Squirrel and Blue Jay Comprehension

3rd Grade ELAReading Comprehension3 pages

About this worksheet

Sammy the Squirrel gathers acorns all autumn while Bella the Blue Jay sings and plays, and then the snow arrives. This 3-page 3rd grade reading comprehension sheet pairs the fable with four questions. Students describe Sammy's traits with an example from the text, track how Bella's feelings change, find the reason Sammy will not stop to play, and choose the moral from four options. The questions line up with RL.3.1, RL.3.2, and RL.3.3. The third page gives the answers, with c) as the moral.

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Squirrel and Blue Jay Comprehension: Reading Comprehension - page 1

Squirrel and Blue Jay Comprehension: Reading Comprehension - page 2

Squirrel and Blue Jay Comprehension: Reading Comprehension - page 3

Curriculum objectives covered

RL.3.1

“Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.”

Question 3 sends students back to the story for Sammy's reason, and question 1 asks for an example taken from the text.

RL.3.2

“Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.”

Question 4, where students choose the central message from four options after reading the whole fable.

RL.3.3

“Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.”

Questions 1 and 2, on Sammy's hardworking nature and Bella's change from playful to cold, hungry, and sorry.

What's inside this worksheet

Read the Story

A two-column fable set in a large oak tree. Sammy buries acorns from sunrise to sunset, Bella ignores his warning that "food will be hard to find," and in winter he shares his pile with her. Two cartoon pictures show Sammy with acorns and Bella cold in the snow.

Character Analysis

Question 1 asks what kind of worker Sammy is and wants one example from the text. Question 2 asks how Bella's feelings change from the beginning of the story to the end.

Text Evidence Search

Question 3 asks why Sammy didn't stop to play in the autumn. Students answer with details from the story, such as what he tells Bella about the snow.

The Central Message

Question 4 is multiple choice. Students pick the moral from four options, including "Winter is the best season." and "There is a time for work and a time for play."

How teachers use it

Read-aloud follow-up

Read the fable aloud once before students see the questions. Pause at Bella's line "I should have listened to you" and ask how she feels now. That sets up question 2.

Evidence practice

Question 1 wants an example from the text, and many 3rd graders write that he works hard with no proof. Model underlining "worked from sunrise to sunset" in the story first.

Fable unit starter

Use this before the Central Message in Fables sheet, which retells a close version of the same squirrel and jay story. Students who have found the moral here can then focus on how key details convey it.

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