How Actions Drive the Story is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on explaining how what a character does shapes the events, aligned to Common Core standard RL.3.3. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask 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.
Grace's father kept the lighthouse. On the worst night of the winter, the lamp went out.
He was ill in bed. Grace was eleven.
She carried the oil up ninety-seven steps in the dark, twice, because the can was too heavy to lift full. Her arms shook so much on the second trip that she had to sit down halfway.
She trimmed the wick the way she had watched a hundred times. She struck the match on the fourth try.
By the time the light swung out across the water, three ships had already turned back. Grace never knew whether she had been in time. She decided not to think about it.
1. What did Grace do between carrying the oil and striking the match?
2. Describe Grace's character. What traits do her actions show?
3. How do Grace's actions contribute to the sequence of events?
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.
The Museum Key (a scene from a play)
SCENE TWO. The museum store room. Night. Boxes everywhere. A single desk lamp.
PRIYA: (whispering) It was here on Tuesday. On this shelf.
JON: You are sure it was this shelf?
PRIYA: I dusted it. I am sure.
JON: (lifting a lid) Then somebody moved it after Tuesday.
PRIYA: Or before Tuesday, and I dusted the empty space.
(Pause. JON puts the lid down slowly.)
JON: That is worse.
PRIYA: I know.
1. What happens after Priya suggests it went missing before Tuesday?
2. Describe Priya from what she says.
3. How does Jon respond to Priya's second idea?
LessonPrint · RL.3.3 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — How Actions Drive the Story
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. She trimmed the wick. 2. Determined and capable — she climbed ninety-seven steps twice while shaking, and finished the job. 3. Because she carried the oil and lit the lamp, the light swung out across the water again.
2.1. Jon pauses, puts the lid down slowly, and says that is worse. 2. Careful and honest — Priya is sure she dusted it, then admits she may have dusted an empty shelf. 3. He puts the lid down slowly and says it is worse — he sees what it would mean.
Questions about How Actions Drive the Story
What does the How Actions Drive the Story worksheet cover?
It practises explaining how what a character does shapes the events — 2 questions for Grade 3, all on Common Core RL.3.3: Describe what a character is like and how what they did changed the story. The instruction to pupils is “Read the text, then answer the questions”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which Common Core standard does How Actions Drive the Story practise?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3 — RL.3.3, in the Reading: Literature domain for Grade 3. The published standard reads: “Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
How Actions Drive the Story is written for Grade 3, typically ages 8-9. It is one of the sheets on RL.3.3, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does How Actions Drive the Story 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 How Actions Drive the Story can I print?
25 — one per pupil, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is How Actions Drive the Story free to print and photocopy?
Yes. How Actions Drive the Story, 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.
More practice for RL.3.3
Describe what a character is like and how what they did changed the story.