Worksheet

The Night the Water Sparkled: Read to Find Out

Grade 2 reading practice: set a purpose, read a story about a glowing bay at night, and show understanding with evidence, sorting and a summary.

Grade 2ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toRF.2.4.a

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What’s included

Single worksheet
Auto-graded online
1 Common Core standard
Printable answer key
9 questions
Classroom-ready

Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 2
Subject: ELA
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students choose a question to answer before they read a story.
Students read a grade 2 story and find the sentence that answers their question.
Students show they understood the story by sorting events and finishing a summary.

How to use

Do the first question together so students choose a reading question before they read. Then have them read the story on their own and look back at it as they answer.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

RF.2.4.a

Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.

Preview

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Name Date

The Night the Water Sparkled: Read to Find Out

Ask a question before you read, then find the answer in the story.

Before you read

Good readers think of a question before they read. Then they read to find the answer.

The story is called "The Night the Water Sparkled." Which question is best to keep in mind as you read it?

A. How do people build a little boat?
B. Why do fish like to swim in cold water?
C. What made the water sparkle that night?
D. Where do the stars go during the day?

Read the story

Read the story to find the answer to your question.

The Night the Water Sparkled

1Uncle Teo and Nia buckled their life jackets and pushed their little boat into the bay just after dark. The air was warm, and the water was calm and black. Nia held her paddle tight. She had never been out on the water at night.

2Nia dipped her paddle in. Swish! The water around it flashed blue-green, like a hundred tiny stars. Nia gasped. "Uncle Teo, the water is sparkling!"

3Uncle Teo smiled. "This bay is full of tiny living things," he said. "When the water moves, they flash with light." The tiny things were too small to see one at a time, but together they lit up the bay.

4Nia leaned over and swished her hand back and forth. Bright little sparks swirled around her fingers. A fish zipped under the boat and left a glowing trail behind it.

5On the ride home, Nia did not say a word. She was too busy painting the water with light, one stroke at a time.

Did you find the answer to your question? Read paragraph 3 again. Underline the sentence that tells when the tiny living things make light.

Uncle Teo smiled."This bay is full of tiny living things," he said."When the water moves, they flash with light."The tiny things were too small to see one at a time, but together they lit up the bay.

Read paragraph 1. When did Nia and Uncle Teo go out in the boat?

A. early in the morning
B. just after dark
C. in the middle of the day
D. just before lunch

In paragraph 2, why did Nia gasp?

A. A big fish jumped into the boat.
B. Her paddle slipped from her hands.
C. Uncle Teo splashed her with water.
D. The water lit up around her paddle.

Sort the sentences. Did each one happen in the story?

Nia and Uncle Teo wore life jackets.The water in the bay was rough.A fish left a glowing trail.Sparks swirled around Nia's fingers.Uncle Teo caught a big fish.Nia sang all the way home.

Happened in the story	Did not happen

Read paragraph 5. Why did Nia not say a word on the ride home?

A. She was too busy making the water glow.
B. She was cold and wanted to go to bed.
C. She was upset that the ride was over.
D. She was afraid of the dark, quiet bay.

After you read

Show what you understood.

Use the word bank to finish the summary of the story. Two words will not be used.

Word bank: small · snow · fish · bay · loud · light

Nia and Uncle Teo paddled a boat on the at night.
When the water moved, it flashed with .
The light came from tiny living things that were too to see one at a time.
A zipped under the boat and left a glowing trail.