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Recount a Fable is a free printable Grade 2 English worksheet on retelling a fable with its key details, aligned to Common Core standard RL.2.2. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions, 19 of them with different questions, so no two pupils 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.

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19 of these 25 sets ask different questions — this skill does not have 25 questions to give. The rest reorder them, so no two pupils have the same paper in front of them.

Recount a Fable

RL.2.2

NameDate

Read the story, then answer the questions.

1.Read the text, then answer the questions.

The Kite in the Elm

Sami's kite caught in the top of the elm on the very first day. He tried throwing a ball at it. He tried a long stick. He tried shaking the trunk with both arms. The kite stayed exactly where it was. His sister Rana came out with a bucket and a length of washing line. She tied the line to the bucket handle, threw the bucket over the branch, and pulled. The branch bent. The kite slid off and dropped into the grass. "How did you know that would work?" said Sami. "I didn't," said Rana.

  1. 1. Recount this story with its key details.
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.

What the Tide Left

Every low tide, Grandad and Tess walked out to the rock pools. Tess wanted to take a starfish home. Grandad said no. "It would die in a bucket," he said. "Look at it here instead." Tess crouched for a long time. She saw the starfish move — slowly, on hundreds of tiny feet she had not known it had. She did not ask again. On the way back she said, "It's better in the pool anyway."

  1. 1. Recount this story with its key details.

LessonPrint · RL.2.2 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Recount a Fable

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Sami's kite stuck in an elm, three of his attempts failed, and Rana got it down with a bucket on a washing line.
  2. 2.1. Tess wanted to take a starfish home, Grandad refused and gave a reason, and after watching it move she agreed it was better in the pool.

Questions about Recount a Fable

What does the Recount a Fable worksheet cover?

It practises retelling a fable with its key details — 2 questions for Grade 2, all on Common Core RL.2.2: Retell a fable or folktale and say what its moral is. The instruction to pupils is “Read the story, then answer the questions”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which Common Core standard does Recount a Fable practise?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.2 — RL.2.2, in the Reading: Literature domain for Grade 2. The published standard reads: “Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Recount a Fable is written for Grade 2, typically ages 7-8. It is one of the sheets on RL.2.2, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Recount a Fable come with an answer key?

Yes. All 2 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 Recount a Fable can I print?

25 versions, of which 19 ask genuinely different questions — this skill does not have 25 distinct questions to give, so the rest reorder them and no two pupils still share a paper. Set 1 downloads all 25 as one PDF.

Is Recount a Fable free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Recount a Fable, 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.

Is there a lesson plan to teach RL.2.2?

Yes — “The Moral of a Fable” is a 40-minute Grade 2 plan for RL.2.2, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Recount a Fable is the practice that follows it.

More practice for RL.2.2

Retell a fable or folktale and say what its moral is.

Teaching this next? The Moral of a Fable is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 2 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RL.2.2 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.