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.
Ari is marking the pace of the mural story. How does sentence [3] move the story?
- It slows the story, because it is a long sentence with many parts.
- It jumps ahead, because two weeks pass in a single sentence.
- It slows the story, because it names the boats, the dock and the sky.
- It jumps ahead, because it tells what the art teacher asked the pairs to do.
Bo wants to replace sentence [5], which opens the second scene with no clear time or place. Which sentence should replace it?
- The next morning, Pia and Zee stood in the cafeteria 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.
- 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.
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.
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 down the block to the big oven at the community center.
- 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.
- 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?
- shrieked
- warned
- bragged
- mentioned
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 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.
- It jumps ahead, because it tells how Bo and Luz felt about the tests in the basin.
Noah wants to replace sentence [5], which opens the second scene with no clear time or place. Which sentence should replace it?
- On Thursday, at the town pond, Bo and Luz set their boat on the water between two other boats.
- Soon the boats were ready, and Bo and Luz were excited about the big race.
- On Thursday, back in Luz's kitchen, Bo and Luz set their boat on the water between two other boats.
- That same Monday, at the town pond, Bo and Luz set their boat on the water between two other boats.
Pia wants a more exact word than “moved” in sentence [7]. Which word fits the scene best?
- rocketed
- drifted
- sprinted
- went
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 slows the story, because it stays in one moment and shows what Kira does and sees.
- It jumps ahead, because it is a long sentence that rushes through several actions.
Tala wants to replace sentence [5], which opens the second scene with no clear time or place. Which sentence should replace it?
- At dusk on Saturday, Ari and Kira stood at the corner of Maple Lane 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.
- Soon it was time, and the neighbors seemed happy and excited about the walk.
- At dusk on Saturday, Ari and Kira stood in the school library and handed a lantern to each family.
Zee wants a more exact word than “walked” in sentence [10]. Which word fits the scene best?
- marched
- stomped
- trailed
- moved