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The Wrong Suitcase Full of Spoons

7th grade fiction passage about a swapped suitcase at a train station: 245 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

7th grade fiction a swapped suitcase at a train station 245 words

The Wrong Suitcase Full of Spoons

Ravi did not realize his mistake until the train had already pulled away from the station. His suitcase was green, with a scuffed corner and a blue ribbon tied to the handle. The one at his feet was green as well, but it had no ribbon, and it was considerably heavier than it should have been.

He glanced around at the other passengers, and then he clicked open the latches. Instead of clothes, the case contained dozens of spoons, each one wrapped in tissue paper and tucked into its own little pocket. There were silver spoons, wooden spoons, and tiny ones with enamel flowers decorating the handles. A card inside read, "Property of Mrs. Dunmore. Please handle with care."

"Oh, no," Ravi muttered. Somewhere, a woman was opening a suitcase full of his socks.

At the next stop he asked the conductor for assistance. The conductor was sympathetic, and he sent a radio message to the earlier station. Within the hour, a reply arrived: a woman named Mrs. Dunmore had appeared at the lost luggage counter, holding a ribbon-less handle and wearing a very confused expression.

The next morning the two of them met on the platform to exchange their cases. Mrs. Dunmore, it turned out, collected spoons from every town that she visited. "You were careful, and you did not lose a single one," she said. She handed Ravi a small spoon with a blue enamel flower. "Now you are a collector, too."

Questions

  1. What was different about the suitcase Ravi picked up? in the text

  2. What was inside the wrong suitcase? in the text

  3. Who helped Ravi solve the problem? in the text

  4. What did Mrs. Dunmore give Ravi at the end? in the text

  5. How did Ravi know the suitcase belonged to someone else? think about it

  6. Why did Mrs. Dunmore thank Ravi for being careful? think about it

Words to know

scuffed
scratched or worn from rubbing against things
enamel
a smooth, hard, glassy coating used for decoration
conductor
the worker who checks tickets and helps on a train
luggage
the bags and suitcases that travelers carry
platform
the raised area beside the tracks where people board
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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 · 230 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.5

Ravi did not see the mistake until the train had left the station. His suitcase was green. It had a scuffed corner and a blue ribbon on the handle. The one at his feet was green too. But it had no ribbon, and it was much heavier than it should be.

He looked at the other passengers. Then he clicked open the latches. There were no clothes inside. There were dozens of spoons. Each one was wrapped in tissue paper and tucked in its own little pocket. There were silver spoons, wooden spoons, and tiny ones with enamel flowers on the handle. A card inside said, "Property of Mrs. Dunmore. Please handle with care."

"Oh, no," Ravi muttered. Somewhere, a woman was opening a suitcase full of his socks.

At the next stop, he asked the conductor for help. The conductor was kind. He sent a radio message to the earlier station. Within the hour, a reply came back. A woman named Mrs. Dunmore had come to the lost luggage counter. She held a handle with no ribbon and looked very confused.

The next morning, the two met on the platform to swap cases. Mrs. Dunmore collected spoons from every town she visited. "You were careful. You did not lose one," she said. She gave Ravi a small spoon with a blue enamel flower. "Now you are a collector, too."

▲ This passage · 245 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.6

Ravi did not realize his mistake until the train had already pulled away from the station. His suitcase was green, with a scuffed corner and a blue ribbon tied to the handle. The one at his feet was green as well, but it had no ribbon, and it was considerably heavier than it should have been.

He glanced around at the other passengers, and then he clicked open the latches. Instead of clothes, the case contained dozens of spoons, each one wrapped in tissue paper and tucked into its own little pocket. There were silver spoons, wooden spoons, and tiny ones with enamel flowers decorating the handles. A card inside read, "Property of Mrs. Dunmore. Please handle with care."

"Oh, no," Ravi muttered. Somewhere, a woman was opening a suitcase full of his socks.

At the next stop he asked the conductor for assistance. The conductor was sympathetic, and he sent a radio message to the earlier station. Within the hour, a reply arrived: a woman named Mrs. Dunmore had appeared at the lost luggage counter, holding a ribbon-less handle and wearing a very confused expression.

The next morning the two of them met on the platform to exchange their cases. Mrs. Dunmore, it turned out, collected spoons from every town that she visited. "You were careful, and you did not lose a single one," she said. She handed Ravi a small spoon with a blue enamel flower. "Now you are a collector, too."

■ Harder · 253 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.3

Ravi did not realize his mistake until the train had already pulled away from the crowded station. His suitcase was green, with a scuffed corner and a blue ribbon tied securely to the handle. The one at his feet was green as well, but it had no ribbon whatsoever, and it was considerably heavier than it should have been.

He glanced nervously around at the other passengers, and then he clicked open the latches. Instead of clothes, the case contained dozens of spoons, each one wrapped in tissue paper and tucked into its own custom-made pocket. There were silver spoons, wooden spoons, and delicate tiny ones with enamel flowers decorating the handles. A card inside read, "Property of Mrs. Dunmore. Please handle with care."

"Oh, no," Ravi muttered. Somewhere, a woman was opening a suitcase full of his socks.

At the next stop he asked the conductor for assistance. The conductor was extremely sympathetic, and he promptly sent a radio message to the earlier station. Within the hour, a reply arrived: a woman named Mrs. Dunmore had appeared at the lost luggage counter, holding a ribbon-less handle and wearing a thoroughly confused expression.

The next morning the two of them met on the platform to exchange their cases. Mrs. Dunmore, it turned out, collected spoons from every town that she visited. "You were careful, and you did not lose a single one," she said. She handed Ravi a small spoon with a blue enamel flower. "Now you are a collector, too."

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 scuffed, enamel, conductor, luggage and platform 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 Wrong Suitcase Full of Spoons"?

It was written for 7th grade. It has 245 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 6.6. 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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