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 14 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: Once upon a time, there lived a poor miller., The bear curled up and slept all winter long. The end., Once there was a boy who had never seen the sea., And the farmer and his family ate turnip soup for a year., There was once a fox who was always hungry., So the king and his daughters were happy at last.

Begins a taleEnds a tale

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

Sort: 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., There was once a farmer who grew the biggest turnip ever., Deep in the forest lived a bear who could not sleep., 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: The old woman and her cat never went hungry again., And they lived happily ever after., In a cottage by the woods lived an old woman and her cat., At last the boy was home, and he slept soundly., One cold morning, a little goat set out over the hill., Many years ago, a king had three daughters.

Begins a taleEnds a tale

LessonPrint · RL.2.5 · Set 14 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Beginnings and Endings

Set 14. Prints on its own sheet.

1.1. And the farmer and his family ate turnip soup for a year. — Ends a tale 2. Once there was a boy who had never seen the sea. — Begins a tale 3. Once upon a time, there lived a poor miller. — Begins a tale 4. So the king and his daughters were happy at last. — Ends a tale 5. The bear curled up and slept all winter long. The end. — Ends a tale 6. There was once a fox who was always hungry. — Begins a tale
2.1. And that is why the goat always looks before he leaps. — 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. And they lived happily ever after. — Ends a tale 2. At last the boy was home, and he slept soundly. — Ends a tale 3. In a cottage by the woods lived an old woman and her cat. — Begins a tale 4. Many years ago, a king had three daughters. — 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

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