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Grasshopper Plays All Summer: reading passage and questions

A free printable fable reading passage, written at a grade 1 reading level (Peabody level 6; 207 words) with 6 comprehension questions and an answer key. No sign-up.

Name: ____________________Date: ____________

Grasshopper Plays All Summer

All summer long, Grasshopper played his fiddle in the sun. He did not do any work at all.

The ants were busy. They carried seeds and corn to their nest all day.

"Stop and play with me!" called Grasshopper. "The sun is warm, and the day is long!"

"We can't," said the smallest ant. "Winter is coming, and we must have food."

Grasshopper laughed. "Winter is far away," he said. "Nobody needs to think about it yet!"

Soon the leaves fell, and the wind turned cold. Then one morning, the snow came down.

Grasshopper looked in the grass for seeds. He found nothing, and his tummy rumbled.

He shivered all the way to the ants' nest. He knocked on the little door.

"Please give me some food," he said. "I am so cold and hungry."

The smallest ant looked at him. "All summer you played," she said. "What can we do now?"

Grasshopper hung his head. "I should have worked too," he said. "I am sorry."

The ants looked at each other. Then they smiled and opened the door wide.

"Come in and get warm," said the smallest ant. "We have enough to share."

That night he played his fiddle. The ants danced until they were warm.

Questions

1. What did Grasshopper do all summer?
  1. He played his fiddle
  2. He carried corn
  3. He slept
2. Why were the ants so busy?
  1. Winter was coming
  2. They liked to march
  3. Grasshopper told them to
3. What did Grasshopper find in the snow?
  1. Seeds
  2. Nothing
  3. A fiddle
4. What does "rumbled" mean in this story?
  1. Made a low growl
  2. Ran away
  3. Fell down
5. What did the ants do at the end?
  1. Shut the door
  2. Let him in to share
  3. Hid their corn
6. What does this fable show?
  1. Get ready for hard times
  2. Fiddles are loud
  3. Snow is white

Words to know

  • fiddle: a small violin
  • rumbled: made a low growl
  • nest: a home for ants
  • share: give some to others

Answer key: Grasshopper Plays All Summer

  1. A. He played his fiddle
  2. A. Winter was coming
  3. B. Nothing
  4. A. Made a low growl
  5. B. Let him in to share
  6. A. Get ready for hard times

For the teacher: how this passage is levelled

“Grasshopper Plays All Summer” is a reading level 6 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 6 words a sentence, and to show 12 to 20 words on a screen. At most 7% of its words may be off the familiar-word list. Readers reach this level by climbing, not by grade.

This passage207 words, 14 screens, 6 multiple-choice questions with an answer key, and 4 vocabulary words with kid-sized meanings
Longest sentence at this level10 words
Words on a screen12 to 20
Skills practised at this levelphonics (sounding words out), first sounds, sight words

Reading level 6: 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.