The Haunted Treehouse That Wasn't (Fiction Passage)

Start with a minute of talk: Have you ever been scared of a sound that turned out to be harmless? Then have students read the story on page 1, about 220 words in 7 short paragraphs. Ask them to notice what the characters say, do and feel. Page 2 has five questions, three multiple choice and two written responses. Ask students to name the paragraph or detail that supports each answer before they write it. Check the work with the answer key.

The Haunted Treehouse That Wasn’t gives 4th grade students a fiction passage of about 220 words about two friends who hear a spooky sound in an old treehouse and go to find its cause, followed by five questions. The questions practice the theme or lesson of the story, vocabulary in context and making inferences, and the sheet is aligned to Common Core RL.4.2. An answer key is included.

The Haunted Treehouse That Wasn’t is a fiction passage of about 220 words about two friends who hear a spooky sound in an old treehouse and go to find its cause. It is written for 4th grade readers (ages 9-10) and has 7 short paragraphs, so students can read it in one sitting.

Its five questions, three multiple choice and two written, practice cause and effect, vocabulary in context, how a character feels and making inferences. Questions include "What caused the long, hollow sound". The sheet is aligned to Common Core RL.4.2, and the answer key is included so you can check responses quickly.

Try this conversation starter: Have you ever been scared of a sound that turned out to be harmless? Before reading, ask students to predict what might happen from the title. After reading, have them retell the story in two or three sentences before they answer the questions.

Most students need about 20 minutes for the passage and the questions together. The sheet works at a kitchen table with a parent talking through the written answers, or at a reading center as independent work on the theme or lesson of the story and vocabulary in context.