Beginning, Middle, and End of a Story
Finding the parts of a simple story
Beginning, Middle, and End of a Story
Finding the parts of a simple story
Language Arts - Grade K-1
- 1
Mia put on her boots. Then she jumped in puddles. Last, she went home to dry off. What happened at the beginning?
The beginning is what happens first.
At the beginning, Mia put on her boots. - 2
Ben found a seed. He planted it in a cup. A little green sprout grew. What happened in the middle?
In the middle, Ben planted the seed in a cup. - 3
A dog chased a ball. The ball rolled under a chair. The dog got the ball and wagged its tail. What happened at the end?
The end is what happens last.
At the end, the dog got the ball and wagged its tail. - 4
Put these events in order: Sam eats lunch. Sam opens his lunch box. Sam throws away his trash.
Think about what Sam must do first before he can eat.
The correct order is: Sam opens his lunch box, Sam eats lunch, and Sam throws away his trash. - 5
Lily heard a story about a lost kitten. First, the kitten wandered away. Next, Lily looked under a bush. Last, Lily found the kitten. Which part says what happened first?
The beginning says the kitten wandered away. - 6
A story says: The class got on the bus. They visited the zoo. They went back to school. What happened in the middle of the story?
The middle happens after the beginning and before the end.
In the middle of the story, the class visited the zoo. - 7
Draw or write one thing that could happen at the beginning of a story about a picnic.
A good beginning could be that the family packs food for the picnic. - 8
Draw or write one thing that could happen in the middle of a story about a picnic.
The middle tells what happens after the story starts.
A good middle could be that the family eats sandwiches and plays a game. - 9
Draw or write one thing that could happen at the end of a story about a picnic.
A good end could be that the family cleans up and goes home. - 10
Look at the events: A girl bakes cookies. A girl mixes the dough. A girl shares cookies with her friend. Which event should come first?
Think about the first step in making cookies.
The girl mixes the dough should come first because she needs dough before she can bake cookies. - 11
Read the sentence: Finally, the bird flew out of the nest. Is this the beginning, middle, or end of the story?
The word finally often points to the end.
This is the end of the story because the word finally tells what happened last. - 12
Read the sentence: First, Dad opened the big box. Is this the beginning, middle, or end of the story?
This is the beginning of the story because the word first tells what happened at the start. - 13
Nora lost her red hat. She looked in her room. She found the hat under her bed. Write the end of the story.
Find what happens last.
The end of the story is that Nora found the hat under her bed. - 14
Tell what is missing. Beginning: A boy gets a kite. Middle: The wind blows the kite high. End: blank.
A good ending is that the boy brings the kite home. - 15
Circle the event that belongs in the middle: A rabbit sees a carrot. A rabbit hops to the garden. A rabbit goes to sleep.
The middle is the event between the start and the last event.
The event that belongs in the middle is: A rabbit sees a carrot. It happens after the rabbit gets to the garden and before the story ends.