The Lucky Lunch
Reading Comprehension Activity
One day Ellery left her lunchbox on the bus. She doesn’t have any money to spend in the cafeteria, so what will she eat? Ellery is nervous, but her friends come to the rescue in a helpful way. Students will read the passage and answer follow-up questions about vocabulary and other story elements.
Topic(s): Realistic Fiction. Skill(s): Character Traits, Story Elements. Genre(s): Prose
Click for the passage & questions on one printable PDF.
Ellery was in the second grade at Jefferson School. She had a blue backpack and a purple lunchbox. The lunchbox was always filled with something tasty. Ellery’s dad was an excellent cook, and he made sure that Ellery had a healthy lunch to eat every day.
One rainy day, Ellery stepped off of the school bus and ran quickly to the school door. She went to her classroom and hung up her coat. She put her backpack on its hook. She reached for her lunchbox to put it on the shelf.
But her lunchbox was gone!
Ellery looked all around, but she couldn’t find her lunchbox.
All morning, Ellery worried about her lunchbox. What would she eat? She didn’t have any money, so she couldn’t buy a sandwich in the lunch line. She would be very hungry without a lunch. How would she make it through the day?
When it was time for lunch, Ellery sat down at a table with her friends. She put her head down on the table and started to cry.
“What’s wrong?” asked Sophie.
“I lost my lunchbox,” Ellery sniffled. “Now I don’t have anything to eat. And I’m so hungry!”
Sophie patted Ellery on the back. “Would you like a piece of butter bread? I have two.” Sophie gave Ellery a slice of bread.
“Thanks,” said Ellery.
Patrick and Roderigo sat down at the table with trays of food from the lunch line. When they saw that Ellery didn’t have anything to eat, they offered food from their trays. Roderigo handed Ellery a cup of fruit salad. “I don’t need all this,” he said, “so I don’t mind sharing. There are a lot of those berries to go around!”
“Take half of my spice cake,” said Patrick. “That’s the best dessert they give us here.”
“Thanks, everyone,” said Ellery. And she meant it. She wasn’t hungry anymore, and she felt very happy to have such caring friends.
Get the passage & questions on one printable PDF.