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The Gecko on the Kitchen Wall: Two Ways to React worksheet preview

Worksheet

The Gecko on the Kitchen Wall: Two Ways to React

Read a story about two cousins who find a gecko indoors, then study how dialogue, actions and thoughts show each character's reaction.

Grade 3ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toW.3.3.b

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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 3
Subject
ELA
Question types
Multiple choice, Matching, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

  • Students explain how dialogue, actions and thoughts show a character's reaction.
  • Students compare how two characters respond to the same surprise.
  • Students plan a scene that shows two different reactions.

How to use

Read the story with students and point out how Imani and Diego react in different ways. Students answer the questions, then use the planning frame to start their own short scene.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

W.3.3.b

Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop events or show how characters respond to situations.

Preview

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Name Date

The Gecko on the Kitchen Wall: Two Ways to React

See how dialogue, actions and thoughts show how two characters react.

Read the story

Read the story. Watch how each character reacts to the surprise.

A Visitor in Grandma's Kitchen

1On a warm summer evening, Imani and her cousin Diego were drying dishes at Grandma Bea's house. Suddenly, something small and tan skittered across the wall above the sink.

2Imani dropped her towel. "Something is on the wall!" she shrieked. She backed away until she bumped into the refrigerator. What if it jumps on me? she thought. Her heart thumped like a drum.

3Diego leaned closer instead. "Whoa, it's a gecko," he whispered. He stood very still so he would not scare it away. How can it walk straight up a wall? he wondered.

4Grandma Bea hurried in from the porch, wiping her hands on her apron. When she saw the gecko, she chuckled. "That's only Pepper," she said. "He lives on the porch and eats the bugs near the light. He must have slipped inside when I opened the door."

5The gecko turned its big round eyes toward Imani. "He is kind of cute," she admitted in a small voice. Her shoulders slowly relaxed, and she took one tiny step closer.

6Diego found a plastic cup and a piece of stiff paper. "Can I carry him outside?" he asked. Grandma Bea nodded. Diego gently slid the cup over Pepper, and Imani held the screen door open wide. Diego set the cup down on the porch rail and lifted it, and Pepper darted off into the dark. "Good night, Pepper!" Imani called with a smile.

Two different reactions

Answer each question about the story.

1.
Who reacted this way in the story? Sort the actions.
dropped a dish towelstood very still to keep from scaring itfound a plastic cup and stiff paperbacked into the refrigeratorwondered how a gecko walks up a wallheld the screen door open wide
ImaniDiego
2.
In paragraph 2, Imani's heart "thumped like a drum." What does this description show?
  • A. She is excited to play some music.
  • B. She is tired from washing dishes.
  • C. She is scared of the small animal.
  • D. She is angry at her cousin Diego.
3.
Match each line of dialogue to what it shows about the speaker.
  1. "Something is on the wall!" Imani shrieked.
  2. "Whoa, it's a gecko," Diego whispered.
  3. "That's only Pepper," Grandma Bea said.
  4. "Can I carry him outside?" Diego asked.
  1. A. wants to help the gecko get outside
  2. B. is startled and scared of the gecko
  3. C. is calm because she knows the gecko
  4. D. is amazed but tries not to scare it
4.
In paragraph 4, Grandma Bea chuckles when she sees the gecko. What does this action show?
  • A. She is afraid the gecko will bite her.
  • B. She thinks the gecko is no problem.
  • C. She is upset that a dish is broken.
  • D. She wants the kids to finish chores.
5.
Read paragraph 5 again. Underline the sentence that shows Imani is less afraid through her actions, not her words.

The gecko turned its big round eyes toward Imani."He is kind of cute," she admitted in a small voice.Her shoulders slowly relaxed, and she took one tiny step closer.

6.
How does Imani's reaction to the gecko change from the beginning of the story to the end?
  • A. She starts out happy and ends up scared.
  • B. She starts out curious and ends up bored.
  • C. She starts out angry and ends up sleepy.
  • D. She starts out scared and ends up friendly.

Plan a scene with two reactions

Answer the question. Then plan a short scene of your own.

7.
A writer wants to add a thought that shows Diego feels proud after he helps Pepper. Which sentence does this best?
  • A. I was such a gentle helper, Diego thought.
  • B. Diego put the plastic cup back in the cupboard.
  • C. Grandma Bea turned off the porch light.
  • D. Diego said that it was getting late outside.
8.
The surprise and the first reaction: Two characters see the same surprise, such as a frog in the sink or a sudden thunderstorm. Name the characters and the surprise. Then write what the first character says and does.
9.
A different reaction: Show how the second character reacts in a different way. Write one action and one thought for that character.

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