannot figure out what."

Camille arranged the pebbles in a neat row on the desk. She examined the date stamps in the returned books, hoping to uncover some kind of connection, and she noticed that every book in that day's pile had been either a mystery or an adventure. That gave her an idea. If the numbers corresponded to a series of books, then the mysterious visitor might be keeping a tally of everything he or she had finished reading.

On Monday she arrived unusually early and waited quietly behind the shelves. At seven forty, a boy of about eight tiptoed up to the slot, dropped in a thick book, and then reached into his pocket for a stone marked 15.

"Hello," Camille said gently. He jumped, and then he stared down at his shoes. "I don't have a card yet," he admitted. "My mom says I might lose it, so I make my own."

Camille smiled and walked him to the front desk, where Mr. Ito stamped a library card with the boy's name, Wes. Wes held it in both hands as though it were made of glass. Then he proudly added his pebble to the jar beside the window, which the library kept on display from that day forward.

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 pebble, librarian, tally, stamp and display 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 "Pebbles in the Library Book Drop"?

It was written for 7th grade. It has 261 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.9. 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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