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Reading passage Grade 1 Science

Every Drop Counts at Chickadee Lane School: A Read-Aloud

A grade 1 read-aloud passage where a student notices a dripping fountain and helps get it fixed, followed by comprehension and opinion questions.

Objectives

  1. Students will identify the sequence of events that led to the fountain being fixed.
  2. Students will state an opinion about checking for leaks, with one supporting reason.

Vocabulary

Key words: drip, leak, custodian, fix

Teacher overview

This short read-aloud passage follows one first-grade class at Chickadee Lane School as they notice a small problem, a dripping water fountain, and take simple steps to get it fixed. It can be read aloud to the whole class or read independently by strong readers, and it gives students a realistic model of noticing a water-waste problem and telling the right person about it.

Every Drop Counts at Chickadee Lane School: A Read-Aloud — Grade 1 Science
Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________

Passage

Room 2 has one water fountain by the gym. One Monday, Mia noticed something. The fountain dripped, even after everyone stopped drinking. It dripped and dripped and dripped, all day long.

Mia told her teacher, Ms. Patel. "The fountain is leaking," Mia said. "That water is going down the drain. No one gets to use it."

Ms. Patel said drips add up fast. A small drip can waste a lot of water in one day.

The class wrote a note to Mr. Ruiz, the school custodian. The note said: "Our fountain drips all day. Can you please fix it?"

Mr. Ruiz read the note. He came to Room 2's hallway with his tools. He found a loose part inside the fountain. He tightened it. The drip stopped.

The next day, Room 2 checked the fountain. No more drips! The class made a new sign. It said: "Thank you, Mr. Ruiz, for fixing our leak!"

Mia felt proud. She learned that noticing a small problem, like a drip, and telling the right person can help save water for everyone at school.

Questions

  1. What did Mia notice about the water fountain?
  2. Who did Mia tell about the dripping fountain?
  3. What did the class do to ask for help fixing the fountain?
  4. Who fixed the fountain, and what did he bring with him?
  5. Why do you think it mattered that Mia told an adult instead of ignoring the drip?
  6. Do you think Room 2 should keep checking the fountain in the future? Why or why not?

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: Mia noticed the fountain kept dripping even after everyone stopped drinking from it. The passage says it dripped again and again, all day long.
  2. Answer: Mia told her teacher, Ms. Patel.
  3. Answer: The class wrote a note to Mr. Ruiz, the school custodian, asking him to fix the fountain.
  4. Answer: Mr. Ruiz, the custodian, fixed the fountain. He brought his tools and tightened a loose part.
  5. Answer: Answers will vary; accept a reasonable answer, such as if Mia had said nothing, the fountain would have kept dripping and wasting water, since the passage shows the drip only stopped after an adult was told and could fix it.
  6. Answer: Answers will vary; accept any clear opinion with a reason, such as yes, because checking again can catch a new drip early, or yes, because the class already showed they know what to do if it happens again.

Differentiation

Support

Read the passage aloud twice, pausing after each paragraph to ask a quick "what just happened" check. For question 6, offer a sentence frame: "I think Room 2 should ___ because ___."

Extension

Ask students to write one more sentence continuing the story: what Room 2 might do if they found a second drip somewhere else in the school, using a reason based on what Mia and the class already did.

ELL supports

Pre-teach "drip," "leak," "custodian," and "fix" with simple gestures or pictures before reading, such as tapping a finger for drip and a wrench shape with two hands for fix. Allow questions 1 through 4 to be answered with a short phrase or by pointing to the matching part of the passage as it is read aloud again.