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 16 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: There was once a farmer who grew the biggest turnip ever., At last the boy was home, and he slept soundly., One cold morning, a little goat set out over the hill., Deep in the forest lived a bear who could not sleep., From then on, the village was a happy place., And they lived happily ever after.

Begins a taleEnds a tale

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

Sort: Many years ago, a king had three daughters., And that is why the goat always looks before he leaps., Once there was a boy who had never seen the sea., In a cottage by the woods lived an old woman and her cat., And the farmer and his family ate turnip soup for a year., The bear curled up and slept all winter long. The end.

Begins a taleEnds a tale

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

Sort: There was once a fox who was always hungry., And so the animals learned to share, and the story ends., From that day on, the fox never tricked anyone again., Long ago, in a land far away, there was a tiny village., So the king and his daughters were happy at last., Long, long ago, the animals could all talk.

Begins a taleEnds a tale

LessonPrint · RL.2.5 · Set 16 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Beginnings and Endings

Set 16. Prints on its own sheet.

1.1. And they lived happily ever after. — Ends a tale 2. At last the boy was home, and he slept soundly. — Ends a tale 3. Deep in the forest lived a bear who could not sleep. — Begins a tale 4. From then on, the village was a happy place. — Ends a tale 5. One cold morning, a little goat set out over the hill. — Begins a tale 6. There was once a farmer who grew the biggest turnip ever. — Begins a tale
2.1. And that is why the goat always looks before he leaps. — Ends a tale 2. And the farmer and his family ate turnip soup for a year. — 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. Once there was a boy who had never seen the sea. — Begins a tale 6. The bear curled up and slept all winter long. The end. — Ends a tale
3.1. And so the animals learned to share, and the story ends. — Ends a tale 2. From that day on, the fox never tricked anyone again. — Ends a tale 3. Long ago, in a land far away, there was a tiny village. — Begins a tale 4. Long, long ago, the animals could all talk. — Begins a tale 5. So the king and his daughters were happy at last. — Ends 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.