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The Nest in the Door Wreath: Time Words Across Weeks worksheet preview

Worksheet

The Nest in the Door Wreath: Time Words Across Weeks

Read a story about robins nesting in a front door wreath, then sort and use time phrases that show the order of events and how much time passes.

Grade 3ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toW.3.3.c

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What’s included

  • Single worksheet
  • Auto-graded online
  • 1 Common Core standard
  • Printable answer key
  • 10 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 what time words and phrases tell about the order of events.
  • Students tell apart time phrases that show a short or a long time passing.
  • Students use time phrases to order events that happen over days or weeks.

How to use

Read the story aloud and have students underline each time phrase as they listen. Then let them answer the questions and finish the two writing tasks on their own.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

W.3.3.c

Use time words and phrases to signal the order of events.

Preview

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Name Date

The Nest in the Door Wreath: Time Words Across Weeks

See how time words move a story ahead by minutes, days and weeks.

Read the story

Read the story. Notice how the time words move the story from day to day and week to week.

Guests on Our Front Door

1One windy spring morning, I noticed bits of dry grass sticking out of the wreath on our front door. At first, I thought the wind had blown them there. Then a robin flew down with a twig in her beak and tucked it into the wreath.

2For the next few days, the robin kept bringing grass, twigs and mud. By the end of the week, a neat, round nest sat in the middle of the wreath. Mom taped a sign to the door that said, "Please use the back door!"

3A few days later, the robin flew away from the nest. While she was gone, Mom held up a small mirror so we could peek inside without touching anything. There were three blue eggs! After that, the mother robin spent most of each day sitting on the eggs to keep them warm.

4About two weeks later, I heard tiny peeping sounds. The eggs had hatched! The babies were tiny and pink, and their eyes were shut. Their mouths opened wide whenever a parent brought a worm.

5Day by day, the babies grew bigger and fluffier, and soon they had speckled feathers. Then, one morning, a young robin hopped to the edge of the wreath. It flapped its wings and fluttered down to the grass. Soon after, the others followed.

6By the next morning, the nest was empty. I felt a little sad. Now, whenever I hear a robin sing in our yard, I wonder if it is one of our birds.

How time moves in the story

Answer each question about the story.

1.
Which time phrase from the story tells how long the robin kept bringing grass, twigs and mud?
  • A. By the next morning,
  • B. Then, one morning,
  • C. For the next few days,
  • D. A few days later,
2.
Read paragraph 4 again. Underline the sentence that begins with a time phrase showing that a long time has passed.

About two weeks later, I heard tiny peeping sounds.The eggs had hatched!The babies were tiny and pink, and their eyes were shut.Their mouths opened wide whenever a parent brought a worm.

3.
Paragraph 5 begins with "Day by day." What does this phrase tell the reader?
  • A. The babies changed a little at a time.
  • B. The babies grew up in just one day.
  • C. The babies only grew in the daytime.
  • D. The babies left the nest right away.
4.
Which list shows these story events in the order they happened?
  • A. nest is built → eggs hatch → three eggs are seen
  • B. nest is built → three eggs are seen → eggs hatch
  • C. three eggs are seen → nest is built → eggs hatch
  • D. eggs hatch → nest is built → three eggs are seen
5.
Read these two events from paragraph 3.
Event 1: The robin flew away from the nest.
Event 2: Mom held up a small mirror.
Which sentence uses a time word to join the events in the order they happened?
  • A. Before the robin flew away from the nest, Mom held up a small mirror.
  • B. Mom held up a small mirror until the robin flew away from the nest.
  • C. Because the robin flew away from the nest, Mom held up a small mirror.
  • D. After the robin flew away from the nest, Mom held up a small mirror.

Use time words in your writing

Answer the questions. Then write your own sentences with time phrases.

6.
Does each time phrase show a short time or a long time passing? Sort the phrases.
A few days laterA moment laterWithin a minuteAbout two weeks laterSeconds after thatA month later
A short time (seconds or minutes)A long time (days or more)
7.
Match each time word or phrase to one that means almost the same thing.
  1. Soon after
  2. At first
  3. Meanwhile
  4. At last
  1. A. At the same time
  2. B. Finally
  3. C. A short time later
  4. D. In the beginning
8.
Which sentence begins with a phrase that tells when, not where?
  • A. Under the porch light, the robin rested.
  • B. Beside the mailbox, the robin found a worm.
  • C. Before sunrise, the robin began to sing.
  • D. On the step stool, I stood very still.
9.
Learning to ride a scooter: Use these notes to write three sentences that tell the story in order. Begin each sentence with a time phrase that shows how much time passed.
Notes: wobbled and fell on the first try; practiced every afternoon; rode around the whole block
10.
A long wait: Think of a time you waited a long time for something, such as a birthday, a trip or a visit. Write two or three sentences about it. Use at least two different time phrases, and make one of them show a long jump in time.

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