Bartholomew and the Cloud Sheep
Bartholomew and the Cloud Sheep
Bartholomew was not like the other lambs. While they were content munching grass and playing tag, Bartholomew spent his days gazing at the sky. He wasn't interested in the green pasture beneath his hooves; his eyes were always pointed upward, towards the fluffy white shapes drifting lazily across the blue canvas.
One sunny morning, Bartholomew noticed something peculiar. A cloud, shaped remarkably like a sheep, was drifting away from the flock in the pasture. Panic flared in Bartholomew's woolly chest. "They're escaping!" he bleated, his voice cracking with alarm. "The sheep are escaping into the sky!"
The other lambs paused their game of tag, their heads tilted in confusion. "What's escaping, Bartholomew?" asked Lily, a lamb known for her level-headedness.
"The clouds!" Bartholomew exclaimed, hopping up and down. "Don't you see? They're sheep! Sky sheep! And they're getting away!"
The other lambs exchanged glances. They saw clouds, of course, but they certainly didn't look like sheep to them. But Bartholomew was already on a mission. He began to run, trying to follow the cloud-sheep. "Come back!" he cried, his little legs pumping as fast as they could. "Don't leave us!"
- Peculiar:
- Strange or odd.
- Frantic:
- Wild or distraught with fear, anxiety, or other emotion.
- Vapor:
- A substance diffused or suspended in the air.
- pasture:
- A large field covered with grass where farm animals can eat and graze.
- morphing:
- Changing smoothly from one shape or form into another.
- sheepishly:
- In a shy or embarrassed way because of a silly mistake.
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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.
Language & Tone
Interpret nonliteral language and analyze how word choice shapes tone and meaning.
Vocabulary
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Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What did Bartholomew spend his days doing instead of grazing and playing with other lambs?
- 2What did Bartholomew think the clouds were?
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About this fiction passage for 5th Grade
“Bartholomew and the Cloud Sheep” is a fiction reading passage about Farm Animals, written for 5th Grade. It takes about 3 minutes to read (400 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.