Worksheet

Write a story with pace, transitions and a reflective ending

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    The Telescope Night (story draft)

    [1] On the clearest Friday night of September, Ari and Jun carried a small telescope up the grassy hill behind the library for the class sky-watching evening. [2] Their science teacher had promised that the planet Jupiter would be bright enough to see, and about thirty classmates and families were already spreading blankets across the grass. [3] Ari unfolded the three legs of the tripod, set each one to the same height, tightened every knob with a quarter turn, checked the bubble in the little level, and then checked it again. [4] Jun screwed the eyepiece into the tube, wiped the lens with a soft cloth, and swung the telescope slowly across the sky until a bright dot slid into the middle of the circle.

    [5] Soon a line of classmates stood in front of the telescope, waiting for a turn. [6] The wind picked up, and thin clouds began sliding across the sky from the west. [7] The clouds covered Jupiter for a while, but then they thinned and everyone got a good look. [8] Jun took a turn at the eyepiece and saw the planet with four tiny dots in a straight line beside it.

    [9] Jun's uncle showed Jun the same four dots. [10] Jun thought they were dust on the glass. [11] Jun stepped back from the telescope so that a family could have a turn. [12] The family leaned in one at a time, and soft gasps drifted across the dark hill.

  2. Kira wants the telescope story to speed through the setup and slow down at the turning point. Which plan for [3], [4] and [7] does both?

    • Stretch [3] and [4] with more detail about the tripod, the knobs and the eyepiece, and squeeze [7] into one shorter line about the clouds and the wind.
    • Squeeze [3] and [4] into one quick line about setting up, and stretch [7] into sentences about the clouds, the crowd and the wind.
    • Add more detail to [3], [4] and [7], so the setup, the clouds and the crowd are told in slow, careful sentences.
    • Squeeze [3], [4] and [7] into one quick line each, so the setup, the clouds and the crowd are told in a hurry.

  3. Luz wants a reader to know when Jun's memory begins and when the story returns. Which two sentences should replace [9] and [10]?

    • Next summer, on a clear night in August, Jun's uncle would show Jun the same four dots, and Jun would think they were dust on the glass. Now, back on the hill, Jun smiled, because the dots were as sharp and steady as drops of light.
    • Jun's uncle showed Jun the same four dots, and Jun thought they were dust on the glass. Now, back on the hill, Jun smiled, because the dots were as sharp and steady as drops of light.
    • Years earlier, when Jun was seven, Jun's uncle had shown Jun the same four dots, and Jun had thought they were dust on the glass. Jun smiled, because the dots were as sharp and steady as drops of light.
    • Years earlier, when Jun was seven, Jun's uncle had shown Jun the same four dots, and Jun had thought they were dust on the glass. Now, back on the hill, Jun smiled, because the dots were as sharp and steady as drops of light.

  4. Milo wants a final sentence for the telescope story that follows from the events and reflects on them through Jun. Which sentence should end it?

    • Jun thought about the long wait under the clouds and decided that it had made the first clear look at the four dots feel like a gift.
    • People should remember that patience is an important skill and that waiting helps people get what they want.
    • On Monday, the science teacher announced a trip to the observatory and handed out permission forms to the students.
    • The clouds covered Jupiter for a while, then drifted away, and the class took turns looking at the planet and its four moons.

  5. The Garden Fence (story draft)

    [1] Early on a Saturday in May, Ari and Esme met at the community garden to repair the fence before the rabbits found the new lettuce. [2] The garden club leader had left a pile of wooden posts, a bucket of nails and a coil of wire by the gate, along with a note that said the job had to be finished by noon. [3] Ari measured the gap between the old posts, wrote each number on a card, measured the gap again, and carefully compared the two sets of numbers. [4] Esme sorted the nails by size, lined them up on a board in four neat rows, and counted every one to make sure that none had gone missing.

    [5] By ten o'clock, the new posts stood in a straight row, and the wire hung loosely between them. [6] A breeze moved through the lettuce, and a few green leaves trembled in the morning light. [7] A post cracked, and the fence fell down, but they fixed it quickly and went on working. [8] Esme pulled the wire tight, one section at a time, and Ari twisted each end around a post.

