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Reading passage Grade 1 English Language Arts

Nora Cleans the Creek: A Grade 1 Water Pollution Read-Aloud Story

An original grade 1 narrative about a girl on Robin's Nest Court who leads a small creek cleanup, with comprehension questions and a closing opinion task.

Objectives

  1. Students will recall details from an original narrative about a creek cleanup.
  2. Students will explain why litter near a creek can harm fish, using details from the passage.
  3. Students will state and support one opinion about whether the cleanup was a good idea.

Vocabulary

Key words: creek, trash, cleanup

Teacher overview

This original story follows Nora, a first grader who lives on Robin's Nest Court, as she notices litter in the creek behind her house and organizes a small cleanup with her dad and a friend. The passage is short enough to read aloud twice, once for enjoyment and once before the questions, or to be read independently by students who are ready for a short passage on their own. The final task doubles as an opinion-writing sample, asking students to decide whether Nora's cleanup was worth doing.

Nora Cleans the Creek: A Grade 1 Water Pollution Read-Aloud Story — Grade 1 English Language Arts
Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________

Passage

Nora Cleans the Creek

Nora lived on Robin's Nest Court. A small creek ran behind her house. Nora liked to watch for frogs at the edge of the water.

One day, Nora saw something new. A plastic bag sat stuck on a rock. A soda can floated near the bank. Nora frowned. "Trash does not belong here," she said.

Nora ran inside and told her dad. "The creek has trash in it," she said. "Fish live in that creek. Trash could hurt them."

Nora's dad smiled. "Let's clean it up," he said. He found two old buckets and two pairs of gloves.

Nora and her dad walked along the creek. They picked up the plastic bag. They picked up the soda can. They found three more bits of trash near the big rock.

Nora's friend Theo saw them working. He grabbed a stick and joined in. Soon the three of them had filled one whole bucket.

When they finished, Nora looked at the clear water. No trash sat on the rocks anymore. "The fish have a clean home again," she said.

The next week, Nora told her class what she did. "One small cleanup can make a real difference," she said. Two classmates asked if they could help next time.

Nora smiled. She already had a plan for Saturday.

Questions

  1. Where did Nora live?
  2. What two pieces of trash did Nora notice first?
  3. Who helped Nora clean up the creek?
  4. Why did Nora say the trash did not belong in the creek?
  5. Why do you think Nora told her class about the cleanup?
  6. What do you think Theo learned by joining the cleanup?

Opinion task. Do you think Nora's cleanup was a good idea? Write one sentence with your opinion and a reason. Use the word because.

From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.

Answer Key
  1. Answer: Nora lived on Robin's Nest Court, a street with a creek running behind her house.
  2. Answer: She first noticed a plastic bag stuck on a rock and a soda can floating near the bank.
  3. Answer: Her dad and her friend Theo helped clean up the creek with her.
  4. Answer: She explained that fish live in the creek and that trash could hurt them, which is why it does not belong there.
  5. Answer: Answers will vary; accept any reasonable idea connected to the passage, such as Nora wanting to encourage her classmates to help too, since two classmates asked to join next time.
  6. Answer: Answers will vary; accept any reasonable idea, such as Theo learning that even a small cleanup can make a real difference, or that trash can be picked up by anyone who wants to help.

Opinion task answer. Answers will vary. Accept any sentence stating a clear opinion (good idea or not) with a reason connected by because, such as "I think it was a good idea because the fish need clean water."

Differentiation

Support

Read the passage aloud twice before students answer, pausing after each paragraph to ask one simple question ("What did Nora see on the rock?"). Provide questions 1 through 3 with the correct paragraph already marked in the margin.

Extension

Ask students to write two more sentences describing what might happen to the creek if nobody ever cleaned up litter near it, using details from the passage to support their ideas.

ELL supports

Pre-teach creek, trash, and cleanup with simple picture cards before reading. Allow students to answer questions 1 through 3 with short phrases rather than complete sentences, and provide the sentence starter "I think it was a good idea because" for the opinion task.

Extensions

Set up a classroom recycling or litter-pickup helper chart inspired by Nora's cleanup, and let students sign up for a week to be the class "creek keeper" who checks the school grounds for stray litter. Creek keepers point litter out to an adult or pick it up with gloves, and they never touch glass, needles, or other sharp objects.