A Brave Knight

 

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Knight"

Once upon a time there was a knight in a castle who wanted to go for a walk in a forest. In those days it was dangerous to go anywhere in the forest because there were many robbers who would attack people and steal their money. So the knight needed to get ready carefully.

First, he fastened a sword to his belt. Then he went to the kitchen to get some cheese. Getting cheese wouldn’t make him safer from robbers but it did make him less hungry! Finally, the knight put a whistle in his pocket so if he was attacked he could blow it and call for help.

As the knight walked calmly into the forest he listened carefully to hear if anyone was following him. He held his sword in his palm. At first he thought it was a windy day so he wasn’t frightened when he heard the strange howling. Then he realized that the wolves were coming. Wolves were a lot worse than robbers!

 Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Knight"

Tornadoes

 

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Tornadoes"

A tornado is a powerful, spinning column of air which touches both the surface of the earth and the clouds above. Tornadoes come in many sizes but usually look like a funnel, whose narrow end touches the earth and the wider end touches the clouds above.

A tornado is so powerful that it can pick things up and throw them through the air. They can cause a lot of damage and destruction to farms, towns and roads. They can easily smash things and kill people.

If a tornado is coming the best place to hide is in the cellar. Although you would need to listen to the strange howling, shrieking and wailing of the wind you would be quite safe there. The best thing to do is to try to stay calm and make yourself comfortable as you wait for the tornado to pass.

 Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Tornadoes"

My Baby Brother

 

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "My Baby Brother"

My baby brother is always making trouble! He shrieks and wails a lot – it’s such a strange noise to have to listen to!

One time, he climbed out of the cradle in his bedroom and walked to the kitchen. He tried to open the knife drawer but he wasn’t tall enough. He opened the fridge to look inside. He had smashed 3 eggs before anyone saw him and stopped him. That was me and lucky for the family that I did!

He had egg yolks all over his hands and he was using his palms to wipe the mess all over the front of the fridge. Can you believe that when Mum saw us she blamed me? She said I should have rocked his cradle until he fell asleep. That’s not fair, is it?

 Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "My Baby Brother"

The Old Castle

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "The Old Castle"

The old castle had been built in about 1500 A.D. by the seaside. It was a little worn and tired looking but it was still comfortable on the inside and the Franklin Family were happy to call it home.

The Franklins had bought the castle about 20 years earlier and they had spent enough money to make the rooms brighter and cleaner. It was a large castle that sometimes made strange noises at night. It could take 5 minutes to walk from one side of the castle to the other.

Often, the Franklin children would play “Catch” throughout the many rooms and hallways. Their happy shrieks would fill the old castle with the sounds of young life.

 Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "The Old Castle"

Haunted House

 

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Haunted House"

Greg’s car had broken down on a countryside road. A hurricane was coming and it was cold and wet. He needed help and the only house he could see on the road was a large, dark and strange looking building. He walked slowly up to the front door.

Suddenly he heard a scream from inside. Maybe somebody needed HIS help! Greg was really frightened but he knocked on the door anyway. The door opened slowly. The wind sounded like low wailing. There was nobody at the door so Greg stepped into the dark hall. The wind whistled through the old house.

That’s when Greg heard another shriek… from right behind him!

 Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Haunted House"

Kids in a Hurricane

 

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Kids in a Hurricane"

The children were frightened. The hurricane had been blowing outside for 2 hours and the strange noises had become scarier and scarier. Gretchen rocked little baby Frank in her arms. Gretchen was only 9 years old but she was trying to be brave so that Frank wouldn’t become too worried.

The children listened as the wind whistled, shrieked and howled. They heard a smash as a tree fell through their bedroom window upstairs. Although they were safe in the cellar it was still quite scary imagining all of the damage and destruction outside. Gretchen hoped her parents were safe. Earlier, they had been driving back from the supermarket when the powerful hurricane started.

Gretchen knew they should be home soon.

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Kids in a Hurricane" 

S.T.A.R. Police

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "S.T.A.R. Police"

Cedric was a brave police pilot whose job it was to catch people who broke the law. But Cedric wasn’t an ordinary police officer – he was a S.T.A.R. policeman (Special Tactical Astronaut Ranger). It was the 24^th century and STAR police officers flew spaceships around the Solar System to protect people from Prince Blacklung’s space pirates.

Cedric sat in his cockpit as his ship circled Saturn gracefully. He drank a little juice from a cylinder as he watched the centre of his computer screen. His robot engineers were repairing the ship’s engine and he was watching out for space pirates. About 10 minutes earlier Prince Blacklung’s space pirates had sliced his engines with their lasers. Cedric was in trouble and he knew it!

Prince Blacklung and his pirates were the opposite of nice. If he and his pirates found Cedric they would celebrate by destroying his ship.

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "S.T.A.R. Police" 

Encyclopedia

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Encyclopedia"

crocodile A crocodile is a large reptile with strong jaws that lives in warm areas of the planet. They have webbed feet that help them to swim very quickly.  Crocodiles attack animals by biting them and pulling them underwater.

koala A koala is a special kind of mammal called a marsupial. This means it carries its babies in a pouch on its stomach. Another famous kind of marsupial is a kangaroo. Many people think a koala is a kind of bear, but actually it is not. Koalas are good at climbing tree branches.

salamander A salamander is a brightly colored amphibian that looks like a lizard. Sometimes, when a salamander is attacked by another animal, it can drop its tail to distract the attacker! The tail will wiggle and move around and while the attacking animal is looking at the tail, or trying to eat it, the salamander will run away!

tuatara A tuatara is a small reptile, which looks like a lizard, but is actually the only example of a dinosaur still alive on our planet. Tuataras live on the land and move around only at night. One tuatara, named Henry, lives in a museum in Invercargill, New Zealand and he is 112 years old!