    [9] Esme's grandfather taught Esme how to dig a post hole straight and deep. [10] Grandfather liked to say that a fence is only as strong as the ground under it. [11] Ari tested every post with both hands, and not one of them moved. [12] The two of them hung the gate latch and stepped back to look at the straight, tight fence.

  6. Noah wants the fence story to speed through the preparing and slow down at the turning point. Which plan for [3], [4] and [7] does both?

    • Squeeze [3], [4] and [7] into one quick line each, so the measuring, the nails and the cracking post are told in a hurry.
    • Stretch [3] and [4] with more detail about the numbers, the cards and the rows of nails, and squeeze [7] into one shorter line about the post and the fence.
    • Add more detail to [3], [4] and [7], so the measuring, the nails and the cracking post are told in slow, careful sentences.
    • Squeeze [3] and [4] into one quick line about getting ready, and stretch [7] into sentences that let the reader hear the crack and see the fence fall.

  7. Pia wants a reader to know when Esme's memory begins and when the story returns. Which two sentences should replace [9] and [10]?

    • Years earlier, Esme's grandfather had taught Esme how to dig a post hole straight and deep, and had often said that a fence is only as strong as the ground under it. Esme pressed the soil firmly around the last post.
    • Esme's grandfather taught Esme how to dig a post hole straight and deep, and often said that a fence is only as strong as the ground under it. Now, back at the garden, Esme pressed the soil firmly around the last post.
    • Years earlier, Esme's grandfather had taught Esme how to dig a post hole straight and deep, and had often said that a fence is only as strong as the ground under it. Now, back at the garden, Esme pressed the soil firmly around the last post.
    • Tomorrow, on a quiet afternoon, Esme's grandfather would teach Esme how to dig a post hole straight and deep, and would often say that a fence is only as strong as the ground under it. Now, back at the garden, Esme pressed the soil firmly around the last post.

  8. Ren wants a final sentence for the fence story that follows from the events and reflects on them through Esme. Which sentence should end it?

    • The next Saturday, the garden club leader brought a load of fresh soil, and the club started planting tomatoes along the fence.
    • Esme rested a hand on the nearest post and thought about the deep hole beneath it, and how the strongest part of the fence was the part nobody would see.
    • People should remember that a strong foundation is important for a fence, a house or any other big project.
    • The fence was finished before noon, and Ari and Esme left the garden after the posts and the wire were in place.

  9. The Lighthouse Model (story draft)

    [1] For the regional science fair, Bo and Noah decided to build a model lighthouse that could swing a beam of light across a dark room, just as a real lighthouse warns ships at night. [2] They gathered three cardboard tubes, a small flashlight, a plastic cup, a roll of tape and a turntable from a broken music player that Noah had found in a closet. [3] Bo painted the tallest tube in red and white stripes, waited for each stripe to dry, painted the next one, and then used a ruler to check that every stripe was the same width. [4] Noah cut a window near the top of the second tube, taped the edges smooth, and slowly fitted the flashlight inside so that the beam shone straight through the opening.

    [5] On the morning of the fair, the model stood on a table in the gym, and a crowd of students and parents drifted past the other projects. [6] The room lights dimmed, and Noah switched on the flashlight. [7] The turntable stuck, and the beam stopped, but they fixed it fast and the beam started again. [8] The beam swept slowly across the wall, and the crowd turned to follow it.

    [9] Noah's aunt took Noah to a real lighthouse on the coast. [10] The lamp at the top flashed twice and then went dark. [11] A judge stopped to ask how the beam turned, and Noah explained how the turntable carried the flashlight around. [12] Bo cheered quietly from the side of the table.

  10. Zee wants a reader to know when Noah's memory begins and when the story returns. Which two sentences should replace [9] and [10]?

