The Story of Sid Sid was a stick insect. He was long, thin and brown, and looked very much like a twig with legs. Sid had a lot of friends, but sometimes he made his insect friends angry with his boasting. I am the best insect, he would say. I have the best camouflage. No bird will ever try to eat me, because when a bird sees me, he thinks I am a stick. One day, Sid was out walking when a bird swooped down and snatched him with his beak. Sid was terrified! The bird flew up and up and up, higher than Sid had ever been. Sid thought for sure that the bird was going to eat him. But the bird did not eat him. The bird took Sid to a nearby tree. There, he wove Sid into the twigs and grasses that made up the bird s nest. Sid did not get eaten, but he was now part of a bird s nest! It took Sid a few days to get himself out of the bird s nest, and to make his careful way down out of the tree. His friends watched him, laughing. Sid never boasted to his friends again!
BEGINNING MIDDLE END Think about the story. Then answer the questions. 1. What does Sid do in the beginning of the story that makes his friends angry? 2. What happens to Sid in the middle of the story? 3. When a story teaches a lesson, the lesson is called the moral of the story. Some examples of story morals are: Look both ways before you cross the street. Don t count your chickens before they hatch. Think about what Sid learned from his experience. In your own words, write the moral of the story below.
ANSWERS 1. He boasts that he is the best insect. 2. A bird picks him up and uses him to build a nest. 3. If you re good at something, don t boast about it.
Adam s Wish At summer camp, the children planted beans. Each camper planted one bean. Adam made a hole in the dirt with his finger. He put in his bean, covered it with dirt, and patted the dirt down. He gave his bean some water. Then he stuck a twig in the ground so he would remember where his bean was planted. Adam checked on his bean every day. Within a week, some of his friends beans were already coming up, but not Adam s bean. Not every bean will sprout, his camp counselor said. Would you like to try planting another bean? But Adam said no. He was sure his bean would sprout. That night he wished on a star that his bean would sprout soon. He imagined his wish flying up into the sky and shimmering back down at him with the stars. The next day, Adam kept looking up at the sky towards his wish, wondering when it would come back down and come true. In the sky he saw kites, birds, airplanes and clouds. Then he saw big drops of rain. They plopped on his face and his shoulders. Adam ran inside with the rest of the campers. The next morning it was sunny and dry. Adam ran out to the camp garden to check on his bean. Beside his twig marker, his bean was rising up out of the dirt on a pale, strong stalk. Wow! said Adam. My wish came down with the rain!
Complete the worksheet by describing what happens at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the story. 1. What happens in the beginning of the story? 2. What happens at the middle of the story? 3. What happens at the end of the story?
ANSWERS 1. Adam plants a bean with his camp group. 2. Adam checks on the bean every day but it doesn t sprout. Adam s counselor offers to let him plant another bean. But Adam says no. He believes his bean will sprout. He wishes on a star that his bean will sprout. 3. It rains, and Adam s bean sprouts.
The Circus There is a circus in town! Jane has never been to the circus before. She asks her mother to take her. Of course, her mother says. It would be fun to go to the circus. At the circus, Jane sees a lion tamer. The lions are huge. They open their mouths wide to roar. The lion tamer holds up a hoop. One by one, the lions jump through the hoop. When they are finished, the lion tamer turns to the crowd and takes a bow. Next, the trapeze artist swings back and forth, high above the crowd. There is a net below her, in case she falls. She wears a sparkly white costume that shimmers in the lights when she flies through the air. Jane holds her breath. Will the trapeze artist fall? No! She lands on the other platform and throws her hands up in the air. Jane claps with the audience. What an exciting show! Then there are elephants and clowns. The clowns wear big red noses, brightly colored wigs, and large, floppy shoes. The elephants do tricks while they balance on small platforms. They lift the clowns onto their backs with their trunks. Everyone loves the elephants! Jane claps hardest of all. After the show, Jane s mother buys her cotton candy. Then Jane plays some carnival games and wins a stuffed elephant. She hugs the stuffed elephant all the way home. Jane loved the circus!