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The Red Kite

Kindergarten fiction passage about flying a kite: 39 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

Kindergarten fiction flying a kite 39 words

The Red Kite

Jo has a red kite. The wind is still. The kite will not fly.

Jo runs. The kite goes up, then down. Jo is sad.

Then the wind comes. Whoosh! The kite goes up, up, up. Jo is happy.

Questions

  1. What color is Jo's kite? in the text

  2. Why will the kite not fly at first? in the text

  3. What does Jo do to help the kite? in the text

  4. What happens when the wind comes? in the text

  5. How does Jo feel at the end? think about it

Words to know

kite
a toy that flies in the wind on a string
wind
air that moves
still
not moving at all
whoosh
the sound of fast moving air
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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 · 36 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -2.1

Jo has a red kite. There is no wind. The kite will not fly.

Jo runs. The kite goes up, then down. Jo is sad.

Then wind comes. Whoosh! The kite goes up. Jo is happy.

▲ This passage · 39 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade -2

Jo has a red kite. The wind is still. The kite will not fly.

Jo runs. The kite goes up, then down. Jo is sad.

Then the wind comes. Whoosh! The kite goes up, up, up. Jo is happy.

■ Harder · 57 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.5

Jo has a bright red kite, but the wind is perfectly still, so the kite will not fly.

Jo runs across the grass. The kite lifts up for a moment and then drops down again. Jo feels sad.

Suddenly the wind comes. Whoosh! The kite zooms up, up, up into the sky, and Jo feels very happy.

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 kite, wind, still and whoosh 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 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 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 Red Kite"?

It was written for Kindergarten. It has 39 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about below 1. 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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