Table of Contents

Passage and Questions for Google Classroom - Directions . . . 3

Directions for Color Coding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Printable Passage and Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Additional Products for Grades 3 – 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

The passage, questions, and Google Classroom directions are

copyrighted by A – Plus Literature Guides. Please use in your
classroom for your students only. Uploading any part of it to
Teachers Pay Teachers as a free or paid product breaks
copyright laws and is strictly prohibited.

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 Close Reading Passage and Questions Google Classroom Directions
1. Log into your Google Account. Make sure you only have ONE Google
Account open.
2. Press the link to your Close Reading Product:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UrTro9tCYBDguDFZzJDPiuqJnLb7T0zMAy8hAQLZ5cY/copy

3. You will be prompted to make a copy. Press the blue button:

4. Now the file is in your Google Drive.

5. Before sending to your students, you need to make sure that your
file is set up with permission to share it, so it will make a copy for every
student. If you miss this step, students will be able to alter your original
copy. You want to make sure they EACH get their own copy.
6. Press on the file to open it. Check the settings by pressing the upper
right blue button that says "share". If it says “Anyone with link can
view” in the first text box, then you are good to go. Just press the blue
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“done” button on the bottom left, and skip to step #8. If it says
something else like “Private - Only you can access”, then proceed to
step #7 to change the settings so your students can have a copy.
7. The box is still open at the share settings. Press the bottom right
"advanced" button. Press the blue "change" link. Then select the
middle option "anyone with link can access." Press the bottom left
"save" button, and then the bottom left "done" button. Now your file
is ready to share with your students!
8. When creating the assignment for students, select the option to
make a copy for every student. This ensures your students do not edit
your original file.

1. Create an assignment (announcements won’t be able to send individual

copies)
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 2. Attach the file you would like to distribute to students and select ‘Make a
copy for each student’.
3. Press assign.

That’s it! Your students should each receive individual copies of the
Close Reading Passage and Questions.
The Answer Key is on page 13.
You can purchase close reading sets for grades 3 – 8 using the links
starting on page 17. All of the paid products can be used in Google
Classroom for distance learning.
If you have any questions or difficulties, please email me at
mrsbruen@yahoo.com . I would be happy to help. Thanks!
Nancy Bruen

Directions for Color-Coding:

Students will need yellow, pink, and green highlighters. They will
answer some of the questions by highlighting the text a certain color.
This forces students to go back into the text to cite evidence, and also
allows teachers quick and easy grading.

If students do not have the required highlighters, crayons or colored

pencils can be substituted. Students would simply underline the
sentences rather than highlighting them.

If using the Google Doc option, students can simply use the
highlighting feature in Google Classroom.

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Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.

The Case of the Missing Cell Phone

by Nancy Bruen

One-week old. Melissa’s new cell phone is one-week old today. She nervously pats the
back pocket of her jeans to make sure it is still there. Two years of whining, complaining,
begging, and dreaming finally paid off. The two-year contract on her old phone was finally up.
She got her dream phone!

“What color case should I buy?” Melissa asked Angela as they walked past the pizza
parlor on Main Street.

“What about deep purple?” Angela replied. “It will match the bedspread in your
bedroom.”

“No! Black with gold sparkles fits your personality better,” Zoe interjected.

“I wouldn’t be caught dead with a sparkle cell phone case,” said Tommy, Melissa’s
younger brother.

“Well, if you were dead, the sparkles wouldn’t really matter, would they?” Melissa said
with a smile. She opened the door to Mattie’s Cell Phone Accessories. Tommy is annoying at
times, but she doesn’t mind when he tags along on her trips to town with her friends. He has
trouble making his own friends because he is a little shy. She feels sorry for him when he looks
bored and has nothing to do.

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Page 2

Melissa’s jaw dropped as she looked around at the hundreds of different cell phone
cases. She had no idea that she would have so many choices. A display near the cash register
had mobile socks. Melissa picked up a pink one with white trim. Although it was cute, it really
didn’t offer much protection. If she picked up her phone from the bottom by mistake, it could
easily fall out and break.

Melissa moved on to study the mobile pouches. These were sturdier, and came with a
clip to attach to her jeans. “This would keep me from sitting on my phone and breaking it.”
Again, she took a moment to pat the back of her jeans. The phone was still there. “But, the
color is a little plain for my personality.”

The phone skins filled the back wall. “Wow! Look at these!” She picked up a zebra
striped phone skin, placed it against her cheek, and squealed with delight.

