Jordan's Quiet Watch
Jordan went to First Landing State Park with Dad. The park was in Virginia Beach, near Chesapeake Bay.
Jordan had a small notebook and a pencil. “I want to draw a bird,” Jordan said.
At the shore, waves lapped at the sand. A gull stood near the water.
Jordan ran toward it. The gull spread its wings and flew away.
“Oh, no,” Jordan said. “I didn't get to draw it.”
Dad sat on a log. “Let's wait here and watch.”
Jordan sat beside Dad. For a while, there were no birds close by.
Jordan drew the waves instead. Then Jordan drew a shell in the sand.
A soft call came from above. A gull flew over the water and landed not far away.
Jordan held still. The gull had a white head and a gray back. Its feet made tiny marks in the wet sand.
Jordan began to draw. First came the round head. Then came the wings and the little feet.
The gull walked along the shore. Jordan added its tracks to the picture.
Soon the bird flew off again. This time, Jordan smiled and showed Dad the drawing.
“You even drew the tracks,” Dad said.
Jordan looked at the marks by the water. A wave slid up the sand and washed them away.
- shore:
- The land along the edge of water.
- lapped:
- Moved gently against something, as small waves do.
- gull:
- A bird often found near water.
- tracks:
- Marks left by feet on the ground.
- glide:
- To move smoothly and easily.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Where did Jordan and Dad go?
- 2What did Jordan want to draw?
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About this short story passage for Lower Elementary
“Jordan's Quiet Watch” is a short story reading passage about Birdwatching, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (247 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.