The Visitor in the Backyard
Sam sat on the grass in his big backyard. The night sky was very dark and full of bright stars. He liked to look at the moon and dream of going to space. It was very quiet and still outside in the cool air. Then, a bright green light flashed above the tall trees. A small silver ship came down slowly and landed softly on the grass.
A little door on the ship opened with a soft beep. A small creature with purple skin and three eyes stepped out. He had long arms and big, floppy ears that bounced. Sam was not scared because the creature had a very kind smile. The little alien held up a hand and waved his long fingers. Sam waved back and said a loud hello to his new friend.
The alien walked over to Sam and pointed at his brown bag. Sam had a bag of crunchy red apple slices for his snack. He offered one sweet slice to the little purple alien. The alien took a big bite and his three eyes turned bright yellow. He seemed to like the sweet snack very much. They sat together on the grass and looked at the moon for a long time.
- Backyard:
- An area of grass or land behind a person's house.
- Creature:
- An animal or living being that is different from a human.
- Humming:
- Making a low, steady sound like a motor.
- Offered:
- To give or hold something out for someone to take.
- Space:
- The area outside of the Earth where stars and planets are located.
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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.
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
- 1Where was Sam sitting at the beginning of the story?
- 2What color light flashed above the tall trees?
Where this passage belongs
About this short story passage for 2nd Grade
âThe Visitor in the Backyardâ is a short story reading passage about Aliens, written for 2nd Grade. It takes about 2 minutes to read (284 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.