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Encyclopedia" 

Pirates!

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Pirates!"

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The pirates had been walking for days. They had only a little water and not much bread left. They were tired and hungry… and they were angry at their captain.

“Why are you leading us across these grasslands?!” they asked angrily, “Where is the treasure you promised us?”

“Be patient men!” called out their brave leader, “You have already fought wild reptiles, furry mammals and large amphibians! I am sure if we walk for a little further we will discover the famous knight’s tomb – full of gemstones and gold coins!”

The pirates grumbled and cursed but they trusted their captain and so they didn’t disobey. After some time they began to climb a steep mountain and saw the tomb – but there also they could see a magic giant with two heads guarding the doors.

“What now captain?!” they yelled, “That giant has a huge knife that it wants to cut us with!”

“Attack my friends!” replied the captain, “We will take this giant into captivity and sell him to the zoo back home… attack!”

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Pirates!" 

Missing Chocolate

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Missing Chocolate"

Once upon a time there was a family of beetles living in a field. They worked hard every summer so that they wouldn’t be hungry in the winter. Another family lived in the same field. They were a family of ants. The ants and the beetles were good friends and sometimes they even shared their grain.

One day, a beetle boy named Tommy was looking around for his chocolate. He couldn’t find it anywhere – it had disappeared! He went to ask his mother, “I can’t find my chocolate anywhere, do you know where it is?”

“That’s strange,” said his mother, “I don’t know any beetles who would take another beetle’s chocolate.”

“But the only other family in the field is the ant family. That means those dishonest ants must have taken it!” Tommy sobbed.

News of the missing chocolate spread throughout the beetle family and they became very angry about it. Soon they didn’t share their grain with the ant family and they even sometimes had fights with them. The two families were never friendly to each other ever again and they always distrusted each other.

It wasn’t until later that Tommy remembered he had eaten his chocolate himself. He didn’t tell anyone.

 

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Missing Chocolate" 

Fatima

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Fatima"

Hi! My name is Fatima! Every day we have to go to school. Before school I usually don’t have much energy because I’m too hungry! Then I have breakfast and my full stomach wakes me up. At school I enjoy my geography lessons the most because I like to study other countries and write about them.

Recently, my teacher taught us how to make paragraphs. We learnt to leave a space at the start of the first line of every paragraph. I know how to make my space the same size every time. I use my pencil to measure it!

Sometimes I like school a lot and other times it’s not so fun. Anyway, I have lots of friends here who I really like and I know I am learning more every time I come! One thing is for sure, school is important for everyone.

 

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Fatima" 

Naughty Kevin

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Naughty Kevin"

There is a very naughty boy called Kevin at my school. He always disobeys the teachers and he never does his homework. I have never seen him do his homework. My friends and I feel unhappy when we see him because he is always unfriendly.

One time he stole a knife from the canteen. Now we distrust him because we know he is dishonest and dangerous.

Another time I saw him kick a puppy and stand on a beetle. He really is unkind. When he is especially bad the teachers make him kneel in the sunshine. Even when his knees are really sore he never learns his lesson.

Sometimes I wish he would just disappear.

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Naughty Kevin"

Dreaming in the Summer

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Dreaming in the Summer"

In the summer the weather is warm and nice. My family’s favourite summer activity is going to the beach. Every winter I look forward to this special time.

We bring chairs to sit on and umbrellas to make shady areas out of the sunshine. When it is lunch we enjoy chicken and cheese on bread as we watch the beautiful ocean.

One time, when I was swimming, I saw an old anchor. It was half buried in the white sand. Later that day I wrote about pirates, a shipwreck and an old map with an X on it.

I love the beach because it helps my imagination.

 Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Dreaming"

The Painter

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "The Painter"

Once upon a time there was a painter whose job it was to paint the king’s children. Every day he hurried to finish one painting of each of the king’s children. The children were always naughty and lazy. It was very hard for the painter to get the children to sit still.

Then one day he asked his friend, a singer, to sing a song to distract the children. This worked well and the paintings were finished on time.

The king was very happy and said in a loud voice, “You will be a knight from now on, Sir Painter!”

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Painter"

Magic Imagination

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET Magic Imagination

Science of Life

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Science of Life"

Brave Plumber

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Brave Plumber"

Mike the Pilot

Go to SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Mike the Pilot"

SONG LYRICS "Celebration"

Go to "CELEBRATION" song lyrics

SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Arab Army"

Go to worksheet "Arab Army"

SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Journey"

Go to worksheet "Journey"

SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Restaurant Party"

Go to worksheet "Restaurant Party"

SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Grumbling Vampire"

Go to worksheet "Grumbling Vampire"

SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Celebration"

Go to worksheet "Celebration"

SHORT STORY WORKSHEET "Australian Outback"

Go to worksheet "Australian Outback"

Grade 4 Unit 5 (95) The Partridge Family

http://www.scribd.com/doc/127930096/Grade-4-Unit-5-95-Partridges

Grade 4 Unit 5 Dusty Farm (73)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/127925488/Grade-4-Unit-5-73-Dusty-Farm

Welcome

Welcome to Mr Gary's EFL Classroom!

I'm an English language teacher for Grade 4 students in Al Ain, UAE. I've been here for 3 years and before that I was teaching EFL in Taiwan for 9 years.

This blog to set up with reading comprehension activities for my students to complete in their own time at home. However, anyone is welcome to use and distribute any of my work as long as the original author is acknowledged.

Hope you find the activities useful!