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

One paper per student

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Beginnings and Endings

RL.2.5

NameDate

Sort each line into the right column.

1.Sort each one: Begins a tale or Ends a tale?

Sort: The old woman and her cat never went hungry again., Deep in the forest lived a bear who could not sleep., At last the boy was home, and he slept soundly., Many years ago, a king had three daughters., Once upon a time, there lived a poor miller., And so the animals learned to share, and the story ends.

Begins a taleEnds a tale

2.Sort each one: Begins a tale or Ends a tale?

Sort: One cold morning, a little goat set out over the hill., Once there was a boy who had never seen the sea., So the king and his daughters were happy at last., And that is why the goat always looks before he leaps., Long, long ago, the animals could all talk., From that day on, the fox never tricked anyone again.

Begins a taleEnds a tale

3.Sort each one: Begins a tale or Ends a tale?

Sort: In a cottage by the woods lived an old woman and her cat., There was once a fox who was always hungry., There was once a farmer who grew the biggest turnip ever., And the farmer and his family ate turnip soup for a year., And they lived happily ever after., From then on, the village was a happy place.

Begins a taleEnds a tale

LessonPrint · RL.2.5 · Set 13 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Beginnings and Endings

Set 13. Prints on its own sheet.

1.1. And so the animals learned to share, and the story ends. — Ends a tale 2. At last the boy was home, and he slept soundly. — Ends a tale 3. Deep in the forest lived a bear who could not sleep. — Begins a tale 4. Many years ago, a king had three daughters. — Begins a tale 5. Once upon a time, there lived a poor miller. — Begins a tale 6. The old woman and her cat never went hungry again. — Ends a tale
2.1. And that is why the goat always looks before he leaps. — Ends a tale 2. From that day on, the fox never tricked anyone again. — Ends a tale 3. Long, long ago, the animals could all talk. — 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. So the king and his daughters were happy at last. — Ends a tale
3.1. And the farmer and his family ate turnip soup for a year. — Ends a tale 2. And they lived happily ever after. — Ends a tale 3. From then on, the village was a happy place. — Ends a tale 4. In a cottage by the woods lived an old woman and her cat. — Begins a tale 5. There was once a farmer who grew the biggest turnip ever. — Begins a tale 6. There was once a fox who was always hungry. — Begins a tale

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RL.2.5 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.