Ravi's First Bike Ride (Fiction Passage)

Start with a minute of talk: What helps when you try something new and feel nervous? Then have students read the story on page 1, about 190 words in 5 short paragraphs. Ask them to notice what the characters say, do and feel. The questions on page 2 mix three multiple choice items with two short written answers, so give students room to explain their thinking in sentences. Check the work with the answer key.

Ravi’s First Bike Ride gives 3rd grade students a fiction passage of about 190 words about a child who is nervous about learning to ride a bike and the friend who coaches the way, followed by five questions. The questions practice the theme or lesson of the story, vocabulary in context and making inferences, and the sheet is aligned to Common Core RL.3.2. An answer key is included.

Ravi’s First Bike Ride is a fiction passage of about 190 words about a child who is nervous about learning to ride a bike and the friend who coaches the way. It is written for 3rd grade readers (ages 8-9) and has 5 short paragraphs, so students can read it in one sitting.

Its five questions, three multiple choice and two written, practice the theme or lesson of the story, cause and effect, vocabulary in context and making inferences. Questions include "What is the theme of this story" and "What did Ravi discover when he glanced back". The sheet is aligned to Common Core RL.3.2, and the answer key is included so you can check responses quickly.

Try this conversation starter: What helps when you try something new and feel nervous? 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 15 to 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.