“Aren’t cases supposed to protect phones?” asked Tommy. “That one isn’t going to
offer you much protection if you drop it on the cafeteria floor.”

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Page 3

“I guess you are right,” agreed Melissa. Finally, she spotted the face plates against the
left wall in the back of the store. “Now, this is what I have been looking for. These are stylish,
but also offer protection.” Zoe smiled as Melissa made a bee-line for the black case with gold
sparkles. “This one is perfect!”

“I’m glad you made your decision,” said Mattie, the shop owner. “Come over to the
cash register and I will ring you up.”

“Can you put the new case on for me?” Melissa asked as she pulled out her phone. One
look at her phone, and she felt faint. She put her hand over her heart, and fell into a chair by
the window. “What? This can’t be. This isn’t it.”

“What’s going on?” asked Angela.

“This. This isn’t my new phone. It is my old phone. I must have picked it up by mistake.
Tommy quick! Call mom and tell her to go into my bedroom.” Tommy took out his cell phone
and speed dialed his mother. She immediately climbed the stairs and entered Melissa’s room.

Melissa grabbed the phone from Tommy’s hand. “Mom, look on my desk. I know I left
it there. What do you mean it isn’t there? Look all over. Please! Look on the floor, the bed,
the closet…This can’t be happening to me! Thanks for looking Mom. No, I am not
irresponsible. I’ll find it. I promise.” She hung up the phone and turned to her friends.

“Someone stole my phone!” Melissa shouted.

“Don’t look at me,” said Zoe. “I just got a new phone for Christmas.”

“It wasn’t me,” said Angela. “I’ve never even been in your bedroom.”

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Page 4

Tommy looked at the floor. “I wasn’t happy when you got the new phone instead of
me. But, I would never steal from you,” he said in a low voice.

“I know who took the phone,” shouted Melissa. “You better hand it over, right now.”

Who stole the phone? Think about the clues and see if you can figure it out.

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Name __________________________________________________________ Date ________________
The Case of the Missing Cell Phone Page 5

RL.1

1. Highlight in yellow several sentences from the passage that show the
differences between the four types of cell phone cases. Then, explain the differences between them.

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Write down what you know about each of the three suspects: Angela, Zoe and Tommy. Cite
textual evidence that supports analysis of what the text says explicitly (obviously), as well as
inferences (guesses) drawn from the text.

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Highlight in pink the sentences from the passage that indicate possible clues.
Name a suspect, and cite the textual evidence to support your choice.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

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 The Case of the Missing Cell Phone Page 6

RL.2, RL.6, RL.4, RL.3

4. Name a possible theme for the passage. The theme is the message that the author wants the
reader to walk away knowing. Consider what happens at the end of the story.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

5. Why did the author decide to use 3rd person point of view, instead of 1st person point of view?
With 3rd person narration, the author uses the pronoun “he” or “she”. With 1 st person narration, the
author uses the pronoun “I”.

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

6. Read this sentence from paragraph 1: “She nervously pats the back pocket of her jeans to make
sure it is still there.” What do you suppose the word “nervously” means?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

7. Read these lines from page 4: Tommy looked at the floor. “I wasn’t happy when you got the new
phone instead of me. But I would never steal from you,” he said in a low voice. What do these
sentences reveal about Tommy’s personality?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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 The Case of the Missing Cell Phone Page 7

RL.4

Highlight in green.

8. There are at least four idioms in the passage. Idioms are examples of figurative
language. They are phrases that have different meanings than their literal words. For example, “It’s
raining cats and dogs” is an idiom that means it is raining very hard.

Highlight four idioms from the passage. Then, write them down in the boxes below, and explain their
meanings. The first one is done for you.

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 The Case of the Missing Cell Phone Page 8

RL.4

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 Answer Key
The Case of the Missing Cell Phone

1. Highlight several sentences from the passage that show the differences
between the four types of cell phone cases. Then, explain the differences between them.

Yellow-highlighted sentences include: A display near the cash register had mobile socks.
Melissa picked up a pink one with white trim and studied it closely. Although it was cute, it really
didn’t offer much protection. Melissa moved on to study the mobile pouches. These were sturdier,
and came with a clip to attach to her jeans. “This would keep me from sitting on my phone and
breaking it.” She picked up a zebra striped phone skin, placed it against her cheek, and squealed with
delight. “Aren’t cases supposed to protect phones?” asked Tommy. “That one isn’t going to offer you
much protection if you drop it on the cafeteria floor.” Finally, she spotted the face plates against the
left wall in the back of the store. “Now, this is what I have been looking for. These are stylish, but
also offer protection.”