    • Noah's aunt took Noah to a real lighthouse on the coast, where Noah watched the lamp flash twice and go dark. Now, back in the gym, Noah smiled, because the model's beam turned the same patient way as the real one.
    • Years earlier, Noah's aunt had taken Noah to a real lighthouse on the coast, where Noah had watched the lamp flash twice and go dark. Noah smiled, because the model's beam turned the same patient way as the real one.
    • Next month, on a long weekend, Noah's aunt would take Noah to a real lighthouse on the coast, where Noah would watch the lamp flash twice and go dark. Now, back in the gym, Noah smiled, because the model's beam turned the same patient way as the real one.
    • Years earlier, Noah's aunt had taken Noah to a real lighthouse on the coast, where Noah had watched the lamp flash twice and go dark. Now, back in the gym, Noah smiled, because the model's beam turned the same patient way as the real one.

  11. Ari wants a final sentence for the lighthouse story that follows from the events and reflects on them through Noah. Which sentence should end it?

    • Noah watched the red and white tower send its beam around the room and thought of the real lighthouse, whose steady light had once made Noah feel safe.
    • People should remember that a good project starts with a good plan and that planning is an important skill.
    • The model stood on the table with its beam swinging across the wall, and the judge wrote a score on a clipboard.
    • After the fair, the science teacher announced a class trip to the coast and handed out permission forms to the students.

  12. The Missing Puzzle Piece (story draft)

    [1] The town library kept a card table in its front window, and every winter someone set out a puzzle for visitors to work on, so Luz and Ren decided to finish this year's puzzle by the end of January. [2] The box showed a map of the whole world with tiny ships drawn in the oceans, and the lid said that the puzzle held one thousand pieces. [3] Luz sorted the edge pieces into a shallow tray, sorted them again by color, and lined up the blue ones along the top of the table, matching each tab to the right slot. [4] Ren picked out every piece with a ship on it, grouped the pieces by the color of the sails, and slowly fitted them together into six small floating islands of ships.

    [5] After three weeks of lunch breaks, the oceans were finished and only the middle of the map was left. [6] On the last Friday of January, a small crowd of regular visitors gathered by the window to watch. [7] The last piece was missing, but they found it under the table and finished the puzzle. [8] The map lay complete under the lamp, with each ship in its place.

    [9] Luz and Luz's grandmother did a rainy-day puzzle together. [10] The last piece was missing, so they cut a new one from a cereal box. [11] A visitor clapped, and soon the whole crowd was clapping. [12] Ren set the lid of the box on the table beside the finished map.

  13. Bo wants the puzzle story to speed through the sorting and slow down at the turning point. Which plan for [3], [4] and [7] does both?

    • Squeeze [3], [4] and [7] into one quick line each, so the sorting, the ships and the missing piece are told in a hurry.
    • Stretch [3] and [4] with more detail about the edge pieces, the colors and the ships, and squeeze [7] into one shorter line about the missing piece and the table.
    • Squeeze [3] and [4] into one quick line about sorting the pieces, and stretch [7] into sentences that show the search under the table and the quiet crowd.
    • Add more detail to [3], [4] and [7], so the sorting, the ships and the missing piece are told in slow, careful sentences.

  14. Esme wants a reader to know when Luz's memory begins and when the story returns. Which two sentences should replace [9] and [10]?

    • Next winter, on a rainy afternoon, Luz and Luz's grandmother would do a rainy-day puzzle together, and when the last piece went missing, they would cut a new one from a cereal box. Now, back at the library table, Luz smiled, because this time the missing piece had turned up under the table.
    • Luz and Luz's grandmother did a rainy-day puzzle together, and when the last piece went missing, they cut a new one from a cereal box. Now, back at the library table, Luz smiled, because this time the missing piece had turned up under the table.
    • Years earlier, Luz and Luz's grandmother had done a rainy-day puzzle together, and when the last piece went missing, they had cut a new one from a cereal box. Luz smiled, because this time the missing piece had turned up under the table.
    • Years earlier, Luz and Luz's grandmother had done a rainy-day puzzle together, and when the last piece went missing, they had cut a new one from a cereal box. Now, back at the library table, Luz smiled, because this time the missing piece had turned up under the table.
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Write a story with pace, transitions and a reflective ending

