A Rail Full of Corn
Chatterer the Red Squirrel was thin and hungry.
There were no nuts by his new home.
So he ran along the old stone wall.
He came to Farmer Brown's corn field.
Chatterer dug in the leaves. He found corn!
He ate and ate. Then he put corn in his cheeks.
It was a long way home. He sat on a fence post.
One rail was hollow. He saw a little hole.
Chatterer chewed the hole. Then it was big.
He squeezed in. It was dry inside!
"A good place for corn," said Chatterer.
He put in his corn. He ran back for more.
Soon the rail was full. Winter could come!
Questions
- He had no nuts near his home
- He was lost
- He was sick
- Nuts
- Corn
- Berries
- In a boat
- In a pail
- In a hollow rail
- To eat in the winter
- To give to a fox
- To make a toy
Words to know
- hollow: empty inside
- rail: a fence bar
- cheeks: sides of the face
Answer key: A Rail Full of Corn
- A. He had no nuts near his home
- B. Corn
- C. In a hollow rail
- A. To eat in the winter
For the teacher: how this passage is levelled
“A Rail Full of Corn” is a reading level 5 story. Every Peabody story at this level is written and checked to keep sentences to 10 words or fewer, to aim at an average of 5 words a sentence, and to show 1 to 12 words on a screen. At most 6% of its words may be off the familiar-word list. Children in 2nd grade start at this level.
| This passage | 111 words, 13 screens, 4 multiple-choice questions with an answer key, and 3 vocabulary words with kid-sized meanings |
|---|---|
| Longest sentence at this level | 10 words |
| Words on a screen | 1 to 12 |
| Skills practised at this level | phonics (sounding words out), first sounds, sight words |
Reading level 5: 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.