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Traits, Motivations and Feelings is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on describing what a character is like and what they want, 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, 23 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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23 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.

Traits, Motivations and Feelings

RL.3.3

NameDate

Read the text, then answer the questions.

1.Read the text, then answer the questions.

The Last Letter

Every Thursday for six years, Mr Ellis posted a letter to his sister in Canada. Then the letters started coming back. Address unknown. He kept writing them anyway. He put them in a shoebox instead of the postbox. When his neighbour Ada asked why, he said, "Because the day I stop writing is the day she is really gone." Ada went home and looked up the town on a map. It took her three weeks and eleven phone calls to find the new address. The shoebox held ninety-two letters. They posted them all on the same day.

  1. 1. What do Ada's actions tell you about her?
  2. 2. Describe Mr Ellis's motivation for writing letters he could not send.
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.

The Wrong Bus

Halim was two stops past the school before he looked up. The bus was going the other way. He had got on at the same shelter, in the same rain, and never checked the number. His stomach dropped. He thought about crying and decided against it, because it would not help. He read the route map above the window. He worked out that the 41 came back the same way. He rang the bell, got off, crossed at the lights, and waited eleven minutes for the 41. He was twenty minutes late. Mrs Achebe asked what happened. "I got the wrong bus," said Halim, "and then I got the right one."

  1. 1. Describe Halim's character from what he does.
  2. 2. How do Halim's actions contribute to the sequence of events?

LessonPrint · RL.3.3 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Traits, Motivations and Feelings

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. She is persistent and quietly kind — three weeks and eleven calls, without being asked. 2. Writing kept his sister present for him — stopping would have meant losing her.
  2. 2.1. Level-headed — he decides crying will not help and works out the route instead. 2. Because he read the map and worked out the 41, he got himself back rather than staying lost.

Questions about Traits, Motivations and Feelings

What does the Traits, Motivations and Feelings worksheet cover?

It practises describing what a character is like and what they want — 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 Traits, Motivations and Feelings 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?

Traits, Motivations and Feelings 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 Traits, Motivations and Feelings 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 Traits, Motivations and Feelings can I print?

25 versions, of which 23 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 Traits, Motivations and Feelings free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Traits, Motivations and Feelings, 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.3.3?

Yes — “Characters, Traits and Motivations” is a 40-minute Grade 3 plan for RL.3.3, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Traits, Motivations and Feelings is the practice that follows it.

More practice for RL.3.3

Describe what a character is like and how what they did changed the story.

Teaching this next? Characters, Traits and Motivations is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RL.3.3 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.