Answer Key - Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    The Telescope Night (story draft)

    [1] On the clearest Friday night of September, Ari and Jun carried a small telescope up the grassy hill behind the library for the class sky-watching evening. [2] Their science teacher had promised that the planet Jupiter would be bright enough to see, and about thirty classmates and families were already spreading blankets across the grass. [3] Ari unfolded the three legs of the tripod, set each one to the same height, tightened every knob with a quarter turn, checked the bubble in the little level, and then checked it again. [4] Jun screwed the eyepiece into the tube, wiped the lens with a soft cloth, and swung the telescope slowly across the sky until a bright dot slid into the middle of the circle.

    [5] Soon a line of classmates stood in front of the telescope, waiting for a turn. [6] The wind picked up, and thin clouds began sliding across the sky from the west. [7] The clouds covered Jupiter for a while, but then they thinned and everyone got a good look. [8] Jun took a turn at the eyepiece and saw the planet with four tiny dots in a straight line beside it.

    [9] Jun's uncle showed Jun the same four dots. [10] Jun thought they were dust on the glass. [11] Jun stepped back from the telescope so that a family could have a turn. [12] The family leaned in one at a time, and soft gasps drifted across the dark hill.

  2. Kira wants the telescope story to speed through the setup and slow down at the turning point. Which plan for [3], [4] and [7] does both?

    • Stretch [3] and [4] with more detail about the tripod, the knobs and the eyepiece, and squeeze [7] into one shorter line about the clouds and the wind.
    • Squeeze [3] and [4] into one quick line about setting up, and stretch [7] into sentences about the clouds, the crowd and the wind.
    • Add more detail to [3], [4] and [7], so the setup, the clouds and the crowd are told in slow, careful sentences.
    • Squeeze [3], [4] and [7] into one quick line each, so the setup, the clouds and the crowd are told in a hurry.

  3. Luz wants a reader to know when Jun's memory begins and when the story returns. Which two sentences should replace [9] and [10]?

    • Next summer, on a clear night in August, Jun's uncle would show Jun the same four dots, and Jun would think they were dust on the glass. Now, back on the hill, Jun smiled, because the dots were as sharp and steady as drops of light.
    • Jun's uncle showed Jun the same four dots, and Jun thought they were dust on the glass. Now, back on the hill, Jun smiled, because the dots were as sharp and steady as drops of light.
    • Years earlier, when Jun was seven, Jun's uncle had shown Jun the same four dots, and Jun had thought they were dust on the glass. Jun smiled, because the dots were as sharp and steady as drops of light.
    • Years earlier, when Jun was seven, Jun's uncle had shown Jun the same four dots, and Jun had thought they were dust on the glass. Now, back on the hill, Jun smiled, because the dots were as sharp and steady as drops of light.

  4. Milo wants a final sentence for the telescope story that follows from the events and reflects on them through Jun. Which sentence should end it?

    • Jun thought about the long wait under the clouds and decided that it had made the first clear look at the four dots feel like a gift.
    • People should remember that patience is an important skill and that waiting helps people get what they want.
    • On Monday, the science teacher announced a trip to the observatory and handed out permission forms to the students.
    • The clouds covered Jupiter for a while, then drifted away, and the class took turns looking at the planet and its four moons.

  5. The Garden Fence (story draft)

    [1] Early on a Saturday in May, Ari and Esme met at the community garden to repair the fence before the rabbits found the new lettuce. [2] The garden club leader had left a pile of wooden posts, a bucket of nails and a coil of wire by the gate, along with a note that said the job had to be finished by noon. [3] Ari measured the gap between the old posts, wrote each number on a card, measured the gap again, and carefully compared the two sets of numbers. [4] Esme sorted the nails by size, lined them up on a board in four neat rows, and counted every one to make sure that none had gone missing.

    [5] By ten o'clock, the new posts stood in a straight row, and the wire hung loosely between them. [6] A breeze moved through the lettuce, and a few green leaves trembled in the morning light. [7] A post cracked, and the fence fell down, but they fixed it quickly and went on working. [8] Esme pulled the wire tight, one section at a time, and Ari twisted each end around a post.

