Reading a Play or Poem is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on reading drama and poetry closely enough to explain them, aligned to Common Core standard RL.3.10. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
First stanza:
Inside the green and spiny case,
packed in a lining soft as silk,
it waits all summer in the dark
and grows the colour of stained milk.
Second stanza:
Then autumn cracks the case in two.
It falls. It hits the path and shines
so hard and bright and newly made
you cannot walk past it. Nobody can.
Third stanza:
By Sunday it is dull and cracked
and lighter than it was before —
a small brown stone inside a pocket,
and no one wants it any more.
1. Which words show how the conker looks when it first falls?
2. Quote the line that describes the inside of the case.
3. What does "dull" mean here?
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.
The Museum Key (a scene from a play)
SCENE TWO. The museum store room. Night. Boxes everywhere. A single desk lamp.
PRIYA: (whispering) It was here on Tuesday. On this shelf.
JON: You are sure it was this shelf?
PRIYA: I dusted it. I am sure.
JON: (lifting a lid) Then somebody moved it after Tuesday.
PRIYA: Or before Tuesday, and I dusted the empty space.
(Pause. JON puts the lid down slowly.)
JON: That is worse.
PRIYA: I know.
1. Which line shows Priya changing her own mind?
2. Quote the stage direction that tells you Jon is shaken.
3. What does "store room" mean here?
LessonPrint · RL.3.10 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Reading a Play or Poem
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. "so hard and bright and newly made". 2. "packed in a lining soft as silk". 3. Not shiny any more.
2.1. "Or before Tuesday, and I dusted the empty space." 2. "(Pause. JON puts the lid down slowly.)" 3. A room where the museum keeps things that are not on display.
Questions about Reading a Play or Poem
What does the Reading a Play or Poem worksheet cover?
It practises reading drama and poetry closely enough to explain them — 2 questions for Grade 3, all on Common Core RL.3.10: Read and understand harder Grade 2-3 stories, plays and poems on your own. The instruction to pupils is “Read the text, then answer the questions”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which Common Core standard does Reading a Play or Poem practise?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.10 — RL.3.10, in the Reading: Literature domain for Grade 3. The published standard reads: “By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Reading a Play or Poem is written for Grade 3, typically ages 8-9. It is one of the sheets on RL.3.10, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Reading a Play or Poem come with an answer key?
Yes. All 2 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.
How many different versions of Reading a Play or Poem can I print?
25 — one per pupil, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is Reading a Play or Poem free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Reading a Play or Poem, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.
More practice for RL.3.10
Read and understand harder Grade 2-3 stories, plays and poems on your own.