The Sawyer Family
Reading Comprehension Activity
Author: RV Staff Writer E.T.
The Sawyer family has three very different children, but they all do their best to get along despite their differences. Students will read the passage and answer follow-up questions about character and other story elements. This passage also includes Dolch Sight Words from the Pre-Primer and Primer lists.
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Passage
There were three children in the Sawyer family. The oldest was Tina, who was very tall. The youngest was Sherry, who was very short. In the middle was Tim, who was neither tall nor short.
The Sawyer children were all very different, even though they shared the same last name. Tina was very fast and liked to run races. She was good at sports. Sherry was slow, and she liked to play games like hopscotch and hide and seek, where it did not matter how fast you moved. Tim wasn’t fast or slow, but he didn’t like outdoor games at all. He liked to sit inside and read books.
When the Sawyer children woke up each morning, it was very hard for them to decide what to do together. Was there something that they could all enjoy together?
“Let’s go to the park and run races,” said Tina.
“I don’t like to run,” said Sherry. “But we could use the swings and play four-square at the park instead.”
Tim looked up from his book. “Let’s stay home,” he said. “I’m at a very exciting part of my book and would like to keep reading.”
Tina crossed her arms and sighed. “Nobody ever wants to do what I want to do!”
Sherry kicked the floor. “That’s because you only want to play the games you will win,” she said.
Sherry and Tina began to argue. Soon it was so loud that Tim could not think about his book. He put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. Tina and Sherri were quiet.
“We will have to compromise,” Tim said.
Tina and Sherry looked at him. Tim liked to use big words that they didn’t know.
“A compromise is when everybody gives up something so that everybody else is a little happier.” The girls nodded. “I’ll start. I will close my book and go to the park, because I can always read later,” Tim said.
Sherry stepped forward. “I don’t want to run a race, but I can play a game with a little running in it,” she said.
Tina took her turn. “I will wear sandals instead of sneakers, so I can’t run as fast.”
The Sawyer children smiled. They found a way to have fun together! They put on their shoes and headed for the park to play.
Comprehension Questions
Answers
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