The Last Train Home (Fiction Passage)

Start with a minute of talk: What is a long trip like when the weather is bad? Then have students read the story on page 1, about 260 words in 7 short paragraphs. Ask them to notice what the characters say, do and feel. Page 2 has five questions, three multiple choice and two written responses. Have students quote or paraphrase the text evidence in each written answer, then compare their thinking with a partner. Check the work with the answer key.

The Last Train Home gives 5th grade students a fiction passage of about 260 words about a girl and her grandmother on a snowy train ride home, 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.

The Last Train Home is a fiction passage of about 260 words about a girl and her grandmother on a snowy train ride home. It is written for 5th grade readers (ages 10-11) and has 7 short paragraphs, so students can read it in one sitting.

Its five questions, three multiple choice and two written, practice cause and effect, vocabulary in context, making inferences and how a character feels. Questions include "Why does Ines wish the train had stayed stuck longer" and "Why did the man in the blue scarf smile for the first time". 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 is a long trip like when the weather is bad? Before reading, ask students to predict what might happen from the title. After reading, have them retell the story in two or three sentences before they answer the questions.

Most students need about 20 to 25 minutes for the passage and the questions together. The sheet works at a kitchen table with a parent talking through the written answers, or at a reading center as independent work on vocabulary in context and making inferences.