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2nd Grade Story Structure worksheets

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Story Structure

Grade 2 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Read the text. Circle the best answer.

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Sora's Puppet Stage
Sora had planned a puppet show for her three little cousins at Grandma's house. She had made sock puppets of a dragon, a frog and a princess. Her stage was a doorway with an old bedsheet hanging across it. But each time Sora touched the sheet, it slipped down into a heap on the floor.
The cousins would arrive at two o'clock. First, Sora stuck the sheet to the door frame with strips of tape. The tape held for a minute. Then it curled away from the wood, and the sheet fell again.
Next, Sora tucked the top of the sheet under some heavy books. The books sat on the shelf above the door. When she bumped the shelf, the books slid, and the sheet tumbled onto her head.
Grandma heard the thump and came to help. She laid a long broom handle across the tops of two tall chairs. Then she handed Sora a bag of clothespins. Sora clipped the sheet to the broom handle, one pin at a time. She tugged on it gently, and it stayed!
At two o'clock, the cousins sat on pillows in a row. The dragon roared, the frog sang and the princess saved the day. The cousins laughed so hard that they asked for the show again. Sora took a bow behind her sturdy new stage.
1.
What does the beginning of the story tell us?
- Sora is cleaning dusty old books off Grandma's shelf.
- Sora's cousins are putting on a show for her.
- Sora is getting a puppet show ready for her cousins.
2.
What problem starts the story?
- Sora clips the sheet up one pin at a time.
- Grandma lays a broom handle across two chairs.
- The sheet for the stage keeps slipping down.
3.
What happens when Sora tries the books?
- The books slide, and the sheet falls on her.
- The sheet stays up through the whole show.
- The cousins arrive before she is ready for them.
4.
How is the problem solved?
- Sora sticks the sheet to the door frame with tape again.
- Sora clips the sheet to a broom handle across two chairs.
- Sora puts on the show with no curtain at all for her cousins.

2nd Grade Story Structure worksheet 1 – printable PDF — Download PDF: 1 2 3 4 5 6

About this worksheet

Story structure asks readers to see how a beginning, a middle, and an end fit together to make a whole story. Second graders may name the most exciting event without saying whether it belongs at the start, the middle, or the end. This worksheet uses one story, printed once above the four questions that use it, and asks students to identify the beginning, the middle, the end, the correct order of all three, and the story's main idea.

Encourage your child to point to the exact sentence in the story that matches each part before choosing. Watch for a child who can retell the events accurately but still struggles to say which part of the structure each one belongs to; naming the part out loud, not just the event, is the skill this page builds.

What your child will learn

Identify a story's beginning, middle, and end
Order a story's events correctly
Explain how parts build the whole story
Connect structure to the main idea

Common Core standard: RL.2.5

Worked example

A story begins when a boy's library book is missing, continues as he searches under his bed and the table, and ends when he finds it and returns it.

Common mistake

Naming the most exciting event without explaining whether it belongs at the beginning, middle, or end.

Helpful hint

Check the exact sentence in the story before choosing a part.

Next skill: Main Topic in Paragraphs Earlier: Story Message and Lesson

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with story structure?

Naming the most exciting event without explaining whether it belongs at the beginning, middle, or end.

How can I help my child with story structure?

Check the exact sentence in the story before choosing a part.

Are these 2nd grade reading worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions on this page are free to download and print, with no account needed.

More 2nd grade literature

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