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Onion Tears: Reading a Family Kitchen Story Aloud

Read an original family story aloud, use dialogue tags and punctuation for expression, and check accuracy and pace on repeated readings.

Grade 4ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toRF.4.4.b

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What’s included

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

Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 4
Subject: ELA
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Matching, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students use dialogue tags, italics and punctuation to read a story aloud with expression.
Students adjust their reading pace and pauses to fit each part of a story.
Students check and correct their accuracy on repeated readings.

How to use

Have students read the story aloud twice, once alone and once to a partner, before answering. Use the questions to talk about which words and marks tell a reader how to sound.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

RF.4.4.b

Read grade-level prose and poetry aloud with accuracy, an appropriate pace, and expression on repeated readings.

Preview

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Name Date

Onion Tears: Reading a Family Kitchen Story Aloud

Use dialogue tags, punctuation and pacing to read a story with expression.

Read the story aloud

Read the story aloud to yourself. Then read it a second time to a partner, and make each person sound the way the story describes.

The Onion Problem

1Every Sunday, Papa made a big pot of black bean stew, and every Sunday, Inés got a new job in the kitchen. Last week, she washed the carrots. The week before, she stirred the pot with the long wooden spoon. This week, Papa set a cutting board in front of her with one fat yellow onion on top. "Today," he announced, "you are going to chop the onion."

2Inés sat up very straight. Chopping was a big job! Papa showed her how to curl her fingers and cut slowly, and she began. Slice. Slice. Slice. Then her nose began to tingle. Her eyes began to sting. Two big tears rolled down her cheeks.

3"Papa," she whispered, "I think... I think the onion is making me cry." Papa laughed—a big, booming laugh. "Onions do that to everyone," he said. "Even me." "But I'm not sad!" Inés wailed. "So why are my eyes crying?"

4Just then, her little brother Nico ran into the kitchen. He took one look at her wet face and gasped. "What happened? Did you fall? Did the stew burn? Is the onion mean?" "No, no, and... maybe," Inés said with a sniff.

5Abuela came in next. She did not say a word. She went straight to the hall closet and came back with Nico's blue swim goggles. Gently, she slipped them over Inés's eyes and patted her shoulder.

6Inés picked up the knife again. Slice. Slice. Slice. This time, not one single tear! Nico clapped. Papa cheered. Soon the onion was a neat little pile of pieces. Inés lifted the cutting board high. "Done!" she shouted. "The onion problem is solved!"

7That night, the whole family sat down to steaming bowls of stew. Inés took a slow, quiet sip. Then she smiled. "You know what?" she said softly. "It was worth every tear."

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