Fiction Reading Lesson · Grades 2–4

Feathers

A short fiction story about two children who find colorful feathers on a walk and imagine they belong to an enormous mystery bird. Includes 4 reading comprehension questions, a creative drawing activity, and an answer key.

Reading Passage

Feathers

Sammy sat at the kitchen table. He tapped his pencil on his paper. The clock chimed to signal the time. Sammy took a deep breath. “What’s wrong?” Deb said. She never had any trouble with her homework. Sammy tapped his pencil on his chin and frowned. “I have to write a story, but I don’t know what to write about,” said Sammy. “Let’s go for a walk,” cried Deb. “Maybe you will get an idea for your story.”

They walked down the street. The wind was blowing and the sun was shining. “Look!” Sammy picked up a long, brown feather. “I wonder what sort of bird lost this,” Sammy said. Deb took the feather and placed it on her arm. It reached from her fingers to her funny bone. “It must be a big one,” she said. “Maybe it belongs to an eagle. It probably has sharp claws,” Sammy said.

Sammy ran ahead and picked up more feathers — one red, one yellow, one green. He held them up. “It must be huge! Do you think it has a sharp beak?” “I hope not,” Deb said, walking even faster. Then Deb stopped suddenly. Red, yellow, blue, and orange feathers were all over the sidewalk. Sammy picked them all up. There were so many he couldn’t see around them.

“We have to find out what these belong to,” Sammy said. “What if it’s the only one left on Earth? It could be sick or hurt.” Just then, a large lady walked toward them waving a hat covered with feathers except for a bare spot on one side. “You’ve found my feathers!” she said. “I shouldn’t wear this hat on a windy day.” Sammy gave her the feathers and smiled at Deb. “I know what to write about now,” he said. “The title of my story is ‘Feathers’!”

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