Letters Across the Ocean (Fiction Passage)

Start with a minute of talk: What would you write to a pen pal you had never met? Then have students read the story on page 1, about 260 words in 6 short paragraphs. Ask them to notice what the characters say, do and feel. Then students move to page 2 for three multiple choice items and two written responses, citing evidence for each answer in their own words. Check the work with the answer key.

Letters Across the Ocean gives 5th grade students a fiction passage of about 260 words about two pen pals in different countries, told by one of them in the first person, followed by five questions. The questions practice vocabulary in context, making inferences and cause and effect, and the sheet is aligned to Common Core RL.5.1. An answer key is included.

Letters Across the Ocean is a fiction passage of about 260 words about two pen pals in different countries, told by one of them in the first person. It is written for 5th grade readers (ages 10-11) and has 6 short paragraphs, so students can read it in one sitting.

Its five questions, three multiple choice and two written, practice point of view, vocabulary in context, cause and effect and how a character feels. Questions include "Whose point of view is used to tell this story" and "What does the sunflower petal show about the narrator". The sheet is aligned to Common Core RL.5.1, and the answer key is included so you can check responses quickly.

Try this conversation starter: What would you write to a pen pal you had never met? Ask students to read the first paragraph and guess what the problem will be, then finish the story to check their guess.

Set aside roughly 20 to 25 minutes. Families can use it for a calm reading session, and teachers can use it as homework, a center or a short formative check of vocabulary in context and making inferences.