A Star for Pip
Mia sat on the rug with Pip, her dog. Sunlight fell across the floor.
“I have a plan,” Mia said. “You can be a star!”
Mia cut a big star from soft yellow cloth. She found a loose band to hold it on Pip’s back.
Pip stood still as Mia put the band on him. But then he took a few stiff steps and stopped.
He turned his head toward the band. He tried to reach it with his paw.
“Oh,” said Mia. “You do not like that.”
She took the band off right away. Pip shook his whole body, from his ears to his tail.
Then he walked to his water bowl. He took a long drink and came back to the rug.
Mia looked at the yellow star. She had spent a long time cutting it out.
“I still want to use it,” she said. “But not on you.”
On a shelf sat her stuffed bear, Max. His fur was brown, and one ear bent at the tip.
Mia set Max on the rug. She tied the star around his middle with the loose band.
“There,” she said. “Now you are a star!”
Mia gave Max a paper moon to hold. She set three blue blocks around him like a little stage.
- loose:
- Not tight.
- stiff:
- Hard to bend or move easily.
- shelf:
- A flat place where things are kept.
- bow:
- To bend forward to greet or thank someone.
- grinned:
- Smiled widely.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Vocabulary
Practice words from the passage with a printable worksheet.
Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
Fix the Sentence
Practice editing sentences drawn from this passage with a printable worksheet.
Ready to use this passage in class?
Start free with the Mixed worksheet and 3 PDF downloads each week. Focused skill sets depend on plan.
Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Who is Pip?
- 2What did Mia make from yellow cloth?
You Might Also Like
About this fiction passage for Lower Elementary
“A Star for Pip” is a fiction reading passage about Animal Care, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (296 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.