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Reading a Play or Poem is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on telling a story, a play and a poem apart by how each is written, aligned to Common Core standard RL.3.10. 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.

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All 25 sets ask different questions.

Reading a Play or Poem

RL.3.10

NameDate

Sort each one into the right box.

1.Sort each one: Story or Play or Poem?

Sort: GRANDPA: (to the audience) I was young once, you know., MAYA: Quick, hide! (She ducks behind the sofa.), Halim was two stops past the school before he looked up., My cat is a cushion / with whiskers and claws., Over the hill and under the bridge, / the red train runs along the ridge., Grace carried the oil up ninety-seven steps in the dark.

StoryPlayPoem
2.Sort each one: Story or Play or Poem?

Sort: Long ago Anansi the spider had eight fat legs., ACT ONE. A busy railway platform., SCENE TWO. The museum store room. Night., Snowflakes falling, / softly calling, / white on the window., Shells in a bucket, / sand in my shoe, / the sea waves goodbye / and I wave too., By the time the light swung out, three ships had turned back.

StoryPlayPoem
3.Sort each one: Story or Play or Poem?

Sort: CAST: Priya, a museum cleaner. Jon, a guard., Inside the green and spiny case, / packed in a lining soft as silk,, PRIYA: (whispering) It was here on Tuesday., Slow, slow, the river goes, / past the reeds where nobody knows., Chapter 1. Nobody in our family plays anything., Every Thursday for six years, Mr. Ellis mailed a letter.

StoryPlayPoem

LessonPrint · RL.3.10 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Reading a Play or Poem

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Grace carried the oil up ninety-seven steps in the dark. — Story 2. GRANDPA: (to the audience) I was young once, you know. — Play 3. Halim was two stops past the school before he looked up. — Story 4. MAYA: Quick, hide! (She ducks behind the sofa.) — Play 5. My cat is a cushion / with whiskers and claws. — Poem 6. Over the hill and under the bridge, / the red train runs along the ridge. — Poem
  2. 2.1. ACT ONE. A busy railway platform. — Play 2. By the time the light swung out, three ships had turned back. — Story 3. Long ago Anansi the spider had eight fat legs. — Story 4. SCENE TWO. The museum store room. Night. — Play 5. Shells in a bucket, / sand in my shoe, / the sea waves goodbye / and I wave too. — Poem 6. Snowflakes falling, / softly calling, / white on the window. — Poem
  3. 3.1. CAST: Priya, a museum cleaner. Jon, a guard. — Play 2. Chapter 1. Nobody in our family plays anything. — Story 3. Every Thursday for six years, Mr. Ellis mailed a letter. — Story 4. Inside the green and spiny case, / packed in a lining soft as silk, — Poem 5. PRIYA: (whispering) It was here on Tuesday. — Play 6. Slow, slow, the river goes, / past the reeds where nobody knows. — Poem

Questions about Reading a Play or Poem

What does the Reading a Play or Poem worksheet cover?

It practices telling a story, a play and a poem apart by how each is written — 3 questions for Grade 3, all on Common Core RL.3.10: Read and understand harder Grade 2-3 stories, plays and poems on your own. The instruction to students is “Sort each one into the right box”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which Common Core standard does Reading a Play or Poem practice?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.10 — RL.3.10, under Reading: Literature for Grade 3. The published standard reads: “By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Reading a Play or Poem is written for Grade 3, typically ages 8-9. It is one of the sheets on RL.3.10, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Reading a Play or Poem come with an answer key?

Yes. All 3 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 Reading a Play or Poem can I print?

25 — one per student, 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 Reading a Play or Poem free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Reading a Play or Poem, 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.3.10

Read and understand harder Grade 2-3 stories, plays and poems on your own.

All Grade 3 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RL.3.10 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.