Worksheet
Crossing at Sundown: Ending a Tarantula Story
Read an original story about a girl who fears spiders and meets a wandering tarantula, then choose, test and write a conclusion that follows from it.
Grade 5ELAInteractive · Printable
Aligned toW.5.3.e
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 5
- Subject
- ELA
- Question types
- Multiple choice, Matching, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer
About this worksheet
What students practice
- Students identify how a narrator changes and which events a conclusion should reflect.
- Students tell conclusions that follow from the narrated events apart from ones that do not.
- Students write a conclusion that follows from the events of a narrative.
How to use
Read the story aloud and stop before the end; ask students to predict how Lena might wrap it up, then let them complete the sheet.
Curriculum
Common Core standard covered
Write a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
Preview
OwlSheets.com
Crossing at Sundown: Ending a Tarantula Story
Write a conclusion that grows out of the events of the story.
Read the story
Read Lena's story. She has not written the conclusion yet.
Crossing at Sundown
1Ever since I was little, I have been afraid of spiders. Even a tiny one in the bathtub makes me jump. So when my older cousin Dez said, "Let's go see the tarantulas," I laughed. Then I realized he was serious.
2Every fall, Dez explained, some tarantulas leave their burrows and wander across the desert. Many of them are males looking for a mate. They often walk in the evening, when the ground starts to cool.
3Aunt Marisol drove us out on a quiet dirt road just before sunset. The rocks glowed orange, and the air smelled like dust and sage. I stayed in the back seat with my window rolled all the way up.
4"Stop!" Dez said. Aunt Marisol eased the car to a halt. In the middle of the road, a brown, fuzzy spider as big as my palm was walking slowly toward the other side. It lifted each leg carefully, like someone crossing a creek on slippery stones.
5Everyone else climbed out. I pressed my nose against the glass. The spider wasn't chasing anybody. It wasn't even fast. Every few steps, it paused and tapped the dirt in front of it, as if it were checking whether the path was safe.
6Slowly, I opened the door and stepped out. My heart was thumping, but I crouched a few steps away, next to Dez. Up close, I could see the fine hairs on its legs catching the last orange light. "They're shy," Aunt Marisol said softly. "They hardly ever bite, but we never pick them up. We just give them room."
7Just then, we heard the rumble of a truck coming around the bend. Without thinking, I jumped up, waved both arms and pointed at the road. The truck rolled to a stop. The driver leaned out, saw the spider and gave me a thumbs-up. Together, we all waited until the tarantula reached the bushes on the far side and disappeared.
Plan the conclusion
A good conclusion grows out of what happened in the story. Answer these questions to plan one.
- A. She goes from loving the desert to wanting to leave it.
- B. She goes from fearing spiders to protecting one.
- C. She goes from trusting Dez to doubting his ideas.
- D. She goes from feeling bored to wanting to drive.
Just then, we heard the rumble of a truck coming around the bend.Without thinking, I jumped up, waved both arms and pointed at the road.The truck rolled to a stop.The driver leaned out, saw the spider and gave me a thumbs-up.
- A. The rocks glowed orange in the light of the sunset.
- B. Aunt Marisol drove them out on a quiet dirt road.
- C. The driver of the truck leaned out of his window.
- D. The spider paused and tapped the dirt to check the path.
| Follows from the story | Does not follow |
|---|---|
Choose and write the conclusion
Use your plan to judge endings, then write your own.
- A. The next morning, we drove to the lake and caught three fish. It was the best day of the whole summer, and we cooked the fish for dinner.
- B. Tarantulas live in many warm places around the world. Some kinds live in rain forests, and other kinds make their homes in deserts.
- C. On the drive home, I noticed my hands had stopped shaking. I still don't love spiders, but now I know how to give one room.
- D. Then the tarantula turned around and chased us back to the car. I had known all along that spiders were dangerous, and I was right.
- Looks back at the beginning
- Tells what the narrator learned
- Looks ahead to the future
- Ends with a final picture
- A. Next fall, I will be the first one out of the car.
- B. Behind us, the dusty road faded into purple shadows.
- C. For years I ran from spiders, but tonight I stood up for one.
- D. Something that looks scary can turn out to be shy and careful.
- A. It repeats too many small details from the story.
- B. It does not show how Lena changed or what she learned.
- C. It tells about events that never happened in the story.
- D. It uses too many sensory details about the desert.
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