The Secret of the Sunlit Pedestal
Characters:
- Leo: A fourth-grade student and careful observer.
- Maya: Leo's classmate and fellow science club member.
Setting: The fourth-grade science room right after the final bell. A heavy velvet cloth lies bundled beside an empty display stand near the window.
Maya: (gasping and pointing at the wooden stand) Leo, drop your backpack and look at this! The Golden Geode is completely gone!
Leo: (hurrying over to the window) Gone? That is impossible, Maya. Mr. Henderson placed it on this exact pedestal first thing this morning so everyone could admire the purple amethyst crystals inside.
Maya: Well, the stand is bare now, and our science fair display starts in twenty minutes! Someone must have slipped in during afternoon recess and taken it.
Leo: (frowning thoughtfully) Let's not jump to conclusions before we examine the evidence. If someone took the geode, they must have left a trail behind.
Maya: (kneeling beside the table) Good idea. Look right here on the dark wood. There is a neat square of gray dust, except for a clean circle right in the center.
Leo: That clean spot shows where the heavy stone sat since morning bell. Wait, do you see any smudges or fingerprints around the edges?
- pedestal:
- A base or stand used to hold up and display a statue, rock, or other special object.
- conclusions:
- Decisions or opinions reached after thinking about the facts.
- evidence:
- Clues, facts, or signs that help prove what really happened.
- specimen:
- An individual plant, animal, or mineral used as an example for scientific study or display.
- ultraviolet:
- A type of invisible light from the sun that can cause colors to fade or skin to sunburn.
- brilliant:
- Very bright, sparkling, and full of strong color.
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Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
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Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
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Structure
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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
- 1Why does Maya believe someone stole the Golden Geode when she first enters the science room?
- 2How do Leo and Maya respond differently when they first notice the empty pedestal?
About this reader's theater passage for Upper Elementary
“The Secret of the Sunlit Pedestal” is a reader's theater reading passage about Mystery, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (502 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.