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The Lopsided Bowl: Writing a Strong Ending

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The Lopsided Bowl: Writing a Strong Ending

Choose and write endings that wrap up a story.

Read the story

This story is missing its ending. Read it carefully.

The Lopsided Bowl

1Every Thursday after school, Leo took a pottery class at the community center. This week, the students were making bowls on the pottery wheel. Leo wanted his bowl to be perfect, because it was a birthday present for his grandma.

2Leo pressed his wet hands against the clay as the wheel spun around and around. At first, the clay rose into a smooth, round shape. Then his thumb slipped. One side of the bowl sagged and leaned like a tired flower.

3Leo's shoulders drooped. "It's ruined," he said. "Grandma will think it looks silly." His teacher, Ms. Adeyemi, came over and looked closely. "It isn't ruined," she said. "It's different. Every bowl made by hand is a little bit special."

4The next week, the bowls had been fired in a kiln, a very hot oven, and now they were hard. Leo painted his bowl bright blue with yellow dots. When he finished, the leaning side didn't look like a mistake anymore. It looked like the bowl was waving hello.

5On Saturday, Leo carried the bowl to Grandma's birthday party in a box tied with a ribbon. His hands shook a little as he handed it to her.

Think about the ending

A strong ending gives a story a sense of closure. It solves the problem and shows how the character feels.

1.
What is Leo worried about in paragraph 3?
Question 1 options
2.
Which ending gives "The Lopsided Bowl" the best sense of closure?
Question 2 options
3.
Leo's classmates wrote some last sentences for the story. Sort each sentence.
4.
Read the ending of Nia's story about her first running race. Underline the sentence that tells how Nia feels at the end.

5.
Match each story problem to the ending that solves it.

More endings and your turn

Read each short story. Then choose or write an ending.

6.
Read Ben's story.
Ben wanted to build a birdhouse all by himself. He would not let his dad help, even when the boards kept slipping apart. At last, Ben asked his dad for help, and together they finished the birdhouse.
Which closing sentence tells what Ben learned?
Question 6 options
7.
Read the start of Carmen's story.
Carmen practiced her piano song every day for weeks. At the recital, she missed a note in the middle. Her face felt hot, but she took a deep breath and kept playing.
Which sentence would give Carmen's story the best sense of closure?
Question 7 options
8.
Write an ending for "The Lopsided Bowl." Tell what Grandma does and how Leo feels at the end.
9.
Read the start of Isha's story.
Isha's family moved to a new town. On her first day at the new school, she did not know anyone. At lunch, a girl named Grace waved and asked Isha to sit with her.
Write one or two sentences that give Isha's story a sense of closure.