The Case of the Missing Carol
Snowflakes drifted past the tall windows of the music room, where paper snowflakes and shiny green garland hung from the walls. Maya and Leo sat on the carpet, eager to practice for the annual holiday concert. Mrs. Holly, the music teacher, rushed to the upright piano with a worried look on her face.
"Class, we have a small mystery," Mrs. Holly announced, adjusting her glasses. "The only copy of our original song, 'The Winter Star Carol,' has vanished from the music stand. Without the lyrics and notes, we cannot rehearse our big finale!"
Maya loved solving puzzles. She immediately stood up to inspect the piano. On the polished wooden floor, she spotted a faint dusting of silver glitter. "Leo, look at this!" she whispered. Just a few feet away, near the classroom doorway, Leo noticed a short strand of red yarn snagged on the metal door latch.
"The art supplies for our holiday costumes use silver glitter and red yarn," Leo said, his eyes widening. "Someone from the chorus must have carried the paper out of the room."
- annual:
- Happening or returning once every year.
- rehearse:
- To practice a song, play, or performance before presenting it to an audience.
- finale:
- The grand or exciting final part of a show or piece of music.
- auditorium:
- A large hall or building where people gather to watch performances or hear speeches.
- solo:
- A musical piece or part performed by a single person.
- measure:
- A small section of music that contains a specific number of beats.
More sheets from this passage
Built from the text itself — answer key included where it counts.
fix the sentence
Sentences from the passage with the capitals and punctuation removed — rewrite each one correctly.
vocabulary worksheet
Match the passage words to their meanings, then fill the missing words back into real sentences.
writing prompts
Two writing tasks that build on the passage, with plenty of lines to write on.
- All 4 sheets as one workbookPro
One PDF with a cover, contents page and every answer key at the back.
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About this short story passage for 3rd Grade
“The Case of the Missing Carol” is a short story reading passage about holiday mystery, written for 3rd Grade. It takes about 3 minutes to read (379 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.