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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 19 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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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.

Too Loud

The school band practised in the hall every Thursday. Sam played the drum. He liked it best when he could hit it hard. "Softer," said Mrs Otu. "The flutes cannot be heard." Sam did not want to play softly. But he tried it. This time he could hear the flutes too, winding above the drum like a bird. It sounded better than anything he had played before.

  1. 1. Why could the flutes not be heard at first?
  2. 2. How does the story begin?
  3. 3. Retell the story in your own words.
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.

The Last Lap

Dee was fast. She won every race at sports day, and she knew it. In the relay, she ran the last lap. Her team was behind. Dee ran so hard that her chest burned, but the other runner crossed the line first. Dee sat on the grass. Her team came and sat with her. "You made up ten metres," said Ali. Dee had not thought about that. She had only thought about losing.

  1. 1. Retell the story in your own words.
  2. 2. Had Dee lost a race before? How do you know?
  3. 3. How does the ending change the story?

LessonPrint · RL.1.10 · Set 19 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Reading a Poem or a Story

Set 19. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Because Sam was hitting the drum too hard. 2. It tells us when the band practises and what Sam played. 3. Sam liked hitting his drum hard, his teacher asked him to play softly, and it sounded better when he did.
  2. 2.1. Dee ran the last lap of the relay from behind, did not win, and her team pointed out that she had made up ten metres. 2. Probably not — the story says she won every race at sports day. 3. It turns a loss into something Dee can be proud of.

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RL.1.10 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.