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A Nest on the Hill: reading passage and questions

A free printable short story reading passage, written at a kindergarten reading level (Peabody level 2; 60 words) with 4 comprehension questions and an answer key. No sign-up.

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Name: ____________________Date: ____________

A Nest on the Hill

Glen is on the hill.

A nest is on the hill.

Glen sees the nest.

A chick is in the nest.

Glen sees the chick.

The chick is sad.

Glen can help the chick.

"I can help," said Glen.

Get in, chick, get in!

The chick is in the nest.

The chick is not sad.

No, Glen is not sad.

Questions

1. Where is Glen?
  1. On a ship
  2. In a bus
  3. On the hill
2. What does Glen see?
  1. A nest
  2. A bell
  3. A snack
3. Why is the chick sad?
  1. It is wet
  2. It is not home
  3. It is red
4. How does the chick feel at the end?
  1. Mad
  2. Lost
  3. Not sad

Words to know

  • nest: a bird home
  • chick: a baby bird
  • hill: a small mountain

Answer key: A Nest on the Hill

  1. C. On the hill
  2. A. A nest
  3. B. It is not home
  4. C. Not sad
For teachers: standards and questions with an answer key

Common Core standards

  • RL.K.1 · Kindergarten · Key details and evidence in a story. Asks who and what questions about key details in a very short story: who sees the nest and who is in it.
  • RL.K.3 · Kindergarten · Characters, settings and events. Asks the child to name the characters and what happens to them: how Glen helps and how the chick changes.

All the Common Core reading standards, and the pages that work toward each

Right there (The answer is stated in the book.)

  1. Who sees the nest on the hill?
    Show answerGlen sees the nest. The book says: “Glen sees the nest.”
  2. Who is in the nest?
    Show answerA chick is in the nest. The book says: “A chick is in the nest.”

Think and search (Put clues from the book together.)

  1. How does Glen help the chick?
    Show answerHe tells the chick to get in, and the chick gets into the nest. The book says: “Get in, chick, get in!”
  2. Why is the chick not sad at the end?
    Show answerBecause it is in the nest, where Glen helped it get. The book says: “The chick is in the nest. The chick is not sad.”

On my own (Use the book to think further.)

  1. Why do you think Glen is not sad at the end?
    Show answerAnswers will vary. A good answer: he feels happy because he helped the chick. The book says: “No, Glen is not sad.”

Written and checked by hand against the book. Standards codes are the Common Core’s own; the lines are ours.

For the teacher: how this passage is levelled

“A Nest on the Hill” is a reading level 2 story. Every Peabody story at this level is written and checked to keep sentences to 6 words or fewer, to aim at an average of 4 words a sentence, and to show 1 to 6 words on a screen. At most 6% of its words may be off the familiar-word list. Readers reach this level by climbing, not by grade.

This passage60 words, 12 screens, 4 multiple-choice questions with an answer key, and 3 vocabulary words with kid-sized meanings
Longest sentence at this level6 words
Words on a screen1 to 6
Skills practised at this levelfirst sounds, rhymes

Reading level 2: the limits, a real sample and the free games. Peabody is a learning app, not an assessment: use the questions to talk about the story, not to grade a child.

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