Fourth Grade
Worksheets
Gretchen the Goose Girl
The white birds were streaming through the gate on their way to the meadow. Gretchen counted them one by one as they passed her: 38, 39, 40; that was all of them. The other ten geese were setting on their eggs inside the shed. Their goslings were expected to hatch in another week.
Gretchen latched the gate and followed the white birds as they marched their determined way to the familiar meadow. The geese foraged on the fresh, dewy grass as they walked. Most snatched at the thin blades of grass as they moved, tearing off the thin blades with a quick twist of their beaks. One was determined to be different. He was the dominant gander. He used the tooth-like ridges on the inner edges of his beak to chew off whole stems of vegetation. Gretchen smiled. He was such a greedy pig, but that was probably why he was their biggest bird. He reminded her of Augustus Beach, the village butcher. They both strutted along with the same self-important gait.
The geese did not require much driving. They knew where they were going. Their voices made gabbling sounds as they marched and commented on everything they saw. Gretchen waited for the birds to drink at the stream and then drove them up the hill in the meadow. It faced south, and the growth was more advanced there. Soon the birds were devouring the grass and clover with expert speed.
