Beginnings and Endings is a free printable Grade 2 English worksheet on sorting lines into those that open a tale and those that close it, aligned to Common Core standard RL.2.5. It prints 3 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Sort: And the farmer and his family ate turnip soup for a year., And so the animals learned to share, and the story ends., One cold morning, a little goat set out over the hill., Once there was a boy who had never seen the sea., Many years ago, a king had three daughters., The old woman and her cat never went hungry again.
Begins a taleEnds a tale
2.Sort each one: Begins a tale or Ends a tale?
Sort: Deep in the forest lived a bear who could not sleep., From that day on, the fox never tricked anyone again., Long, long ago, the animals could all talk., There was once a farmer who grew the biggest turnip ever., And they lived happily ever after., From then on, the village was a happy place.
Begins a taleEnds a tale
3.Sort each one: Begins a tale or Ends a tale?
Sort: Long ago, in a land far away, there was a tiny village., In a cottage by the woods lived an old woman and her cat., At last the boy was home, and he slept soundly., So the king and his daughters were happy at last., Once upon a time, there lived a poor miller., The bear curled up and slept all winter long. The end.
Begins a taleEnds a tale
LessonPrint · RL.2.5 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Beginnings and Endings
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. And so the animals learned to share, and the story ends. — Ends a tale 2. And the farmer and his family ate turnip soup for a year. — Ends a tale 3. Many years ago, a king had three daughters. — Begins a tale 4. Once there was a boy who had never seen the sea. — Begins a tale 5. One cold morning, a little goat set out over the hill. — Begins a tale 6. The old woman and her cat never went hungry again. — Ends a tale
2.1. And they lived happily ever after. — Ends a tale 2. Deep in the forest lived a bear who could not sleep. — Begins a tale 3. From that day on, the fox never tricked anyone again. — Ends a tale 4. From then on, the village was a happy place. — Ends a tale 5. Long, long ago, the animals could all talk. — Begins a tale 6. There was once a farmer who grew the biggest turnip ever. — Begins a tale
3.1. At last the boy was home, and he slept soundly. — Ends a tale 2. In a cottage by the woods lived an old woman and her cat. — Begins a tale 3. Long ago, in a land far away, there was a tiny village. — Begins a tale 4. Once upon a time, there lived a poor miller. — Begins a tale 5. So the king and his daughters were happy at last. — Ends a tale 6. The bear curled up and slept all winter long. The end. — Ends a tale
Questions about Beginnings and Endings
What does the Beginnings and Endings worksheet cover?
It practices sorting lines into those that open a tale and those that close it — 3 questions for Grade 2, all on Common Core RL.2.5: Describe how a story opens and how it closes. The instruction to students is “Sort each line into the right column”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which Common Core standard does Beginnings and Endings practice?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5 — RL.2.5, under Reading: Literature for Grade 2. The published standard reads: “Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Beginnings and Endings is written for Grade 2, typically ages 7-8. It is one of the sheets on RL.2.5, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Beginnings and Endings come with an answer key?
Yes. All 3 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.
How many different versions of Beginnings and Endings can I print?
25 — one per student, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is Beginnings and Endings free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Beginnings and Endings, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.