Write a story with pace, transitions and a reflective ending
Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
The Chalk Mural (story draft)
[1] On the first warm Saturday of spring, Pia and Zee carried two buckets of colored chalk to the long brick wall behind the school gym. [2] Their art teacher had asked every pair of students to fill one section with a scene from the neighborhood, and Pia and Zee chose the harbor. [3] For the next two weeks, they met after school each day, sketched the boats and the dock, and slowly filled in the sky. [4] On the last afternoon, the sunset was finished, and only the empty water in front of the boats was left to color before the art show the next morning.
[5] Then a problem came up. [6] A gray sky hung over the school, and a cold wind lifted the corner of the tarp that Pia had pinned above the wall. [7] Zee knelt in front of the empty water and pressed a blue chalk stick against the rough brick, and one long, wobbling wave curled out from the tip. [8] A single raindrop landed on the sunset, and a thin orange streak went down the wall toward the dirt.
[9] Pia grabbed the loose corner of the tarp, Zee grabbed the other, and together they stretched it over the wall like a roof. [10] The rain pounded the tarp for ten minutes and then thinned to a drizzle, and underneath it the boats stayed dry. [11] When the visitors arrived, they stood in front of the harbor and pointed at the bright sunset, which still glowed against the dark clouds.
Bo wants to replace sentence [5], which opens the second scene with no clear time or place. Which sentence should replace it?
- Suddenly, Pia and Zee noticed that something about the sky was wrong.
- The next morning, Pia and Zee stood at the brick wall behind the gym an hour before the show opened.
- Two weeks later, Pia and Zee stood at the brick wall behind the gym an hour before the show opened.
- The next morning, Pia and Zee stood in the cafeteria an hour before the show opened.
Esme wants a more exact word than “went” in sentence [8]. Which word fits the scene best?
- gushed
- bounced
- trickled
- moved
Bread Day (story draft)
[1] Noah and Tala planned to bake six loaves of bread for the neighborhood fair, and on Friday evening they began in Tala's kitchen. [2] They stirred flour, warm water and yeast in a wide bowl, then kneaded the sticky dough until it felt smooth and springy. [3] Noah poked the dough, and the dent slowly sprang back. [4] They covered the bowl with a towel, set it in the window, and went to bed while the dough rose through the night.
[5] Then they kept baking. [6] The big oven at the community center was already warm when they set down the bowl and pulled off the towel. [7] Tala shaped the dough into six round loaves and pressed a shallow slash into the top of each one, while Noah brushed each top with a little water. [8] The loaves went into the oven, and the room slowly filled with the smell of warm bread.
[9] By ten o'clock, six golden loaves sat on a long table at the fair, and a line of neighbors had already formed. [10] Tala lifted the first loaf and tore it open, and a cloud of steam rose from the soft middle. [11] “Still too hot,” Noah said, as a neighbor reached for a piece.
Jun is marking the pace of the bread story. How does sentence [3] move the story?
- It jumps ahead, because poking the dough and the dent springing back are two separate actions.
- It slows the story, because it stays in one moment and shows a small action.
- It slows the story, because it explains how long the dough needs to rise.
- It jumps ahead, because it is a short sentence that gets through its action quickly.
Kira wants to replace sentence [5], which opens the second scene with no clear time or place. Which sentence should replace it?
- On Saturday morning, Noah and Tala carried the risen dough up the stairs to the little oven in Tala's kitchen.
- Soon Noah and Tala were working hard on the bread together, and the dough looked wonderful.
- On Saturday morning, Noah and Tala carried the risen dough down the block to the big oven at the community center.
- Last Thursday, Noah and Tala carried the risen dough down the block to the big oven at the community center.
Luz wants a more exact word than “said” in sentence [11]. Which word fits the scene best?
- bragged
- mentioned
- shrieked
- warned
The Paper Boat Race (story draft)
[1] Bo and Luz wanted to win the paper boat race at the town pond, so on Monday afternoon they tested a dozen folded designs in a large basin of water. [2] Most of the boats soaked up water and sank within a minute, but one wide boat with a flat bottom floated for almost ten. [3] Luz rubbed the hull of that boat with a white wax crayon to keep the paper dry, and the two of them left it on a shelf overnight. [4] Three days passed.
[5] Then there was a race. [6] A gentle breeze rippled across the pond, and as the starter lifted a green flag, Bo and Luz began calling out to their boat. [7] Their boat moved along the edge of the water, a little behind the red one, and the tiny paper flag on its deck barely trembled. [8] Halfway across, a gust turned the red boat sideways, and it spun in a slow circle. [9] Bo and Luz stopped calling out and held their breath as their boat slipped quietly past the spinning red one. [10] It touched the far bank first, just ahead of the red boat, and the crowd along the water clapped and cheered. [11] The wax crayon had worked, and Bo and Luz hugged each other and laughed until the starter handed them a small blue ribbon.
Milo is marking the pace of the boat story. How does sentence [4] move the story?
- It jumps ahead, because it tells how Bo and Luz felt about the tests in the basin.
- It jumps ahead, because three days pass in a very short sentence.
- It slows the story, because it names a number of days, and exact numbers are details.
- It slows the story, because it is a short sentence that makes the reader pause.
Pia wants a more exact word than “moved” in sentence [7]. Which word fits the scene best?
- went
- sprinted
- drifted
- rocketed
The Lantern Walk (story draft)
[1] Every October, the families on Maple Lane carry paper lanterns through the neighborhood after dark, and this year Ari and Kira were in charge of making the lanterns. [2] They cut tall windows into paper bags, glued colored tissue over the openings, and clipped a small battery light inside each bag. [3] Kira slowly pressed a square of blue tissue over a cut window, smoothed each wrinkle with a fingertip, and watched the tiny light glow through the paper like a pale moon. [4] By Friday, forty lanterns stood in rows on the porch.
[5] Then it was time for the walk. [6] A cool wind swept down the lane, and the neighbors gathered at the corner in jackets and scarves. [7] Ari handed out lanterns until the last box was empty, and the final family stood there with empty hands. [8] Kira stepped forward and placed the blue lantern, the best one, in the family's hands.
[9] The long line of glowing lanterns wound down Maple Lane, past porches and dark hedges. [10] Kira walked at the back of the line with empty hands, watching the lights bob in the dark. [11] At the end of the lane, the neighbors raised their lanterns together, and the whole street glowed like a field of small moons.
Ren is marking the pace of the lantern story. How does sentence [3] move the story?
- It slows the story, because it explains why the families carry lanterns each October.
- It jumps ahead, because it lists three actions, and each action takes time to finish.
- It jumps ahead, because it is a long sentence that rushes through several actions.
- It slows the story, because it stays in one moment and shows what Kira does and sees.
Tala wants to replace sentence [5], which opens the second scene with no clear time or place. Which sentence should replace it?
- Soon it was time, and the neighbors seemed happy and excited about the walk.
- At dusk on Saturday, Ari and Kira stood at the corner of Maple Lane and handed a lantern to each family.
- At dusk on Saturday, Ari and Kira stood in the school library and handed a lantern to each family.
- On Wednesday morning, Ari and Kira stood at the corner of Maple Lane and handed a lantern to each family.
Zee wants a more exact word than “walked” in sentence [10]. Which word fits the scene best?
- trailed
- marched
- moved
- stomped