River Rescue Fluency Passage
The River Otter Rescue
Grade 3 Fluency Practice • Lexile: 560L • Total Words: 200
Student:
Date:
Partner:
One-Minute Timed Reading Tracker Formula: Words Read − Errors = WCPM (Target: 90–115+ WCPM)
| Attempt | Total Words Read | Errors | WCPM Score | Expression (1–4) | Goal Met? |
|---|
| Read 1 (Cold) | ______ | ______ | ______ | ☆☆☆☆ | □ Yes □ Working on it |
| Read 2 (Practice) | ______ | ______ | ______ | ☆☆☆☆ | □ Yes □ Working on it |
| Read 3 (Hot / Final) | ______ | ______ | ______ | ☆☆☆☆ | □ Yes □ Working on it |
Story Passage (Read with smoothness and natural expression) Running Count
Leo and his older sister Maya walked along the quiet river trail.
12
The morning sun sparkled like diamonds across the cool blue water.
23
Suddenly, Maya stopped walking and held up her hand to signal.
34
“Listen closely,” Maya whispered softly. “Do you hear that tiny squeak?”
45
Leo froze in his tracks and looked down at the muddy bank.
57
A young river otter was tangled in a bunch of plastic fishing line.
70
The small animal was splashing wildly, trying to break free from the trap.
83
“We need to help it,” Leo said, his heart beating fast with worry.
96
Maya nodded calmly and reached into her green backpack for thick garden gloves.
109
“Otters have sharp teeth when they are scared, so be very gentle,” she warned.
123
Together, they slowly crept down the slippery bank toward the tangled creature.
135
Leo spoke in a soothing voice while Maya carefully snipped the tough cords.
148
With one last quick snip, the heavy netting fell loose into the mud.
161
The little otter shook its brown fur, let out a joyful chirp, and dived.
175
It swam in two joyful circles before vanishing smoothly into the clear stream.
188
Leo and Maya smiled proudly as they packed up the plastic trash.