    [9] Esme's grandfather taught Esme how to dig a post hole straight and deep. [10] Grandfather liked to say that a fence is only as strong as the ground under it. [11] Ari tested every post with both hands, and not one of them moved. [12] The two of them hung the gate latch and stepped back to look at the straight, tight fence.

  6. Noah wants the fence story to speed through the preparing and slow down at the turning point. Which plan for [3], [4] and [7] does both?

    • Squeeze [3], [4] and [7] into one quick line each, so the measuring, the nails and the cracking post are told in a hurry.
    • Stretch [3] and [4] with more detail about the numbers, the cards and the rows of nails, and squeeze [7] into one shorter line about the post and the fence.
    • Add more detail to [3], [4] and [7], so the measuring, the nails and the cracking post are told in slow, careful sentences.
    • Squeeze [3] and [4] into one quick line about getting ready, and stretch [7] into sentences that let the reader hear the crack and see the fence fall.

  7. Pia wants a reader to know when Esme's memory begins and when the story returns. Which two sentences should replace [9] and [10]?

    • Years earlier, Esme's grandfather had taught Esme how to dig a post hole straight and deep, and had often said that a fence is only as strong as the ground under it. Esme pressed the soil firmly around the last post.
    • Esme's grandfather taught Esme how to dig a post hole straight and deep, and often said that a fence is only as strong as the ground under it. Now, back at the garden, Esme pressed the soil firmly around the last post.
    • Years earlier, Esme's grandfather had taught Esme how to dig a post hole straight and deep, and had often said that a fence is only as strong as the ground under it. Now, back at the garden, Esme pressed the soil firmly around the last post.
    • Tomorrow, on a quiet afternoon, Esme's grandfather would teach Esme how to dig a post hole straight and deep, and would often say that a fence is only as strong as the ground under it. Now, back at the garden, Esme pressed the soil firmly around the last post.

  8. Ren wants a final sentence for the fence story that follows from the events and reflects on them through Esme. Which sentence should end it?

    • The next Saturday, the garden club leader brought a load of fresh soil, and the club started planting tomatoes along the fence.
    • Esme rested a hand on the nearest post and thought about the deep hole beneath it, and how the strongest part of the fence was the part nobody would see.
    • People should remember that a strong foundation is important for a fence, a house or any other big project.
    • The fence was finished before noon, and Ari and Esme left the garden after the posts and the wire were in place.

  9. The Lighthouse Model (story draft)

    [1] For the regional science fair, Bo and Noah decided to build a model lighthouse that could swing a beam of light across a dark room, just as a real lighthouse warns ships at night. [2] They gathered three cardboard tubes, a small flashlight, a plastic cup, a roll of tape and a turntable from a broken music player that Noah had found in a closet. [3] Bo painted the tallest tube in red and white stripes, waited for each stripe to dry, painted the next one, and then used a ruler to check that every stripe was the same width. [4] Noah cut a window near the top of the second tube, taped the edges smooth, and slowly fitted the flashlight inside so that the beam shone straight through the opening.

    [5] On the morning of the fair, the model stood on a table in the gym, and a crowd of students and parents drifted past the other projects. [6] The room lights dimmed, and Noah switched on the flashlight. [7] The turntable stuck, and the beam stopped, but they fixed it fast and the beam started again. [8] The beam swept slowly across the wall, and the crowd turned to follow it.

    [9] Noah's aunt took Noah to a real lighthouse on the coast. [10] The lamp at the top flashed twice and then went dark. [11] A judge stopped to ask how the beam turned, and Noah explained how the turntable carried the flashlight around. [12] Bo cheered quietly from the side of the table.

  10. Zee wants a reader to know when Noah's memory begins and when the story returns. Which two sentences should replace [9] and [10]?