The mobile socks are soft, but do not offer any protection. The mobile pouches are protective, and
the clips are helpful. The phone skins are decorative like the socks, but stick to the phone. They also
do not offer much protection. The face plates are both stylish and offer protection.

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2. Write down what you know about each of the three suspects: Angela, Zoe and Tommy. Cite
textual evidence that supports analysis of what the text says explicitly (obviously), as well as
inferences (guesses) drawn from the text.

Angela wants Melissa to purchase a deep purple case that would match her bedspread. Zoe wants
her to buy a more stylish case that is black with gold sparkles. Tommy likes cases that are protective
instead of stylish. He is described as “annoying” but also shy. Tommy may be jealous that his sister
got the upgrade for a new cell phone.

3. Pink-Highlighed sentences from the passage that indicate possible clues. Name
a suspect, and cite the textual evidence to support your choice. Highlighted sentences include: “What
about deep purple?” Angela replied. “It will match the bedspread in your room.” “No! Black with
gold sparkles fits your personality better,” Zoe interjected. “I wouldn’t be caught dead with a sparkle
cell phone case,” said Tommy, Melissa’s younger brother. Tommy was annoying at times, but she
doesn’t mind when he tags along on her trips to town with her friends. He has trouble making his
own friends because he is a little shy, and she feels sorry for him when he looks bored and has nothing
to do. “Don’t look at me,” said Zoe. “I just got a new phone for Christmas.” “It wasn’t me,” said
Angela. “I’ve never even been in your bedroom.” Tommy looked at the floor. “I wasn’t happy when
you got the new phone instead of me. But, I would never steal from you,” he said in a low voice.

Answer –

Angela stole the phone. She suggests that Melissa purchase a deep purple phone case that would
match the bedspread in her bedroom. But when Angela was questioned about the phone, she said
she was never in Melissa’s bedroom. If she was never in Melissa’s bedroom, then how did she know
her bedspread was deep purple?

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 The Case of the Missing Cell Phone Page 6

RL.2, RL.6, RL.4, RL.3

4. Name a possible theme for the passage. The theme is the message that the author wants the
reader to walk away knowing. Consider the ending of the story. A universal theme would be “Crime
doesn’t pay.” Angela’s theft was discovered in the end.

5. Why did the author decide to use 3rd person point of view instead of 1st person point of view? The
author used 3rd person instead of 1st person to keep the narrative a mystery. If it were written in 1 st
person, we would hear Melissa’s personal thoughts at the end and know who committed the crime.

6. Read this sentence from paragraph 1: “She nervously pats the back pocket of her jeans to make
sure it is still there.” What do you suppose the word “nervously” means? “nervously” means
“fretfully” or “with fear”.

7. Read these lines from page 4: Tommy looked at the floor. “I wasn’t happy when you got the new
phone instead of me. But, I would never steal from you,” he said in a low voice. What do these
sentences reveal about Tommy’s personality? These lines reveal that Tommy is a nervous person, and
a bit jealous. The low voice and looking at the ground reveal shyness.

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 Highlight in green.

8. There are at least four idioms in the passage. Idioms are examples of figurative
language. They are phrases that have different meanings than their literal words. For example, “It’s
raining cats and dogs” is an idiom that means it is raining very hard.

Highlight four idioms from the passage. Then, write them down in the boxes below, and explain their
meanings. The first one is done for you.

Green highlighting would include:

2. “Melissa’s jaw dropped.” This idiom means the person is shocked or surprised.

3. “…made a beeline.” This idiom means the person walked straight towards something.

4. “…ring you up.” This idiom means the person will use a cash register to calculate the cost of
something.

The passage and questions are copyrighted by A – PLUS Literature Guides. They are only for
use in your classroom for your students. Do not distribute them to others or upload them to
the Internet.

The passage and questions are a sample from

our sixth-grade bundle. This bundle has 15
passages and questions. Check out our
bundles below:
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Press below the links to purchase our reading comprehension
bundles. These bundles are both print and paperless.
Students can write the answers on paper, or use the easy
Google Doc link to answer them in Google Classroom for
paperless activities. Both versions are included with your
purchase.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/3rd-and-4th-Grade-Reading-Comprehension-Passages-
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 Grade 5

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 Grade 7

7th Grade (Same as 6th Grade, except the passages are longer in length, more difficult vocabulary has
been added, the sentence structure is more difficult, and the questions have been better aligned to
CCSS Grade 7)
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/7 th-Grade-Reading-Comprehension-Passages-and-
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