The Magic Star Rock
Sam and his mom and dad went on a trip. They drove to Emerald Creek in Idaho.
The sun was bright and warm. They wanted to find a special rock.
It was the star garnet. It is the state gem of Idaho.
They put on big boots. They walked into the wet mud.
Dad had a big shovel. He dug up some dark dirt.
Mom poured the dirt into a screen. Sam used water to wash the dirt away.
Small red rocks began to show. "Look at these!" Sam said.
They looked for a rare star. Some garnets have four lines.
Some garnets have six lines. But they wanted the rare twelve-point star.
Sam washed one more big rock. It was dark and shiny.
Dad held it up to the sun. The light hit the dark rock.
They saw twelve tiny lines of light. It looked like a glowing star.
"We found it!" Sam yelled. They all clapped and smiled.
It was the best day ever. They took their magic star home.
- Garnet:
- A type of shiny rock or gem that is often red.
- Screen:
- A frame with mesh that lets water and small dirt fall through while keeping rocks on top.
- Rare:
- Very special because it is hard to find and does not happen often.
- Gem:
- A beautiful rock or stone that is highly valued.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Where did Sam and his parents go on their trip?
- 2What is the state gem of Idaho?
Where this passage belongs
About this short story passage for Lower Elementary
“The Magic Star Rock” is a short story reading passage about Finding Star Garnets in Idaho, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 1 minute to read (172 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.