Short Stories for 1st Graders with Questions and Answers (Free PDF)

Otto’s New Badge

Otto was a small plush dog with floppy brown ears. He sat inside the toy box on the rug. Otto wanted a busy pretend job in the bedroom. The box held only wooden blocks and a yellow plastic spoon.

Penny walked into the room in her green socks. She tipped the box gently. The blocks tumbled onto the rug. “Good morning, Otto,” Penny said. “We need to build a morning tower.”

Otto leaned forward on his cloth paws. He could not stack the heavy blocks. Penny stacked the blocks into a high wall. She left a small opening at the bottom. “Our tower needs a gate,” Penny said.

Penny picked up the yellow plastic spoon. She slid the handle under Otto’s ribbon collar. The spoon stood up like a bright badge. “You are the tower guardian,” Penny said. “Your job is to watch the gate.” Otto sat proudly and guarded the new tower.

Questions

1. What else is in the box besides blocks?
2. Why can Otto not stack the blocks?
3. What does Penny do after picking up the spoon?
4. How does Otto feel about his new job?
5. What does tumbled mean here?
6. What is this story mostly about?

A Dry Spot on the Porch

Miles laced his clean shoes. The morning rain had stopped, and he was ready for the park.

Miles stepped onto the front porch. Big water drops fell from the roof. Drip, drop, plop! Water splashed on the front mat. “The mat is soaked,” Miles said.

Miles looked down at his shoes. He wanted them to stay dry.

Mom opened the screen door. “Find a safe spot while I get my keys,” she said.

Miles knelt on the porch. He touched the floorboards with his fingers. The wood near the step was cold and wet.

Then Miles checked beside the wooden bench. The roof hung wide over that corner. He touched the boards there. They were completely dry.

Miles stood by the bench and smiled. “I found a dry spot, Mom!” he called.

Mom stepped outside and closed the door. Miles had kept his shoes clean and dry. Together, they walked to the park.

Questions

1. Where does Miles want to go?
2. Why is the corner by the bench dry?
3. What does Miles do after kneeling on the porch?
4. Why does Miles smile by the bench?
5. What does soaked mean here?
6. What is this story mostly about?

Paper Shapes for Cora

Cora sat at the kitchen table with a folded card. She had a pile of paper shapes and a glue stick. Cora wanted to make a birthday card for her mother.

First, Cora stacked four red squares in a straight line. The squares made a tall tower in the center. Cora smiled and tried to fold the card shut. The top square stuck out over the edge.

The tower was too tall for the little paper. Cora did not want the top piece to bend. She picked up the squares before the glue dried.

She placed the four red squares side by side. Now the shapes made a wide cottage. She set a blue triangle on top as a roof.

Cora pressed each paper shape flat. She folded the white card shut. The roof and the cottage fit neatly inside. Cora smiled at her finished card.

Questions

1. Who is the birthday card for?
2. How does Cora first place the squares?
3. Why does Cora change the tall tower?
4. How does Cora make the squares fit?
5. What does cottage mean here?
6. What is this story mostly about?

The Yellow Bucket Toss

Gabe held four striped beanbags on the backyard lawn. He tossed one bag into a blue bucket. An empty yellow bucket sat on the porch. “I want to play too,” Kenji said. Gabe smiled and handed Kenji two beanbags. “Stand by the patio and throw.”

Kenji stood beside the patio bricks. He aimed carefully and threw his first beanbag. It landed short in the green grass. The blue bucket was ten steps away. “That bucket is too far for me,” Kenji said.

Kenji ran to the porch and found an empty yellow bucket. He carried it to the lawn and placed it three steps closer. “Can I aim here?” Kenji asked. “Yes,” Gabe said. “One point for yellow, and two points for blue.”

Kenji tossed his second beanbag with a gentle swing. Plop! It dropped right into the yellow bucket. Kenji cheered. Next, Gabe threw his last beanbag into the blue bucket. Both boys grinned and counted their points together.

Questions

1. How many beanbags does Gabe give Kenji?
2. Why does Kenji miss the blue bucket?
3. What does Kenji do after getting the yellow bucket?
4. How do you know Kenji is happy with his throw?
5. What does tossed mean here?
6. What is this story mostly about?

Download the Free PDF

The workbook includes 10 stories: the 4 stories above and 6 bonus stories, with questions and a separate answer key.

• Download the A4 stories and questions PDF
• Download the US Letter stories and questions PDF

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