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The Canyon Echo That Answered Late

8th grade fiction passage about a delayed echo that scrambles shouts: 273 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

8th grade fiction a delayed echo that scrambles shouts 273 words

The Canyon Echo That Answered Late

On the second afternoon of the hiking trip, twins Nolan and Maeve reached the edge of Whistler's Canyon, a deep, red-walled gorge that the guidebook promised had "an astonishing echo." Nolan cupped his hands and shouted, "Hello!" Nothing happened. He tried again, louder, and a few seconds later the canyon replied with a booming "Hello." Maeve grinned, and then she shouted, "Who wants pancakes?" Before the echo could answer, Nolan yelled, "I do!" and the canyon, which had been slowly working its way through the first question, suddenly roared back, "Who wants pancakes?" and then, a moment afterward, "I do!"

The twins quickly discovered that the echo was so slow that it mixed up every conversation. When Maeve shouted, "Is anyone out there?" and Nolan added, "Hello, Mr. Echo!" the canyon seemed to reply that someone was out there and that Mr. Echo was a hello. Then it said, "Pancakes!" for no reason at all, because one of their earlier shouts was still bouncing around somewhere.

Maeve, who liked science, figured out why it happened. Sound travels at a steady speed, she explained, and the canyon was so wide that each shout needed several seconds to cross it and return. Their next shout was already on its way before the first one had come back. She suggested that they take turns and wait for each reply before speaking again. They tried it. Nolan shouted, "Thank you!" and waited a long, patient time. Eventually the canyon answered, "Thank you," in a voice that sounded polite. The twins agreed that this was the best conversation either of them had ever had with a canyon.

Questions

  1. Where did the twins stand when they shouted? in the text

  2. What did Maeve shout that mixed up the echo? in the text

  3. Why did the echo take so long to answer? in the text

  4. What plan did Maeve suggest? in the text

  5. Why did the canyon shout "Pancakes!" for no reason? think about it

  6. Why did the twins call it the best conversation with a canyon? think about it

Words to know

gorge
a deep, narrow valley with steep rocky sides
astonishing
so surprising that it amazes you
echo
a sound that bounces back after hitting a surface
booming
making a deep, loud, rolling sound
patient
able to wait calmly without getting upset
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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 · 240 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.4

On the second afternoon of the hiking trip, twins Nolan and Maeve came to the edge of Whistler's Canyon. It was a deep gorge with red walls. The guidebook promised an amazing echo. Nolan cupped his hands and shouted, "Hello!" Nothing happened. He tried again, louder. A few seconds later the canyon boomed back, "Hello." Maeve grinned. She shouted, "Who wants pancakes?" Before the echo could answer, Nolan yelled, "I do!" Then the canyon, still working on the first question, roared, "Who wants pancakes?" A moment later it said, "I do!"

The twins soon saw that the echo was so slow that it mixed up every talk. Maeve shouted, "Is anyone out there?" Nolan added, "Hello, Mr. Echo!" The canyon seemed to say that someone was out there and that Mr. Echo was a hello. Then it said, "Pancakes!" for no reason, because an old shout was still bouncing around.

Maeve liked science, and she saw why. Sound travels at a steady speed. The canyon was so wide that each shout took several seconds to cross it and come back. Their next shout was on its way before the first one returned. She said they should take turns and wait for each answer. They tried it. Nolan shouted, "Thank you!" and waited a long time. At last the canyon said, "Thank you," in a polite voice. The twins agreed it was the best talk they ever had with a canyon.

▲ This passage · 273 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.3

On the second afternoon of the hiking trip, twins Nolan and Maeve reached the edge of Whistler's Canyon, a deep, red-walled gorge that the guidebook promised had "an astonishing echo." Nolan cupped his hands and shouted, "Hello!" Nothing happened. He tried again, louder, and a few seconds later the canyon replied with a booming "Hello." Maeve grinned, and then she shouted, "Who wants pancakes?" Before the echo could answer, Nolan yelled, "I do!" and the canyon, which had been slowly working its way through the first question, suddenly roared back, "Who wants pancakes?" and then, a moment afterward, "I do!"

The twins quickly discovered that the echo was so slow that it mixed up every conversation. When Maeve shouted, "Is anyone out there?" and Nolan added, "Hello, Mr. Echo!" the canyon seemed to reply that someone was out there and that Mr. Echo was a hello. Then it said, "Pancakes!" for no reason at all, because one of their earlier shouts was still bouncing around somewhere.

Maeve, who liked science, figured out why it happened. Sound travels at a steady speed, she explained, and the canyon was so wide that each shout needed several seconds to cross it and return. Their next shout was already on its way before the first one had come back. She suggested that they take turns and wait for each reply before speaking again. They tried it. Nolan shouted, "Thank you!" and waited a long, patient time. Eventually the canyon answered, "Thank you," in a voice that sounded polite. The twins agreed that this was the best conversation either of them had ever had with a canyon.

■ Harder · 290 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 8.4

On the second afternoon of the hiking trip, twins Nolan and Maeve arrived at the rim of Whistler's Canyon, a deep, red-walled gorge that the guidebook promised possessed "an astonishing echo." Nolan cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Hello!" Nothing happened whatsoever. He tried again, considerably louder, and several seconds later the canyon answered with a booming "Hello." Maeve grinned, and then she shouted, "Who wants pancakes?" Before the echo could respond, Nolan yelled, "I do!" and the canyon, which had been slowly working its way through the first question, suddenly roared back, "Who wants pancakes?" and then, a moment afterward, "I do!"

The twins quickly discovered that the echo was so sluggish that it scrambled every conversation they attempted. When Maeve shouted, "Is anyone out there?" and Nolan added, "Hello, Mr. Echo!" the canyon appeared to reply that someone was out there and that Mr. Echo was a hello. Then it called out, "Pancakes!" for no apparent reason, because one of their earlier shouts was still bouncing around somewhere among the cliffs.

Maeve, who had a passion for science, worked out why it was happening. Sound travels at a steady speed, she explained, and the canyon was so enormously wide that each shout required several seconds to cross it and return. Their next shout was already on its way before the previous one had come back. She proposed that they take turns and wait for each reply before speaking again. They tried it. Nolan shouted, "Thank you!" and then waited a long and patient time. Eventually the canyon answered, "Thank you," in a voice that sounded remarkably polite. The twins agreed that it was the best conversation either of them had ever had with a canyon.

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 gorge, astonishing, echo, booming and patient 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 Canyon Echo That Answered Late"?

It was written for 8th grade. It has 273 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 7.3. 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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