    • Noah's aunt took Noah to a real lighthouse on the coast, where Noah watched the lamp flash twice and go dark. Now, back in the gym, Noah smiled, because the model's beam turned the same patient way as the real one.
    • Years earlier, Noah's aunt had taken Noah to a real lighthouse on the coast, where Noah had watched the lamp flash twice and go dark. Noah smiled, because the model's beam turned the same patient way as the real one.
    • Next month, on a long weekend, Noah's aunt would take Noah to a real lighthouse on the coast, where Noah would watch the lamp flash twice and go dark. Now, back in the gym, Noah smiled, because the model's beam turned the same patient way as the real one.
    • Years earlier, Noah's aunt had taken Noah to a real lighthouse on the coast, where Noah had watched the lamp flash twice and go dark. Now, back in the gym, Noah smiled, because the model's beam turned the same patient way as the real one.

  11. Ari wants a final sentence for the lighthouse story that follows from the events and reflects on them through Noah. Which sentence should end it?

    • Noah watched the red and white tower send its beam around the room and thought of the real lighthouse, whose steady light had once made Noah feel safe.
    • People should remember that a good project starts with a good plan and that planning is an important skill.
    • The model stood on the table with its beam swinging across the wall, and the judge wrote a score on a clipboard.
    • After the fair, the science teacher announced a class trip to the coast and handed out permission forms to the students.

  12. The Missing Puzzle Piece (story draft)

    [1] The town library kept a card table in its front window, and every winter someone set out a puzzle for visitors to work on, so Luz and Ren decided to finish this year's puzzle by the end of January. [2] The box showed a map of the whole world with tiny ships drawn in the oceans, and the lid said that the puzzle held one thousand pieces. [3] Luz sorted the edge pieces into a shallow tray, sorted them again by color, and lined up the blue ones along the top of the table, matching each tab to the right slot. [4] Ren picked out every piece with a ship on it, grouped the pieces by the color of the sails, and slowly fitted them together into six small floating islands of ships.

    [5] After three weeks of lunch breaks, the oceans were finished and only the middle of the map was left. [6] On the last Friday of January, a small crowd of regular visitors gathered by the window to watch. [7] The last piece was missing, but they found it under the table and finished the puzzle. [8] The map lay complete under the lamp, with each ship in its place.

    [9] Luz and Luz's grandmother did a rainy-day puzzle together. [10] The last piece was missing, so they cut a new one from a cereal box. [11] A visitor clapped, and soon the whole crowd was clapping. [12] Ren set the lid of the box on the table beside the finished map.

  13. Bo wants the puzzle story to speed through the sorting and slow down at the turning point. Which plan for [3], [4] and [7] does both?

    • Squeeze [3], [4] and [7] into one quick line each, so the sorting, the ships and the missing piece are told in a hurry.
    • Stretch [3] and [4] with more detail about the edge pieces, the colors and the ships, and squeeze [7] into one shorter line about the missing piece and the table.
    • Squeeze [3] and [4] into one quick line about sorting the pieces, and stretch [7] into sentences that show the search under the table and the quiet crowd.
    • Add more detail to [3], [4] and [7], so the sorting, the ships and the missing piece are told in slow, careful sentences.

  14. Esme wants a reader to know when Luz's memory begins and when the story returns. Which two sentences should replace [9] and [10]?

    • Next winter, on a rainy afternoon, Luz and Luz's grandmother would do a rainy-day puzzle together, and when the last piece went missing, they would cut a new one from a cereal box. Now, back at the library table, Luz smiled, because this time the missing piece had turned up under the table.
    • Luz and Luz's grandmother did a rainy-day puzzle together, and when the last piece went missing, they cut a new one from a cereal box. Now, back at the library table, Luz smiled, because this time the missing piece had turned up under the table.
    • Years earlier, Luz and Luz's grandmother had done a rainy-day puzzle together, and when the last piece went missing, they had cut a new one from a cereal box. Luz smiled, because this time the missing piece had turned up under the table.
    • Years earlier, Luz and Luz's grandmother had done a rainy-day puzzle together, and when the last piece went missing, they had cut a new one from a cereal box. Now, back at the library table, Luz smiled, because this time the missing piece had turned up under the table.