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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 21 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.

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. 1. Retell the story in your own words.
  2. 2. How does the beginning of this story set it up?
  3. 3. Had anyone looked after the house lately? How do you know?
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.

The Jar of Shells

Every summer, Ivy filled a jar with shells from the beach. The jar sat on her windowsill all winter. One day her little brother knocked the jar off the sill. It did not break, but the shells rolled everywhere. Ivy felt hot and cross. Then she saw that Ben was crying. "It was an accident," she said. "Help me find them." They crawled under the bed together. They found every shell but one.

  1. 1. How does the story end?
  2. 2. Retell the story. What happened first, next and last?
  3. 3. Do you think Ivy was still cross at the end? How do you know?

LessonPrint · RL.1.10 · Set 21 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Reading a Poem or a Story

Set 21. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. 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. It shows the house empty and overgrown, so the change is a surprise. 3. No — nobody had lived there for years and the grass was very high.
  2. 2.1. They found every shell but one. 2. Ivy kept shells in a jar, Ben knocked it over, and they picked the shells up together. 3. No — she told Ben it was an accident and asked him to help.

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