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Yusuf and the Maple on the Steps

Read an original story about a boy who saves a maple seedling. Describe his traits and feelings, and explain how his actions move the story along.

Grade 3ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toRL.3.3

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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: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Matching, Circle the answer, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students describe a character's traits, feelings and reasons using details from a story.
Students explain how a character's choices cause later events in a story.

How to use

Read the story together, then let students answer on their own. Use the last question to talk about how each of Yusuf's choices led to the next event.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

RL.3.3

Describe a character's traits, motivations, or feelings and explain how the character's actions move the sequence of events along.

Preview

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Yusuf and the Maple on the Steps

Read a story about a boy and a tiny tree, then answer the questions.

Read the story

Read the story carefully. Then answer the questions.

Yusuf and the Maple on the Steps

1One spring morning, Yusuf spotted a tiny maple seedling poking out of a crack in the front steps of his building. It had two jagged leaves. Yusuf remembered the winged seeds that had spun down from the big maple on the corner.

2Every day after school, Yusuf gave the seedling a cup of water. He parked his scooter far away so the seedling would not get crushed. One afternoon, Mr. Varga from the first floor frowned at the steps. "Plants in the cracks make steps crumble," he said. "I'll pull that one out on Saturday."

3Yusuf's stomach dropped. He did not want the little tree pulled out. But he knew the crack was a bad home for it, because the roots had no room to grow. That night, Yusuf made a plan. He poked holes in an empty yogurt cup and filled it with soil from his mom's flowerpot.

4On Friday, Yusuf knelt on the steps with a spoon. Slowly and carefully, he dug around the seedling until its thin white roots came free. He tucked it into the cup and set it on his sunny windowsill.

5All summer, the maple grew. Soon it was too tall for the cup. Where could a tree grow in the city? Yusuf gathered his courage and knocked on Mr. Varga's door. "I moved the seedling from the steps," he said. "Now it needs a real home. Do you know a place?"

6Mr. Varga looked at the little tree for a long time. Then, for the first time Yusuf could remember, he smiled. "My backyard has a sunny corner," he said. "We can plant it there together." That weekend, they did. Now Yusuf visits the maple every week, and Mr. Varga waves hello.

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