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 7 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., Long, long ago, the animals could all talk., And the farmer and his family ate turnip soup for a year., Once upon a time, there lived a poor miller., The bear curled up and slept all winter long. The end., 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: Once there was a boy who had never seen the sea., And so the animals learned to share, and the story ends., From that day on, the fox never tricked anyone again., Deep in the forest lived a bear who could not sleep., Many years ago, a king had three daughters., And they lived happily ever after.

Begins a taleEnds a tale

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

Sort: From then on, the village was a happy place., In a cottage by the woods lived an old woman and her cat., There was once a fox who was always hungry., Long ago, in a land far away, there was a tiny village., The old woman and her cat never went hungry again., And that is why the goat always looks before he leaps.

Begins a taleEnds a tale

LessonPrint · RL.2.5 · Set 7 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Beginnings and Endings

Set 7. Prints on its own sheet.

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