Reading a Poem or a Story is a free printable Grade 1 English worksheet on following a longer text well enough to retell and explain it, aligned to Common Core standard RL.1.10. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 15 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.
Reading a Poem or a Story
RL.1.10
NameDate
Read the story, then answer the questions.
1.Read the text, then answer the questions.
The Blue Door
At the end of the lane stood a house with a blue door. Nobody had lived there for years. The grass grew as high as Tomas.
One Saturday a van pulled up. A woman got out with a ladder and a tin of paint. By teatime the blue door was bright yellow.
Tomas waved. The woman waved back. "I'm Nita," she called. "Come and see the garden when I've cut it."
1. How does the beginning of this story set it up?
2. Had anyone looked after the house lately? How do you know?
3. Retell the story in your own words.
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.
The Boots by the Door
Priya's boots were too small. Her toes pressed against the ends. But they were red, and she loved them.
For a week she said nothing. Then she could not run at playtime without it hurting.
She told her mum. Her mum did not laugh. They took the red boots to the charity shop and found a bigger pair, green this time. Priya kept the red ones by the door for a month before she let them go.
1. Why did Priya keep the red boots by the door?
2. Retell the story in your own words.
3. How does the beginning of the story set up the problem?
LessonPrint · RL.1.10 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Reading a Poem or a Story
Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. It shows the house empty and overgrown, so the change is a surprise. 2. No — nobody had lived there for years and the grass was very high. 3. An empty house at the end of the lane got a new owner, Nita, who painted the blue door yellow and waved to Tomas.
2.1. Because she was not ready to let go of them yet. 2. Priya's red boots were too small, she said nothing for a week, then told her mum and got bigger green ones. 3. It says the boots were too small but that she loved them, which is the whole difficulty.
Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RL.1.10 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.