The Talent Show (Fiction Passage)

Start with a minute of talk: How do you feel just before you perform in front of a crowd? 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. On page 2 students circle three answers and write two. Encourage them to go back to the text and underline the words that back up each answer. Check the work with the answer key.

The Talent Show gives 3rd grade students a fiction passage of about 190 words about a girl who gets stage fright before the school talent show, 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.

The Talent Show is a fiction passage of about 190 words about a girl who gets stage fright before the school talent show. 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, vocabulary in context, cause and effect and making inferences. Questions include "What is the theme of this story" and "How did Mina's feelings change by the end of the show". 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: How do you feel just before you perform in front of a crowd? 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.