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The Axolotl Who Stayed in the Canal

8th grade fiction passage about a water creature that never leaves: 277 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

8th grade fiction a water creature that never leaves 277 words

The Axolotl Who Stayed in the Canal

In an old canal lined with reeds and floating flower beds, an axolotl named Pico drifted through the cool green water. He had feathery fronds on either side of his head and a wide, smiling mouth, and for most of his life he had been perfectly content with the world around him.

That changed one spring when the young frogs in the canal began to leave. Their tails shrank and their legs grew strong, and one by one they climbed onto the bank and hopped away across the grass. Pico watched them go with growing unease, and he told a passing snail that the frogs were growing up while he remained exactly the same as he had been the year before. The snail considered this slowly and suggested that perhaps he was not behind at all, but simply different.

Pico was not convinced. He tried clambering onto a flat stone, but his gills felt dry and strange in the open air, and he slid back into the water with relief, feeling foolish and a little sad.

Later that week, a heavy storm swept silt into the canal and clouded the water. The frogs on the bank could not reach their old shelter, and a few tadpoles that had stayed behind were frightened by the darkness. Pico, who had spent his whole life in the murk, swam through it easily and led the tadpoles along the reeds to a clear, quiet corner.

Afterward, he no longer envied the frogs. Growing up, he decided, did not have to mean leaving. Some creatures grow by moving on, and others grow by becoming wise about the place they already call home.

Questions

  1. Where did Pico live? in the text

  2. What did the young frogs do in the spring? in the text

  3. What happened when Pico climbed onto a flat stone? in the text

  4. How did Pico help the tadpoles during the storm? in the text

  5. Why did Pico feel sad when the frogs left? think about it

  6. What does Pico finally understand about growing up? think about it

Words to know

canal
a long channel dug to hold or carry water
fronds
feathery, leaf-like parts that stick out
content
happy and satisfied with how things are
silt
fine soil carried along and dropped by water
murk
thick, dark, cloudy water
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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 · 245 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.6

In an old canal lined with reeds, an axolotl named Pico drifted in the cool green water. He had feathery fronds on each side of his head and a wide, smiling mouth. For most of his life, he had been happy.

That changed one spring when the young frogs began to leave. Their tails shrank and their legs grew strong. One by one, they climbed onto the bank and hopped away across the grass. Pico watched them go. "They are growing up," he told a snail, "and I am the same as I was last year."

The snail thought about this slowly. "Maybe you are not behind," she said. "Maybe you are just different."

Pico was not sure. He tried to climb onto a flat stone, but his gills felt dry and strange in the air. He slid back into the water. He felt silly and a little sad.

Later that week, a big storm washed silt into the canal and made the water cloudy. The frogs could not reach their old shelter. A few tadpoles who had stayed behind were scared of the dark water. Pico had lived in the murk all his life, and he swam through it with ease. He led the tadpoles along the reeds to a clear, quiet spot.

After that, he did not envy the frogs. Growing up did not have to mean leaving. Some creatures grow by moving on. Others grow by knowing the place they call home.

▲ This passage · 277 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.8

In an old canal lined with reeds and floating flower beds, an axolotl named Pico drifted through the cool green water. He had feathery fronds on either side of his head and a wide, smiling mouth, and for most of his life he had been perfectly content with the world around him.

That changed one spring when the young frogs in the canal began to leave. Their tails shrank and their legs grew strong, and one by one they climbed onto the bank and hopped away across the grass. Pico watched them go with growing unease, and he told a passing snail that the frogs were growing up while he remained exactly the same as he had been the year before. The snail considered this slowly and suggested that perhaps he was not behind at all, but simply different.

Pico was not convinced. He tried clambering onto a flat stone, but his gills felt dry and strange in the open air, and he slid back into the water with relief, feeling foolish and a little sad.

Later that week, a heavy storm swept silt into the canal and clouded the water. The frogs on the bank could not reach their old shelter, and a few tadpoles that had stayed behind were frightened by the darkness. Pico, who had spent his whole life in the murk, swam through it easily and led the tadpoles along the reeds to a clear, quiet corner.

Afterward, he no longer envied the frogs. Growing up, he decided, did not have to mean leaving. Some creatures grow by moving on, and others grow by becoming wise about the place they already call home.

■ Harder · 298 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 9.3

In an old canal lined with reeds and floating beds of flowers, an axolotl named Pico drifted contentedly through the cool green water. He had feathery fronds on either side of his head and a wide, perpetually smiling mouth, and for most of his life he had been perfectly satisfied with the world around him.

That changed one spring when the young frogs in the canal began to depart. Their tails shrank and their legs grew strong, and one by one they climbed onto the bank and hopped away across the grass. Pico watched them go with growing unease, and he confided to a passing snail that the frogs were growing up while he remained exactly the same as he had been the previous year. The snail considered this at her usual unhurried pace and suggested that perhaps he was not behind at all, but simply different.

Pico was not convinced. He attempted to clamber onto a flat stone, but his gills felt dry and strange in the open air, and he slid back into the water with considerable relief, feeling foolish and a little sad.

Later that week, a heavy storm swept silt into the canal and clouded the water until nothing was visible. The frogs on the bank could not find their way back to their old shelter, and a few tadpoles that had stayed behind were terrified by the sudden darkness. Pico, who had spent his entire life in the murk, swam through it effortlessly and led the frightened tadpoles along the reeds to a clear, quiet corner.

Afterward, he no longer envied the frogs. Growing up, he concluded, did not necessarily have to mean leaving. Some creatures grow by moving on, and others grow by becoming wise about the place they already call home.

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 canal, fronds, content, silt and murk 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 Axolotl Who Stayed in the Canal"?

It was written for 8th grade. It has 277 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 7.8. 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 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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