Story Order and the Big Lesson

English · Reading Comprehension · ages 6-8

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Pip the puppy dug a hole under the fence. She squeezed through the hole. Then she got stuck in a bush and barked for help. What happened first in Pip's story?
- She got stuck in a bush
- She squeezed through the hole
- Pip dug a hole under the fence
A story has three main parts. What order do they go in?
- End, Middle, Beginning
- Beginning, Middle, End
- Middle, End, Beginning
The middle of a story comes before the beginning.
Circle one: True False
Kai says the central message of a story is its most exciting part. Is Kai right?
- Yes, the most exciting part is always the message
- No, the message is the lesson the character learns
- Yes, if the exciting part happens at the end
Jun broke a cup and hid the pieces. All day his tummy felt tight. Then he told his mum, and she helped him sweep it up. What is the central message of Jun's story?
- Telling the truth feels better than hiding a mistake
- Cups break when you drop them
- Jun's mum keeps a broom
Milo filled the bird feeder. He hid behind the shed. Soon two sparrows landed to eat. What happened right after Milo filled the bird feeder?
- Two sparrows landed to eat
- He hid behind the shed
- Milo filled the bird feeder
Nina found a lost mitten by the gate. She put a note on the school door. The next day a girl came to take her mitten back. Which one puts Nina's story in the right order?
- A girl took the mitten back, Nina put up a note, Nina found the mitten
- Nina put up a note, Nina found the mitten, a girl took the mitten back
- Nina found the mitten, Nina put up a note, a girl took the mitten back
Sam's shoelace came undone at the race. He stopped and tied it tight. Then he ran and finished the race. A reader says the central message is: stopping to fix a problem helps you finish. Is that a good central message for this story?
Circle one: True False
Here is what really happened. Zoe packed her bag. She walked to the pool. She swam ten laps. Then she ate an apple. Kit retells it like this: 'Zoe packed her bag. She swam ten laps. She walked to the pool. Then she ate an apple.' Which event did Kit put in the wrong place?
- Zoe packed her bag
- She walked to the pool
- She ate an apple
Ollie's paper boat kept sinking in the pond. He swapped the paper for a plastic lid. The new boat floated all the way across. Which event made the boat float?
- The paper boat kept sinking
- The pond was calm and still
- Ollie swapped the paper for a plastic lid

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Story Order and the Big Lesson W1-mt_VEwM7ClYYE-s1

Pip dug a hole under the fence · Digging the hole is where Pip's story starts. Getting stuck in the bush is the loudest part, but it happened last.
Beginning, Middle, End · Every story goes in this order: beginning first, then middle, then end.
False · The beginning always comes first, then the middle, then the end.
No, the message is the lesson the character learns · The most exciting part tells you what happened. The central message is the lesson underneath it, like keep trying.
Telling the truth feels better than hiding a mistake · Hiding the broken cup made Jun feel tight all day, and telling his mum got him help. That is the lesson.
He hid behind the shed · Hiding behind the shed is the very next thing Milo did. The sparrows landed later.
Nina found the mitten, Nina put up a note, a girl took the mitten back · Finding the mitten is the beginning, the note is the middle, and the girl taking it back is the end.
True · Both halves of that message match the story. Sam stopped to fix his lace, and then he finished the race.
She walked to the pool · Zoe walked to the pool before she swam. Kit moved the walk to after the swimming, so that event is in the wrong place.
Ollie swapped the paper for a plastic lid · The swap to a plastic lid is what changed. Without it the boat would have kept sinking.