The Chess Club (Fiction Passage)

Start with a minute of talk: What can you learn from losing a game? Then have students read the story on page 1, about 210 words in 7 short paragraphs. Ask them to notice what the characters say, do and feel. Students then answer five questions on page 2, three multiple choice and two written. Ask them to cite a detail from the text in each written response. Check the work with the answer key.

The Chess Club gives 4th grade students a fiction passage of about 210 words about a boy who joins his school chess club and learns from his games, followed by five questions. The questions practice the theme or lesson of the story, vocabulary in context and cause and effect, and the sheet is aligned to Common Core RL.4.2. An answer key is included.

The Chess Club is a fiction passage of about 210 words about a boy who joins his school chess club and learns from his games. It is written for 4th grade readers (ages 9-10) 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, the theme or lesson of the story, how a character feels and comparing and contrasting. Questions include "Why did Marco feel good after losing on Friday" and "Which detail shows Marco followed Mr. Patel's advice". The sheet is aligned to Common Core RL.4.2, and the answer key is included so you can check responses quickly.

Try this conversation starter: What can you learn from losing a game? 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 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 the theme or lesson of the story and vocabulary in context.