Reading passage Grade 3 Health & Consumer Science
A Hot Day at the Dragonfly Relay Races
A grade 3 narrative passage about a runner who skips a water break on a hot race day, with comprehension questions on the signs that a body needs water.
Objectives
- Students will identify the signs in the story that showed Jonah's body needed water.
- Students will explain the coach's rule about drinking before feeling thirsty, using details from the text.
Vocabulary
Key words: sweat, thirsty, shade, steady
Teacher overview
This original narrative follows a third grader through a hot field day, from a skipped water break to the headache that follows. The coach's advice carries the health content, which is that the body keeps losing water through sweat during exercise and that students should drink at every break rather than waiting until they feel thirsty. The story suits a hydration unit, a pre-field-day read-aloud, or an independent reading block, and the questions mix stated details with two inferences.
Passage
The Dragonfly Relay Races came on the hottest day of June. Jonah's class walked to the field after morning meeting. The sun was already strong. Heat came up from the track in waves.
Jonah wanted to win the baton race more than anything. When Coach Byrd called the first water break, Jonah stayed on the track. He practiced passing the baton instead. "I am not even thirsty," he told himself. His legs felt fast and light.
The second race was longer. Jonah ran hard and sweat ran down his back. At the next break, he took one tiny sip and hurried back to practice. The sun climbed higher.
By the third race, something was wrong. Jonah's head hurt. His legs felt heavy, like wet sand. When he stood up fast, the field seemed to tilt. He snapped at his best friend for no reason at all.
Coach Byrd saw it right away. She walked Jonah to the shade and handed him his water bottle. "Small sips first," she said. "Sit until your head feels better."
"I was not thirsty," Jonah said.
"Thirst shows up late," said Coach Byrd. "When you run and sweat, your body loses water the whole time. A headache, heavy legs, a dizzy feeling, even a grumpy mood can all mean your body needs water. Drink at every break, before you feel thirsty. That is the rule that keeps runners strong."
Jonah rested in the shade and sipped slowly. Little by little, his head stopped pounding.
At the last race, Jonah drank at the break like everyone else. His legs felt steady on the track. His team did not win the ribbon, but Jonah passed the baton clean and smooth. Walking home, he filled his bottle at the fountain and made himself a promise. On hot days, the water break would be part of his training too.
Questions
- Why did Jonah skip the first water break?
- Name two signs from the story that showed Jonah's body needed water.
- What two things did Coach Byrd have Jonah do first when she saw something was wrong?
- Coach Byrd says, "Thirst shows up late." What does she mean? Use her words about sweat to explain.
- How did Jonah feel during the last race after drinking at the break? Copy the sentence that tells you.
- What promise did Jonah make to himself, and why do you think he made it?
From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.
Answer Key
- Answer: He stayed on the track to practice passing the baton because he wanted to win the baton race. The passage says he told himself he was not even thirsty.
- Answer: Any two of: his head hurt, his legs felt heavy, the field seemed to tilt when he stood up, or he snapped at his friend. These signs appear in the paragraph about the third race.
- Answer: She walked him to the shade and handed him his water bottle, telling him to take small sips and sit. This is stated in the paragraph where Coach Byrd sees the problem.
- Answer: By the time you feel thirsty, your body has already been losing water for a while. The coach explains that when you run and sweat, your body loses water the whole time, so thirst comes after the loss has started.
- Answer: His legs felt steady. The sentence is "His legs felt steady on the track."
- Answer: He promised that on hot days, the water break would be part of his training. Answers about why will vary, but should connect to what he learned: drinking at breaks kept his body strong, while skipping them gave him a headache and heavy legs.
Differentiation
Support
Read the passage aloud once before independent reading, and have students underline the paragraph about the third race, where all the warning signs live. Reduce the set to questions 1, 2, and 5, which are answered with stated details.
Extension
Have students write the story of the same field day from Coach Byrd's point of view in five or six sentences, keeping her rule about drinking before thirst in her own voice.
ELL supports
Pre-teach "sweat," "shade," and "steady" with gestures: wiping a brow, moving under a tree drawing, holding two hands flat and still. Let students answer question 2 by pointing to the signs in the text before writing, and accept short phrases for questions 1 through 3.
Extensions
After reading, have the class list the warning signs from the story on a poster, add a reminder to tell an adult right away if you feel any of them, and hang it near the classroom door for the next hot-weather recess. Students can add a checkmark each time drinking early kept the signs away during a real outdoor day.