mystery_at_the_beach_lvl_u_passage

Benchmark Passage Level U

Name Mystery at the Beach

Word Count: 178

Mystery at the Beach

“Melissa!” shouted Malik. “A bear is walking on the
beach!”

Melissa sprinted down the sand to catch up with her
younger brother, who was examining a pair of wavy
parallel lines that resembled animal tracks. The marks
looked as though a creature had dragged itself along the
sand, away from the water.

“I don’t see footprints,” Melissa said. “A bear would
leave footprints, and the only bears around here live in the
forest. Think of another idea.”

“Maybe it’s a four-wheeler!” Malik said.

“In that case, its wheels are so wobbly, they’re about to
fall off. Look how the lines zigzag.”

“Maybe it’s a walrus,” Malik surmised.

“Walruses don’t migrate this far south,” Melissa said.

By this time, Dad had joined them. “What have you
discovered, kids?”

“Look!” Malik shouted suddenly, pointing to the sand

dunes. Page 1 of 2

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Benchmark Passage Level U

Name Mystery at the Beach

Word Count: 178

There, volunteer workers from a loggerhead turtle
rescue team had cordoned off a nesting area with yellow
tape. Now the mysterious marks made sense. A giant
female turtle had pulled herself out of the sea overnight to
lay eggs in the sand.

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