A free printable short story reading passage, written at a kindergarten reading level (Peabody level 1, where Kindergarten readers start; 34 words) with 4 comprehension questions and an answer key. No sign-up.
Gus is in bed and will not get up, so his mom tells him to. Then Mom is in bed too, and will not get up either. A hug from Gus gets them both going. It is a ten-page first reader with one short line a page, made of simple words a new reader can sound out.
Quick facts
It is a Peabody level 1 first reader: ten pages, one short line a page, and a picture on every page.
The words are short and sound-out-able, like bed, hug, up and Mom. The three words it teaches are bed, hugs and Gus.
The line Get up, Gus! comes back on several pages, so a new reader meets the same words again and again.
It has four reading-check questions, and the whole story is free to read in the Peabody library.
What is Get Up, Gus! about?
A boy named Gus will not get out of bed. His mom tells him to get up, then ends up in bed herself, and the two of them hug and get up together. It is a silly, warm story about a morning in a family.
What reading level is Get Up, Gus!?
It is a Peabody level 1 book, one of the first books a child can sound out. At level 1 every consonant and short vowel is used, plus a few sight words such as the, is, to and and. Children who can read the level 0 books are ready for it.
Is Get Up, Gus! a good book for a child just learning to read?
Yes. Each page has only a few words, the same line comes back so the words are easy to remember, and the picture shows what is happening. Let the child read the Get up, Gus! line aloud while you read the rest, and swap roles on a second read.
What can we talk about after reading Get Up, Gus!?
Ask who gets up first, why Mom is in bed, and what the hugs do. Then talk about what your own mornings are like and what helps you get up. These are the same questions the story's reading check asks.
For the teacher: how this passage is levelled
“Get Up, Gus!” is a reading level 1 story. Every Peabody story at this level is written and checked to keep sentences to 5 words or fewer, to aim at an average of 3 words a sentence, and to show 1 to 5 words on a screen. At most 6% of its words may be off the familiar-word list. Children in Kindergarten start at this level.
This passage
34 words, 10 screens, 4 multiple-choice questions with an answer key, and 3 vocabulary words with kid-sized meanings
