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A Duck Stays Dry

Kindergarten nonfiction passage about duck feathers and feet: 46 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

Kindergarten nonfiction duck feathers and feet 46 words

A Duck Stays Dry

A duck swims in the pond. But its back stays dry!

The duck has oily feathers. Water rolls off them, like rain off a roof.

A duck has wide feet. They have skin between the toes. The feet push the water, and the duck zooms ahead.

Questions

  1. Where does the duck swim? in the text

  2. What stays dry? in the text

  3. What happens to the water on the feathers? in the text

  4. What is between the duck's toes? in the text

  5. How do wide feet help a duck swim? think about it

Words to know

duck
a bird that likes to swim
oily
slippery, like oil
feathers
the light, soft parts that cover a bird
toes
the small parts at the end of a foot
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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 · 32 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -0.5

A duck swims in a pond. Its back stays dry!

A duck has oily feathers. Water rolls off.

A duck has wide feet. The feet push the water. The duck swims fast.

▲ This passage · 46 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.3

A duck swims in the pond. But its back stays dry!

The duck has oily feathers. Water rolls off them, like rain off a roof.

A duck has wide feet. They have skin between the toes. The feet push the water, and the duck zooms ahead.

■ Harder · 60 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.3

A duck can paddle around in a pond all day, yet its back stays dry!

The secret is its feathers, which are coated with oil. Water simply rolls off them, the way rain runs off a roof.

A duck also has wide feet with skin stretched between the toes. The feet push against the water, and the duck zooms ahead.

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 duck, oily, feathers and toes on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text 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 under a minute 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 write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "A Duck Stays Dry"?

It was written for Kindergarten. It has 46 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 0.3. 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 five. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 1 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?

Under a minute 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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